Don Erickson takes Sunnehanna Sr. title

BY ERIC MILLINDER sports@tribdem.com JOHNSTOWN — Don Erickson III overcame a slow start and a five-shot deficit with a steady stream of patience and pars to win the Sunnehanna Senior Invitational on Thursday. Erickson, a DuBois resident and the 1988 Pennsylvania Amateur Champion, opened with three consecutive bogeys, but he used consecutive two-shot swings on Nos. 6 and 7 to reel in John Armstrong of Frostburg, Md., and posted a 1-over-par 71 for a 212 total and a two-shot victory. The 60-year old Erickson, who finished tied for seventh in the 1989 Sunnehanna Amateur, did not let two errant approach shots and a three-putt to start the round alter his game plan. “Sunnehanna is the type of course where you can get it going, but you have to stay patient,” Erickson said. “I made those bogeys and (Armstrong) made two quick birdies that put me behind by five (strokes), but I knew I just had to keep chipping away.” Erickson chipped away two big chunks with consecutive birdies at Nos. 6 and 7, while Armstrong bogeyed both holes.