38th VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play Championship
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Dates: Tuesday, July 11 and Wednesday, July 12
Format: Two rounds of stroke play in three age divisions (65+, 70+, 75+). If there is a tie after 36 holes, a sudden-victory playoff will be utilized to determine a winner. Player Rankings points are only distributed to those competing in the 65+ division.
Host site: Poplar Grove Golf Club
Round 2: Howell wins 65+ title; McCarter (70+), Brown (75+) repeat
(Pictured: Mike Howell. Credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
AMHERST -- International Country Club's Mike Howell posted a two-day aggregate total of even-par 144 at Poplar Grove Golf Club to win the 65+ division of the 38th Virginia State Golf Association Super Senior Stroke Play Championship by two strokes over runners-up Jack Allara and David Partridge, who posted two-day totals of 2-over 146.
Howell, the only player to shoot an under-par score in Tuesday's first round, followed his Tuesday's 1-under 71 with a 1-over-73 on Wednesday. Howell's victory was his first in a VSGA championship.
In the 70+ division, Blue Hills Golf Club's Van McCarter shot a two-day 4-over-par 148 to record a comfortable seven-shot victory over Lakeside Park Club's Bert Wilson.
In the 75+ division, CC of Fairfax's Mike Brown continued his domination of this event. After wins in the 70+ division in 2021 and 75+ division in 2022, he added a third title on Wednesday, finishing at 5-over 149 to defeat Princess Anne Country Club's George Owens by 10 strokes. Brown posted the only under-par round outside of the 65+ division on Wednesday, carding three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under 71 to run away with the title.
Notable:
- Howell finished with five birdies and six bogeys on Wednesday in a roller-coaster of a round. He asked his playing partners--John Steele and Leon Roday--where he stood heading into the 18th hole and knew he only needed to make double bogey to secure the win.
- Howell is a two-time quarterfinalist in the VSGA Senior Amateur. The 65-year-old was playing in his first individual VSGA super senior event. He had turned 65 in time to play in the Super Senior Four-Ball last August at Boonsboro.
- After Howell posted the only under-par round Tuesday, four players in the 65+ division shot in the red numbers on Wednesday: Partridge (2-under 70), Allara (1-under 71), Jack Catlett (1-under 71), and Van Renick (1-under 71).
- Since this event moved to three age divisions in 2020, a different player has won the 65+ division every year: Howell, Kevin MacMillan in 2022, Partridge in 2021, and Allara in 2020.
- Allara holed out from off the green three times on Wednesday, including an impressive bunker out for birdie on the par-4 9th.
- McCarter also won the 70+ division at last year's VSGA Super Senior Amateur Championship at Meadowbrook Country Club, giving him three straight wins in that division in VSGA championships.
- McCarter's ability to stay out of trouble won him the championship. In 36 holes, he made 30 pars, five bogeys and one birdie. He had a run of 14 straight pars in Wednesday's final round.
- Wilson entered Wednesday's round within a stroke of the lead but never found his footing. He made five bogeys, seven double bogeys and no birdies to shoot a 9-over 81.
- Brown is still the head golf coach at Robinson Secondary in Fairfax. Among his players are the Walker sisters (Melanie and Raquel), who won the VSGA Women's Four-Ball Championship in May.
- Brown's two wins in the 75+ division (both over Owens) have come by a combined 17 strokes.
- Brown's 10-stroke win tied the largest margin of victory in this event, set in the inaugural playing in 1998 when J.T. Hearn finished 10 shots better than Rufus Spiers.
