Bair Captures, Scohy, Rodney and Snow Retain

 

Late in the day, with only three holes left to play, four players were tied for the lead in the Senior Metropolitan. Ryan Bowen, the Cedarville Golf Coach, fired the day’s lowest round and the only round in the 60s, with a five-birdie, one-bogey performance. This impressive round moved him quickly up the leaderboard, putting him in the clubhouse with a +2 total, tied with the leaders who still had most of the back nine to play.  

 

Through 15 holes, Brian Bair, Pete Betzold, and Peter Samborsky II were also at +2 for the tournament. Brian Bair, the first-round leader, had a very up-and-down round. He birdied the first and third holes to take an even greater lead but then had a stretch of poor play, giving back six shots. However, he managed to right the ship with a birdie on #15 and a holed-out bunker shot on #17 for another birdie, giving him a one-shot advantage heading into #18. When his fellow competitors failed to birdie the 18th, the championship belonged to the 50-year-old who finished at one over for the tournament.  

 

In the Mid-Amateur Division, Jeff Scohy claimed victory for the fourth consecutive year. Despite his dominance, this win did not come easily, as his round of 74 allowed others to narrow the gap. Finishing just one stroke behind was Brandon J. Johnson, the only player in the field to record two sub-par rounds, finishing with a two-under-par final round and a one-under-par first round.  

 

In the 65 to 74 age division, the championship was decided in extra holes when John Rodney outlasted Doug Gage in sudden victory. This marks John's second consecutive win in this age division and his third title in the past four years. Doug Gage made a strong bid for the title by shooting a 72 in his second round, which was one stroke better than his age.  

 

In our oldest division of the Championship, for ages 75 and up, we witnessed half the field shoot their age or better. Leading the way was our lifelong champion golfer, Skip Snow, who won the division with impressive rounds of 75 and 70, totaling 145. This score is 17 strokes better than his combined age of 162 over two rounds. Our second-place finisher, Gordon Willins, matched his age of 76 in the first round and followed it up with a 74 in the second round. 

 

The hardest hole remained the par-four 11th, while the easiest hole remained #16.  

 

As we conclude the Championships, we extend our gratitude to Walnut Grove Country Club for hosting the event. Special recognition goes to Steve Cash and his dedicated turf staff for their exceptional efforts in preparing the course. We also sincerely thank Brian Tyra and his golf staff for their warm hospitality. 

 

This championship would not have been possible without the support of a great group of volunteers. A big thank you to all of them for their invaluable contributions to our game.  

 

Competitors' scores have been posted to your Handicap Record as Competition Scores.