59-year-old Bob Royak claims Georgia Mid-Amateur title
May 24, 2021 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Bob Royak, View results for Georgia Mid-Amateur, Dalton Golf & Country Club
Phil Mickelson wasn't the only player to beat a younger field on Sunday, as the 2019 U.S. Senior champ wins a playoff in Columbus
Royak defeated Taylor Smith (Brookhaven, Ga.) on the first playoff hole to capture the 40th Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship at Country Club of Columbus.
Royak began the final round in a second-place tie with 2020 AmateurGolf.com Mid-Am Player-of-the Year Stephen Behr (Atlanta), as both golfers were three strokes off the pace set by Christian Raynor (Kennesaw, Ga.), who held the 36-hole lead at 4-under 136 after firing a pair of 68s to open the tournament. Four late bogeys on Sunday doomed Raynor’s title hopes, while Behr, despite birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, settled for a final round of 69 but finished three shots off the lead.
After opening with a three-over par 73 on Friday, Smith carded rounds of 67 and 65 over the weekend to vault up the leaderboard and eventually catch Royak at the end of regulation. The 2018 Georgia Mid-Amateur champion eagled the par-4 13th and added a birdie on the par-3 16th to move into a tie for the lead but a bogey 5 on the 17th left him one back of Royak. After parring the final hole, Smith’s championship hopes were rejuvenated when Royak bogeyed the 18th hole, sending the two players to a playoff, which was quickly settled on the first extra hole.
Royak, who finished third at the Timuquana Cup Senior Invitational earlier this month, had six birdies on his Sunday card to offset a pair of bogeys en route to a final round 66. The win adds to Royak’s impressive resume, which includes victories at the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur and the 2020 Jones Cup Senior held at Sea Island Golf Club.
Amazingly, Royak's win was the second in a state mid-amateur by a 59-year-old this month. Gene Elliott won his second-straight Iowa Mid-Amateur two weeks ago, and he too prevailed in a playoff.Bob Royak wins the #GSGAMidAm at @CCC1909 🏆 🏆 🏆
— Georgia State Golf Association (@GSGA) May 23, 2021
He outlasts Taylor Smith in a one-hole playoff 💪https://t.co/h72M5RsCES pic.twitter.com/ENZYeONVJm
About the Georgia Mid-Amateur
Entries: Open to male amateur golfers age 25 or older as of the first day of the championship Field: 144 players; non-exempt players enter through one of seven statewide 18-hole qualifiers Format: 54 holes of stroke play; field cut to the low 70 and ...
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