2024 Country Club of Decatur Results

On Sunday, August 4^th, the St. Louis chapter headed north to Decatur, IL for a joint event with Central Illinois.  The venue was the historic Country Club of Decatur, a beautiful, old-school 1899 layout that recently underwent a restoration that saw the removal of a hundred trees, completely renovated bunkers and green surrounds that has gained national recognition.  Quickly becoming a favorite for members who made the short two-hour trek north, members would not be disappointed as the playing conditions were near perfect and scores would show it.  First National Bank of Decatur was on hand as the title sponsor, contributing an extra $500 prize pool for the winners!

In Division 1, Tim Hoss separated himself early, getting off to a hot start shooting 2-under on the front to grab an early lead.  After a stumble on the difficult par-4 11^th hole, Hoss made an impressive birdie on 14 to put the tournament out of reach with a 1-under par 71.  There were plenty of chasers, but each fell 2-shots short of Hoss as Sam Osborne, Matt Minder, and Jason Anglin each shot 73 to finish 2 shots back.  Bobby Sobieski and Jason Hartrich rounded out the top 5 with rounds of 74.  On the senior side, Jason Hartrich earned the victory with his 2-over par round of 74.

In Division 2, Hans Bishop had only one blemish on his card, a bogey on the par-4 13^th hole en route to an impressive 1-under par performance that saw him earn a 3-shot victory over 2023 GlobalGolf.com National Player of the Year Mike Lingenfelter, who shot a 75 to finish in solo 2^nd place.  Dan Punkay and Phil Hermes finished in a tie for 3^rd place with rounds of 76, while Kent Van Cleve rounded out the top 5 with a round of 77.  On the senior side, Mike Lingenfelter inched closer to the St. Louis Player of the Year lead with a one-shot victory over Dan Punkay and Phil Hermes.

In Division 3, Scott Kleine returned to the winner’s circle with an impressive 77 to earn a 2 shot victory over Tony Quartuccio, who has been steadily knocking on the door as of late.  3^rd place went to Indianapolis’ John Blackburn and Isaiah Davis, who each shot 80.  Rounding out the top 5 was Paul Wilson, Chris Whitley, and Jason Stone who each shot rounds of 81.  On the senior side, Scott Kleine completed the double dip, edging John Blackburn by 2 strokes.

In Division 4, Steve Minder’s return to competition would be a successful one.  After rolling in a 40-foot bomb for birdie on the 3^rd hole, Minder proceeded to play steady with 9s of 41-42 to finish with 83 and earn a 3-shot victory over Mike Scalera.  Scalera finished in solo 2^nd with a round of 86.  3^rd place honors went to Dave Draucker and Dolly Buenaventura, who finished at 88, while Stevie Frank and Timothy Hill finished in a tie for 5^th with 89.  Minder completed the double dip, finishing 3 ahead of Mike Scalera for the senior crown.

In Division 5, Bill McMahanmade his return to the winners circle, firing an impressive 88 to earn a 2-shot victory over Rusty Lingenfelter and Selena Droce, who finished with rounds of 90.  Bill’s round featured birdies on the 1^st and 5^th holes, propelling him to victory with a solid 43 on the front.  McMahan also completed the double-dip with his 88, taking home the senior crown as well.

From here, there are 3 events left before the Autohaus BMW St. Louis Local Finals, where 2.5x points are on the line and $10,000+ in Player of the Year prizes will be handed out on top of the $1,500 added to the prize pool for the event.  August 11^th at Far Oaks and August 12^th at St. Clair Country Club will conclude the regular season events.  We will be holding an elevated event at Spencer T. Olin GC with $1,000 being added to the prize pool courtesy of the Loading Dock Bar & Grill.  NOTE: We have been in constant contact with Spencer T. as they navigate their closure and have a backup plan should there re-opening plans delay.  We’re a month away from the 2024 season concluding and Autohaus BMW St. Louis Players of the Year being crowned!