Kaestner

Billy Wingerd continued his solid ball-striking yesterday, as he turned a 4-under-par 68 into a two-stroke lead halfway through the 48th annual Baltimore City Amateur at Sparrows Point Country Club. Tim Dilli opened strongly with three front-nine birdies en route to a 70, trailed by Moose Brown (71) and four-time titlist Bob Kaestner (72). The tight, tree-lined course in eastern Baltimore County calls for good course management more than superior length, and Wingerd admitted it tripped him up a couple of times, as he had only played the 6,886-yard layout once, about three years ago. Even so, Wingerd, in the invitation tournament for the second time, said he had to scramble his way around -- he saved par three successive times in the middle of the round with putts in the 5- to 8-foot range -- but the tour still resulted in seven birdies, a bogey and a double bogey.

Evan Hileman made four birdie putts and partner Bob Kaestner made a 6-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole, as they thwarted a back-nine rally by brothers H. T. and Moose Brown to successfully defend their title in the second annual Baltimore Cup at Hayfields Country Club. The two teams tied at 139 for successive rounds at Caves Valley Golf Club and Hayfields. Henry Blue and Larry Storck placed third at 141 in the 16-team field. Five Farms Fourball: At Baltimore Country Club, Guy Phelan and Justin Klein completed a two-day run through a 23-team field, winning by six shots with a 129 total.

A Baltimore team collected six points (back nine and overall) from three pairings and earned a 10 1/2 -7 1/2 victory over a Washington side in the annual team match sponsored and conducted by the Maryland State Golf Association at Baltimore Country Club yesterday. Doug Ballenger-Rick Sovero won the first two holes on the back nine, then held off a late bid by Marty West-Bryan Borda; Dave Nocar won the15th with a par and Bob Kaestner birdied 16 to stop Chuck Ingram-Tim Moylan, and BCC member Justin Klein made four putts outside 15 feet, three for birdies, as he and Brad Hastings topped Bill Murphy-SteveBlock.

BETHESDA - Phillip Fenstermaker made his Maryland State Amateur debut an impressive one yesterday, shooting 1-under-par 71 in his debut round at Congressional Country Club. It was enough to win the qualifying medal for the 80th annual event, leading a field of 120 players seeking the 31 available places in the match-play draw. Defending champion Pat Tallent received an automatic spot. Four were at 72, including nine-time champion Marty West III and Loyola College senior Jason Cage, followed by five at 73, including Chuck Freedman of Hobbit's Glen GC and Rick Sovero of Rolling Road GC. There was a playoff at 76, with 13 going for eight places.

The pairings of Joel Kaye-Rick Riddle and Bob Kaestner-Justin Klein each scored 3-0 wins to lead Baltimore past Washington, 10 1/2 to 7 1/2 , in their annual team match at Hillendale Country Club yesterday. The victory ended Washington's five-year winning streak.The Kaestner-Klein pair shot 5-under-par 67 to thwart Dave Rasley-Mike Watson, who combined for a 70, and Kaye-Riddle posted a 68 in turning back Matt Lucas and Henri deLozier.Marty West III-Vance Welch, the State Amateur finalists, teamed to get 6-under for 14 holes in beating Adrian Druzgala-Alan Zimmerman, 3-0.Washington received some late heroics, or the score might have been more convincing.

ROCKVILLE -- Bob Kaestner got some breathing room in the final three holes and won the 11th Mid-Amateur championship of the Maryland State Golf Association yesterday. In the process, he exorcised some old golf demons.The Baltimore Country Club member from Glyndon, in his first year of eligibility for the age 35-over event, equaled the low round of the 36-hole tournament with a 70 and a two-day total of 3-under-par 141 at Lakewood Country Club. His most important shot was a 235-yard 3-iron to the green of the 532-yard 16th, setting up a two-putt birdie.

CHEVY CHASE -- Chuck Freedman of Hobbit's Glen Golf Club in Columbia shot 1-under-par 35-34--69, and won the medal by a stroke in qualifying for the 76th Maryland State Golf Association's men's amateur championship at Columbia Country Club yesterday.Freedman, the 1994 champion, had five birdies and four bogeys in putting up the only subpar round of the day for the 6,489-yard course on Connecticut Avenue. Defending champion Bobby Bilbo was exempt from qualifying.Derrick Foster from the Country Club at Woodmore and Keith Unikel of the University of Maryland Golf Club matched par with 70s. Among the 71s was Blair Laubach from Mount Pleasant GC, while former champions Marty West III of Columbia CC and Dave Rasley of Lakewood CC, plus a onetime runner-up, Bob Kaestner of Baltimore CC, were at 72.The other past champion to qualify was Kirk Lombardi, from Norbeck CC, who had 73.Foster and Unikel had opposite nines, with the former including three front-nine birdies in a 33-37, and the latter posting three birdies in a back-nine 33.The cut among the 126 players came at 75, where eight played off for seven places.

Baltimore Country Club and Columbia CC won area championships yesterday to set up today's rematch of last year's championship in the Maryland State team matches.Baltimore CC qualified with a 12-6 victory over the CC of Maryland, and Columbia, defending state titlist, advanced by beating Congressional CC, 12-6. The winning clubs got points from every pairing in earning 6 1/2 points at home, 5 1/2 away.The No. 3 teams for BCC dominated their foes, as Bob Kaestner-Bob Lee, playing at home, took three points from Joe Wintsch-John Bartholomew, and, at the CC of Maryland, Tim Dilli-Mike Reitz won 2 1/2 from a veteran pairing of Charlie Harris-Jackie Rites.

From his second-floor office, Hank Kaestner watches the traffic fly past Hunt Valley. There are Canada geese and cormorants, ospreys and owls, even a few bald eagles. The aerial show never stops, and Kaestner, an executive with McCormick & Co., keeps careful track of the birds, recording each new breed he sees at work.Mixing spices and species does him good, he says."People have such stress in their jobs," says Kaestner, of Timonium. "Nature is one of the few medicines available for free."

Bob Kaestner turned the 41st annual Baltimore City Amateur Invitation championship into a record-setting one-man show yesterday. The Baltimore Country Club member, playing his club's West Course, posted a 4-under-par 68 for a 36-hole total of 139, a record nine shots ahead of his closest challengers.Such was Kaestner's control of his shot-making that he played the last 30 holes without a bogey. Saturday, he had two early bogeys, and three birdies, then four birdies in his second tour for 71-68 over the par 36-3672 course.