Amateur Eddie Kenny places second at Palm Beach Open
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 20, 2014) — Matt Newman of Boca Raton fired a
seven under par 65 Saturday at Bear Lakes Country Club to win the seventh
annual Palm Beach Open golf tournament.
After his only bogey of the day at the par-5 second hole on the Links course
when he hit his tee ball into the water, Newman birdied the next four holes and
came within a couple of lip-outs of making it eight in a row.
“I lipped out a four-foot putt at the seventh hole and a chip shot at the eighth,”
said Newman, 34, the head professional of the Club Course at the Broken Sound
Club. He had birdied Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6, then the ninth and 10th. The putts at the
fourth and fifth holes were from 35 and 25 feet, respectively, the others all
inside 10 feet.
Tied for second at 67 and sharing low amateur honors were Eddie Kenny of Lake
Worth, winner of the Palm Beach County Amateur in July, and Darryl Osler, a
Bear Lakes member and the low amateur of the County Open in 2010. Kenny had
seven birdies and said he missed four putts inside six feet. Osler made six
birdies.
It was Newman’s second victory this month. He teamed with Jeff Waber to tie
for first in the Southeast Chapter Pro-Pro Sept. 6 at the Lost Tree Club. They
matched 64s with Paul Scaletta and Chris Rodenroth. Newman also won the
SEC’s Head Professional Championship in 2013.
“We changed superintendents earlier this year and our greens are super now,”
Newman said, “and I’ve been able to practice more.”
The tournament, a cooperative presentation of the Southeast Chapter of the
South Florida PGA Section and the Palm Beach County Golf Association, originally
scheduled for 36 holes, was cut to 18 because of the death last week of Sonja
Lockie, wife of Southeast Chapter President Neil Lockie. A memorial service is
scheduled at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Jupiter Beach Park.
It was the final event of the year on the SEC calendar. The Palm Beach County
Mid-Amateur Championship is scheduled Friday through Sunday at Trump
National-Jupiter.