The 2022 Maryland Senior State Team Championship ended Saturday afternoon with Hayfields CC defeating 2020 Champions, Manor CC by a score of 7 to 5.
The matches, which began in 2000, feature teams from MSGA Member Clubs made up of eight male senior members and is scored via the Nassau System of scoring. The bracket of 30 teams began competition on September 10.
In the first match at Manor, the visiting Hayfields side of Gary Awalt & Mike Weiner got off to a quick start 2-up start after Awalt made birdie on the first two holes. Manor’s side of Bill Leonard & Mike Hritz made a birdie on the dog-leg par 4 No. 4 to get back to 1-down. Starting on No. 5 the Hayfields duo won the next four out of five holes and never looked back. They went on to win the front nine match 4&2. Awalt & Weiner kept the pressure on through the back nine. On the par 3, No. 11 Awalt hit his tee shot to less than an inch for birdie. Weiner won No. 13 with a bogey on the long, uphill par 4 which helped to secure the 18-hole match 7&5. After tying the remaining four holes, Hayfields went on to win the back nine match 2&1 and secure three points.
Hayfields – 3 Manor – 0
Over at Hayfields, the first match featured a back-and-forth match between Manor’s Mike Garner & Stu Strang against Hayfields’ B.J. Surhoff & Mickey Abrams. Manor got off to a quick 1-up lead after a birdie on No. 1 but Hayfields won Nos. 3 and 4 to take back a 1-up lead. Birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 helped Manor reclaim a 1-up lead heading into No. 9. A long birdie putt by Abrams helped to tie the match and get ½ a point for each team. On the back nine, Hayfields tallied a par on the par 3, No. 11 which took them back to 1-up. Just like on the front nine, Manor bounced back with a birdie on No. 12 to tie the match back up. With each team missing out on opportunities to take the lead they finished the back nine tied and split the 18-hole match.
Hayfields – 4.5 Manor – 1.5
The second match at Manor proved to be similar in a back-and-forth matchup between Hayfields Dennis and Dan Cahill and Manor’s Tim Meinhardt and John Vollmer, who made a 50-foot putt to send Manor to the finals. With Hayfields getting off to a 1-up start after the first hole, Manor tied the match with a birdie on the long par 3, No. 3. But just as quickly as Manor took the lead, Hayfields took it back after a birdie on the par 5, No. 4. The Cahills pared No. 7 to take a 2-up lead heading into the downhill, par 3, No. 8. Manor battled back going par-birdie to tie the front nine match and secure ½ a point. The back nine match saw much of the same. The Meinhardt-Vollmer tandem birdied No. 11 to go 1-up. Hayfields tied the match on No. 13 but wins by Manor on Nos. 14 & 16 all but helped secure the back nine and 18-hole points for the home team.
Hayfields – 5 Manor – 3.5
Back at Hayfields, Manor’s team of Jim Castagna and Gary Taylor took a commanding 3-up lead over Hayfields’ Michael Steinhardt and Andy Gorelick after seven holes. With a birdie on No. 3 followed by par-birdie on Nos. 6 & 7 the Manor duo collected a front nine point with a 3&2 victory. The pair of Steinhardt-Gorelick were not to be outdone at their home course as they flipped the script and rattled off three consecutive birdies on Nos. 10 through 12 to tie the match. Castagna and Taylor stopped the run and won the par 4, No. 13 to go back to 1-up for the 18-hole match. Steinhardt & Gorelick kept the pressure on with a par on No. 14 to tie the match and then a hole-out eagle by Steinhardt on No. 15 to secure the back nine match 4&3 and win the 18-hole match 1-up.
Hayfields – 7 Manor – 5
Front Nine Matches
Hayfields – 2 | Manor – 2
Back Nine Matches
Hayfields – 2.5 | Manor 1.5
18-Hole Matches
Hayfields – 2.5 | Manor 1.5
How they got to the Finals:
Hayfields
Defeated Piney Branch GC (8.5-3.5), Baltimore CC (7-5), Mountain Branch GC (9-3), Ocean City GC (9-3)
Manor
Defeated Bethesda CC (9-3), Congressional CC (7-5), Montgomery CC (9-3), Hobbit’s Glen GC (6-6; Won on 1st Playoff Hole)
