by Alan Hoskins
Chris Faddis and Doug Winkelbauer picked a whale of a time for their best ever rounds of competitive golf.
Faddis fired an even par round of 72 to take low gross honors in the 37th annual Wyandotte County Senior Championship; Winkelbauer took low net honors with a net 63 in the tournament that drew 116 golfers to sun-filled Sunflower Hills Friday.
Faddis credited his recent retirement after 27 years with the city of Shawnee for his first competitive par round.
“I’ve been playing a lot more and it’s lowered my handicap,” said the 57-year-old Faddis. “I’ve been two or three over par although I had an 84 in this year’s WyCo Open.”
Faddis offset his only two bogeys with birdies on the second and sixth holes, reaching both of the par holes in two shots.
“I started on No. 2 and lipped out an eagle putt,” recalled Faddis, who finished just two shots back in his first WyCo Open two years ago.
For the most part, it was a stress free round.
“I kept the ball in the play and was never in any real trouble,” Faddis said. “And I had no three putt greens which was really big. The pins were in tough positions and the greens were the fastest I’ve seen. The ball really rolled out.”
Winkelbauer had to overcome triple and double bogeys for his round of 78.
“I hit the wrong ball and had to take a penalty stroke and made 7 on No. 3,” Winkelbauer said. However, he birdied the par 5 No. 2 and tough par 3 No. 16 for his best competitive round.
“Heck, I’ve probably broken 80 only three or four times in my life,” said the 70-year-old Winklebauer. “I just played steady and got a lot of encouragement and support from my playing group, Ron Medley, Carl Roach and Jerry Burdette.”
Semi-retired from a career of building and remodeling homes and other structures, Winkelbauer has been a member at Sunflower Hills for more than 25 years, been a regular in the Senior Open and currently is a volunteer on the maintenance crew.
The tourney featured six flights determined by age. Gross honors went to Brad Burton, Mike Moore, Rick Egnatic, Ray Giesler, Steve Burke and Clinton Long while low net winners were Jeff Manning, Steve Schuman, Rick McCombs, Mike Romine, Don Dilley and Dave Klein. Richard Johnson took shooting closest to his age honors with an 85.
37th WyCo Senior Championship
Flight Results (* Scorecard Playoff)
Overall low gross – Chris Faddis, 72; overall low net – Doug Winkelbauer
Kids (age 55-60) – 1. Brad Burton, 74; 2. Todd Milberger, 78; 3. Mike McNellis, 79; Roger Dill 86. NET – 1. Jeff Manning, 64; 2. Danny Burgess, 69; 3. Phil Hoffman, 73; 4. Bob McNellis, 73.
Freshmen (61-64) – 1. Mike Moore, 77; 2. Bill Campbell, 69; 3. Ray Loya, 69; 4. Danny Woolworth, 87. NET – 1. Steve Schuman 71; 2. Mike Yadrich, 71; 3. Mike Sharp, 71; Jim Long, 74.
Sophomores (65-67) – 1. Rick Egnatic, 73; 2. Ed McFadden, 74; 3. Randy Kancel*, 83’ 4. Dave Vanderwell, 83. NET – 1. Rick McCombs, 67; 2. Dave Pierce, 69; 3. Dave Dover, 70; 4. John Jaklevic, 71.
Juniors (68-70) – 1. Ray Giesler, 76; 2. Bob Chatterton, 78; 3. Rick Richardson, 78; 4. Jim Christoph, 80. NET – 1. Mike Romine, 67; 2. Don McCann, 68; 3. Keith Johnson, 70; 4. Matt Matson, 70.
Adults (71-73) – 1. Steve Burke, 79; 2. Jerry Reid, 80; 3. Bill Toepfer, 82; 4. Roger DeLong, 88.
NET – 1. Don Dilley*, 70; 2. Gary Burgess, 70; 3. Dick Davis, 70; 4. Jim Williams, 70.
Seniors (74 & over) – 1. Clinton Long, 82; 2. Phil Stines, 83; 3. Richard Johnson, 85; 4. Jorge Prieto, 88. NET – 1. Dave Klein*, 69; 2. Ron Favrow, 69; 3. John Stewart, 70; 4. Everett Marmon, 72.
Proximity prizes – Closest to pin – Phil Stines, No. 4; Ray Giesler, No. 8; Dave Vanderwell, No. 13; John Hooser, No. 16. Longest putt No. 9 – Dave Duckers. Closest on second shot – Ray Loya, No.10; Don Dilley, No. 18.