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The final weekend of April has turned into quite the tradition on the Amateur Players Tour – the APT Open Championship at the beautiful Omni Bedford Springs Resort in the picturesque valleys of Bedford, PA. The Old Course was built in 1895 by Donald Ross and also renovated by A.W. Tillinghast in 1912, two of golf’s most historic and prestigious architects. The Old Course presents a fair and fun test that makes players think about every shot and challenges every aspect of your game. Earning a victory at the Old Course requires you to be in control of every facet of your game, especially when the wind swirls throughout the valley in the late spring.
In Division 1, Adam Fuchs (New Jersey/Philadelphia) showed a masterclass of consistent ball-striking, powering through two days of difficult wind conditions and making it look easy, firing a 75-75 to earn his first national major victory and 2nd victory of the APT season. Ivan Jones (Carolina Triad) contended for most of the event, but eventually fell to a solid runner-up finish 5 shots back at +11. Matt Minder (St. Louis) finished in solo 3rd at +13, while Will Morgan (Carolina Triad) finished in 4th place at +16.
In Division 2, Rocky Dare (Central Pennsylvania) played consistently, shooting 77-78 to finish at +11 and earn a 3-shot victory over William Marlowe (Maryland). Mick Correll (Carolina East) had the round of the day on Sunday, an impressive 76 in a difficult wind to move up 18 spots into solo 3rd place at +17. Travis Wartluft (Charlotte) continued his domination on the APT’s highest stages, securing a solo 4th performance at +18. Rounding out the top-5 was John Wayne Parrish (Carolina Triad) and Chris Wright (Virginia Capital) at +19.
In Division 3, 36-holes would not be enough as John Lambert (Virginia Capital), John Friedman (Central Pennsylvania) and Chris Huge (Myrtle Beach) all would finish tied at +30. A 3-way playoff would decide the Division 3 APT Open Champion, with the first playoff hole being the first hole which looks benign from the tee, but has one of the trickiest green with a tucked Sunday pin. A bogey would be all that John Friedman needed to capture the title and his first National Major Championship. 4th place honors would go to Timothy Dublynn (New Jersey/Philadelphia) at +32, while Pat Cronin (Central Pennsylvania) and Cassidy Salvador (Central Pennsylvania) rounded out the money in a tie for 5th at +33.
Division 4 would also need extra holes as John Sans (Metro New York) and Cody Mulholland (Indianapolis) would finish the event tied at +30. On the 1st playoff hole, the treacherous first green would strike again with Sans coming out on top to earn the victory! 3rd place honors went to Daniel Henris (Carolina East) and Andy Repetto (Central Pennsylvania), who finished the 36-hole event in difficult wind conditions at +36. 5th place went to Bill Favinger (Central Pennsylvania) at +39. Rounding out the money was Roger Morito (Canada), who finished at +40.
In Division 5, things would come down to the wire as Zach Plude (Central Pennsylvania) would make a Sunday charge, ultimately breaking 90 and finishing the event with an 89. Frank Romano (New Jersey/Philadelphia) was unphased by the pressure, playing two solid rounds of 93-91 to finish at +40 and earn a 2-shot victory over Plude (+42). 3rd place went to Les Bullock (Virginia Capital) at +48.
Open Net was won by Zach Plude who finished at 4-over par net, edging Mick Correll by a single shot. Both players shot 2-under par in the final round. 3rd place went to John Sans at +6 and the money was rounded out by Brian Fritzinger (Central Pennsylvania) at +7.
The Senior Net victory went to Frank Romano with a 2-day total of Even par. Runner-up honors went to Rocky Dare, who finished at 1-over par net, while 3rd place went to John Lambert at +2 and 4th to Mark Duckett (Virginia Capital) at +3. 5th place was a 3-way tie between Mac McMillan (Carolina Triad), Mike Vawter (Maryland) and Les Bullock (Virginia Capital) at +5. Mike Lingenfelter (St. Louis), Jim Baugher (Virginia Capital), James Sims (Maryland), and Rick Pritchard (Houston) finished in a tie for 8th at +7. Rounding out the money was Travis Wartluft (Charlotte), Chris Huge (Myrtle Beach), Daniel Henris (Carolina East) and Roger Morito (Canada) in a tie for 12th at +8.
The 120 player field paid out almost $14,000 in prize pool between the 5 Divisions, Open/Senior Net and the Worldwide Golf Par 3 and Par 5 contests. The top 3 and ties in each divisions earned a priority exemption into this years North American Championship and Senior North American Championships to be contested this September at Reunion Resort in Orlando, FL. This weekend, the tour heads west to San Diego for The Cinco De Mayo at Torrey Pines (South) and Aviara Golf Club.
