LAYTON, UT (May 25, 2012) -- Bill Probst won
the UGA Senior Match Play Championship over
Patrick Murphy Friday at Valley View, but only
by the hair of his chinny-chin-chin. It was one
of the most bizarre championship matches
imaginable.
Probst birdied 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 (five in a
row) to take a five-up lead after the 11th
hole. Murphy ended that skein with a birdie of
his own on 12 to bring it back to four, and
then in an unbelieveable turnaround, especially
in light of just making five straight birdies,
beginning on the 14th hole Probst went bogey,
bogey, double bogey, bogey and the match
was all square going onto 18.
All this time, going through the heads of both
golfers, was the Ghost of Tournaments Past.
Two years ago Murphy came from five shots
back to edge Probst for the UGA Senior
Amateur title at the Homestead, and visions of
sugar plums were dancing in his head once
again. The question: does Murphy have my
number had to be swirling in Probst’s mind.
Murphy who had had the honor for five straight
holes, hit his drive into the normally
treacherous right rough, but against all odds
his ball found an opening with a reasonable lie.
Probst, avoiding the right side, hit his drive far
left, had his next shot knocked down by a
tree, left it short, chunked a chip (very
unusual for a guy with his magical short game),
and bogeyed the hole for his sixth straight
parless hole. However, Murphy, despite his
lucky break on his lie in the rough, couldn’t
seal the deal either and he bogeyed.
Sudden death!!!
On the first playoff hole Probst righted his ship
and found a par, something he hadn’t seen for
nearly two hours and seven holes. It’s the
longest time and most holes he’s played
without a par since he was in junior high
school. Alas, Murphy parred also.
Second playoff hole, familiar territory, good
feelings, fond memories, Probst birdied it earlier
in the round, and he did it again and got the
Law of Murphy of his back. Murphy bogeyed
and Probst awoke from his two hour nightmare
as UGA Senior Match Play champion for the
second time.
In the Super Senior Division (65 and over) Al
Simkins completed ‘his personal grand slam’ by
adding the Super Senior Match Play title to his
other three UGA titles. He has now won the
UGA stroke play and match play titles in both
the Senior and Super Senior Divisions.
Simkins dispatched David Fischer in the
championship match, with a 5 and 4. He won
five holes in a row from four through eight to
take a 5-up lead and then clinched the match
with a par on the 14th hole. It was a birdie
filled match with Simkins winning four holes
with birdies, and Fischer winning three holes
with birdies. Between the two of them they
birdied half the holes they played. They only
halved three holes during the match.
Simkins was the medalist and coasted through
his first two matches, but he had a tough
semifinal match against Heber Jacobsen. In
that match Simkins was down two at the turn
but birdied ten to cut it to one. Jacobsen
bogeyed 13 and 14 to give Simkins a one-up
lead and then Simkins clinched it with a match
winning birdie on 17, 2 and 1.
Bret Hancock won the Net Division with a 5
and 4 triumph over Paul Auxier. Hancock won
each of his earlier matches by a 4 and 3
margin and so the only time he got to play the
last three holes of Valley View was in the
qualifying round.
ABOUT THE
Utah Senior State Amateur
Match Play Fields: Championship - 32 Players, Super
Senior - 16 Players, Net - 16 Players, Women - 8
Players. Pre-qualifying
required.
Match Play Draw: The draw for match play will be
based on the lowest handicap differential that was
posted for a players qualifying round for players who
advanced. Net players will be seeded on lowest net
differentials. Ties in differentials will be decided by
lot.
View Complete Tournament Information