JUPITER, Fla. – In what became a struggle for both finalists, Deron Zendt of Jupiter outlasted John Powers of Boca Raton 2-up Sunday (Oct. 4) to win the 24th annual Tire Kingdom Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship conducted by the Palm Beach County Golf Association.
Each player made just one birdie on the Fazio course at the Jonathan’s Landing Golf Club at Old Trail. Zendt’s was on a conceded putt at the first hole, Powers when he holed a 30-yard bunker shot from left of the third green to pull even.
Overall, Zendt, 31, the golf course superintendent at the Banyan Club, was three over par for the distance, hitting eight of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens in regulation, none on the last five holes. Powers, 33, who operates a valet parking service, was six over, hitting just three fairways and nine greens. Four times Powers hit into palmetto bushes or out of bounds to incur penalties.
Each player had to win four matches in about 48 hours to gain the finals.
Trailing by a hole, Zendt won the 12th, 13th and 14th holes with pars to take a 2-up lead but lost the par-3 16th with bogey. They halved the par-4 17th with bogeys and Powers conceded the 18th hole and the match when he miss
ed his 15-foot par putt.
It was Zendt’s second Mid-Amateur title, following his victory in 2006 at Bear Lakes, and extended his record of at least one PBCGA victory to four straight years, five wins altogether, including the Tournament of Champions twice.
“I sort of went to sleep for a few holes on the front nine and he had some troubles on the back,” Zendt said. “It was a struggle but it was a solid victory. There were a lot of fine players in the tournament and a lot of great names on the trophy.” Zendt was exempt from qualifying based on finishing second last year.
This is Powers’ first season in PBCGA events. He qualified Friday morning with 77 and in the third round Saturday afternoon, he had to win the last three holes to earn a tough 1-up victory over defending champion Steve Anderson. “I just ran out of gas this afternoon,” he said after his third consecutive day of two rounds of golf.
Other flight winners were Michael Goldberg, Boca Raton, first, and Jim McGuigan Sr., Jupiter Island, second.
-0-
Palm Beach County GA
Tire Kingdom Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship, Oct. 2-4, 2009
Jonathan’s Landing GC @ Old Trail, Jupiter, Fla.
Fazio course, 6,750 yards, par 72 (qualifying scores in parenthesis):
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
First round
Steve Anderson, Hobe Sound (exempt, defending champion), d. Chris Coc
hran, Palm Beach Gardens (79), 4 and 3.
Paul Brinkman, Palm Springs (76), d. Bill Weible, Palm Beach Gardens (76), 4 and 3
John Powers, Boca Raton (77), d. Ron Fisher, Delray Beach (73), 5 and 4.
Chris Hatfield, Palm Beach Gardens (77), d. Tim Hanlon, Palm Beach Gardens (74), 1-up.
Marco Salerno, West Palm Beach (78), d. Kevin Hammer, Boynton Beach (71), 23 holes.
Jason Dollard, Delray Beach (77), d. Stan Zabytko, Port St. Lucie (75), 4 and 3.
Ben Adelberg, Boynton Beach (73), d. Jeff Hickman, Jupiter (78), 5 and 4.
Andy Johncke, Palm Beach Gardens (75), d. Scott Rossa, Lake Worth (77), 19 holes.
Deron Zendt, Jupiter (exempt, 2008 runnerup), d. Howard Sapper, Boca Raton (79), 5 and 4.
P.J. Navaretta, Port St. Lucie (76), d. Pete Williams, Juno Beach (76), 2 and 1.
Jamie Krone, Delray Beach (78), d. Gil Turner, Palm City (73), 3 and 2.
Greg Poore, West Palm Beach (74), d. Artie Scott, Tequesta (77), 1-up.
David Abell, Jupiter (66), d. Chris Cowell, Wellington (79), 2 and 1.
Bob Lynch, Parkland (76), d. Chad Michael, Palm Beach Gardens (75), 7 and 5.
Jared Meyers, Jupiter (73), d. Joe Ingarra, Palm Beach Gardens (78), 7 and 5.
Jeff Turton, Jupiter (75), d. Scott Harris, Wellington (77), 19 holes.
Second Round
Anderson d. Brinkman, 6 and 5.
Powers d. Hatfield, 5 and 4.
Salerno d. Dollard, 2 and 1.
Adelberg d. Johncke, 1-up.
Zendt d. Navaretta, 1-up.=0
D
Krone d. Poore, 3 and 2.
Abell d. Lynch, 2 and 1.
Meyers d. Turton, 5 and 3.
Third Round
Powers d. Anderson, 1-up.
Adelberg d. Salerno, 22 holes.
Zendt d. Krone, 2-up.
Meyers d. Abell, 5 and 4.
Semifinals
Powers d. Adelberg, 2 and 1.
Zendt d. Meyers, 2-up.
Finals
Zendt d. Powers, 2-up.
FIRST FLIGHT
First Round
Harry Cooke, Jensen Beach (83), d. Andy Spears, Palm City (79), 3 and 1.
Scott Stubbe, Jupiter (80), d. Wes Freeman, Fort Lauderdale (80), 3 and 2.
Tom Fiocchi, Palm Beach Gardens (82), d. Paul Knaub, North Palm Beach (79), 2
and 1.
John Del Prete, Palm City (79), d. Bob Camp, Jupiter (82), 6 and 5.
Michael Goldberg, Boca Raton (79), d. John Lindgren, Delray Beach (82), 19
holes.
Curtis Gimson, Palm Beach Gardens (80), won by default.
Mark Parthemer, West Palm Beach (79), d. Gene Johnson, Palm Beach Gardens
(82), 2 and 1.
Eric Robbins, Boca Raton (80), d. Dave Tassell, Jupiter (79), 2-up.
Second Round
Cooke d. Stubbs, 4 and 3.
Del Prete d. Fiocchi, 5 and 3.
Goldberg d. Gimson, 5 and 4.
Robbins d. Parthemer, 5 and 4.
Semifinals
Cooke d. Del Prete, 2 and 1.
Goldberg d. Robbins, 5 and 3.
Finals
Goldberg d. Cooke, 4 and 2.
SECOND FLIGHT
First Round
Jim Mansfield, Tequesta (88), d. Chad Tatge, Lake Park (88), 5 and 3.
Daniel Zondervan, Palm Beach Gardens (93), d. Chuck Schmiedel, West Palm Beach (88), 4 and 2.
Jeff Sellers, West Palm Beach (87), d. Ado Butera, Boynton Beach (101), 6 and 4. Second Round
James McGuigan, Jupiter Island (83), d. Mansfield, 2 and 1.
Tom Knapp Jr., Tequesta (87), d. John Turner, Palm City, 19 holes.
Zondervan d. Bill Hall, Palm Beach Gardens (86), 1-up.
Sellers d. Brian Donnelly, Palm Beach Gardens (87), 5 and 4.
Semifinals
McGuigan d. Knapp, 3 and 2.
Sellers d. Zondervan, 5 and 4.
Finals
McGuigan d. Sellers, 1-up.
Hole-in-one – Ben Adelberg, No. 5, 132 yards, pitching wedge, second round.
-0-
Next on the PBCGA tournament schedule: Oct. 17-18, Junior-Senior, Abacoa GC; Oct. 23, Tournament of Champions, Old Palm GC; Oct. 24-25, Dodge Four-Ball, The Fox Club; Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Senior Four-Ball, Fountains CC.