Magnificent Miller captures 103rd Open Championship

  ARDMORE, Pa.–Not even an errant step could keep Mark Miller of Yardley CC from the 103^rd Open Championship title and the biggest victory of his young, amateur career. Miller, 21, of Levittown, Pa., incurred a penalty stroke after moving his golf ball while searching for it in the right fescue on the 14^th hole (par 4, 418 yards) but somehow kept his senses for a career-defining triumph on Monday at the fabled East Course of Merion GC (par 70, 6,654 yards).

Miller finished at even-par 140 for the 36 holes (69-71) to edge Mark Sheftic (rounds of 70-71), an assistant professional at Sunnybrook GC, and the remainder of the 72-player field, by a stroke.

“I didn’t sign up because I didn’t think I could win. I knew I just had to play well,” said a surprising subdued Miller. ” When I got up-and-down [on No. 14] from 75 yards for a bogey that was big.”

  Miller, who had a three-shot lead at the time of the infraction, followed that bogey with a four on No. 15 (par 4, 416 yards) before uncharacteristically missing a two-foot par save on the treacherous 16th (par 4, 435 yards). Miller’s lead had dwindled to a shot as Sheftic, who completed his final round a few hours earlier, sat and waited. On the intimidating 17^th (par 3, 220 yards), Miller appeared to be in more trouble when his 4-iron landed some 40-feet short of the hole. His first putt didn’t travel as expected and he was left with a left-to-right 12-footer, up a swale for par. He made it. That seemed to be a common thread in Miller’s game all day. He converted almost every par saving opportunity he had.

  On the difficult and historic 18^th (par 4, 463 yards), Miller’s drive was solid and found the right side of the fairway, ironically, stopping parallel to the Ben Hogan 1-iron plaque. And as that legendary figure did in 1950, Miller, too, found the green.

  Hogan two-putted for par to force a U.S. Open Championship playoff that year, in which he eventually won. Miller’s 4-iron from 216 yards stopped about 40 feet left of the hole. He rolled it up to about four feet. His final stroke immediately sealing the victory and capping a final-round 1-under-par 69.

 Sheftic, a lifelong Hogan admirer, almost scripted his own magical ending when he drained a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to finish at 1-over par. Sheftic was rock solid tee-to-green all day.

  “I’ve always idolized [Ben] Hogan. When I was growing up my dad would sit down and watch tapes of Hogan over and over,” said Sheftic, 32, of Ambler, Pa. “You walk down [the 18^th fairway] and look at the plaque. It almost gives you a little chill up your back. [You say] wow this is where Hogan did it and I just birdied the 18^th.”

  Sheftic might not have earned the trophy, but he did finish as the low professional to earn the $8,000 first prize.

  This Open was the first solely administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia. The field size increased to 72 players from the customary 60 and offered the most lucrative purse in the history of the tournament, $40,000.

  Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 135 Member Clubs and 60,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. The purpose of the Association is simple: To promote, protect and preserve the game of golf in the region.

  NOTES–The second round started with a compact leaderboard as 14 guys stood within four shots. As round two progressed, however, Sheftic and Miller separated themselves … the Golf Association of Philadelphia would like to thank Tweeter Entertainment for providing the plasma screens used for its live scoring.