Tournament Champions
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The Amateur Players Tour headed to the historic Old Course at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, PA for the 3rd Annual APT Open Championship, the first Signature Major of the 2024 season. The Old Course at Bedford Springs has a rich history, being originally designed by Spencer Oldham in 1895, then re-designed in 1912 by AW Tillinghast, re-designed by Donald Ross in 1923 before ultimately being restored to its original design in 2007. The Old Course has a classic charm that features challenging greens, challenging par 3’s and a natural, winding layout set in the valley with breathtaking views. Course conditions were top-notch for the first signature major of the year, with lush fairways and rough and greens that had some fire in them to challenge the 128-player field that took on the Old Course.
In Division 1, 36 holes wouldn’t be enough to determine the champion as Dan Ayars (Central PA) and Tony Wise (Kentucky) battled down the stretch to a tie at the end of the regulation. The playoff would not disappoint either, as it pitted 2023 North American Champion Dan Ayars vs. 2023 Senior North American Champion and Global Golf Senior National Player of the Year Tony Wise. Great golf and grit would decide the playoff, as both players grinded to make birdies on the difficult opening stretch of holes. On the par-5 5th hole, Ayars decided to take a chance from the rough and try to reach the green in 2. His 3-wood ended up about 10 yards short of the green, leaving a tricky pitch to get up-and-down for birdie. A beautifully executed pitch left just a mere formality for birdie and Ayars tapped in to earn the victory. 3rd place went to Kentucky’s Tyler Sipes, who played solid on Sunday shooting a 3-over par 75 to finish 3 shots back of the leaders.
In Division 2, Christopher Wright (Virginia Capital) held the overnight lead after a 3-over par 75 left him 4 shots clear of St. Louis’ Todd Feuerhaken, and 5 shots clear of Maryland’s Dave Baca and 2023 Global Golf National Player of the Year Chris Denz. The final group would prove to produce plenty of drama and excitement down the stretch as all 4 players would have a chance to win on the back 9 on a sunny, perfect day in Bedford, PA. Coming down to 18 tied, Dave Baca and Todd Feuerhaken each had opportunities to birdie the last to win the event outright. Both players made clutch birdies to force extra holes. In the playoff, Dave Baca through a dart on the first playoff hole, setting up a 15 footer to win, with Feuerhaken having a 10 footer for par. Baca’s putt caught the lip, and Feuerhaken followed up by pouring his par putt into the middle of the hole with confidence to move the sudden-death playoff to the difficult par-3 second hole. When Dave Baca’s tee shot found the penalty area guarding the green, 2 putts would be all that Todd Feuerhaken needed to secure the victory and his first win in Division 2!
In Division 3, Jeff Grubb (New Jersey) had everything go his way on Sunday. After shooting an 82 on Saturday to trail Matt Miller (Charlotte) by 2 and Chris Huge (Myrtle Beach) by 1, Grubb had a day on Sunday, shooting a 6-over 78 that was highlighted by an eagle 2 on the par-4 15th hole after holing out from 110 yards to separate himself from the field. Jeff Grubb earned his first major victory, earning him priority exempt status for his accomplishment. Chris Huge returned to competitive form, earning a solo 2nd at +23, while Matt Miller posted another solid finish at +24 to earn solo 3rd place honors. Michael Cioffi (Augusta), Steve Winnick (New Jersey), Chase Hatcher (Virginia Capital), John Eastlack (New Jersey), and Freddie Coffey (Charlotte) rounded out the money in a 5-way tie for 4th place at +25.
In Division 4, Wayne Bishop (Carolina Triad) found himself in an unfamiliar position, in contention late on a Sunday afternoon contending for his first win in 10 years. Locked in a battle with Dan Campbell (Columbus), Paul Kaflinski (Metro New York), and Chris Louth (Columbus) in the final group, with Mel Portalatin (New Jersey) putting on a chase from behind, pressure was mounting for Bishop, who was desperate to return to the winner’s circle and earn his first victory on the APT. Mel Portalatin was out early and had a day, firing a career-best 80 to post early in the clubhouse and put all the pressure on the leaders. Bishop wasn’t phased on Sunday afternoon, shooting a solid 42 on the back 9 to earn a one-shot victory over Dan Campbell, who made two clutch pars on the final 2 holes to earn solo 2nd place. 3rd place went to Mel Portalatin, who was excited after posting his best score ever with an 8-over par 80! Joseph Friday (Central Pennsylvania) finished in 4th position at +35, just 4 shots back of Bishop and Dave Funkhouser (Myrtle Beach) rounded out the top-5 at +36.
In Division 5, Rivia Brown (Carolina Triad) made the drive up to Bedford, PA fresh off of a win in the Elevated Forest Oaks Event in the Triad, and expectations were high. She got off to a great start, shooting a 90 that featured 9 pars and separated herself from the field. A second round 100 was good enough to earn a 4 shot victory over Jeremiah Cassidy (Central Pennsylvania), who capped off a solid week with a solo 2nd place finish. Max Brent (Central Pennsylvania), finished in solo 3rd at +52, just 6 shots off of the pace. Arthur Miller Jr. (Memphis), Frank Romano (New Jersey), and Jordan Miller (Central Pennsylvania) finished tied for 4th at +55.
In the Senior Net competition, Dave Baca (Maryland) and Wayne Bishop (Carolina Triad) tied for the top honors with a 2-day total of -5. Todd Feurerhaken (St. Louis), Brian Gregor (Charleston), Rick Johnson (St. Louis), Chris Huge (Myrtle Beach), and Mel Portalatin (New Jersey) each finished tied for 3rd at -3. Freddie Coffey (Charlotte) finished in 8th place at -1, while Kurt Bonewitz (Central Pennsylvania) finished in 9th place at +1. Christopher Wright (Virginia Capital), Jason Stone (St. Louis), and Chris Minar (Myrtle Beach) finished tied for 10th at +2.
In the Open Net, Jeff Grubb (New Jersey) pulled away with an eagle on 15 to win the Open Net at -4. 2nd place went to John Eastlack (New Jersey) at -1, while Jeremiah Cassidy (Central Pennsylvania) and Matt Miller (Charlotte) tied for 3rd at even par for the weekend.
From here, the tour travels cross country for the Cinco De Mayo Shootout at the Westin Kierland Golf Resort in Scottsdale, AZ this weekend. The Tour heads back east for the APT Players Championship on Memorial Day Weekend at Streamsong Resorts for a 54-hole championship. Save the Date: the 2025 APT Open Championship will be held at the Old Course at Omni Bedford Springs April 26th-April 27th, with an optional Friday Fourball event held on April 25th.
