LOCAL GOLF
BUCKY ALBERS
Pete Samborsky II will have to raise his game to a higher level if he hopes to win a fourth consecutive Miami Valley Metropolitan Championship this week at Miami Valley Golf Club.
The 35-year-old Samborsky, the outstanding amateur in the Dayton area in recent years, has not been sharp this summer as evidenced by his inability to qualify for the Ohio Amateur Championship (he shot 74 in the qualifier) and his disappointing 160 score (79-81) in last week’s U.S. Amateur qualifier at Moraine Country Club.
Veteran players such as Mike Dempsey, Bob Eardley, Doug Gage, Bob Jones, Brooks Kerrick, Mark Monfort, George Moore, Dave Novotny, John Robertson, Tal Selby, Jeff Serena and Jeffrey Scohy will be in the field along with teenagers Michael Bernard, Ben Boyer, Sam Jandel and James Metter.
The 72-hole Miami Valley Metro is the area’s most prestigious amateur championship. Entry is open to residents of the following counties: Auglaize, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby and Warren.
The tournament begins Thursday, Aug. 6. The low 32 scores and ties after 36 holes will qualify for the last two rounds.
Bernard, Murray 5-6
Michael Bernard, 15, of Huber Heights fired the low round of the day and the tournament, a 4-under-par 68, to tie for fifth with a 217 total in the 54-hole Junior All-Star Tournament, an American Junior Golf Association event at Penn State University on Thursday, July 30.
The fifth-place finish earned Bernard two AJGA tournament exemptions for next year. And for shooting the low round on the third day, he was awarded a much-coveted Scotty Cameron AJGA putter head cover.
Alec Tahy, 14, of Dayton, who was tied for third after the second round, shot 79 and tied for 22nd with a 224 total.
Clark Engle of Springfield finished 40th.
Lindsey Murray, 13, of Tipp City tied for sixth in the girls competition with a 228 score.
Scott meets Trump
Nicholas Scott of Union had an interesting experience while playing in the U.S. Junior Amateur championship at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey a couple of weeks ago. He was out in a fairway preparing to hit an approach shot when club owner Donald Trump drove up in a golf cart, asked him if he was enjoying the experience and asked him what club he was going to use for his shot.
The 15-year-old Scott put the ball fairly close to the pin while Trump watched, but he missed his birdie putt. The Northmont High School junior also visited Golf House, the United States Golf Association headquarters, and toured its museum.
Scott was not at his best in the tournament. He shot 77-86 and was nine strokes from qualifying for the match play competition.
A few days ago Scott tied for 21st in the Big “I” National Championship at Ardmore, Okla. His scores were 71, 70, 74 and 72 on the par 70 Dornick Hills Country Club course.
Tracy has his day
A couple of weeks ago Ethan Tracy of Hilliard had a disappointing day at Moraine Country Club. Tracy shared the 54-hole lead in the Ohio Amateur with Alex Martin of Liberty Twp., but he shot 74 in the final round while playing partner Martin shot 69 and won the tournament by five strokes.
They were together again at Moraine last Monday, July 27, in a playoff for the third and final qualifying position in the U.S. Amateur Sectional competition. This time Tracy got the upper hand. He birdied the first hole of a three-man playoff that included Michael Kinkopf of Hilliard to earn a spot in the U.S. Am Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Martin then lost to Kinkopf on the second hole to grab the first alternate position.
Golf hall adds 3
The annual Ohio Senior Hall of Fame Championship will be held Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 3-4, at Plum Brook Country Club in Sandusky. Alan Fadel of Toledo won the 2008 event with a 1-over-par 143. This year’s Ohio Golf Hall of Fame inductees are: Denny Gallagher, Pat Lindsey and Ed Sneed.
Contact this writer at buckyalbers@hotmail.com.
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