Stroke Play

Phil Fairbanks birdied the first hole, then ran off 17 straight pars for 35-3570, and took a two-stroke lead part way through the rain-delayed first round of the Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship at Mount Pleasant Golf Course yesterday.Walt Grabowski, Brendan McKinney, and Bob Kaestner had 72s, and Serge Hogg, Matt Sughrue and Rick Riddle 73s.

Et cetera Hogg wins third BMGC Amateur Stroke Play championship Serge Hogg , tied for the lead after a second-round 68, recorded a 1-over-par 72 and a 54-hole total of 210 in winning the 45th annual Amateur Stroke Play championship of the Baltimore Municipal Golf Corporation at Mount Pleasant Golf Course. It was his third win in the event, and the first since 1997. Three-time champion Billy Wingerd (71) followed at 212, trailed by Brett Williams , whose opening-day 66 was the low round of the tournament (75-213)

Danny Rose, winner of the recent Fall Publinx tournament, continued his bid for two in a row when his 36-hole total of 145 stood up for a one-stroke lead yesterday in the annual Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship at Mount Pleasant Golf Course.Steve Thomas, Kirk Lombardi and Serge Hogg are a shot back at 146. Hogg's 73 was one of nine sharing the low round of the day.The field was cut in half for today's final round, and 81 players at 161 remain. The morning tee times are from 7:30 to 11:24.

Chris Baloga of Hillendale Country Club won his second Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship with a second straight 67 and a 54-hole total of 7-under-par 206 at Mount Pleasant Golf Course. A 16th-hole birdie was the difference, as the 2009 titlist edged three-time winner Billy Wingerd of Mountain Branch Golf Club, who was in the lead for much of the last round -- shooting a 67 -- and finished at 207. Vance Welch of University of Maryland GC and Brad Miller of Baltimore CC tied for third at 213.

Defending champion Bill Stout will be in the lineup along with another record turnout of 192 for next week's Maryland Stroke Play golf championship at Mount Pleasant.Adding more prestige to this ever-growing 54-hole holiday classic is the fact that capacity fields are attracted despite still another reduction in handicap limits. Single rounds are listed July 5, 6 and 7.In order to upgrade the event last year, the committee eliminated all lower flights and called for a single championship flight.

The 24th annual Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship turned into a wide-open race yesterday, as first-round leader Justin Klein came back to the field.Klein, 17, had 24 hours to think about a four-stroke lead in one o the state's top amateur tournaments. Still, he held up well except for three holes and ended with 76 and a 36-hole total of 143.This created a tie for the lead with Joel Kaye of Woodholme CC who used a share of the day's low round, a par-71, to get to 143.Woodholme members claimed three of the first five places.

The stature of the Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship continues to grow, as it will present its strongest field when the 26th annual program is held this weekend at Mount Pleasant Golf Course.Seven past champions are among the 192 entrants, including five of the past six -- Bob Kaestner, Greg Henry, Bill Stout, Justin Klein and defender Buddy Peoples. The other two are Bill Dornbusch (1970) and Bob Morrison (1985). Such is the popularity of the tournament that the limit on entries was reached 10 days ahead of the closing deadline.

Just a few hours after playing even-par on the back nine to finish the suspended first round, Jay Stosz claimed a spot among the overall leaders of the Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship by dominating the same back nine at Mount Pleasant Golf Course.Stosz birdied three of the first five holes on the back for a 3-under-par 68 second round and a 36-hole total of even-par 142, giving him a lead when play was halted more than midway through the second round because of thunderstorms."The back nine here is supposed to be tough," Stosz said.

Charles Narciso will have a title to go with his name when he is introduced on the tee in the Maryland Amateur Stroke Play Championship this week.Narciso took care of this gap in his golf resume last week, when he won the Baltimore Publinx championship. Rounds of 73 at Mount Pleasant Golf Course and 75 at Forest Park GC were good for a four-stroke triumph over Tim Osgood, 77-75152. Two-time titlist Walt Grabowski tied for third at 153.The 25th Stroke Play tournament will be held Friday through Sunday, with single 18-hole rounds each day. Defending champion Justin Klein is one of a half-dozen past winners in the field of 192 entries.

BETHESDA -- Although Allen Barber started the last round of the annual Middle Atlantic Amateur championship with a four-stroke lead, it is unlikely anyone would have believed he could shoot 82 and still win.In the same way, it is unlikely anyone would have believed Trevor Randolph, second when the round began, could lose a two-stroke lead in the final two holes.That turned out to be the scenario at Congressional Country Club yesterday. Chalk this one up to the big plant on River Road, which played much longer than its listed 7,249 yards on a rainy, breezy day when the temperature did not rise much above 50 degrees.

SCHEDULE PGA Tour World Golf Championships: Algarve World Cup Site -- Vilamoura, Portugal Schedule -- Thursday-Sunday Course -- Victoria Club de Golf (7,174 yards, par 72) Purse -- $4 million. Winners split $1.4 million. TV -- ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m-11 a.m., re-air 1 p.m.-3 p.m.); ABC (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.-7 p.m. tape delay; Sunday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m., tape delay). Format -- 72-hole tournament consisting of two rounds of four-ball stroke play and two rounds of foursome stroke play, with teams of two players representing 24 countries.

