John Howson bogeyed his final hole to fall into a tie with Lee Flemister, then parred the first playoff hole to win the 87th Senior Amateur championship of the Maryland State Golf Association at Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, September 9. Howson, the defending champion and first-day leader, carded a 1-over-par 73 for a 36-hole total of 142, while Flemister, three shots behind after one round, rallied with a 2-under-par 70 for 142.

At the first extra hole, Flemister was just off the green in two and came up short with his pitch, leaving him a putt of seven feet. Howson, on in two and 15 feet from the hole, narrowly missed holing for birdie bid but settled for a tap-in par. The drama promptly ended when Flemister missed sinking his putt. ” I just misread it,”` he said later. For Howson, it was his seventh MSGA championship, and just last week, he qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur, scheduled for later this month in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. at Hidden Creek Golf Club.

During the regular round, Howson, 56, from Sparks, who plays from Pine Ridge Golf Course in Timonium, went from a four-stroke lead to a one-stroke lead over the first nine holes and when he bogeyed 10 the two were tied, Flemister, from Rockville, who plays from the University of Maryland GC, dropped back with a double-bogey at 11, but birdied 13-14 to get back within one. Both missed the 18th green, but Flemister got up-and-down for par from about five feet and Howson missed from about the same distance. Howson ended with four birdies, five bogeys and Flemister, five birdies and one bogey to go with the “double.”

Howson, who went into first place in the MSGA Senior Player of the Year standings with his victory, called his round “ugly,” and added, “I was uncomfortable on the greens all day and I got so defensive. The putt on the playoff hole, for instance, was 15 feet and I should have made it. Just didn’t get it there,”

Flemister, on the other hand, called his round “great,” and said, ” It’s nice to hit wedges and short irons to these greens rather than long irons.” Howson backed him up when he declared, “I was impressed with his short game. It was much better than at the Maryland Open [in mid-July].”

Larry Storck, from Parkville and Hayfields CC, the third member of the final group, began the round one stroke behind Howson, but quickly slipped back. He finished with 75-145, good for third place our of the 26 players who made the cut at 78, Steve Ford, Talbot CC (74-73–147) and Skip Tendall, Congressional CC (74-75–149) were the only others to break 150.

From the 26, six were Super Seniors (65-over), and Richard Thoms, from Whiskey Creek GC, was the winner with 78-73–151. The closing 73 included nines of 34-39, and there were three birdies on the front which he offset by going 3-over on holes 10-11, but he steadied to par his way home. Thoms, 68, backed by one U.S. Senior Amateur and two British Senior Amateurs, said he thought it was a tricky sort of course and he was fortunate to get in a practice round with players familiar with the Rockville layout, which was played at 6,542 yards. “They told me not to challenge the course but to play smart — lay up on the par-5’s and get your birdies when you can.”

Former champion Bobby Morris, from Congressional CC, the last successful defender (2006-07) prior to Howson, shot 76-79–155, and dropped into a three-way tie for second with Gavin Stringer, Hunt Valley GC, 78-77, and Mike Panos, Hobbit’s Glen GC, 76-79.

-Reported by John Stewart