Larry Storck capped a late rally with a 50-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to climb into a tie for the opening-round lead with John Howson in the 86th Senior Amateur championship of the Maryland state Golf Association at Musket Ridge Golf Club in Myersville, September 8.
Storck, from Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, more than offset two hiccups (a triple-bogey at the par-3 eighth when he needed three just to get out of a greenside bunker and a penalty stroke at the 15th when his ball moved at address) with an eagle-3 at the 491-yard sixth and six birdies. At the sixth, he reached the fringe in two and drained a 30-foot putt and his birdies were all on putts from beyond 15 feet, including ones from 20, 30, and 35 feet and the group included a string of three beginning at No. 16 to finish 35-33.
Earlier, Howson, 55, from Pine Ridge GC, and in his first year of eligibility, had posted 33-35 for the 6,487-yard, par 72 course. He, too, was hot on the first nine, with an eagle-2 at the 387-yard fourth and birdies at the sixth, seventh and ninth to go with two bogeys. He parred the first three, then did not have par in the next six. His only deviation from par on the last nine was a birdie at the 16th, where he came up 12 yards short of the green, then got down with a pitch and a putt. His eagle came when he hit a 96-yard wedge shot the hit past the cup and spun back into the hole for a 2.
From a starting field of 75 in the championship division, Henry Blue, Caves Valley GC, and two-time champions Marty West, Columbia CC, and Mike Occi, Hobbit’s Glen GC, each returned a 70, followed by Michael Weiner, Hayfields CC, and Michael Kelly, Lake Presidential GC, at par-72.
Blue admitted to a “scrambling” round and mentioned getting up and down some four or five times. He had two birdie, one bogey on each side’ West hit three of the par 5’s in two and two-putted for birdies to go with one bogey, while Occi. the defending champion, bogeyed two of his first three holes, then had two birdies to turn even. On the back, he birdied 11-12-13, the finished with a bogey at the last.
Kelly included a pair of 45-foot putts among his five birdies (offset by five bogeys), while Robert Schrider, from RedGate GC, was probably in the best position to advance when he was even through 13 holes, but went six over in the last five holes to miss by one at 78.
Jon Mann, from Beaver Creek CC, had his fourth hole-in-one when he aced the 193-yard eighth with a 5-iron shot.
Pete Lozupone, Club Golf, led the 29-player net division (playing one round) with 80-16-64, trailed by Bill Gold, Northwest Park GC, 73-8-65, while Bill Matton, Naval Academy (78-9-69) and Harvey Lee, Ruggles GC (76-7-69) tied for third.
With the top 24 and ties advancing to the final round (September 9), 25 players at 77 and better will play the second round.
-Reported by John Stewart from Musket Ridge GC
