Late charge by David Brown nets Pennsylvania Senior Amateur title
8/3/2021 | by Rick Woelfel of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Pennsylvania Senior Amateur, Berkshire Country Club
Ligonier, Pa. native birdies four of last five holes to take title
David Brown birdied four of the last five holes on Tuesday to claim the 62nd edition of the Pennsylvania Senior Amateur Championship Presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Brown, who hails from Ligonier, Pa. carded his second consecutive 69 at the Country Club of York to finish the 36-hole test at 6-under par 138.
His closest challenger, former U.S. Senior Amateur champion Sean Knapp (Oakmont, Pa.), finished four shots off the pace after his closing 70 put him at 2-under par 142.
P. Chet Walsh (Wayne, Pa.) was at 147 after a closing 72 while Richard Berglund (Pittsburgh) and Jeff Frazier (Mechanicsburg) were both at 148 after rounds of 74 and 76 respectively.
Brown and Knapp are close friends; Brown caddied for Knapp when he won the Senior Amateur in 2017. At day’s end, the pair had recorded the only three sub-par rounds of the championship.
For much of the final round it was a head to head battle; the two were part of the last group. Brown, who placed second in this tournament in 2017 and ’19, began his final round three shots clear of Knapp and Frazier. He bogeyed the opening hole but birdied the ninth to turn in even par for the day and three under for the championship.
Knapp, who won this tournament back to back in 2018 and ‘19 made the turn in 1-under par 35 to cut his deficit to two shots and got another shot closer with a birdie at the par-3 12th. When Brown bogeyed the 13th the two were tied for the lead.
But Brown’s putter, which was uncooperative early on, heated up. He reached the 14th and 15th, both par fives, in two and recorded a pair of two-putt birdies. He rolled in his third consecutive birdie at the par-4 16th and closed with a birdie at the par-4 18th while Knapp parred his last five holes.
“I was really nervous and really uncomfortable and nothing felt right on the front nine,” Brown said. “And then, for whatever reason, the last several holes I felt kind of comfortable.
“I had to change my putting grip because I yipped a few on the front side. I was left-hand low and changed the position of my right hand on the putter.”
Knapp kept the pressure on his friend and fellow competitor with a splendid short game but in the end, was unable to erase the deficit.
“I had a pretty good hunch that if I could beat Sean Knapp, a national champion, that I had a good chance of winning the event,” Brown said.
Super Seniors
Former Walker Cupper Duke Delcher (Blufton, S.C.) claimed the Super Senior title (open to players age 65 and over) after his closing 1-under par 71 have him a two-day total of even-par 144 and a two-shot margin over Brian Rothaus (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) who closed with a 2-over par 74 to finish at 146.
Delcher, who played in the 1997 Walker Cup at age 41, bogeyed his first two holes but was three under par the rest of the way. Delcher, like the rest of the field, was unable to play a practice round because of debris on the course in the wake of a storm last week, but he eventually figured things out.
“I had no real idea where I was going (Monday),” he said. “It got a little bit better today. It looks like it would be a very fun golf course to play, especially if it was fast. It was pretty soft because of the rain.”
His closest challenger, former U.S. Senior Amateur champion Sean Knapp (Oakmont, Pa.), finished four shots off the pace after his closing 70 put him at 2-under par 142.
P. Chet Walsh (Wayne, Pa.) was at 147 after a closing 72 while Richard Berglund (Pittsburgh) and Jeff Frazier (Mechanicsburg) were both at 148 after rounds of 74 and 76 respectively.
Brown and Knapp are close friends; Brown caddied for Knapp when he won the Senior Amateur in 2017. At day’s end, the pair had recorded the only three sub-par rounds of the championship.
For much of the final round it was a head to head battle; the two were part of the last group. Brown, who placed second in this tournament in 2017 and ’19, began his final round three shots clear of Knapp and Frazier. He bogeyed the opening hole but birdied the ninth to turn in even par for the day and three under for the championship.
Knapp, who won this tournament back to back in 2018 and ‘19 made the turn in 1-under par 35 to cut his deficit to two shots and got another shot closer with a birdie at the par-3 12th. When Brown bogeyed the 13th the two were tied for the lead.
But Brown’s putter, which was uncooperative early on, heated up. He reached the 14th and 15th, both par fives, in two and recorded a pair of two-putt birdies. He rolled in his third consecutive birdie at the par-4 16th and closed with a birdie at the par-4 18th while Knapp parred his last five holes.
“I was really nervous and really uncomfortable and nothing felt right on the front nine,” Brown said. “And then, for whatever reason, the last several holes I felt kind of comfortable.
“I had to change my putting grip because I yipped a few on the front side. I was left-hand low and changed the position of my right hand on the putter.”
Knapp kept the pressure on his friend and fellow competitor with a splendid short game but in the end, was unable to erase the deficit.
“I had a pretty good hunch that if I could beat Sean Knapp, a national champion, that I had a good chance of winning the event,” Brown said.
Super Seniors
Former Walker Cupper Duke Delcher (Blufton, S.C.) claimed the Super Senior title (open to players age 65 and over) after his closing 1-under par 71 have him a two-day total of even-par 144 and a two-shot margin over Brian Rothaus (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) who closed with a 2-over par 74 to finish at 146.
Don Erickson III (Dubois, Pa.) Frank Polizzi (Bryn Mawr), and Tom Hyland shared third place at 147.Duke Delcher, Sandy Run Country Club, takes home the Super-Senior Amateur Championship presented by @DICKS at CC of York. Delcher finished at even par 144.
— Pennsylvania Golf Association (@PA_Golf) August 3, 2021
Final Results: https://t.co/uXgW7QuGJK pic.twitter.com/k3k0xnksIq
Delcher, who played in the 1997 Walker Cup at age 41, bogeyed his first two holes but was three under par the rest of the way. Delcher, like the rest of the field, was unable to play a practice round because of debris on the course in the wake of a storm last week, but he eventually figured things out.
“I had no real idea where I was going (Monday),” he said. “It got a little bit better today. It looks like it would be a very fun golf course to play, especially if it was fast. It was pretty soft because of the rain.”
About the Pennsylvania Senior Amateur
36-hole stroke play event open to any male amateur golfer, age 55 and older, who is a member of a club belonging to the Pennsylvania Golf Association. There will be a senior and a super-senior (65+) division.
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