Moot Thomas Invitational: Thomas Lowe goes wire-to-wire for the win

March 14, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Thomas Lowe (Marion County Golf Association Photo)

Doug Harris, Dick Clemens, and Bill Engel made up the rest of the division winners, with Clemens breaking records

Thomas Lowe of Ocala, Fla., left no doubt in the Senior Division at the 2024 Moot Thomas Invitational at Ocala Golf Club in Ocala, Fla.

Lowe started the tournament with a 7-under 65 to lead after round one, and then subsequent rounds of 3-under 69 saw him finish 13-under and gave him a two-shot win over 2023 champion Daniel Owen of Ocala, Fla.

Lowe made four straight birdies in the final round on holes No. 7, 8, 9, and 10 to pull away from the field and secure the win. Owen shot rounds of 68-71-66 to finish two shots back at 11-under.

Lowe finished T10 in the 2023 Moot Thomas Invitational.

Kevin VandenBerg of Naples, Fla., finished in solo third place at 10-under with rounds of 68-71-67. Scott Ray of Central City, Ky., finished in solo fourth place at 8-under with rounds of 71-66-71, and Chad Ibbotson of Sanford, Fla., finished in solo fifth place at 6-under. VandenBerg is currently ranked No. 3 in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings and was the highest-ranked player in the field.

Doug Harris of Franklin, Tenn., won a tight battle for the Super Senior Division, finishing 10-under and besting Brad Rollinson of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., by two shots, who finished 8-under. Terry Tyson of Perrysburg, Ohio, and Doug Snoap of Apopka, Fla., who finished 6-under and four shots back of Harris.

Terry and Rollinson finished at 8-under.

Doug Harris

Dick Clemens of Tampa, Fla., cruised to the win in the Legends Division. Clemens three-day score was the lowest-ever shot by any participant in the history of the tournament. Clemens shot rounds of 69-62-67 for an 18-under finish, and it’s the only time that anybody has been below 200.

John Armstrong of Frostburg, Md., played great as well but ran into a buzzsaw that was Dick Clemens and finished in solo second place and five shots back at 13-under after rounds of 68-70-65.

Clemens second round of 10-under 62 was 14 shots better than his age.

Bill Engel of Alexandria, Va., won the Super Legends Division by six shots after shooting a final round 3-under 69 to finish 11-under after rounds of 68-68-69. In second place was John Osborne of Vero Beach, Fla., with a 5-under and rounds of 68-71-72.

HISTORY

The Moot Thomas Invitational honors “The Mooter.”

As a 19-year-old private in the Air Force, on his way to Korea, he stopped in San Francisco long enough to take Gene Littler to the 18th hole of the California State Amateur Semi-Finals. He also won The All-Air Force Tournament, the Reno Amateur, and the Cal/Nevada Invitational.

In senior golf, he won the Pinehurst North-South Senior, the Florida Super Senior, and the Florida Senior 4-Ball and was the second oldest player to qualify for a USGA event. In 2009, he was inducted into the Florida State Golf Association Hall of Fame.

The tournament is played at Ocala Golf Club, the Ocala municipal course on which Moot learned the game.

Results: Moot Thomas

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Thomas Lowe	Ocala, FL	500	65-69-69=203
2	Daniel Owen	Ocala, FL	300	68-71-66=205
3	Kevin VandenBerg	Pulaski, NY	200	68-71-67=206
4	Jeffrey Scott Ray	Central City, KY	200	71-66-71=208
5	Chad Ibbotson	Sanford, FL	200	70-71-68=209

View full results for Moot Thomas

About the Moot Thomas

Moot Thomas Invitational: Thomas Lowe goes wire-to-wire for the win

54 hole stroke play championship for men 55 years of age or older. Super Senior division must be 65 or older, Legends division must be 70 years or older, and Super Legends must be 75 years or older. The tournament honors Moot Thomas, an Ocala native ...