Hanzel holds off Hughett, Decker for Senior Porter Cup title
Doug Hanzel (USGA photo)
Doug Hanzel brought his wind game to Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, N.Y. In the end, his ability to navigate strong gusts in the opening round led to his second victory in the Senior Porter Cup. By winning the event this year, Hanzel was able to break the three-year stronghold that Keith Decker had had on the title.
Hanzel finished eight shots ahead of Decker to win. He was six shots ahead of Michael Hughett, who finished second.
Hanzel had rounds of 68-67-69 for a 6-under total. Hughett closed with even-par 70 while Decker closed with 1-under 69.
"I was going to go under par," Hanzel told the
Niagara Falls Gazette of his final-round strategy. "I'm not playing for pars. This golf course, I can shoot under par and I knew if I shot par or under no one was going to beat me."
Fred Silver, the longtime tournament director, won the legends division (70 and older). He had won the senior and super senior divisions and hoped to hit the trifecta this year. He accomplished his goal.
"It's great,” he told the
Gazette “I actually lost in a playoff to Skip Snow in this division a few years ago, so I had a chance to win all three. It's really cool."
Marc Fried won the super senior division by four shots over Rick Dodds-Hebron.
Snow, the 2016 legends champion, won the new super legends division, for players 75 and older, by three strokes over Steve Wilson, who closed with a 69.
Quotes from the Niagara Falls Gazette used in this report
ABOUT THE Senior Porter Cup
The Senior Porter Cup is an invitational
amateur
event conducted at stroke play over 54 holes.
The
Tournament Committee reserves the right to
invite players of national and international
reputation to participate. Contestants are
selected
on the basis of their competitive record and
accomplishments in major amateur and senior
amateur tournaments. Players must be at least
55
years of age prior to beginning of tournament.
The Senior division was added to the annual
Porter Cup Invitational in 1992 and has been
played as as a separate tournament since
2008.
View Complete Tournament Information