Berglunds win Father & Son Title at Bedford Springs
BEDFORD, Pa. - The championship division of the 8th Pennsylvania Father & Son Championship, presented by LECOM, came down to the wire at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort. But at the end, it was Oakmont Country Club's Rich Berglund and his son, Troy, of Fox Chapel Golf Club, who claimed the crown. The Berglunds were joined as champions by senior division winners Rick and Tony Scott, who successfully defended their title, and junior division champs Lantz and Luke Thompson.
Championship Division
After Monday's opening round, Troy and Rich Berglund were in seventh place after a 1-under par score of 71. Despite finishing the round under par, the Berglunds had an up and down day on Monday, with seven birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. But Tuesday was a different story, as they carded another seven birdies, but with no bogeys in the event's unique format. In the Chapman format, both players hit their drives, then for the second shot, each player hits the other's ball. For the third shot, the players select which ball they would like to play and then play alternately until the ball is holed. In the final round, the Berglunds started with a pair of pars before making a birdie on the par-5 third hole. After two more pars, they began to really make a move on the leaders with three straight birdies from holes 6 to 8. The round then saw the duo make five more pars in a row heading into the 14th hole. There, they sank a birdie putt to on the 136-yard par 3, starting a run of three birdies in four holes. After making par on No. 18, they were in the clubhouse with a 65, -7 for the day and 8-under for the championship.
Despite the great round, the Berglunds needed help to pull of the win. Philadelphia Cricket Club's Brendan Borst and his father, Craig, of St. Clair Country Club, were the first round leaders after a 67 on Monday. In Tuesday's round, the Borsts carded five more birdies, but a trio of bogeys put them a shot back of the Berglunds heading into the 18th hole. On that 356-yard par-4, the Borsts put themselves into position to tie, with a look at birdie from eight feet. However, the putt didn't fall for Brendan, giving the Berglunds the crown.
"Our goal today was to stay away from the big numbers," Rich Berglund said. "We had a few of those yesterday, and we were able to stay away from them today, mainly because of Troy's putting."
Finishing in third place was the team of Matthew and David Plummer of West Shore Country Club, who finished at 5-under par 139. The Plummers did capture the net title, however, with a score of 13-under par.
Senior Division
One year after winning the title at their home club of West Shore, the Scotts held a share of the first round lead at 69 and followed that up with a 68 on Tuesday to pull away and win by four shots over Gregory and Garrett Adams.
"Yesterday, we made seven birdies, so we hit things really close," Rick Scott said. "Today was different. We had just one bogey but we didn't hit anything close. We still had five birdies, though. The key was that today, when I hit a bad shot, he hit a good one, and vice versa."
Playing together with good friends Gregory and Garrett Adams was a key, Scott said.
"We got to play with a couple of friends of ours who we've played with many times, and that made us so much more comfortable," Rick Scott said.
For Tony Scott, playing with his father makes him nostalgic.
"When we started to play a long time ago, it was my grandfather who we played with a lot, and things brings us back to those days," Tony Scott said. "It was great to carry on that tradition."
With the repeat win, the Scotts become the first duo in the Senior division of the event to win multiple times. The final margin of victory over the Adams' was four shots. In the net portion of the Senior division, Schuylkill Country Club's Tim and Ryan Wood carded a 128 (-16) to claim victory.
Junior Division
Hershey Country Club's Lantz Thompson and his son, Luke, fired a 1-over par 145 to win the Junior division by a comfortable seven strokes. But for Lantz, it wasn't just about the victory.
"We tried to have a fast start today, but more importantly, we wanted to have some fun," Lantz Thompson said. "It was a beautiful golf course and a beautiful day, and it doesn't get better than that."
Down three shots after an opening round 75, the Thompsons rallied with a second round 70 that was eight shots better than any other team in the division on Tuesday. And according to Luke Thompson, it all boiled down to one strategy.
"The game plan was to make putts," Luke Thompson said.
And the plan worked, as the Thompsons were holding the trophy at the end of the day. Coming in second was the team of Tom and Bobby Nicholson from the Country Club of York. In the net competition, Rob Lauver and his son, Julian, and Dave Fuhrer and his son, David, each shot 126 (-18) to tie for the title.
The Pennsylvania Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort for their support and hospitality during the event.