Wilmington’s Mitchell hangs on for 46th Senior Amateur title

 MALVERN, Pa.– The Senior Amateur Championship trophy will call Wilmington Country Club home for another season. Randy Mitchell stepped into the GAP Senior winner’s circle on Wednesday, joining his clubmate and 2015 titleholder Steve Walczak, for the first time.| Scorecards | Super-Senior recap | History | Day 2 video |
Senior Silver Cross standings | Super-Senior Silver Cross standings |

 It was a wire-to-wire win for the newly-crowned Mitchell. Despite a late surge from Lu Lu Country Club’s Glenn Smeraglio, he achieved something he didn’t think was possible Wednesday at White Manor Country Club (par 71, 6,577 yards). Today’s 1-over-par 72, combined with yesterday’s 1-under 70 (142 total), earned Mitchell the hardware.

 “I thought I would do well this week, but I didn’t think I was going to win. It really means a lot. It’s the biggest tournament I’ve ever won, by far,” said Mitchell. “I was a little nervous today, and this is a big win for me.”

 It was a statement win for Mitchell, who just turned 55 this season. It was also a statement win for Wilmington as a club.

 “The best thing about Randy, it’s not that he’s just a great player, he’s a great person. That’s why I love being a member with him at Wilmington, and we’re very happy to keep this title at our club,” said Walczak, 59, of Greenville, Del. “I’m really excited for him. He’s been a really good player for some time, but before you turn 55, it’s really tough to win golf tournaments. It’s great that he now has that opportunity to show how good he is.”

 Mitchell seized what he considered the biggest opportunity of his golfing career, starting with eight straight pars. None were flashy, yet none damaged the one-shot lead he held over Honeybrook Golf Club’s Craig Kliewer heading into Day 2.

 “I was getting the ball in the hole. That was an important start for me. I knew if I could keep it around par on the day, that would be enough because everyone had to come from behind to beat me,” he said.

 The first bogey blemish of the day came eventually on No. 9 (par 4, 390 yards). A sprayed-tee shot resulted in a Mitchell punch out, chip shot and a missed par attempt from 10 feet. He fell back to even overall.

 The leaking would be stopped rather quickly thanks to a 15-foot uphill birdie that Mitchell jarred on No. 11 (par 5, 519 yards). He then traded another birdie, after another 15-foot look, on No. 14 (par 3, 190 yards) with two bogeys on Nos. 13 (par 4, 454 yards) and 15 (par 4, 323 yards). Mitchell headed into the last three holes without much knowledge of Smeraglio’s sudden surge, which included four impressive birdies on the incoming nine.

 “I thought I had a two or three shot lead (which was actually just one), so I wasn’t really making birdies,” said Mitchell, of Wilmington, Del. “I was only really aware on the second shot of the last hole when I asked an official. I was nervous and just really wanted to get to the clubhouse.”

 He preceded to safely place his 6-iron approach to 20 feet on No. 18 (par 4, 400 yards). A steady two-putt led to the title-clinching par.

 Mitchell never sunk below the even-par line for the championship. Equipped with his newest crown and medalist honors, which he earned in last week’s U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier at Cedarbrook Country Club, he’ll head to the national championship with all the momentum the GAP world has to offer.

 “I felt more pressure today more than ever. This is the biggest tournament I’ve ever played in, so I think it’s going to help me [in the U.S. Senior Amateur],” said Mitchell. “Now, I really want to make match play. I think the way I’ve been playing, I should be able to do that.”

 All was not lost for Smeraglio despite coming up just a stroke short. He took home the Senior Silver Cross Award, which is awarded to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the Warner Cup (Gross), Chapman (Gross) and Senior Amateur, with a total score of 290 in those events.

 “I would have liked to get the win today, but second place isn’t bad. [The Silver Cross] is always important to me because it’s over the length of the year, not just one tournament,” said Smeraglio, of Newtown, Pa. “I’m happy about that. It turned out well.”

 It marks Smeraglio’s first Senior Silver Cross and fourth overall. The 56-year-old took home the Silver Cross Award in 2000-01 and 2008.

Golf Association of Philadelphia
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 151 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.