2009 SC Senior champion
FLORENCE, SC (May 14, 2009)--Kingstree’s Bill Smunk overcame a five shot deficit with a closing round of 66 and a tournament total of 210 to win the 2009 SCGA Senior Championship at the Country Club of South Carolina. The leader after the first two rounds, Gary Shimmin, finished two back at 212.
In what looked to be a run away event by Gary Shimmin when the day started, turned into one of the top finishes in the recent years of the SCGA Senior Championship. Playing in the final group with Shimmin, 58 year old Bill Smunk started the day five shots behind and quickly went to six back after three putting the first hole. The insurance and investments representative for Smunk & Laydon got things back on track in a hurry however, making birdies on holes 3, 4 & 5.
Making the turn, Smunk was three shots behind and applied the pressure when he birdied the next three holes in a row. Not to be denied, Shimmin came back on the par four 13th with his lone birdie of the day to take back the lead. After pars from both players on 14 & 15, the final lead change was made when Smunk made a birdie two on the 16th hole while Shimmin could only manage bogey. With the lead in hand, Smunk calmly made par on the final two holes to win his first SCGA Senior Championship title by two strokes.
This victory gives Bill Smunk SCGA titles in the SC Amateur (1984), two Mid-Amateur titles (1988 & 95) and now the Senior Championship. He is also one half of the current SCGA Partners Champions.
The 2009 SCGA Senior Championship was played on the par 72 - 6,525 yard Country Club of South Carolina layout in Florence, SC. The field consisted of 124 players over the age of 55 and was cut to the low 60 and ties after the first two days of play. The Senior Championship is one of 19 Major Championships conducted by the South Carolina Golf Association and is in its 50th year of existence.
Final results of the South Carolina Senior Amateur, played May 12-14, 2009 at the Country Club of South Carolina:
Smunk, Bill (Kingstree) 73 71 66 210
Shimmin, Gary (Okatie) 68 71 73 212
Dennis, John (Greenville) 73 74 73 220
Page, Roger (Lyman) 75 71 74 220
Weiner, Mike (Kiawah Island) 75 72 75 222
Van Ooteghem, Jim (Seneca) 74 71 78 223
Wrenn, III, Frank (Greenville) 73 74 76 223
Pachol, Steve (Columbia) 73 75 75 223
Ford, III, Frank (Charleston) 76 75 73 224
Smunk, John (Port Royal) 76 72 76 224
Leslie, Bo (Simpsonville) 79 72 74 225
Sylvan, Gus (Columbia) 75 74 76 225
Todd, T.D. (Laurens) 79 68 78 225
Turner, Richard (Columbia) 74 75 76 225
York, Mo (Mt. Pleasant) 72 78 75 225
Edwards, Linnwood (Spartanburg) 77 75 74 226
Ferguson, Jim (Hilton Head) 77 76 73 226
Hannon, Vic (Camden) 72 75 79 226
Hoylen, Billy (Florence) 74 76 76 226
Vignati, Joe (Bluffton) 77 72 77 226
Hammersla, Bob (Greenville) 78 76 73 227
Daniels, Michael (Murrells Inlet) 72 78 77 227
Van Norden, Robert (Greenville) 73 78 76 227
Robinson, Joe (Rock Hill) 77 74 76 227
Rogers, Wayne (Easley) 77 73 77 227
Humphrey, Tom (Okatie) 77 75 76 228
Stringer, Bob (Blythewood) 74 76 78 228
Adkins, Denny (N. Myrtle Beach) 73 78 77 228
Avery, Nick (Goose Creek) 79 75 74 228
Varn, Bob (Orangeburg) 79 73 77 229
Verity, Jon (Beaufort) 76 75 78 229
Ebert, Steve (Aiken) 75 78 76 229
Burgess, Jim (Columbia) 71 78 80 229
Patti, Jim (Bluffton) 73 77 79 229
Benenhaley, Harry (Columbia) 75 76 79 230
Hamilton, Jimmy (Aiken) 73 79 78 230
Hogan, Al (Conway) 82 72 77 231
Johnson, Randy (Taylors) 74 80 77 231
Padgette, Joe (N. Charleston) 75 74 82 231
Alchermes, Brian (Columbia) 77 76 79 232
Long, Jared (Aiken) 78 76 78 232
Hightower, Bubba (Moncks Corner) 77 80 75 232
Horne, Dick (Mt. Pleasant) 78 78 76 232
Moore, Marion (Orangeburg) 80 73 79 232
Thomas, Henry (Pacolet Mills) 76 80 77 233
Kasler, Tom (Florence) 79 78 76 233
Calkins, Mike (Columbia) 75 81 77 233
Agle, Rich (Conway) 74 79 81 234
McBride, Tim (Okatie) 78 77 79 234
Rickman, Bob (N. Augusta) 76 77 81 234
Johnson, Jeryl (Summerville) 76 76 83 235
Stoudenmire, Joel (Greer) 79 78 78 235
Hendley, Ryan (Greer) 79 78 78 235
Dollenberg, Eric (Hilton Head) 76 79 81 236
De Leon, James (Bluffton) 74 81 82 237
Wright, Raleign (Bluffton) 79 77 83 239
Schatz, Gary (Fort Mill) 79 78 83 240
Shealy, Bernie (Columbia) 73 78 0 151 WD
Graham, Johnny (Lake City) 76 78 0 154 WD
Korzen, Dick (Aiken) 80 77 0 157 WD