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12 years ago
Massar-Berkeimers Persistence Pays Off in Playoff

 BY JEFF FALK

LICKDALE – When you get on a hot streak, you’ve got to ride it as long as you can. And it’s funny how when you get hot that sometimes good fortune smiles upon you as well.

Bill Massar, Jr. and Dave Berkheimer were both good and fortunate in winning the championship of the 24th annual Lebanon County Better-Ball-of-Partners golf tournament, Sunday afternoon on Monroe Valley’s par-72, 7,000-yard test. First Massar got hot, then they caught some breaks and finally Berkheimer closed the deal.

Massar, Jr. and Berkheimer defeated Jesse Brown and Darren Lutz in a three-hole playoff to win the County’s final amateur ‘major’ of the summer, after the duos finished their two rounds of medal play with identical seven-under-par scores of 137.  Berkheimer’s par on the third playoff hole – the 530-yard, par-five 18th – proved to be decisive, after Brown’s ten-footer for par slid by the cup.

Both Lutz and Brown had chances to win the tournament in regulation, but each of their 10-foot birdie putts on the same 18th hole weren’t true. Brown-Lutz had entered the day in a tie for first-place, and with a two shot advantage over Massar-Berkheimer, who counted 69 strokes during Saturday’s opening round.

With Massar catching fire, his team carded a four-under par 69 over their Sunday round. Brown-Lutz carded a two-under 70, to go with their Saturday score of 68.

Defending champs Steve Allwein and Mike Schmidt, Jr. finished third with a six-under par total of 68-70=138. First-day co-leaders Tom Kintzer and Greg Behney collected a 67-72=139, while Brady Demey  and Justin Arnt fired a 68-71=139.

Coming in sixth with a 71-69=140 was the team of Tony Deraco and Tim Leeper.

“It’s a prestigious tournament,” said Massar. “All of the county tournaments I try to play in. It’s our tournament. It’s our championship. I know most people don’t think so, but to me it’s as important as the Sullivan tournament. I get up for this as much as I get up for that.

“I’m excited,” Massar continued. “I finally did it. I’m running out of time. This is my first time play with Dave, but I think I came in third (with other partners) a couple of times. Lately, it’s been like the first flight.”

“It was a good match,” said Brown  of the playoff. “We got in trouble (on 18) with the trees on the left and the trees on the right. But he’s (Massar) a good player. He’s a good putter. He’s just a good solid player.”

“That hole, cost us twice,” said Lutz of 18.

On the first two holes of the playoff, Massar matched Lutz’s birdie with one of his own at the par-four 16th, while both teams parred the par-three 17th. Tree trouble for both Lutz and Brown on their second shots at 18 ultimately led to bogeys, and made Berkheimer’s par there the tournament-winning score.

“He’s awesome,” said the 29-year-old Berkheimer of the 49-year-old Massar. “He’s a beast. He hit everything so well  today. I think he missed one shot today.”

“I would’ve bet my shoes that he would’ve made that putt,” said Massar of Brown’s ten-foot attempt on 18.

Massar sank birdie putts on four of the last five holes to get his team into playoff contention.

“After that bogey at 13, I got mad,” said Massar, a two-time County Amateur champion. “I told myself, ‘I’m not going to knock the ball into the hole, I’m going to will it in. But Dave calmed me down. I never played this solidly before. He was getting pars and when he did that it freed me up for birdie attempts. I made long putts this weekend, and most people didn’t.

“I hit a lot of greens,” Massar added. “I was in some sort of zone. Maybe I was just so tired from working the 12-8 shift the last two nights that I wasn’t aware of it. But this was the first time I was in it this year.”

Massar followed up his eagle at the 510-yard, par-five sixth with a birdie at the par-five seventh. But he and Berkheimer gave one back to par at the par-four ninth and made the turn at two-under.

“I thought we would probably need 65 or 66 today,” said Massar. “I really did. But  I think the wind stopped good play and the greens were hard to read. I missed a putt on 17 and I said, ‘that’s going to hurt us.’ But I didn’t hear about anybody doing any good.”

Before Massar and Berkheimer made their late charge, Brown and Lutz had enjoyed a precarious edge most of the day. An eagle at number six and a birdie at number seven had put them in the driver’s seat – three under for the day and eight-under for the event.

But Brown and Lutz gave two strokes back to par at the first two par-fours on the back-nine. And the only birdie they managed over the second nine came at the 410-yard, par-four 16th.

“We were inside four-feet on  18, both of us,” said Brown. “That was to win it. We weren’t 100 percent sure, but we thought we had to make it.

