Andrew Biggadike got his biggest win at Garden City GC
GARDEN CITY (May 20, 2018) –
Andrew Biggadike of the Olympic Club won the 109th Walter Travis Invitational at Garden City Golf Club, winning the final match 3&1 over
Daniel Russo and capturing the Walter Travis Schenectady replica putter.
For Biggadike, the key shot was a 5-iron struck from nearly the same position he was in when he hit it out of bounds in his semifinal match against
Michael Christensen of Minnesota. Then, a 1 up lead vanished and he had to go 20 holes to reach the final. This time, he hit it to 12 feet and, when Russo failed to hole his chip for a three, the match was conceded and Biggadike was the champion.
As he later told the Global Golf Post, he was somewhat in disbelief as he walked back to the clubhouse, saying “I can’t believe I just won the Travis.”
Biggadike has won match play tournaments at heralded venues before, winning three Carnegie Shields at Royal Dornoch in Scotland. But this win, achieved in his fifth appearance in the Travis, was his biggest so far.
Russo’s achievement was notable as well, as the 60-year-old was eligible for the senior division but chose to play with the mid-amateurs, and made it all the way to the final.
Biggadike was one of three stroke play co-medalists, along with another 60-year-old,
Ken Bakst, and
Tommy Parker. Each shot rounds of 2-under 71 in wet, rainy conditions.
Reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Matt Parziale played in his first Travis, and made it to the quarterfinals. The highlight of Parziale’s week was a hole-in-one at the par-3 second hole in stroke play qualifying.
In the Senior Division,
Bart Dornier of Louisiana beat
Jerry Rose of Florida in the final match, 1 up.
The other flight winners were:
Devereux Emmet Cup: Jeronimo Esteve d. Kevin Gai, 1 up
Charles Blair Macdonald Cup: Daniel MacDonald d. Ken Dardis, 4&2
Robert T. Jones Cup: Mike Connors d. Steve Tarulli, 3&2
William H. Taft Cup: Tim Schmitt d. Grant Byczek, 2&1
ABOUT THE Walter J. Travis Invitational
Tournament honors Walter Travis, three
time
U.S.
Amateur champ and the first American to
win
the
British Amateur. Travis reworked the
original
Devereaux Emmet design. 18 hole qualifier
establishes match play flights.
Great
event,
great
golf course.
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