The Florida Open Qualifying Sites Innisbrook Resort Eligibility & Rules Exemptions Past Results Sponsors 1995 Florida Open - Palm Aire CC Rodney Butcher Moss Misses Gimme Shot, Hands Florida Open To Butcher Miami Herald October 9, 1995      Most of the spectators had already started toward the first tee for the playoff when the winning putt rolled past the cup. Then came the groans and gasps, and everyone looked back at the 18th green.      There stood Perry Moss, a look of horror on his face. He couldn't believe what he had just done, and neither could anyone else.      He had blown the 53rd Florida Open by missing a one-foot putt on the last green, a simple tap-in that under different circumstances would have been called a "gimme." He had three-putted from 15 feet to lose by a shot.      Back at the scorer's tent, Rodney Butcher was preparing for one of two scenarios: A playoff, or a second-place handshake. The third scenario, a victory, didn't cross his mind until someone told him what Moss had done.      "I can't believe it," Butcher said. "I feel bad for him."      Moss' miscue on 18 handed the tournament to Butcher, a 25-year-old Rhode Island native living in West Palm Beach, who had blistered the Cypress Course at Palm Aire Country Club in Pompano Beach for a 5-under 67 and a 9-under 279 total.      The $11,000 check is the biggest of Butcher's life. Moss earned $6,000 for second.      "The money doesn't matter," said Moss, who played on the PGA Tour in 1993. "I don't do this for money. In the whole scheme of things, this is just practice for trying to get back on the tour."      Like Moss and just about everyone else in the field, Butcher, a 1992 Florida Southern grad, is headed to PGA Tour Qualifying School next. He made it to the final stage last year, but missed the cut.      He played half a year on the Nike Tour, with a conditional card, but after driving to 16 tournaments as an alternate and getting into just six of them (missing the cut all six times), he ran out of money and went back to Rhode Island.      He won the Vermont Open this summer. The $9,000 check was the biggest of his career, until Sunday.      Butcher's wild round got under way with a snap-hooked drive into the water for double-bogey at No. 2 and a 220-yard 3-iron to three feet at No. 4 for an eagle.      He got hot on the back nine, chipping in for birdie on both 13 and 14, then making it four birdies in a row with putts on 15 and 16.      He held a one-stroke lead coming to 18, but opened the door for Moss, the only other golfer in contention, by bogeying 18 from short of the green.      Moss knocked an 8-iron up to 15 feet, giving him a shot for the victory. A two-putt would have sent the two men to a playoff.      But after Moss' 15-foot try rolled a foot past the cup, he walked up to his ball and putted it, instead of marking it and taking his time. It was a fatal mistake. The ball took off to the left, catching the edge of the cup but lipping out.      "It's been a long time since I've been in the hunt," a stunned Moss said later. "I should have backed off and settled down. I was in shock when it happened. It was so routine. I started to reach down into the cup to take my ball out, but it wasn't there."      Someone came around and passed out final scoring summaries. Moss grabbed one and looked hard at it, as if his name would be at the top, as if this nightmare had never happened.      "Unbelievable," he said. "Unbelievable."  Related Articles Florida Open A Tune-up For Escaping Mini-Tours Kennedy, Campbell Lead Florida Open Moss, Elliot Share Florida Open Lead    Player Info      Scores Pos. Name Rd. 1 2 3 4 Tot. Winnings 1 Rodney Butcher, West Palm Beach 69 70 73 67 279 $11,000 2 Perry Moss, Shreverport 72 69 68 71 280 6,000 3 John Elliot, Medway, Mass. 70 67 72 73 282 2,500 3 Steve Ford, Melbourne 71 69 70 72 282 2,500 5 P.J. Cowan, Stuart 72 70 72 69 283 1,500 6 Tom Garner, Winter Park 70 69 73 72 284 1,300 7 Ken Tanigawa, Dublin, Ohio 72 69 75 69 285 1,100 7 Rick Price, Palm Beach Gardens 73 69 73 70 285 1,100 7 Ed Pearce, Temple Terrace 69 70 73 73 285 1,100 10 Bryan A. Decorso, Canada 73 71 70 72 286 925 10 Todd Fanning, Canada 71 73 68 74 286 925 12 Victor Leoni, Miami 79 66 70 72 287 812 12 Adam Adams, Coconut Creek 70 73 72 72 287 812 12 David Yarmitzky, Fort Lauderdale 70 71 72 74 287 812 12 R. Kennedy Jr., Fort Lauderdale 68 69 76 74 287 812 12 Chris Campbell, Vero Beach 68 71 73 75 287 812 17 Terry Mauney, Charloote 72 74 73 69 288 720 17 Ki[ Byrne, Boca Raton 74 69 73 72 288 720 17 Keith Rick, Tallahassee 74 68 71 75 288 720 20 Scott Zankl, Pompano 72 74 73 70 289 630 20 Tim Balmer, Plantation 73 72 73 71 289 630 20 R. Boldt, Walnut Creek, California 69 75 73 72 289 630 20 Dennis Postlewalt, Palm Beach Gardens 74 72 71 72 289 630 20 Jim Weiss, Boca Raton 70 70 76 73 289 630 20 Fran Quinn, Worcester, Massachusetts 74 72 69 74 289 630 26 Jeff Lewis, West Palm 73 71 75 71 290 520 26 D. Tymosko, Miami Lakes 76 71 71 72 290 520 26 Lou Maiorana, Boynton Beach 74 72 71 73 290 520 26 Robert Jackson, Davie 72 73 71 74 290 520 26 Sean Gorgone, Lake Mary 70 72 73 75 290 520 26 Mike Donald, Hollywood 70 37 74 79 290 520 32 Brad Ball, West Palm Beach 71 73 74 73 291 465 32 Glen Miclotta, Boca Raton 71 76 71 73 291 465 32 Bob Bailey, Clermont 73 72 72 74 291 465 32 Peter Horrobin, North Miami 72 70 73 76 291 465 36 Lance Ten Broeck, Jupiter 76 70 71 75 292 440 37 Chris Stobs, Miami 75 71 75 72 293 420 37 R.J. Nakashian, Boca Raton 73 74 72 74 293 420 37 Mike Meehan, Fort Lauderdale 76 69 73 75 293 420 40 T. Feiginwinter, Pompano Beach 71 73 77 73 294 100 40 Darron Stiles, Plant City 72 72 77 73 294 100 40 Shannon Sykora, Plantation 71 73 76 74 294 100 40 Mark Tunstill, Palm Beach Gardens 73 70 73 78 294 100