Brown leads after one round at Senior Amateur Championship
By Mike Dudurich • October 10, 2022
Mike is a freelance writer and host of The Golf Show on 93.7 The Fan Saturday mornings from 7-8 AM. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeDudurich.
David Brown has walked this path before, twice finishing as the guy holding the trophy when all the strokes have been counted.
And, not surprisingly, Brown is once again the leader after 18 holes of the West Penn Golf Association’s Senior Amateur Championship.
Brown was the only player to post an under-par round (71) Monday at Green Oaks Country Club in the 91st playing of this grand old championship. The conditions weren’t ideal, although while the wind blew a bit, it was a good day to play.
“I got off pretty well,” Brown said. “But that back nine has some really hard par 3s.”
Indeed, that would be the 217-yard 14th, the 231-yard 16th and the 208-yard 17th.
Brown was sailing along at 4-under until he got to the 14th. Bogeys at each of those par threes put him in a position of signing for a championship-leading one-under par.
“It’s up for grabs with 18 to go,” Brown, who won the 2016 and 2017 Senior Amateurs, said. “I like where I am, I like the golf course even with those menacing putting greens. There are times out there when you have to make a really good first putt in order you can get away with two putts.”
Brown is up by 2 shots over Ed Podufal (72) of The Kahkwa Club. The margin is three shots over Rick Stimmel of Connoquenessing Country Club and Todd Renner of Allegheny Country Club.
“I hit some good iron shots, putted good and bad, so that pretty much wraps up my day,” said Podufal, who was out of action earlier this summer due to elbow surgery. “I only started playing the last week or so.”
Podufal knows where he is after one round and is looking forward to getting out there this morning and seeing how it goes.
“I have to hit greens in regulation. I have to hit fairways and not only hit greens in regulation but try to hit the greens in the right places. This is a good golf course and I really enjoy playing it,” he said.
There’s a second competition in addition to the Senior Amateur, the Super-Senior Amateur Championship, which is for players 65 and older.
James Spoden, another player from Kahkwa, leads the Super-Seniors with an even-par 71. He’s the only player at even par.
Don Erickson of Indiana Country Club and Bob Allshouse of Hannastown finished with two-over par 73s, while three more players finished their first round with 75s.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and 33,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund.