BLAIR WINS AT THE FORT IN PLAYOFF
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Mat Blair of Michigan City Golf Course made birdie at the second playoff hole on Monday to win the second Pepsi / Club Car Indiana PGA Tournament Series event of the season, held at the Fort Golf Course.
Blair hit his second shot into the par-5 eleventh green within 10-feet of the hole and two-putted for birdie to take home his first individual Indiana PGA title. Bill Schumaker of Crooked Lake Golf Course in Columbia City and Tom Mortola of Cedar Lake Golf Course in Howe each made par on the second playoff hole before Blair’s eagle attempt.
Mike Nakai of the Country Club of Terre Haute was eliminated from the playoff after a bogey at the first playoff hole, the par-4 tenth.
Blair finished in a tie for third at the first Tournament Series event in April and was the runner-up at the final Tournament Series event of 2003. He also won the Indiana PGA Team Championship with Mike Nygren last October.
Blair’s round started on the back nine and after trying to drive the tenth green, he made par and followed that up with a birdie at the eleventh. He added another birdie at the par-5 sixteenth, but dropped a shot at the par-3 seventeenth with a bogey and he turned at minus-1.
On his second nine, he started with five straight pars before his third consecutive par-5 birdie to get to 2-under. He closed out his round with par on the final three holes for a round of 70.
Schumaker was the first player to finish at 70. He did not start well, however, as he made bogey at two of his first three holes. He got both back with birdies at the back-to-back par-5s, six and seven. He added yet another birdie at number nine to turn at minus-1. He started the back nine with a birdie at 10 and finished with eight straight pars for his 70.
Nakai, who finished second last month at the Southern Open, also started on the back nine and he made birdies at 11 and 18 to turn at minus-2. He started his second nine with two straight birdies, but gave one back at four and made double-bogey at nine. He added one more birdie at number six.
Mortola started on the back nine as well and got off to a good start, making birdie at holes 11 and 12. He made bogey at 17, just one of two for the day, and he turned at 1-under-par. He got that stroke back with a birdie at number one and added a bogey at five and birdie at six to complete his round at 70.
Three players finished in a tie for fifth place, just one shot out of the playoff. They included Alan Schulte of the Hawthorns Golf and Country Club in Fishers, who has won two events this year and leads the Pepsi Player of the Year Point Standings. He was 3-under-par for his round with one hole to play, but lost his tee shot at the par-4 eighteenth and went on to make a double-bogey for a round of 71.
He tied with John Wright of Frankfort Country Club and Scott Steger of Pebble Brook Golf Course in Noblesville.
Schumaker also captured the Golf for Living Senior Tour portion of the event.
