19th Super-Senior Amateur: Round Two

Overlook’s Osborne claims second title

GLENSIDE, Pa. – Greg Osborne found himself on property at North Hills Country Club for the start of the 19th Super-Senior Amateur Tuesday not really caring about the tournament itself.

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He said he was more focused on the Super-Senior Silver Cross and his four-shot lead heading into the final two legs of the award. It comprises of the Francis B. Warner Super Senior, Frank H. Chapman Super Senior and both rounds of the Super-Senior Amateur.

But Wednesday, Osborne sharked both of them. He claimed the Super-Senior Amateur in a playoff over Michael Vassil of the Country Club of Scranton with par on the first playoff hole. It is his second title. He took the Super-Senior Silver Cross by 10 shots with a four-round total of 1-over-par 285 for his second award.

“Every year, winning gets a little harder for someone my age,” Osborne, 70, of Lititz, Pa., said. “It makes winning all the more special. I was thinking more about winning the Silver Cross than I was the actual championship coming into the event. But after yesterday, I told myself I should be thinking about winning this event because it is much bigger.”

Osborne, of Overlook Golf Course, was two shots behind Vassil with four holes to play but drew even after Vassil bogeyed Nos. 15 (par 5, 501 yards) and 16 (par 4, 346 yards). They both made savvy saves on the last (par 4, 323 yards) to get into a playoff. Both players finished at even par.

On the first playoff hole, Vassil thinned his tee shot into the gully short of the elevated 10th fairway (par 4, 314 yards). After he extricated it back in play, he caught a hosel with his third. Osborne drilled a gap wedge from 90 yards to 15 feet and a two-putt for the victory.

“Mike played fantastic for two days so I felt horrible with how it ended for him,” Osborne said. “But I was able to execute a great drive and approach to seal the deal. I knew that if I lost focus that Mike could recover for a bogey and tie me. I didn’t want that to happen.”

“Greg played great,” Vassil said. “I hadn’t missed a green in regulation up until No. 15. At that point, I was a little surprised. On No. 15 and 16 I didn’t feel like I hit bad shots, I just didn’t end up in a good position. In the playoff, once I hit a tee shot in the gully on No. 10, I knew I had an uphill battle. It was a mess. He executed the two shots he needed to hit.”

This is Osborne’s second Super-Senior Amateur title. He won in 2021 at Scranton. He won the 2022 Warner Super Senior at Bala Golf Club and the 2022 Super-Senior Player of the Year. Ironically enough, he accepted that honor at North Hills during that year’s Player’s Dinner.

“I just love to compete,” Osborne said. “It is so much fun to have something that matters in golf. GAP provides such great venues and opportunities for us to play. I just enjoy the joy of playing and competing for as long as I can.”

He became the third player to win two Super-Senior Silver Cross Awards. Don Donatoni and Charlie McClaskey are the two others. Pretty good company.

“I don’t know as much about the history of GAP as I should but the Silver Cross plaque is my favorite trophy I have,” Osborne said. “I feel like I have gotten better as I have gotten older and learned how to score. Golf is easier in that regard.

“I thought if I just won the Silver Cross, I would be happy on my drive home. In reality I’m much happier winning both titles. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”

GAP

Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 110,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.