54th Annual Senior Championship
54th Senior Championship
The Reserve Club
Pawleys Island, SC
May 15-17, 2012
Cloninger Wins First Senior Championship
Playing in his first SCGA Senior Championship, Rick Cloninger posted a two day score of 135 to win the 2012 SCGA Senior Championship held at The Reserve Club in Pawleys Island.
After battling weather for three days and actually finishing the first round on the final day, all players started the second and final round with an 11.00 shotgun start. Cloninger, a Fort Mill native, shot even par on the front nine and then proceeded to make five straight threes on the next five holes. Those holes consisted of three birdies and one eagle on the 500 yard 13th hole. Four pars coming in gave the 55 year old senior “rookie” an eight shot victory over his nearest competitor.
Finishing alone in second place was another “rookie”, Kevin King from Bluffton. Four players tied for third at 145 and included Jimmy Burgess from and three former Senior Champions, Bill Smunk, John Dennis & Bill Palmer.
The 2012 SCGA Senior Championship was played on the par 72 - 6,500 yard Reserve Club in Pawleys Island. The field consisted of 128 players over the age of 55. Due to weather conditions the event was cut from a three day to a two day tournament. The Senior Championship is one of 19 Major Championships conducted by the South Carolina Golf Association and is in its 54th year of existence.
| Cloninger, Rick (Fort Mill) | 68 | 67 | 135 |
| King, Kevin (Bluffton) | 72 | 71 | 143 |
| Dennis, John (Greenville) | 74 | 71 | 145 |
| Smunk, Bill (Kingstree) | 74 | 71 | 145 |
| Burgess, Jim (Columbia) | 74 | 71 | 145 |
| Palmer, Bill (Bluffton) | 69 | 76 | 145 |
| Wise, Jim (Columbia) | 76 | 71 | 147 |
| Weiner, Mike (Kiawah Island) | 77 | 71 | 148 |
| Rollins, Lewis (Greenwood) | 75 | 73 | 148 |
| Pachol, Steve (Columbia) | 78 | 71 | 149 |
| Wrenn, III, Frank (Greenville) | 77 | 72 | 149 |
| Newman, Bobby (Roebuck) | 75 | 74 | 149 |
| Varn, Bob (Orangeburg) | 75 | 74 | 149 |
| Moore, Charlie (N. Myrtle Beach) | 74 | 75 | 149 |
| Hendrick, Joe (Chesterfield) | 77 | 73 | 150 |
| Shimmin, Gary (Okatie) | 75 | 75 | 150 |
| Smunk, John (Port Royal) | 74 | 76 | 150 |
| Rogers, Wayne (Easley) | 78 | 73 | 151 |
| Stringer, Bob (Blythewood) | 75 | 76 | 151 |
| Hamilton, Jimmy (Aiken) | 74 | 77 | 151 |
| Gravley, Mike (Greer) | 74 | 77 | 151 |
| Schatz, Gary (Fort Mill) | 79 | 73 | 152 |
| Daniel, Tony (Charleston) | 79 | 73 | 152 |
| Padgette, Joe (N. Charleston) | 78 | 74 | 152 |
| Sheads, Don (Murrells Inlet) | 75 | 77 | 152 |
| Fairey, Joe (St. Matthews) | 75 | 77 | 152 |
| Sylvan, Gus (Columbia) | 74 | 78 | 152 |
| Ramage, Gary (Summerville) | 79 | 74 | 153 |
| Williams, Frank (Greenwood) | 78 | 75 | 153 |
| Giles, Mark (Columbia) | 79 | 75 | 154 |
| Hencken, John (Bluffton) | 79 | 75 | 154 |
