Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
A Safety Harbor golfer has captured a major amateur tournament, the 49th annual Gasparilla Invitational at Palma Ceia Country Club in Tampa.
Rick Kerper, 46, dodged a bullet in the prestigious three-day event with steady play to win the title Feb.29.
Kerper, who plays to a zero handicap at Countryside Country Club, shot 1-under 69 in the final round to receive a playoff spot with Jack Hall of Macon, Ga., and Peter Dachisen, an official with Tampa's Florida State Golf Association. The trio finished 1-over 211 for 54 holes.
The tourney favorite, Nathan Smith, winner of the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, was in contention until a couple of bogeys on the last three holes.
Kerper could only watch on the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th, as Hall stood over a 3-foot birdie putt for the victory. Surprisingly, Hall not only missed the shot, which went 12 feet past, he missed it coming back to stay in the game.
Kerper won on the second playoff hole, the 190-yard par-3 13th.
As darkness fell, his tee shot stopped 10 yards in front of the green, forcing him to execute a deft chip. Kerper did, as the ball rolled to 3 feet and led to a par putt. Dachisen bogeyed the 56th hole, giving Kerper the trophy.
"The win was huge for me," Kerper said.
Chipping and putting, he said, kept him in contention even when he was four down with nine holes to play. Kerper had three birdies on the back nine the last day.
Another crucial shot on the final day was a blast out of the bunker on his second try on the par-5 18th. He converted the 5-foot putt into a par.
"I hung in there down the stretch," Kerper said of surviving in a field of 208 low-handicap players. "I hadn't played a full 18 holes in about four months, but I had practiced. And I recently underwent knee surgery.
"The key for me was playing position golf on that course," he said. "Palma Ceia can eat you up if you don't play position golf."
Kerper's next major challenge will be the U.S. Open local qualifier on May 12 at Westin Innisbrook Resort's Island course. In an estimated 20 attempts to advance, he has qualified for the next stage four times.
NORTH FLORIDA PGA INVITATIONAL: Wentworth's Mike Murphy won the gross division in a pro-am invitational at Cypress Run Country Club in Tarpon Springs.
He posted a 3-under 69 to defeat Belleair's Jim Slattery (71). They were followed by a tie for third between Chris Slattery (74) of Innisbrook and Bill Glanden of River Club in Valrico.
WEST COAST WOMEN: Four Pinellas golfers finished second in their flights in a WCWGA match at Lone Palm in Lakeland.
St.Petersburg's Mary Ann Petrillo crafted a 1-over 73 in Flight AA, Cathy Moss of the Vinoy had 80 in Flight A, Belleair's Karen Koch posted 84 in B, and Sandy Hughes of East Lake Woodlands shot 86 in C.
COLLEGES: Courtney Burdick (Largo High), a former Pinellas Player of the Year, helped Florida International to a second-place finish among 20 schools in the Lady Moc Classic in Lakeland. She was third on the team (76-78-81-235).
Danny Allen (Tarpons Springs) helped lead coach Bill Buttner's Eckerd squad to fifth in last week's Florida Gulf Coast Spring Invitational in Bonita Bay. Allen carded 72-79-79-230.
JUNIORS: Seminole's Ben Drenth tied for fifth in a FCWT match at Airco Golf Park with 76-70-146.
In the girls division, Brittany Jones of East Lake finished No.8, shooting 77-80-157. Bradenton's So-Hyun Park won with a 3-over 147.
The boys winner was Bradenton's Seth Lauer, who had a 7-under 65 to go with an opening 69.
In a Florida State Junior match in Sun City Center, Tyler Ausdemore of Tarpon Springs placed third in the boys 15-17 division with 81-75-156.
Dunedin's Preston Knox tied for second (76-79-155) in the 12-14 group. Dakoda Dowd, 10, Clearwater, shared fourth in girls 13-18 with 84-80-164.
PUTTING CHAMPIONSHIP: Tampa's Jeff Cochran survived two sudden-death playoffs to win the Tampa Bay area title at Downs Practice Facility.
Larry Bryan of Northdale Golf Club finished second. Dan Nease of the Downs and Largo's Mike Adams trailed.
ANNUAL AWARDS: Jim Slattery, Belleair Country Club's head pro, has been named the PGA West Central Chapter Player of the Year.
The award is based on points received in chapter matches.
Other winners included Pat Livingston, National Golf Schools, teacher of the year; Bill Conway, Belleair director of golf, educator of the year; and Jimmy Mann, amateur of the year.
Mann, who died in 2002, was the founder of the County Golf Association and a Times golf columnist.
NEXT GENERATION FUTURES CLASSIC: A junior clinic is scheduled for March 24, 4 p.m., at East Lake Woodlands preceding the March 26-28 tournament.
The free clinic will be hosted and run by members of the LPGA and Futures tours.
On March 25 at 8 a.m., there will be a Pro-Junior Pro-Am. The scramble with two pros and two juniors will be at East Lake Woodlands.
The first 40 juniors who sign up will play. Register by e-mail at vreid21@aol.com or call Vincent Reid, 813 886-2062.
COMING UP: Bardmoor will play host to the Climb For Cancer Foundation Pro-Am on April 4. For registration information, call Maria Cercone, 727 392-1234; or go online to www.cfc-foundation.org
On May 1, the Matthew Hall Memorial Tournament will be at East Bay Country Club in Largo.
It's a four-person scramble to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Eight O'Clock Theatre of Largo and other beneficiaries.
For an entry form, call (727) 586-3292.