Roger Andrews is the 2012 Championship Series title holder.
Max Hollon is the 2012 Championship Series Senior title holder.
The season ending Mid Pines event at Southern Pines, N.C. experienced one of the largest hickory golf fields to date, perhaps a record for this type of event outside earlier GCS nationals which may have come close, if not over. The total was 105 players, and this after a handful of cancellations, some caused by Hurricane Sandy.
SoHG President Chris Deinlein reports that the mornings were cool, but the days were just right for hickory golf. “It was great,” he said. “We had people from all around the country, Canada and from Scotland.”
On Friday evening, a large group gathered in the pub at the Mid Pines clubhouse to raise a toast to departed friends Ralph Livingston III and Frank Boumphrey. Two great golfing spirits whose wisdom, friendship and passion for hickory golf will long be remembered.
There was some grumbling about bumpy greens, as they had been recently aerated, still the overall course was in fine shape. Any sting caused by errant putts may have been ameliorated by a wee nip courtesy of Rick Schmidt whose large bottle of Glenmorangie on the 11th tee was well received.
At stake during the competition was the trophy for the Championship Series. Several players were in the running, though Roger Andrews came through with solid play to nip Richard Bullock and Tony Smarrelli for the prize.
Andrews, of Jenks, Okla., who won the Iowa Hickory Classic and the Homesteader tournament in Beatrice, Neb., felt he was bit too aggressive at Mid Pines, finishing out of the top four. Still, it was enough to capture the CS trophy. It had been a challenging season, he said, with great competition.
“I think that the most fun that I had was either winning the Southern 4-Ball with Joe Hollerbach, or trying as hard as I could to catch Richard in the Heart of America championship after he had posted a terrific 68 in the first round. I couldn’t catch him, by the way.”
Andrews also noted that, thinking he was out of the running, he got a bit too casual with a birdie putt on the 17th hole at the U.S. Hickory Open this year. “It just kissed the lip, but didn’t fall,” he said. “Then I birdied 18 only to find out that I finished one shot out of a playoff with Tony and Ben (Hollerbach). I don’t know if I could have had success in the playoff against those two great players, but, oh, how fun it would have been to try.
“In both the Mountain Valley Championship and at Mid Pines I had two competitors help me a bit with my game – Richard Bullock with my swing, and Tony Smarrelli with my putting. Now what other sport will you find your competitors actually caring enough to help?”
Another player who did well was Max Hollon who won the CS Senior title.
Hollon, from Evansville, Ind., said it had been an “interesting, and rewarding, season.”
He said he loves playing golf with the many people he’s met, and with his son, Chris, at the Southern 4-Ball. “That was the first time we played a hickory tournament together, and it was a thrill to have him as a partner.”
Hollon said his toughest event was the U.S. Hickory Open, partly for the challenging course, but more for the heat. He took the Senior Open title at the USHO and began to think he had a chance to win the CS Senior title.
“Bill Sewell and I were almost tied in the point total,” he said. “Bill is an accomplished player as well as a gentleman, and we both knew the series would go to the person who played the best for the last two events.”
After the Belvedere Hickory Open, he focused on his short game and paying attention to the shot at hand. And, like Andrews’ swing and putting tips, the work paid off. Beyond his success in the CS series, Hollon said he’d like to play more pre-1900 golf this next year.
As for Mid Pines, Rick Woeckener (Fredericksburg, Va.) finished first with a 150 total followed by Tony Smarrelli of Pinehurst at 154. Ted Kopec (Niceville, Fla.) took Open net honors with 138, followed by Mike Heller (Madison, Wisc.) at 142.
In the Senior division, Ken Holtz (Sun City West, Ariz.) won with 154, followed by Rusty Wells of Pinehurst at 159. In the Senior net division, Ron Dunn (Guelph, Ontaria, Canada) won the day with 135 followed by Max Hollon at 136 in a tie with James Clawson (Charlottesville, Va.).
For more results, check the Tournament Results page.