| Calkins, Mike (Columbia) | 78 | 76 | 154 |
| Edens, Bob (Columbia) | 78 | 76 | 154 |
| Cottrell, John (Gilbert) | 77 | 77 | 154 |
| Edwards, Linnwood (Spartanburg) | 77 | 77 | 154 |
| Hogan, Al (Myrtle Beach) | 77 | 77 | 154 |
| Shealy, Bernie (Columbia) | 76 | 78 | 154 |
| Ramsey, Jim (Lake City) | 74 | 80 | 154 |
| Alley, Robin (Columbia) | 79 | 76 | 155 |
| Vignati, Joe (Bluffton) | 78 | 77 | 155 |
| Hammersla, Bob (Greenville) | 78 | 77 | 155 |
| Hannon, Vic (Camden) | 76 | 79 | 155 |
| Rickman, Bob (N. Augusta) | 75 | 80 | 155 |
| Callahan, Ron (Little Mountain) | 80 | 76 | 156 |
| Adkins, Denny (N. Myrtle Beach) | 79 | 77 | 156 |
| Hackney, Andrew (Columbia) | 77 | 79 | 156 |
| Moore, Marion (Orangeburg) | 81 | 76 | 157 |
| Swails, Lindy (Pawleys Island) | 80 | 77 | 157 |
| York, Mo (Mt. Pleasant) | 78 | 79 | 157 |
| Johnson, Jeryl (Summerville) | 85 | 73 | 158 |
| Rector, Jack (Anderson) | 83 | 75 | 158 |
| Mahoney, Mike (Greeleyville) | 80 | 78 | 158 |
| Woodruff, Jerry (Greenville) | 80 | 78 | 158 |
| Gianoukos, Andy (Charleston) | 79 | 79 | 158 |
| Buie, Bob (Columbia) | 78 | 80 | 158 |
| Ford, Tommy (Mt. Pleasant) | 78 | 80 | 158 |
| Spencer, Gene (Blythewood) | 80 | 79 | 159 |
| Roberts, Thad (Landrum) | 78 | 81 | 159 |
| Finley, Frank (Laurens) | 81 | 79 | 160 |
| Bennett, Robby (Cheraw) | 81 | 79 | 160 |
| Loebs, Gary (Conway) | 80 | 80 | 160 |
| Nichols, Jeff (Elgin) | 79 | 81 | 160 |
| Hirsch, Mike (Pawleys Island) | 79 | 81 | 160 |
| Biggs, Jon (Blythewood) | 82 | 79 | 161 |
| Irving, Lee (Bluffton) | 80 | 81 | 161 |
| Harrington, Dan (Pawleys Island) | 80 | 81 | 161 |
| Pope, Timothy (Spartanburg) | 84 | 78 | 162 |
| Bausman, Duane (Awendaw) | 82 | 80 | 162 |
| Allen, Randy (Myrtle Beach) | 89 | 74 | 163 |
| Avery, Nick (Goose Creek) | 83 | 80 | 163 |
| Persinger, Charles (Santee) | 83 | 80 | 163 |
| Correll, Lanny (Pawleys Island) | 81 | 82 | 163 |
| Edwards, Al (N. Myrtle Beach) | 85 | 79 | 164 |
| Minhas, Balbir (Elgin) | 80 | 84 | 164 |
| McGee, Joe (Ridgeland) | 87 | 79 | 166 |
| Groce, Mark (Greenville) | 80 | 87 | 167 |
| Ackerman, George (Charleston) | 88 | 80 | 168 |
| Reid, David (Pawleys Island) | 88 | 82 | 170 |
| Carpenter, Robert (Blythewood) | 88 | 82 | 170 |
| Robinson, Joe (Rock Hill) | 82 | 89 | 171 |
| Shadoan, Ben (Taylors) | 87 | 86 | 173 |
| Walker, Nick (Aiken) | 82 | 91 | 173 |
| Pitzer, Bob (Fort Mill) | 85 | 89 | 174 |
| Vignale, John (Bluffton) | 87 | 88 | 175 |
| Craft, Charles (Chapin) | 89 | 87 | 176 |
| Clark, John (Waterloo) | 87 | 89 | 176 |
| Henderson, Barney (Charleston) | 88 | 90 | 178 |
| Cuttino, Edwin (Mt. Pleasant) | 98 | 86 | 184 |
| Major, Tom (Greenwood) | 103 | 101 | 204 |
| Eskew, Jim (Mt. Pleasant) | 78 | 0 | WD |
| De Leon, Jim (Bluffton) | 87 | 0 | WDI |
| Wysk, Jr., Walt (Myrtle Beach) | 81 | 0 | NC |
