First there was George Bradford. Then there was the rest of the field.
Bradford, a teaching pro at Waverly Woods Golf Club in Woodstock, the first player off the 10th tee, simply was the best in a qualifying round for the Maryland State Amateur and Open Championships, as he set a Worthington Manor GC course record with a sizzling 31-32–63. Not only did it erase the previous mark of 64, set by Michael Muehr in a U.S. Open qualifying round, but it provided Bradford with a nine-stroke cushion on the remainder of the 139-man group. It also set a scoring record for the event, May 6.
Overall, 28 at 78 and better qualified for the Amateur, set for June 5-8 at Baltimore CC, and 30 at 76 and better qualified for the Open, due July 14-16 at Lakewood CC in Rockville. This was the second of three separate sites, as an earlier one was held at The Suburban Club in Pikesville, and a final one will be held May 21 at Andrews Air Force Base, just outside the Capital Beltway.
Bradford, 39, a former University of Maryland football standout as a defensive back, poured in five birdies on each nine (10-11-14-16-18 and 1-2-7-8-9) and bogeyed the 12th when an errant shot forced him to hit one backwards out of trouble and then he failed to get up-and-down at the 459-yard hole. “I had a couple of putts from about 20 feet at [Nos.] 6-7, but the rest were from inside 10-12 feet.”
The long-hitting Howard County resident said he had had a couple of 63’s previously [when he was a mini-tour player], but that was maybe 10-12 years ago. Last month, he was the pro on Waverly Woods’ entry in the MSGA Team Matches, and wound up playing five “away” programs (and none at home) as the team, in only its fourth year in the event, went to the Washington area final before losing to the University of Maryland GC, ironically playing its first “home” match. “Teaching in the morning, then driving to matches (two trips to Hagerstown, and one each to Holly Hills CC, Columbia CC, and then College Park) and playing in the afternoon, led to some long days.”
As for the rest of the qualifying contingent, Lee Detmer, Chevy Chase Club was the low amateur with a round of 35-37–72 over the 6,907-yard course in Urbana. Luke Schaap, from Bretton Woods Recreation Center, and Colin St. Maxens, Columbia CC, followed at 73. Detmer’s tour included three birdies, three bogeys, with eight 4’s on the front nine. Schaap started birdie-birdie on the back and went on to finish with four birdies, five bogeys, while St. Maxens jumped over several players when he birdied the last two holes.
For the Open, Bradford was trailed by Song Joo, a professional from the Broad Run Golf Practice Facility in Bristow, Va., with 71 . Dave Harget, an unaffiliated pro, shot 72, where he was joined by Detmer, while pros Pleasant Hughes, Chevy Chase Club, and Ki Moon, Waverly Woods had 73 to be joined by Schaap. After the morning wave, Bradford led John Gerber, TPC Potomac, the closest pro, by 11 shots.
Yoo highlighted his round with an eagle-3 at the 502-yard 18th when he hit a 5-wood second shot from the rough that went over the green, from where he pitched in. He had three bogeys on the front nine (his finishing side) and salvaged the round with birds at Nos. 6 and 9. Pro Jason Goslee, from GolfTec in Richmond, Va., eagled the 536-yard ninth, his last hole, and pro Jimmy Flippen, Jr., Ringgold GC, eagled the 18th, his ninth hole.
-Reported by John Stewart from Worthington Manor GC
