Steve Maddalena strolls to five-stroke victory at Niagara Falls CC.
Steve Maddalena ran away from the field at the Senior Porter Cup, strolling to a five-shot victory at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, N.Y.
Maddalena enjoyed a seven-stroke lead heading into the final round and after carding a 2-over 72 on Friday, the Michigan Golf Hall of Famer stood alone atop the leaderboard at 2-under 208 for the 54-hole event.
It was Maddalena's second tournament win of 2021 following his victory at the Trans-Mississippi Senior and Mid-Master in May.
“I would put (this win) right up with that,” Maddalena said. “Those two are the first national events I’ve won. To do it twice in one year is nice for me, it’s a big deal for me.”
Maddalena felt the golf course set up well for him. “This golf course is pretty good for my game because you’ve got to hit it pretty straight. I might not be the longest hitter but I hit it pretty straight. And then you have to hit good approach shots. So, that’s straight in my wheelhouse.”
Only
Dave Bunker (Ridgeway, Ont.) posed any serious challenge to Maddalena over the course of Friday’s finale; he carded a 2-under par 70 to finish the week at 3-over par 213.
Despite a double bogey at the par-4 second, Maddalena was never in danger. His lead was never less than four shots at any point during the round. Two birdies helped him make the turn in 1-over par 36 and three under par for the tournament.
Bunker got just one shot closer to the lead after turning in even-par 35 but was still three over par for the tournament.
Maddalena increased his advantage when he birdied the par-5 11th and the par-3 18th to secure a five-shot victory.
“I didn’t have any real crazy things happen this week,” Maddalena said. “I putted well and I gave myself a lot of opportunities to make birdies and made most of them when I had a chance.
Brian Keenan (Tampa, Fla.) and first round leader
Kevin VandenBerg (Pulaski, N.Y.) shared third place at 222 after matching rounds of 72.
Michael Hughett (Owasso, Okla.),
Rob Cowan and
Marcus Beck (Tallahassee, Fla.) finished tied for fifth place at 223.
The winners (L-R):
Steve Wilson - Super Legends
Peter Van Ingen - Legends
Marc Fried - Super Senior
Steve Maddalena - Senior (Solon, Ohio) shot a 2-under par 68 on Friday to successfully defend the Super Senior Division title for players 65 and over. He finished the 54 holes at 5-over par 215, four shots clear of
Randy King (Horseshoe Bay, Texas) whose closing 75 left him at 219.
John Armstrong (Frostburg, Md.) was at 221 after a 74.
Fried won the Super Senior title in 2019, the last time this tournament was played.
Legends Division
Peter Van Ingen (Palm Beach, Fla.) came from three shots off the pace to win the Legends title, for competitors age 70 and up. He closed with an even-par 70 to finish the week at 14-over par 224.
John Hamilton (Tuckahoe, N.Y.) finished one shot back at 225 after a closing 73.
George Washburn (Frederick, Md.) who had the lead at the start of the day, wound up at 226 after a 75.
Super Legends Division
Steve Wilson (Solona Beach, Calif.) prevailed in the Super Legends Division for players age 75 and up. He closed with a 4-over par 74 to finish at 14-over par 224.
Walt Martin of St. Augustine, Fla. was his closest challenger at 234 after finishing with a 76.
Joe Pavoni (Prospect, Ky.) was at 237 after finishing with a 75.
ABOUT THE
Senior Porter Cup
The Senior Porter Cup is an invitational
amateur
event conducted at stroke play over 54 holes.
The
Tournament Committee reserves the right to
invite players of national and international
reputation to participate. Contestants are
selected
on the basis of their competitive record and
accomplishments in major amateur and senior
amateur tournaments. Players must be at least
55
years of age prior to beginning of tournament.
The Senior division was added to the annual
Porter Cup Invitational in 1992 and has been
played as as a separate tournament since
2008.
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