Five months ago the U. S. Naval Academy G. C. was not on the schedule – July 18-19 – for the Middle Atlantic GA Senior Amateur. When the scheduled site decided to bail late (really late!) in the game the Naval Academy stepped to the front and agreed to host the championship. Turns out it was a win win for everyone.

With nearly 120 players, it was the largest field in recent memory, and a very strong one at that. The course was opened in the late summer of 2020 after a lengthy restoration of a William Flynn course under the guiding hands of Andrew Green. The results turned out great and the players were high in their praise of the both the conditioning and design work.

The Middle Atlantic Senior Amateur is actually four events in one: Mid-Masters Division 40-54, Senior Division 55-64, Super Seniors 65-69, and Legends 70 and over. Players may elect to play down and a number do. The Mid-Masters and Senior played the course at just a hair under 6,200 yards, possibly the longest 6,200 yards on the east coast, and a par of 70. The Super Seniors and Legends played at 6,010 and 5,475 yards and a par of 71. They played the 14th hole from the back ‘college’ tees as a 465/500 yard par 5.

The Mid-Masters Division, now in its 8th season, has grown in popularity and in strength of field. Patrick Herwig – Hayfields CC – went around in 72-69–141 (+1). His front nine in round two pushed him out in front with 6 pars and 3 birdies for a 32. A birdie, a bogey, and a double brought him home in 36 and the 69. Brian Marfori – Bretton Woods RC – was well out of the running with an 81 (+11) in round one. On the second day he was ‘Tiger’ like with just 1 bogey (on hole #1), 9 pars, and 8 birdies, including 5 of the last 6 holes, for a 64 (-6). His 81-64–145 put him in second place.

The Senior Division saw Jon Zampedro – Fort Belvoir GC – put two excellent rounds together – 71-68–141 – to win by 7 shots. His nearest competitors were Vance Welch – Hobbit’s Glen GC – and Pete DeTemple – Breton Bay G & CC. Welch, while not spectacular, was very steady, a trademark of his play, with a 75-71–146. DeTemple opened with a 74, below average by his standard. In round two he went out in 33 and after 12 holes was 3 under on the day. A bogey on the reachable par 5 fourteenth and a disastrous triple on the short par 4 sixteenth ended any hope he had of catching Zampedro.

The Super Senior came down to the wire with several players in the hunt till the end. Henry Blue – Green Spring Valley HC – the Senior Division Champ in 2013, jumped out in round two with a 32 on the front. He remained at 3 under on the round until two late bogeys on sixteen and eighteen brought him in at 1 under on the day and two over total 74-70–144. (Par 71 for Sup Sen and Leg Divs). Bill Apple – GC at Lansdowne – was tied for the lead after round one with Tom Grem – Hunt Valley CC – at 72. His front nine of 36 allowed Blue to catch up and a back nine of 38 never let him back in the game giving him 72-74–146.

Websters defines a ‘Legend’ as : a person or thing that inspires legends , i.e. a baseball legend. OK, maybe calling these players Legends is a stretch but one thing is certain, they prove you can continue to play at a high level for a long time, or at least aspire to do so. Barry Flaer – Maryland National GC – won the Super Senior Division in 2014, the Legends Division in its inaugural year in 2019, and added a third title with his win at Navy this year. His 73-75–148 was good enough for a two stroke win over a hard charging Mike Weiner – Hayfields CC – who posted an 80 for round one and then a pair of 35’s for a 1 under 70 in round two. Flaer was 7 ahead of Weiner after 27, as both went out in 35. That lead slowly shrank and ended up being just two shots at the end of the day; Flaer 73-75–148 and Weiner 80-70–150. Game on.

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