GRIFFING WINS NORTHERN OPEN
WARSAW, Ind. – Quinn Griffing, the head golf professional at Sycamore GC in North Manchester, captured the Cleveland Golf / Greg Norman Collection Indiana PGA Northern Open in June at Stonehenge GC after a round of 4-under-par 67.
Griffing needed a birdie on his final hole, the par-5 ninth, to beat Todd Smith of Rock Hollow GC in Peru, by one shot. Smith’s 68 was one better than Cary Hungate of Kokomo CC, Brad Fellers of Foxcliff GC in Martinsville and Bill Schumaker of Crooked Lake GC in Columbia City.
Griffing began his round on the back nine and played the first eight holes in even par before a birdie at the par-5 eighteenth to turn at minus-1.
On his second nine, he started with a birdie at the first and a birdie at the par-3 third to quickly get to 3-under for the day.
He remained at minus-3 until his final hole. Smith was one group ahead of Griffing and he also finished with a birdie at the ninth to move into a tie, forcing Griffing to make a birdie of his own to win the title.
Griffing has won several Indiana PGA events and year in and year out is one of the best players in the section, but this was his first Northern Open title. His only other title in an “open” championship was the 2000 Indiana PGA Fall Classic.
Smith overcame two double bogies on his first nine en route to his runner-up finish. He doubled the par-5 eleventh and the par-4 sixteenth, but he added four birdies on that side and he turned at even par.
On the back he opened with birdies at his first two holes and finished with a birdie at the ninth.
Smith is a nine-time Pepsi Indiana PGA Player of the Year and this was his first top-two finish in a Section event since the 2001 Indiana PGA Championship.
Schumaker’s tie for third place overall was also good enough to win the Golf for Living Senior Tour portion of the event. A trio of amateurs tied for low amateur honors. They were Bob Stephens of Indianapolis, Jerry Caplinger of Shelbyville and Colin Christie of Indianapolis.
Fellers had the most up and down round of the day among the leaders. He started at the first hole and made four birdies and no bogies for a first nine score of 4-under-par 31. It looked as if he could put together an incredible round and a potential victory, but he faltered on the back making bogey at three of his first four holes.
He did recover, however, with birdies at 16 and 17 to finish with a 38 on the back and a round of 69.