74th Delaware Senior Amateur: Round 2

Roeder survives late charge from Doughty, McCabe takes Women’s Division

WILMINGTON, Del. – Joe Roeder played 35 holes of golf in 6 under. He walked to the last hole thinking he was going to win going away.

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When he learned Fieldstone Golf Club’s Mark Doughty fired a final-round 63 to take the clubhouse lead at 5 under, he could have been mentally crushed. But the steely GAP veteran stayed in the moment.

“I was surprised I wasn’t shaken after learning about Mark’s 63,” Roeder said. “Hats off to him. What an amazing round of golf. I still had a lot of work to do on the last from about 50 feet. I was really happy to get down in two to win. It felt great to get that done when my putting speed has been a weakness.”

Roeder, aided by his stellar ball striking and “par you to death” gameplay, is the 74th Delaware Senior Amateur Champion after consecutive 68s at Rock Manor Golf Club (par 71, 6,002 yards).

“Winning this tournament means a lot to me,” Roeder, 64, of Millsboro, Del., said. “I haven’t won a state championship before. Since I moved to Delaware, the state has meant a lot to me. So to be its state senior champion is awesome. Winning validates all the hard work my wife and I have put into the game.”

Roeder, who is a member at Merion Golf Club and The Peninsula Golf & Country Club, has numerous GAP titles to his credit. The 2022 Brewer Cup, the 2017 Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup and the 2013 Four-Ball Stroke Play hold spots on his mantle. But Roeder said none of them compare to a state championship.

Heading into the final round with a three-shot lead, Roeder got off to a dream start by birdieing the first two holes. On No. 1 (par 5, 484 yards) he splashed from the greenside bunker to five feet for his first red figure. On No. 2 (par 4, 337 yards), he soared a gap wedge from 109 yards to three feet.

“I just wanted to come out here and hit fairways, greens and shoot even par,” Roeder said. “I thought 3 under would probably win. I wanted to play steady and if later in the round I needed to be more aggressive I would. I was trying to hit my approaches to the middle of the green and birdie the par 5s. It worked out that I needed every single shot today.”

He’d mix a birdie and a bogey on the remainder of his opening nine to make the turn in 2 under. The deciding birdie would come on No. 13 (par 5, 481 yards). He clipped a pitch from about 30 yards and canned the 5-footer.

Roeder said his wife Jane has been a huge part of his championship success. The pair won The Peninsula’s Husband and Wife Championship last week.

“Jane has been super supportive of my tournament golf and I appreciate that,” Roeder said. “Since we’ve retired and moved to The Peninsula, she is playing a lot of golf too and we go out to play in the evenings. That allows me to work on different shots. Her game is really improving and that is fun to see as well.”

If you’ve played on the Delaware circuit this year you would have seen Roeder. He was the starter for the second round of the Delaware Super-Senior just last week at The Rookery Golf Club and has helped in other capacities. He also was a pilot in the Air Force. The man can do it all.

“It is still nice to be able to compete,” Roeder said. “I tell my kids that the people you meet through golf and the places you go to by being a golfer are unbelievable. The game of golf has been great to me and I have enjoyed giving back as a GAP volunteer. The game is so cool when you get older and can’t do too many other physical activities. I look forward to keep working at the game to try to get better and win another one.”

Women’s Division

Muffy McCabe has been a longtime GAP and Delaware competitor. Always on the tee sheet and in the mix.

But hasn’t had anything to show for it.

Wednesday at Rock Manor Golf Club (par 71, 4,953 yards), that all changed. McCabe fired rounds of 81 and 80 to claim the Women’s Division of the 74th Delaware Senior Amateur.

“Winning this is huge. I am so excited,” McCabe, 53, of Chester Springs, Pa., said. “I’ve been playing in these events for a long time just because I live near Delaware. I’ve met a ton of nice people and been able to play a lot of great courses.”

The French Creek Golf Club member is a long time GAP volunteer and rules official. Golf is in her blood.

“I’ve been practicing all the time and I have been working hard on my short game,” McCabe said. “It was nice to play well enough on the front to know that I could get the job done. It is nice to have something big like this happen.”

She took control of the tournament with an even-par front nine. She mixed two birdies with a double bogey. On No. 6 (par 4, 302 yards) she chipped in from 30 yards. On No. 9 (par 5, 458 yards) she tapped in from an inch after a splendid pitch from 40 yards. 

Her back nine didn’t have the same fireworks but was plenty good enough for a six-shot victory.

“My goal is to just par every hole,” McCabe said. “I don’t look at leaderboards because it messes me up. I focus on playing every hole as a new hole. I don’t want to let previous holes hurt me. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

Her husband Mike just won a handicap tournament at French Creek but McCabe said they’ll have to fight over who gets to display their trophy most prominently on their mantle. 

“Winning this gives me more confidence,” McCabe said. “I find myself close in these a lot but never seem to get it done. Not having confidence undermines my swings a lot and I don’t finish my swing because I am afraid. This will help me have some experiences to draw upon when I am in this position again.”

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 130,000 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.