Close defeat motivates Open champ Rose down the stretch

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on July 9, 2012 1:49 PM

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Call it a redemption story.

After watching a late lead slip away in the 2011 Wayne County Men's Amateur golf tournament, Clark Rose looked back and analyzed his mistakes.

He made sure that there would be no such tale to tell in 2012.

Rose made birdies on two of his final three holes and captured the open division championship with a three-day total of 214. His round of 74 on Sunday at Walnut Creek Country Club was one of patience and consistency.

"The past two years I have had a chance to win and let it get away from me," Rose said. "I just wanted to go out this year, put up a solid number on the final day and see if it would be enough."

Paired with his three closest competitors, Rose made waves with a birdie on the par-four 16th. He followed with another birdie on the par-five 17th which pushed the advantage to three shots. On the par-four 18th, Rose hit a solid tee shot followed by an iron to the middle of the green.

Two putts sealed the victory.

"That last hole was tough because I was just thinking about hitting the ball somewhere in the fairway," Rose said. "Once I got there I just wanted to make a par and finish strong."

Bradley Jones birdied the final hole of the tournament to claim second place with a 216 total. Jeremy Joyner finished third with a 217 total.

In the senior division, Tony Barrow came from behind to capture the Senior Division title. Barrow carded a steady 73 on the final day and completed a three-day score of 221.

"I thought if I could come out and shoot par that it might be good enough to win," Barrow said. "I struck the ball well most of the day and I avoided trouble which was big."

Defending champion Tim Rose finished tied for second with Perry Balltzglier in the senior division, two shots behind Barrow. Rose made the shot of the day with a hole-in-one on the par-three ninth.

John Zambelli emerged the Super Senior champion for the second consecutive year. A two-time senior division champion, Zambelli now has four WCMA trophies to display. Zambelli carded a round of 72 on Sunday. His 214 total was eight shots better than Howard Tyndall. Don Shaver finished third in the super senior division with a 225 total.

"I think this year's tournament is one of the best we have had in the 14 years we've been doing it," tournament committee member Parker King said. "I would like to thank all of the people at the courses who have put in so much hard work making the event a success. The professionals, the superintendents, all the people who have helped us go along smoothly."