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Woulfe Wins Senior Match Play Championship

July 12, 2007

Rick Woulfe defeated Gary Golbesky 8 and 7 to win the 2nd Senior Amateur Match Play Championship at Sara Bay Country Club in Sarasota on July 8-12. 

Rick Woulfe, of Fort Lauderdale, and Gary Golbesky, from Port St. Lucie, each won four matches en route to meeting in the finals of the Championship flight. In the finals, Woulfe, the 2007 Senior Amateur Champion, defeated Golbesky after making birdie on the 11th hole to close out the match. Woulfe started the match winning the first three holes and went on to win holes 7, 8 and 9. “I played pretty good,” said Woulfe. “I didn’t three putt all day.” Woulfe, the 2005 and 2006 Senior Player-of-the-Year, earned the number one seed after firing a 71 in the seeding round, the only under par round of the seeding round. After winning his first match 6 and 4, Woulfe defeated the defending champion Berger Warner, of Ocala, 1 up in the Round of 16. “I just squeezed past him,” said Woulfe. In the quarters, Woulfe beat the 2006 Senior Amateur Champion Ron Cleland, of Naples, 5 and 3 and went on to beat Sara Bay member William Goshorn, from Sarasota, 3 and 2 in the semifinals. “This was a good tournament,” said Woulfe. “Sara Bay is a great match play course.” Woulfe now looks to sweep the Senior events this season. With this win and the Senior Amateur Championship, Woulfe and partner Bob Ethridge will be competing for the Senior Four-Ball title in October.

In the Senior Division first flight, Eddie Bass, of University Park, edged out Gary Saft, of Fort Myers, 2 and 1 to win the flight. In another close match, Gerald Johnson, of Tallahassee, beat Tommy Piazza, of Sarasota, 1 up to win the Senior Division second flight. Johnson aced the 4th hole on the way to his victory.

In the battle between two TPC at Eagle Trace members, Jim DuBois, of Coral Springs, defeated against Bob Rogoff, of Coral Springs, 4 and 3. DuBois was the number one seed in the flight after posting a 76 in the seeding round. In a match on Wednesday, Don Lambert, of Foley, claimed the Super Senior first flight defeating Ron Goldburg, of Delray Beach, 4 and 3.

To be eligible, players must have reached 55 years of age by July 8, 2007. All players traveling to Sara Bay were guaranteed an 18-hole seeding round and at least one round of match play. After the 18-hole seeding round, the field of 88 (64 Seniors and 24 Super-Seniors) was seeded into a Senior Division Championship flight of 32 players and two additional flights of 16 players. Also, the 24 Super-Seniors were seeded into a flight of 16 and 8. Ultimately, there is a Senior Amateur Match Play Champion and a Super-Senior Amateur Match Play Champion from each Championship flight.

For pairings, tee-times, and results, please see www.fsga.org.

Organized in 1913, the Florida State Golf Association is a not-for-profit organization that governs amateur golf in the state of Florida. In addition to conducting 25 championships for amateur golfers in the state, the FSGA is responsible for more than 40 qualifying tournaments for USGA National Championships and the Florida Junior Tour. The FSGA also maintains the USGA Handicap System, performs course ratings throughout Florida and assists in junior programs and scholarships.