Quotable:
- "I used to play in the regular Four-Ball but I never played in the regular Amateur. I was working. It was a lot of time off. Then I retired 2 1/2 years ago and I started playing in the Senior Amateur. But it feels good to get a VSGA title. It's a good thing to have." -- Howell
- "I chipped in twice (for birdie). They weren't long, but you never know coming out of that rough how it's going to go." -- Howell
- "It was a grind. It's never easy trying to win these things. But I hung in there and fortunately came out on top." -- Howell
- "The guys asked if I wanted to know, and I said, sure. They said you've got a three-shot lead. And I had hit a bad drive into the right rough. I had a bad lie but got it up just short of the green, then chipped it up and two-putted for bogey. So I said, 'hopefully, you guys didn't read the (live scoring) wrong.'" -- Howell
- "It's a tough course, so I was just trying to make pars. If you make pars, you're pretty good. You stay away from bogeys, and especially double bogeys. Was just trying to make as many pars as I could." -- McCarter
- "I've been struggling with it this year. But I hit the ball great in this tournament. I was putting it terrible, but I was hitting it close enough that I was able to two-putt and not have any of those 50-footers." -- McCarter
- "It's a very difficult golf course if you don't hit it straight, and I have a secret weapon--a 17-degree 2-hybrid that I hit straight almost all of the time. I can hit it 215 or so, and on most of the par-4s, I hit that hybrid. Fairways and greens. That was the secret. I hit fairways and greens today." -- Brown
- "It's exciting. I enjoy playing VSGA events. They're always done well. I seem to have blossomed as I've gotten older, which is very rare. But I'm very happy to be playing golf this well at my age." -- Brown
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Round 1: Howell lone player under par after opening day
(Pictured: Mike Howell. Photo credit: Chris Lang/VSGA)
AMHERST -- Tough scoring conditions were the story of the day at the first round of the 38th Virginia State Golf Association Super Senior Stroke Play Championship, held Tuesday at Poplar Grove Golf Club.
International Country Club's Mike Howell was the lone player to shoot under par on Tuesday, posting a 1-under 71 to take a one-stroke lead in the 65+ division. Three players posted even-par rounds of 72: Kinloch Golf Club's Leon Roday, Westwood Country Club's John Steele, and Two Rivers Country Club's Dave Pulk.
Defending champion Van McCarter of Blue Hills Golf Club grabbed the early lead in the 70+ division, returning a 1-over 73 to leave him a shot clear of Lakeside Park Club's Bert Wilson.
Defending champion Mike Brown was one of two players in the 75+ division to card 6-over 78s, with six-time VSGA champion George Owens being the other.
The second and final round is scheduled for Wednesday, with the 75+ division slated to go out first, followed by the 70+, and finally the 65+.
Notable:
- Howell made two birdies on the front nine and a three-putt bogey on No. 15. He said both of his birdie putts were in the 10-12 foot range.
- Roday, who won the final VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play in 2019 prior to the switch to three age divisions, had a chance to join Howell at 1-under but three-putted the 18th green for a bogey.
- Steele is a past winner of the VSGA Super Senior Four-Ball 65+ title (with Bill Apple). He finished with two birdies and two bogeys and made a key par save on 18 to remain at level par for the round.
- Pulk, a past winner of the VSGA Senior Stroke Play and two-time Senior Open of Virginia winner, finished with three birdies and three bogeys.
- In all, 12 players will enter Wednesday within five strokes of the lead in the 65+ division.
- Millwood Country Club's Tom McFillen struggled to a 12-over round of 84, but he had one of the highlights of the day when he made an eagle on the par-5 16th, the lone eagle of the round.
- McCarter opened his round with nine straight pars and ended his round with four more. In between, he made bogeys on 10 and 14 and a birdie on 12.
- Wilson was 4-over through 12 holes but rallied with three birdies in his next four holes to rescue his round. A bogey on 18 left him a shot behind McCarter.
- Brown was 5-over through 7 with double bogeys on the first two par 5s but settled in after that, playing the rest of his round at 1-over. Brown is seeking his third straight win in this event. (He won the 70+ title in 2021.)
- Owens made his lone birdie of the day on the final hole to move into a tie with Brown for the 75+ lead.
Quotable:
- "This golf course is not easy. You've got to hit it straight and keep it in play, and that's kind of what I did. I putted pretty well--my lag putting was good--so that helped. And I made a few up-and-downs. But it's not an easy golf course. There's a lot of trouble out there." -- Howell
- "The way I've been playing, I was pretty happy with today. It hasn't been pretty lately. Something about today ... I kept it in play. I hit my share of bad shots, but I kind of got away with them." -- Howell
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