Champion Allan Small
(MGA Photo)
CHATHAM, NJ (May 3, 2017) - While a number of competitors grabbed at least a share of the lead during Wednesday’s final round of the 90th MGA Senior Amateur Championship, it was host Fairmount Country Club’s very own Allan Small who rose to the top to claim the Horace L. Hotchkiss trophy for the second time. Small fired an even-par 72 in the final round, tallying a two-over 146 tournament total.
Small edged two-time defending champion George Zahringer III of Deepdale by two shots, while another two-time champion, Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge, finished three shots back at five-over 149.
“It’s unbelievable how much it means to me,” said Small who has more than 30 combined club championships at Fairmount in stroke and match play formats. “I helped get the event here at Fairmount back when I was president of the MGA. To come here and win it is just special. With all the other good things that have happened at Fairmount, it’s just icing on top of it all.”
Though winds provided an extra challenge for the second straight day, Small played steadily all day long, registering one bogey and one birdie to go with 16 pars. “I bogeyed number two, but after that I didn’t miss a green. I had birdie putts inside 20 feet on every hole after that. I got one to fall on nine, and that was it. I hit the ball so well and felt like I rolled it well.” Small played the ninth to perfection, piping a drive to the fairway’s narrowest portion and hitting his approach from inside 100 yards to just six feet. His birdie pulled him square with Zahringer at that point and just one shot off the lead, which was still held by first round leader Marc Coleman of Nassau Players Club.
Zahringer and Blumenfeld both hovered around the lead throughout the day, though Small remained focused on his own game and didn’t ask how he stood until his final hole. At that point, Small held a one-shot lead over Zahringer. He easily found the green in two on the challenging closer and safely two-putt for the win, knowing Zahringer had bogeyed the last in front of him.
“I didn’t want to let them come into my home turf and beat me, so that was my main motivation today and it all worked out well,” closed Small.
Zahringer, who was looking to join J. Wolcott Brown as the only player to win the title in three consecutive years, began the day with two early bogeys but added birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 to turn in even par. Zahringer, Coleman and Small stood tied with just several holes to play, but Small’s steady finish clinched the title. Zahringer played his final nine in 2-over while Coleman was 4-over on the last nine.
Coleman, of Nassau Players Club, tallied a final round 79 to finish fourth at six-over 150, while his opening round 71 stood as the championship’s sole sub-par score. Jay Sessa of Gardiners Bay Country Club shot 75 en route to a seven-over 151 and fifth-place honors and Steve Doh of Haworth claimed solo sixth after rounds of 74-78. Edward Bugniazet of Winged Foot, Drew Greenland of Rockrimmon, Randy Riley of Baltusrol, and Jim Craffey, Jr. of Arcola rounded out the top-10 finishers.
View results for MET Senior Amateur
ABOUT THE
MET Senior Amateur
The MET Senior Amateur is one of the oldest
senior
competitions in the country, dating back to 1928
and
preceding the U.S. Senior Amateur by 27 years.
This tournament is a two-day 36-hole stroke
play
competition with a cut after round one. Senior,
Super
Senior, Masters and Legends divisions. Must be a
member of an MGA member club.
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