He wasn't hearing any of it on Saturday at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club, a gorgeous track that's almost the polar opposite of the Tour/Resort course you see them playing at the Honda Classic this weekend. With old growth trees dripping with moss, and a classic layout, Palma Ceia is no pushover, but it doesn't have a "Bear Trap." No island green either. Opened for play in 1916, it is Tampa's oldest golf club.
Mullhaupt made his presence known by posting the tournament's lowest score, a 3-under 67 on the par-70 layout. The back nine was where the Palm Desert, California resident really turned it on, posting 3-under 32 after a 35 on the front.
Mullhaupt waited for the final group to come in. (36-hole leader Bob Royak of Georgia, Derek Meinhart of Illinois, and Harvey.)
Harvey -- the defending champ and No. 1 player in the AmateurGolf.com Mid-Am Rankings -- was 2 shots clear of him at the beginning of the day. He put up a 1-under 69 that was good enough for a tie. And here's the thing -- Harvey had just birdied the 483-yard 18th hole in regulation to get into the playoff.
Alas, Harvey was out of gas as they went back to play it again, and Mullhaupt won it with a par after Harvey, facing a right-to-left wind, pulled his tee shot out of bounds.
"The O.B. is just five yards off the fairway on No. 18," said Mullhaupt. "He just started his ball a little too far left."
Mullhaupt credited his accuracy on winning the event.
"Any time you go 54-holes [at Palma Ceia] without losing a ball, it's pretty good."
Billy Mitchell of Roswell Georgia had a solid finish, taking solo third at 6-over 216. Bob Royak, the 36- hole leader, was right in contention before being done in by a triple bogey six on the 201-yard par 3 16th hole. He took 4th place at 7-over 217. Jack Hall, a local legend in Savannah, Georgia, was the low senior (and T5th overall with Derek Meinhart), at 8-over 218.
