Edward Craig, from Orlando, fired a pair of 35’s in the first round to lead the field with a 2-under par 70. Craig earned exempt status into the Championship when he qualified for last year’s US Senior Amateur. Kim Schwencke, from Temple Terrace, and AB Sisco, of Pensacola, each shot similar scores of 36-35 to trail Craig by one stroke. Lenny Loyd, of Port St. Lucie, finished the first round even par while Rick Baugh, of Naples, recorded a 73 in the first round. Defending Champion Bruce Scamehorn, of Winter Haven, shot a 38-40-78 in the first round.
Moot Thomas, of Ocala, and Ray Darmstadt, of Cocoa Beach, each logged an even par 72 to tie for the lead in the Super Senior division. Each shot a 35-37 to share first place honors going into the second round. Dick Johnson, of Bonita Springs, and Peter Jackson, of Valrico, trail the leaders by one stroke shooting a 73. In the Winter Series final point standings for the 65 and over age division, Jackson won the division standings by five points over Darmstadt. Rennie Law, of Tampa, carded a 38-36-74 to round out the top five.
Since the number of entries received has always surpassed the capacity of the Championship, a qualifying stage was instituted this year. While 92 players earned exempt status through a variety of different means, over 240 competitors attempted to qualify to complete the 156 player field. Players competed in 18 holes of stroke play hoping to advance to the Championship. Participants must be 55 or older to participate in the Championship and enter one of the age divisions, 55-64 and 65 & over. Competitors play 54 holes of stroke play over the course of the three-day event. On Tuesday and Wednesday, tee-times begin at 8:00 am and Thursday will be two shotgun starts at 8:00 am and 12:45 pm.
Designed by Ron Garl, Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club was one of the first tribute courses with replicas of famous holes from around the world. There are eight replicas--Augusta National’s Amen Corner 12th-13th & 16th, St. Andrews’ 1st & Road Hole 17th, Royal Troon’s Postage Stamp 8th, Muirfield’s 9th, and Baltusrol’s 4th--plus ten original holes.
Please see www.fsga.org for a complete list of pairings,tee-times and results.