“We thought four-under today would probably be good,” Brown added. “If we would’ve shot 68, we would’ve won it. We played great, but we didn’t make any putts.”

Allwein and Schmidt got it going on the back-nine, birdieing three of the last four holes for a four-under-par 32. But ultimately their two-over score of 38 on the front nine prevented them from being part of the playoff.

Kintzer and Behney made enough pars – 14 – to make a push towards the lead, but not enough birdies – three. Alternating between bogeys and birdies, Demey and Arnt never rose above one-under par and into contention.

Meanwhile, Josh Kreiser and Steve Anspach pieced together a three-under-par 69 to win the first flight by three hots. The second flight went to Scot Adams, Dave Winters and their 79-68=147.

 

 

2012 Lebanon County Better Ball
Overall Scores
Player 1 Player 2 Sat Sun Total Place
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
Massar Jr. Bill Berkheimer Dave 68 69 137 1
Lutz Darren Brown Jesse 70 67 137 2
Allwein Steve Schmidt Jr. Mike 70 68 138 3
Kintzer Tom Bahney Greg 72 67 139 4
Demey Brady Arnt Justin 71 68 139 5
Deraco Tony Leeper Tim 69 71 140 6
Heisey Ron Snader Dave 72 69 141 7
Wentling Nate Leonard Travis 73 69 142
Hoke Jeffrey Sherk Steve 73 70 143
Plunket Tom Johnson Don 73 71 144
Suereth Dave Hacunda John 76 71 147
Mettley Tom Sherk Tom 77 71 148
1ST FLIGHT
Kreiser Josh Anspach Steve 69 74 143 1
Baez Chris Discuillo Brian 73 73 146 2
Gebhard Chris Digiacomo John 74 72 146 3
Kohr Randy Schwab Chuck 72 74 146 4
Sheetz Logan Troutman Rick 74 72 146 5
Caudill Ed Snow Jim 73 75 148 6
Mease Dave Kemp Rob 76 73 149 7
Wentling Derek Wentling Scott 74 76 150
Howell Robert Hallman Doug 76 74 150
Battistelli Mike Battistelli Archie 77 73 150
Meyer Dave Arnold Kevin 80 75 155
Brown Scot Donnachie Chris 82 73 155
Lehman Rickie Lehman Tracy 84 76 160
2ND FLIGHT
Winters Dave Adams Scot 68 79 147 1
Boltz Eric Beare Jeff 69 79 148 2
Demey Mike Klingler Brian 74 77 151 3
Rohrbach Mike Andreozzi Ben 79 77 156 4
Springborn Tim Boger Marc 78 80 158 5
Smith Robbie Potts Mike 81 77 158 6
Ditzler Russell Ditzler II Russell 79 80 159 7
Stegman Brad Faust Tim 81 80 161
Kissinger Bill Sweitzer Aaron 82 79 161
Snyder Eric Hornberger Rick 83 79 162
Leeper Chad Fassnacht Bill 86 83 169

 

 

Lebanon County Better Ball Champions

Player Name Score Course Year
Bill Massar, Jr.-Dave BerkheimerNo tournament due to flooding  69-68-137  Monroe Valley 20122011
Steve Allwein and Mike Schmidt 64-68-132 Royal Oaks 2010
Jim Gardner and Brain Auman 60-65-125 Fairview 2009
Tom Kintzer and Greg Behney 66-65-131 Blue Mountain 2008
Stu Hanford and Don Johnson 64-67-131 Pine Meadows 2007
Perry Umlauf and Shawn Cooper 66-66-132 Royal Oaks 2005
Dan Brown and Andy Gibbons 62-67-129 Pine Meadows 2004
Dan Brown and Andy Gibbons 66-60-126 Fariview 2003
Dan Brown and Chad Schulze 61-65-126 Lebanon Valley 2002
Bob Wenrich and John Hacunda 70-64-134 Monroe Valley 2000
John Digiacomo and Blaine Peffley 64-67-131 Fairview 1999
Joe Faller and Phil Faller 65-74-139 Monroe Valley 1998
Jim Gardner and Jim Calhoun 68-67-135 Fairview 1997
Pete Gebhard and Dave Kurtz 70-64-134 Fairview 1995
Pete Gebhard and Dave Kurtz 65-68-133 Fairview 1994
Mark Ditzler and Tom Sherk 69-68-137 Fairview 1992
Jeff Pyles and Jeff Behney 70-68-138 Fairview 1991
Rick Troutman and Pete Gebhard 70-65-135 Fairview 1990
Joe Faller and Dave Kurtz 66-67-133 Fairview 1989
Bob Page and Bill Shoop 68-65-133 Fairview 1988

 

 

 

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