Shootout at the Senior Championship

Bluffton native Dave Hambly chipped in on the final hole and then won a one hole playoff to capture the 2006 SCGA Senior Championship at Belfair Golf Club with a final score of one over par 214. Belfair member Bill Palmer finished alone in 2nd place.

Throughout the round Hambly and Palmer went back and forth trading the share of the lead. Dave Hambly, a member at Colleton River Plantation, started steady making eight pars and one birdie on the front nine for a score of 34 and a one shot lead at the turn. Palmer kept himself in it though, making birdies on holes 10 and 11 to gain the advantage by one. A string of bad holes hurt both players as Palmer made bogey on the 12th hole and followed that up with a double bogey on the daunting 13th. Hambly had his share of struggles however, bogeying holes 13 – 15. After both players made birdie on the par five 16th hole and three’s on the par three 17th, Palmer found himself with a one shot lead going into the final hole.

That’s when Hambly hit his shot of the day. After struggling with his chipping for most of the day, Hambly managed to find the hole with his last chip of the round for a birdie 3 and a tie for the lead. After a Palmer two putt for par, the duo headed to a Sudden Death playoff. Hambly sealed the victory with a par on the first playoff hole, #18, and claimed his first SCGA Senior Championship.

Finishing three strokes back in third place was Senior Championship rookie Bill Smunk of Kingstree. 2004 Champion, Johnny Dennis of Greenville finished alone in 4th place at 218. Another Belfair member, William Fuller rounded out the top 5 with his 219 finish.

The 2006 SCGA Senior Championship was played on the par 71 - 6,497 yard East course at Belfair Golf Club, Bluffton, SC. The field consisted of 132 players over the age of 55 and was cut to the low 60 and ties after the first two days of play. The 2007 Championship is scheduled to be contested over the Colleton River – Nicklaus course. The Senior Championship is one of 17 Major Championships conducted by the South Carolina Golf Association and is in its 48th year of existence.