Rose Wins Third MGA Senior Am Title at North Shore
Four Past Champions Finish in Top Five in Cool, Raw Conditions
GLEN HEAD, N.Y. (May 11, 2010) – Joining an elite fraternity of players who have won three MGA Senior Amateur Championships, Steve Rose of Fresh Meadow took on the cold and fired a championship-low round of 72 to top the field at North Shore Country Club in Glen Head, N.Y. Rose, who began the day four shots behind co-leaders Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge and Randall Keleher of the Griff Harris (Greenwich, Conn.) Men’s Club, finished at five-over-par 149. Blumenfeld finished in second place for the second year in a row, and Keleher ended up tied for eighth.
“I was very happy to live my life winning it twice,” joked Rose, who won in 2003 at Woodway Country Club and in 2005 at Arcola Country Club. “But this is great since it’s such a tough tournament to win.”
Rose relied on consistent play in the final round, which was the exception on a day when the fast, firm greens and temperatures in the low 50s combined to make scoring difficult. Rose grinded out 16 pars to go along with one birdie and one bogey, then watched as the other leaders struggled to maintain their positions.
Blumenfeld came to the 18th tee needing a par to force a playoff, but pushed his tee shot into the adjacent 12th fairway, leaving himself an approach shot over the trees. He reached the greenside bunker but failed to get up and down, finishing one stroke behind Rose.
Rose and the final-day field of 34 players were faced again with chilly conditions, although the wind was not nearly as intense as what players faced in the morning rounds on Monday. After Rose, the second-best round of the day was turned in by defending champion Al Small of Fairmount, who fired a final-round 73, propelled by six birdies, and finished tied for third.
Describing his fine play, Rose said that “Keeping the round together took everything that I had, and you had to be very cautious on the greens because they are so touchy. On 11, one of the signature holes here, I missed the green, but chipped up and made an incredible down-hill 20-foot curling putt. After that went in, it gave me the confidence to keep going forward and to continue to play aggressive.”
At the start of today’s final round, nine players were within four shots of the lead, but the difficult course conditions quickly narrowed those in contention as Keleher, Joe Sommers of Winged Foot Golf Club and the 2008 runner-up, and 2008 champ Ron Vannelli of Metuchen Golf & Country Club, struggled with rounds of 82, 79 and 79, respectively. A total of six former winners of the championship made the cut. However, at the end of that day it was Rose who was able to hoist the Senior Am trophy once again: “I really appreciate this trophy and the great players that are here.”
The Seth Raynor and C.B. Macdonald design, stretched to 6,427 for the final 18 holes, perplexed players throughout the two days of championship golf with firm greens and hilly contours that made shot placement a key in the cold, windy conditions.
Rounding out the age class awards for the championship, William Catlett of Neshanic Valley won the Legends (70 and over) Division; William Dober of Higgins GC won the Masters (65-69); Ron Vannelli of Metuchen claimed Super Senior (60-64) honors and Randall Keleher of Griff Harris Men’s Club won the Senior Division (55-59).
The 2011 MGA Senior Amateur Championship will visit Shorehaven Golf Club in East Norwalk, Conn.
