Scamehorn Wins State
Senior Title
Bruce Scamehorn maintained the lead throughout the tournament to win the 2004 Florida State Senior Championship at Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club in Boca Raton on April 13-15. Scamehorn, of Winter Haven, shot a 69-74—143 to win the event by five strokes. In the first round, Scamehorn made five birdies and eagled the 13th hole to finish the round three under par 69 and take the lead by one stroke over Don Lucas. On the final day, Scamehorn shot a one under par 35 on the front nine when he made birdie on hole #4 sinking a 15 foot putt. On the back nine, he shot a 39 with a bogey on the 11th hole and double bogey on the 16th hole after hitting into the bunker. Scamehorn, 55, playing in his first Senior Championship, said, “Overall, I am happy with the way I played.” “I made some good putts in the first round and recovered well today.” With this win, Scamehorn is exempt into the 2004 Florida State Amateur Championship at The Club at TwinEagles on June 17-20. This is his fifth Florida State Championship title as he has won the 1992 Mid-Senior, 1993 Mid-Amateur, 1995 Match Play and 2002 Parent-Child Championship. Don Lucas, of Lithia, placed second shooting a two-day total of 148. After a first round score of two under par 70, Lucas recorded a 78 in the final round. Rick Bauch, from Naples, and John Gibbs, of Oneonta, tied for third with a score of 149.
In
the Super Senior division, 70 &
over, Moot Thomas, from Ocala, won the
division after he shot a two over par 74 in the
final round. On the front nine,
Thomas recorded a 38 and made even par 36 on the
back nine after he birdied holes 10,11 and 15 but made triple bogey on the 12th hole. With his score of 76 in the first round, Thomas finished the Championship shooting a 150. Thomas, 73, the 2003 Super Senior division runner-up, said, “I
played real well, made some good putts and only had two bad holes.” Bob Harris
and Ed Feeney tied for second in the
division shooting a two-day total 156. Harris, of Boynton Beach, recorded an 81-75
while Feeney, of Wellington, posted a pair of 78s. Last year’s Super Senior
division Champion, Seymour Gardner, of Miami, shot a 90-87—177 in the Championship.
The Championship featured two hole-in-ones on the par 3, 5th hole. In the first round, Chuck Kuhn, of Bonita Springs, recorded his fourth career hole-in-one and in the final round, Michael Hoffman, from Howey In The Hills, aced the hole from 173 yards.
Play was suspended on Tuesday, April 13 due to heavy rains and resumed Wednesday to finish the first round. The second round, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was cancelled and the final round played today, Thursday, April 15. The Championship shortened to a 36-hole stroke play competition. The 156 player field was flighted after the first round.
Originally designed by the late Robert Trent Jones and later
by Jack Nicklaus, Royal Palm was founded in 1959, and immediately
established itself as one of the premier private clubs in Palm Beach County and South Florida. The legendary Sam Snead was the club’s first
golf professional. Nicklaus made use of more than 70 bunkers and eight
lakes in the reworked strategy, to provide the balance needed - a test
when the par-72 course is played back at 7,000 yards, but an enjoyable
and memorable experience from every tee and for players of all skill
levels.
