Chris Feiger wins third GAP Senior Am (Credit: GAP)
Chris Fieger's trophy case is getting rather crowded after winning his third GAP Senior Amateur title, fending off GAP newcomer Dan Brown of Manada Golf Club.
Fieger has played in five GAP senior amateur championships. finished runner-up in his other two Senior Amateur starts.
Five tournaments. Three wins. Two runner-up finishes.
“This is fantastic. It’s a very important tournament for me,” said Fieger, a Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association member, who lives in Denver, Pa. “What happens is I’m playing a lot of golf later in the year, and I’m starting to hit my stride [as the Senior Amateur approaches].
Fieger prides himself on testing himself against the best in the state.
"This is where all the best seniors in Philadelphia play. You know if you win you are playing well. You are not going to back door it. What a way to end the season.”
Fieger started the second round a shot clear of Dan Brown. Playing together, the scoreboard remained that way until the par 4 11th hole. That’s when a Fieger had a 3-putt bogey; Brown made his second straight birdie. The two were tied. Two groups in front Brown and Fieger,
Joe Roeder of Merion Golf Club jumped into the discussion with four birdies in his first 12 holes. He stood two back.
The 12th hole proved the pivotal moment in the championship.
Fieger’s tee shot found the left trees. Brown hit the fairway. Fieger miraculously escaped trouble in the fall foliage with a low 4-iron. His ball skirted the edge of the green and rolled just over. Brown kept the pressure on and hit the green, his ball stopping 15 feet from the flag. The steely Fieger knocked his birdie chip to a foot. Brown’s birdie didn't fall. The two remained tied.
“I was thinking this could be a two-shot swing again,” said Brown, 56, of Cleona, Pa. “It just didn’t happen. Then he went on a string of three [birdies] in-a-row on me. I couldn’t match it.”
On hole No. 13, Fieger drilled a 7-iron to the center of the green and drained a 20-foot birdie straight up the hill.
“I’m a streaky putter,” said Fieger.
That moved him a shot clear. On the par-5 14th Fieger roped a 3-wood from 235 yards to the front of the green. He two putted from 60 feet, including a tricky six-footer for a birdie and a two-shot lead.
Fieger all but sealed the championship with another birdie with another birdie on the 15th hole Faced with a tough decision, he laid up on the par 5, which paid off.
“I hit a 7-iron and left myself 90 yards. Then I watched Dan who was about 20 yards further than me barely clear the water. I hit a smooth gap wedge and it turned out great.”
In the chasing pack, Roeder added a fifth birdie on hole No. 14, but that was the end of his birdies for the day. He posted a final-round 69 to finish even par for the tournament and in third place.
The two rounds of the Senior Amateur Championship conclude the season-long Senior Silver Cross Award. The Senior Silver Cross is awarded to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the Francis B. Warner Cup (Gross), Frank H. Chapman Cup (Gross) and Senior Amateur.
Chris Storck of LedgeRock Golf Club emerged from a three-way tie to secure his first Senior Silver Cross Award. Storck entered that competition’s final round tied with Bill Burke of Galloway National Golf Club and David West of Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association.
His final-round score of even-par 72 put him two clear of the field.
“I played well in the first event of the year [the Warner Cup]. I finished second. Coming out of that I started to focus on the Senior Silver Cross,” said Storck, 56, of Reading, Pa. “Fortunately, I played well in the correct events. It’s a great accomplishment. I’m very happy.”
View results for Philadelphia Senior Amateur
ABOUT THE
Philadelphia Senior Amateur
Format: 36-hole individual stroke play over two
days.
Eligibility: Open to GAP Member Club golfers who
are
55 years of age and over as of the first day of the
championship. Players must have a handicap index
of 7.0 or lower, super-senior 7.0 or lower handicap
index. A Super Senior (65 years of age and older)
may play in the "Senior tournament," play to be
from
the Senior tees.
View Complete Tournament Information