Chris Hall (Credit: Society of Seniors)
Chris Hall is back in the winner's circle after leaping to the top of the leaderboard in the Reynolds Senior Invitational at Oconee Lake in Greensboro, Ga.
It was an impressive leaderboard.
Rusty Strawn and
Tom Lape were playing their final event before heading to The Kittansett Club for the U.S. Senior Amateur this weekend. Lape was the only player under par starting the final round after shooting 70 and 71 the first two days. Hall was three shots back at even par.
Allen Peake
and Strawn were both also sitting at even par entering the final round, too. It was a thoroughbred race, and Hall jumped out of the gates with three straight birdies as Lape stumbled on his opening four holes, making bogeys on hole Nos. 3 and 4.
However, Hall who won the Geranium Senior Invitational in 2018 showed some nerves after his hot start; he made bogeys on hole Nos. 4, 5, and 7 to slip back to even par. He steadied himself and strung together three more birdies again on holes Nos. 11-13. The man from Acworth, Ga. was back at 3-under par while Lape was slipping backward after shooting a front-nine 37. It wasn't in the cards for Lape, as he finished with a 75.
Strawn and Peake, no strangers to trophy pictures, couldn't find any rhythm in their rounds and finished tied for fourth and sixth place, respectively.
From the back of the pack,
Mike Combs made the most noise down the stretch and finished in second place. His third round included one blemish - a bogey on the eighth hole. He made an eagle and three birdies on his way to shooting a 68.
It wasn't enough to catch Hall, the two-time Georgia Senior Amateur champion.
Phil Pavoni, Jack Ramsey, and Randy King (Credit: Society of Seniors) was the only player under par in the super senior division after carding scores of 71-70-74.
Mike Poe finished in second place three shots off the pace at 2-over par.
Mark Benefield, fresh off his North & South super senior victory, finished in third place.
Legends
Phil Pavoni shot an impressive closing 69 and made up four shots on the final three holes with birdies on hole Nos. 16 and 17 as his competitor
Ernie Venet made a double bogey on the 16th hole. That swing was enough to give Pavoni a three shot victory with a total score of 2-under par.
Grand Master
Jack Ramsey was the only golfer standing between a second Pavoni winning a division in the Reynold Invitational. Ramsey beat
Joe Pavoni by four shots. A birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie stretch on hole Nos. 9-12 was the highlight of the third round and left him plenty of insurance down the stretch, as he played the final four holes in 4-over par.
ABOUT THE Reynolds Senior Invitational
Formerly known as the Geranium Senior Invitational,
this is a 54-hole stroke play tournament
for national seniors with four divisions: Senior, Super
Senior, Legend and Grand Master.
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