BANDON, Oregon (May 4, 2011) -- Starting the final round with a three stroke lead, Erik Hallgrimson opened with a birdie bomb of 40 feet to set the tone for he and partner Wayne McClintock's best-ball round of 2-under 70 at the Two Man Links Championship.
Hallgrimson, who in 2005 second in the event and nearly caught the leaders with three straight birdies to close, knew that anything could happen over the challenging windswept Bandon Dunes layout, the original course at the resort.
After a nice save on the par-3 12th and a birdie at No. 13, a key to closing the round was, believe it or not, saving bogey on No. 15 which may have been the hardest par-3 in America today. The pin was tucked front right, a huge pot bunker guarded it 30 feet below on the right, and the wind made a 186 yard shot play about 230.
Steady pars on 16 and 17 were punctuated by a Hallgrimson birdie on No. 18, which while not required for the seven stroke win was just icing on the cake.
Father and son team of Scott and Josh Hanosh of Northern California (Paradise and Citrus Heights) took second place in their first appearance in this event, closing out with a solid 74 in the Bandon Dunes winds.
In the Senior Division, the largest runaway in the event's history was recorded by Jeff Newton and Chuck Parsons, who posted 4-under 281 best-ball gross for a 16-stroke victory over brothers Stephen and Gary Friend. The first two rounds were where Parsons (of Ohio) and Newton (of Pleasanton, Calif.) really took off, firing rounds of 67 and 68 at Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails - the latter in cold, windy, misty conditions that sent most team's scores into the mid 70's.
Tim Burke, of Glendora, Calif., who won the Net Division with partner Norm Boucher in 2009, came back with a new partner this year (Robert Miller of San Dimas, Calif.), and got the same result.
While the Burke and Miller team never completely disappeared from their fellow competitors, (taking a four stroke lead into the final round) they certainly didn't let anyone in the door closing things out.
"My partner [Bob Miller] made five natural birdies on the first day and about 300-feet of putts," said Burke. "As much as I love Norm, Bob has become my new best friend."
Special thanks to everyone at the Bandon Dunes Resort for making this event a success and to Tournament Director Jake Wiese, PGA, and Monica Shahade, LPGA for doing such a superb job running the tournament.
Next year's dates are already on the books for May 5-9, 2012.
amateurgolf.com 2011 Two Man Links at Bandon Dunes: Top Finishers
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Northern California