Moffat, McCool take Tournament of Champions titles

  The 38-year-old from Warrington, Pa. started strong and carded his first birdie on No. 4 (par 4, 435 yards) after a 300-yard drive and sharp pitching wedge from 135 yards out left him a three-footer for birdie.

  Moffat fittingly began his par 5-birdie streak on the fifth hole (par 5, 530 yards) when he wisely hit a 4-iron to lay up and leave himself a manageable sand wedge from 90 yards out.

  “I hit a pretty good drive and didn’t think I should go for it so I laid it up,” Moffat said.

  The strategy paid off for Moffat as his third shot landed just two feet shy of the hole.

  “I hit it very solid all day and really only made one bad stroke in the bunker on No. 6 (par 3, 221 yards), he said. “It was just a bad shot. I hit it over the green and I couldn’t get up and down.”

  Fortunately for Moffat, he quickly recovered and to finish the remaining 12 holes 1-under par, including reaching two of the remaining three par 5s in two strokes.

  The Tournament of Champions is open to all current club champions and past event champions.

Senior Champions
  Senior Amateur Champion Robin McCool of Saucon Valley CC defeated the reigning Senior Amateur Division Champion Dan Burton of Bent Creek CC and Ed Chylinski of Chester Valley GC in a two-hole playoff for the Senior Amateur Division championship (par 72, 6,380 yards).

 “The absolute key in a playoff is to hit your ball off the tee in play,” McCool said.

  Putting the heat on his competition, McCool made an easy two put for par while Burton sunk a clutch, uphill 14-footer to extend the sudden death playoff one more hole. Chylinski carded a bogey and was eliminated.

  On the second playoff hole (No. 7, par 4, 357 yards) McCool’s drive in the right rough left him 81 yards to the hole while Burton was in the left rough about 96 yards out.

  Burton then hit a pitching wedge to the center back collar, 20 feet past the hole.

  Feeling extremely comfortable with his lie, McCool knocked his approach shot to within 18-inches of the hole.

  “That’s the shot that I practice,” McCool stated. “I must hit a hundred shots from that exact same distance when I’m practicing my short game.”

  Down but not out, Burton skirted his 20-foot birdie putt just left of the hole, while McCool tapped in for birdie to with the playoff.

  “He’s a tough competitor,” said McCool of Burton.