Paul Royak (photo courtesy Lakeland Ledger)
DADE CITY, Fla. — Brothers Paul and Bob Royak will comprise two of the three players in Monday's final pairing at the Golfweek Senior Player-of-the-Year Classic.
First-round leader Scott Smith bogeyed three of his first six holes, opening the door for impressive second rounds to jump into the lead heading into Monday's conclusion at Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club.
Paul, the younger brother of 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur champion Bob, will have a two-stroke advantage thanks to a Sunday 68 on the South Course, which featured back-to-back birdies to close out his day.
Bob and his pair of 71s are tied for second place alongside Rusty Strawn and Keith Decker, with Strawn joining the former University of Tampa golfers in the final group. Decker, of Martinsville, Va., was off to a hot start Sunday morning with birdies on holes 2 and 3 but slowly lost strokes throughout the remainder of the day to post 73.
Defending champion John Wright is in 14th place after rounds of 73 and 75.
In the Super Senior division, it's James Castagna of Sandy Spring, Md. and Kent Samuel of The Woodlands, Tex. who share a one-stroke lead over Bob Casamento heading into Monday. Samuel's even-par 72 was the lowest round of the day for the division, while Castagna's 71 on Saturday granted him a two-shot, first-day cushion.
Castagna rebounded nicely on Sunday to post a modest 77 considering he began his round with a quadruple bogey 8 at the par-4 first.
ABOUT THE
Golfweek Senior POY Classic
Premier tournament featuring the world’s elite senior
amateurs age 55 and up, in
three separate divisions: Senior (age 55-64), Super
Senior (age 65-69), Legends
(age 70-74) and Super Legends (age 75+). Max
handicap 8.0.
The tournament honors Golfweek's top three
nationally ranked players in the Senior,
Super Senior and Legends division. The "Yancey
Ford Award" is also presented,
honoring an individual who has made significant
lifetime contributions to amateur
golf.
Formerly known as the Golfweek Senior National
Championship.
View Complete Tournament Information