Peter DeTemple led the whole way at Indian Wells Golf Resort
INDIAN WELLS, CA (April 12, 2018) - Peter DeTemple (Lexington Park, MD) completed a wire-to-wire win at the Society of Seniors (SOS) Senior Masters at Indian Wells Golf Resort. DeTemple closed with a 76 to finish at even par, three shots ahead of the field.
It was the first SOS win for the Maryland native, who is playing in his first full season as a senior amateur. He had three top five finishes coming into the event: a 4th at the Moot Thomas Senior, and 5th at both the Golfweek Senior and Gasparilla Senior.
DeTemple grabbed control of the tournament in the first round, shooting a 4-under 68 and taking a four shot lead. He was never seriously threatened after, taking a five-shot lead into the final round and winning by three even though he lost four shots in a five-hole stretch on the back nine.
Mark Knecht (Paducah, KY) had the low round of the day, a 3-under 69, to climb into a tie for second the 3-over 219. Knecht made five birdies and an eagle in his final round. He finished tied with Allen Peake (Macon, GA), who closed with a 73.
Lawrence Field (Tulsa, OK) and Robb Pomerantz (Rancho Mirage, CA) rounded out the top five.
The 2017 champion Steven Hudson (Birmingham, AL) shot a 73 to finish tied for sixth at 7-over 223.
In the Super Senior Division, Jeff Burda (La Quinta, CA) shot a final-round 73 to win by two shots over Chris Maletis (Indian Wells, CA), who closed with a 72 that included six birdies and six bogeys. Burda finished the tournament at 5-under 211.
Second-round co-leader Evan Long (Charlotte, NC) finished third at 2 under and three shots back. Jim Knoll (Sunnyvale, CA) and Robert Hess (Casselberry, FL) tied for fourth at 1 over.
In the Grand Master division, Frank Abbott (Las Vegas, NV) shot the low round of the tournament, a 2-under 70, to come from behind and win by five shots with a 2-over 218 total. Robert Currey (Boston, MA) and Denny Adkins (N. Myrtle Beach, SC) tied for second.
SECOND ROUND RECAP
Peter DeTemple (Lexington Park, MD) shot an even-par 72 to stretch his lead to five shots at the Society of Seniors (SOS) Senior Masters at Indian Wells Golf Resort.
DeTemple put together a three birdie, three bogey round on Wednesday to extend his lead from four shots to start the day to five. His 36-hole total is 140, four under par.
Three players are tied for second place at 1-over 145. Adam Kugler (Closter, NJ) had the low round of the day, a 2-under 70, to pull into the tie for second, along with James Ream (Cerritos, CA) and Robb Pomerantz (Rancho Mirage, CA).
Allen Peake (Macon, GA) is solo fifth at 2-over 146.
The defending champion Steve Hudson (Birmingham, AL) is tied for 11th after rounds of 78-72, and is 10 shots behind the leader.
The Super Senior division is shaping up to be a shootout or the final round, with seven players under par and within five shots of each other. Evan Long (Charlotte, NC) and Jeff Burda (La Quinta, CA) are tied for the lead at 6-under 138, with Robert Hess (Casselberry, FL) just one shot back.
Chris Maletis (Indian Wells, CA) is fourth at 3 under, Jim Knoll (Sunnyvale, CA) is fifth at 2 under, and Rick Herpich (Orchard Lake, MI) is tied with Steven Hakes (San Diego, CA) at 1 under.
In the Grand Master division, Denny Adkins (N. Myrtle Beach, SC) shot rounds of 73-70 to take a two-shot lead over Bill Engel (Alexandria, VA), with Frank Merhar (La Jolla, CA) three shots back.
FIRST ROUND RECAP
Peter DeTemple was the only player under-par on Tuesday at the Society of Seniors Senior Masters and he will carry a four-stroke lead into the second round.
Playing at Indian Wells Golf Resort, DeTemple pieced together a 4-under 68 with six birdies and just two bogeys. Beginning on the back side DeTemple jump started his round with three birdies over the course of the first six holes.
DeTemple is off to a superb start this season recording three top-five finishes in AmateurGolf.com Senior Ranking events.
Larry Nunez is in second along with Robb Pomerantz at even-par while James Ream, Ken Noonan and Jerry Hudgin are sharing fourth at 1-over.
Robert Hess turned in the round of the day with a 6-under 66 recording six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to take the round one Super Senior Division lead. Hess started in 6-under 31 with a flawless front nine that was capped by an eagle on the par-5 9th. Looking to keep the momentum going, Hess got as low as 8-under before dropping shots on the final two holes.
Jeff Burda nearly kept pace firing a 5-under 67 with six birdies and a bogey while Evan Long is only a shot further back in third at 4-under.
The Grand Master Division is being led by Frank Merhar and Jerry Hutton at 2-under.