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Palm Beach County Junior-Senior: Merrell/Smith Win
11 Sep 2005
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JUPITER, Fla. (Sept 11, 2005) -- Dann Merrell sank a three-foot putt for bogey and victory on the third extra hole Sunday as he teamed with Brandon Smith to win the 10th annual Palm Beach County Junior-Senior Championship at Abacoa Golf Club.

Merrell, 52, of West Palm Beach, and Smith, 23, of Lake Worth, tournament playing partners for the first time, outlasted two other teams that tied at 11 under par 133, scoring a four-ball stroke play score of eight under 64 the final round.

First to be eliminated were Scott Rossa of Lake Worth and Steve Sim of Fort Lauderdale, the first round leaders who bogied the par-4 18th hole twice in 15 minutes, first to drop into a tie for the lead and again on the first playoff hole.

Then Merrell and Smith returned to the 18th tee with Martin Kenyon of Delray Beach and Cab Hargrave of West Palm Beach. The teams parred the hole a second time on putts by Kenyon and Smith, then went back to the tee to play 18 again.

This time, Smith lost his tee shot in a large palmetto bush on the left side of the fairway and Hargrave hit his second shot from the edge of a fairway bunker into the lake in front of the green.

This left it up to Merrell and Kenyon. Both slide par putts past the hole, then Kenyon lipped out a five footer moments before Merrell sank his bogey putt for the win. On their approach shots, Merrell had reached the back fringe, Kenyon the up-slope of a swale behind the green.

Coincidentally, in a 48-team field that included many players with multiple Palm Beach County Golf Association titles, there were only four victories among the six playoff contestants: one each by Merrell, Sim, Kenyon and Hargrave.

"That was hard work," Merrell said. "We both played pretty well all day and Brandon putted great," with six of their eight birdies in regulation. "But I made the birdie on the final hole that got us into the playoff," a 4-iron to three feet at 18.

They had four birdies and a three-putt bogey in an opening round of 69 in the alternate shots format Saturday.

Kenyon and Hargrave also had eight birdies for 64 on Sunday. Rossa and Sim made seven birdies and the bogey at 18 for 66. "We knew what we had to do at the 18th tee," Rossa said. "We both hit great drives but crummy second shots."

The tournament was sponsored by the Carl Sawyer family, the majority owners of Abacoa GC.

Next on the PBCGA tournament schedule: Sept. 17-18, Bobby Bryant Memorial Mid-Senior, Boca CC, Boca Raton, and Sept. 24, Mid-Amateur qualifying, PGA National-General, Palm Beach Gardens. For membership information and tournament entry, call Tommy Belen, executive director, 561-625-0400, or go to www.pbcga.org.

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Palm Beach County Golf Association Carl Sawyer/Junior Senior Championship Abacoa GC, Jupiter, Fla. Par 72: first round, modified alternate shots, 6,640 yards; second round, four-ball stroke play, 6,680 yards

Prize winners (juniors, 49 years and younger, listed first; money listed awarded in gift certificates):

Championship Flight

133 - Brandon Smith, Lake Worth, and Dann Merrell, West Palm Beach, 69-64. Martin Kenyon, Delray Beach, and Cab Hargrave, West Palm Beach, 69-64. Scott Rossa, Lake Worth, and Steve Sim, Fort Lauderdale, 67-66. Smith-Merrell won playoff, bogey-5 on third extra hole. Smith-Merrell, $550 (team); Kenyon-Hargrave and Rossa-Sim, $225.

135 - Deron Zendt, Tequesta, and Rick Wentworth, Stuart, 68-67. $80.

136 - Andy Johncke, Palm Beach Gardens, and Lenny Loyd, Stuart, 71-65. Dave Roschman, Jupiter, and Jim Patrone, Boca Raton, 69-67. $25.

First Flight

137 - Thierry Prissert and Robert Keller, Palm Beach Gardens, 72-65. $250.

139 - Darryl Osler, Boca Raton, and Dana Pritts, Jupiter, 73-66. $100.

140 - John Sanford, Jupiter, and Don Edwards, Hobe Sound, 73-67. $70.

141 - Jesse Lee, Wellington, and Richard Browning, Boca Raton, 72-69. Matt Ribakoff, Jupiter, and Rick Westwood, Wellington, 72-69. $45.

Second Flight

143 - Craig Howell, Lake Worth, and Jack Knepper, Boca Raton, 75-68. Al Lefevre and Jack Mansmann, Boca Raton, 75-68. $175.

144 - Tim Hanlon, Palm Beach Gardens, and Carl Sawyer, Jupiter, 75-69. $70.

146 - Robbie Dew and Bud Allen, Palm Beach Gardens, 75-71. $50.

148 - Bill Hall, Wellington, and Gary Gump, Palm Beach Gardens, 76-72. $40.

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