Brendan McKinney, making his first major challenge at the top spot in the Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship, shot 1-under-par 70 at Mount Pleasant Golf Course yesterday to grab the 36-hole lead at 139. First-round leader Kirk Lombardi came back to the field with a 73 and is tied at 140 with recent Towson University graduate Chris Baloga, who shot 71 in the second round. Phil Fairbanks, third last year, used a share of the day's low round, 69, for a two-round total of 141, followed by Moose Brown and Spring Publinx winner Ki Moon at 142. Brian Woods also shot 69 and is at 143, tied with Larry Storck and Wilbert Lynn III. There were only four rounds below par during the day, and 11 players are within five strokes of the lead.

Kirk Lombardi, a two-time Maryland State Amateur champion from Gaithersburg, jumped ahead of the field with a bogey-free 4-under 34-33 - 67 in the opening round of the 38th annual Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship at Mount Pleasant Golf Course. More than half of the 126 players were no worse than 76 in the tournament. Three local standouts - Brendan McKinney and Chris Baloga (Mount Pleasant), and Henry Blue (Green Spring) - were at 69, followed by Moose Brown and Larry Storck (Hayfields)

Greg Rodgers made a clutch 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to pull into a tie with St. Paul's teammate Tyler Bare. But Rodgers didn't want to settle for a tie at yesterday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association stroke-play tournament at Woodholme Country Club. "We want a playoff," Rodgers said to tournament officials immediately after taking his ball out of the cup - and Bare agreed. The golfers got their wish, and Rodgers then made history. The Notre Dame-bound senior sank a 5-foot birdie putt on the first hole of sudden death to outlast Bare and become the first golfer to win three MIAA championships.

CHEVY CHASE - The narrow fairways and hilly layout at Columbia Country Club were unkind for the conclusion of stroke play yesterday in the 56th U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship. Scores were high, with all but four competitors finishing with two-round scores over par as a field of 156 was whittled to 64, with the final five spots determined in a playoff. Play began with a round on Monday. Sung Hoon Kang of South Korea led, shooting 68 yesterday for a total of 3-under-par 137. Patton Kizzire of Tuscaloosa, Ala., was at 138. In third place, at 139, was Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga. Jon Curran of Hopkinton, Mass.

There was just one challenge to what became a victory tour for Billy Wingerd, and it lasted only long enough for the play of one hole. This was the final round of the 34th annual Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship at Mount Pleasant Golf Course, and Wingerd had carried at least a two-stroke lead for much of the day. On the 15th tee, he knew John Rudolph, in the threesome just ahead, had moved to plus-1 for the tournament and moments later, he...

Adrian Druzgala finally struck gold, as he charged through the back nine to a dramatic, one-stroke victory in the 32nd annual Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship yesterday.At the start of the hot, humid final round at Mount Pleasant Golf Course, there were eight players within four shots of leader Bart DeLuca, but when it was over, Druzgala's 72 led the pack, producing a 54-hole total of 215.In striking a blow for the middle-aged, Druzgala, 47, who had been thwarted with three seconds among a bunch of top-10 finishes in this event over the last dozen years, had to turn back bids by two talented teen-agers.

SCHEDULE PGA Tour World Golf Championships: Algarve World Cup Site -- Vilamoura, Portugal Schedule -- Thursday-Sunday Course -- Victoria Club de Golf (7,174 yards, par 72) Purse -- $4 million. Winners split $1.4 million. TV -- ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m-11 a.m., re-air 1 p.m.-3 p.m.); ABC (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.-7 p.m. tape delay; Sunday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m., tape delay). Format -- 72-hole tournament consisting of two rounds of four-ball stroke play and two rounds of foursome stroke play, with teams of two players representing 24 countries.

Not many players recover from shooting a triple bogey 8 and still win a golf championship. Jeff Castle of Mount Hebron did in Friday's Howard County Golf Club stroke play championship at Turf Valley. Castle drove into the stream instead of laying up on the 14th hole at Turf Valley. Then he planted his next shot in a bunker. Five birdies allowed him to win the tournament, however, shooting 73, one stroke ahead of Josh Notes of Oakland Mills. Castle, a junior, also won the Class 2A-1A District V championship.

Adrian Druzgala finally struck gold, as he charged through the back nine to a dramatic, one-stroke victory in the 32nd annual Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship yesterday.At the start of the hot, humid final round at Mount Pleasant Golf Course, there were eight players within four shots of leader Bart DeLuca, but when it was over, Druzgala's 72 led the pack, producing a 54-hole total of 215.In striking a blow for the middle-aged, Druzgala, 47, who had been thwarted with three seconds among a bunch of top-10 finishes in this event over the last dozen years, had to turn back bids by two talented teen-agers.