73rd Delaware Senior Amateur: Round One

Finn seeks a second chance, Keeney out front in Women’s Division

OCEAN VIEW, Del. – Last year’s Delaware Senior Amateur is a touchy subject for Tom Finn.

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Playing in the second-to-last group, Finn shot an 80 to go from tied for fourth after the first round to tied for 25th at the tournament’s end.

“I was in the penultimate group last year and I didn’t play well,” Finn said. “It was disappointing because it was at my home club, DuPont Country Club. Hopefully this year I will play better.” 

Finn, aided by a hot putter and a depth of experiences at the host club, surged to the Round One lead of the 73rd Delaware Senior Amateur after a 69 Wednesday at Bear Trap Dunes (par 72, 6,168 yards).

“There’s a group of guys that I have been playing golf with for 30 years,” Finn said. “We travel all over. Dave West, who I played with today, used to have a house nearby so we played here a number of times over the years. Bear Trap Dunes is a comfortable place.”

Finn got off to a hot start on the Black Bear nine. Bear Trap Dunes has three nines named after different types of bears. Black Bear, Grizzly and Kodiak represent the triumvirate. Black Bear to Grizzly represents the rotation for the Championship.

Finn, the 2001 Delaware Mid-Amateur Champion, went out in 2 under par after birdies on Nos. 2 (par 4, 371 yards), 3 (par 3, 175 yards) and 9 (par 4, 370 yards). He rolled in 20 footers for birdie on Nos. 2 and 9 and chipped in with a 56-degree wedge on No. 3. As the wind started to gust, Finn kept the momentum going.

“My game has been a series of ups and downs for a majority of the summer,” Finn, 63, of Chadds Ford, Pa., said. “Some good rounds and some bad rounds. It’s been shaky but my game showed up in a big way today.”

He got to 4 under after birdies on Nos. 11 (par 5, 497 yards) and 13 (par 3, 122 yards). He pinned a pitching wedge from 70 yards to eight feet after laying up on No. 11. He pierced a 9-iron to eight feet on No. 13. 

A sloppy bogey at the last (par 5, 500 yards) with wedge in hand took some wind out of his proverbial sails. But Finn said he was very pleased with the overall body of work.

“The greens were phenomenal today,” Finn, who works in industrial sales, said. “Putting isn’t usually my strong suit but today I rolled in a lot of putts. For me, this is one of my best competitive rounds. The wind out there was no joke. I was fortunate when I missed a green, I had a relatively simple chip. The most important part to playing well here is to keep the ball in play.”

With a win Thursday, Finn would become the sixth player to win the Delaware Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur. The others include Tom Borsello, Jeff Allen, Steve Walczak, Mark Surtees and Ron Jamarowicz.

“The biggest thing I learned last year was to take it one shot at a time and to not be impatient,” Finn said. “18 holes is a lot of time and one shot will not define your round. I am excited to have another chance.”

Women’s Division

In the Women’s Division, Wilmington Country Club’s Nicoll Keeney holds a four-shot lead after a 76 (par 72, 5,226 yards). Lisa Day of Tanglewood Manor Golf Club and Lisa Powell of Kings Creek Country Club sit in second place after rounds of 80.

“This year has been a bit of a rebuilding year for me,” Keeney, 53, of Wilmington, Del., said. “I have been taking it one step at a time. I haven’t had the chance to practice that much this summer. I didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself. I’ve been working hard on my course management and that truly saved me today.”

Keeney’s first trip around Bear Trap’s Black Bear and Grizzly nines was of the slow and steady variety. She said she didn’t want to play herself out of the tournament by making too many mistakes.

She made the turn in 1-over-par highlighted by a birdie on No. 7 (par 3, 120 yards) on the Black Bear nine. She threw a dart with a 9-iron to eight feet.

“Being unfamiliar with the course makes playing it harder in competition,” Keeney, the president of Women Golfers Give Back, said. “I am thinking more about hitting greens in regulation and being conservative.”

Keeney is looking for the rare Delaware Senior Amateur trifecta. She claimed titles in 2022 at Wild Quail Golf & Country Club and last year at DuPont Country Club (Nemours/DuPont). She said she has a lot of work to do but is excited about the opportunity. 

“For me being able to get the job done Thursday will be all about staying focus and plodding my way around the golf course,” Keeney said. “I struggled with the greens a little bit and missed some short putts. Making those putts tomorrow will be the game changer for me.”

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.