West Penn Am second round washed out
The third and final round of the West Penn Amateur Championship for the low 36 scores and ties was supposed to be played Tuesday at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
The weather altered those plans, though.
The 84-man field was to play 36 holes Monday to pare the field down to the low 36. The first 18-hole round was completed, but rain, thunder and lightning disrupted play three times before tournament officials decided to suspend play.
A statement sent out to golfers late Monday night by WPGA executive director Terry Teasdale said the second round had been cancelled, no golf would be played Tuesday, the tournament was shortened to 36 holes and play would resume on Monday, Aug. 20, pending further announcements.
Adam Hofmann stood atop the leaderboard at 4-under 66.
Ryan Bashour was working his way through the front nine of his second round when play was disrupted. The Brownsville graduate shot 4-over 74 in his first round and was sitting one shot off the low 36 scores when he teed off No. 1.
“I teed off at 3:18 p.m. for my second round and got through six holes when the horn blew. That was a 20-minute delay,” explained Bashour. “I teed off No. 7 and was just ready to finish when the horn blows again. That was about a 45-minute wait.
“They picked up lightning in a 10-mile radius.”
The disruption had an adverse affect on Bashour’s second round and his scorecard.
“That messes you up. You play a hole and then another delay. Then, there was a jam on the eighth hole,” said Bashour. “We were on the tee box for 30 minutes. I had an hour-and-a-half from one swing to the next.”
The long delay led to a big score with Bashour exiting the eighth hole with a triple bogey.
“I had a lack of concentration and was out of focus, really, after the lengthy delay,” said Bashour.
“I had my only bad swing on No. 9. I didn’t miss a fairway all day. I was so pure, but I had a bad swing from the fairway,” continued Bashour.
Bashour closed out the front nine of the second round with a 5-over 40 after opening with a bogey and birdie.
Bashour and his group made the turn when the weather siren once again rang out, this time for flooding rains.
“It opened up again. There were 10 of us stuck in this little chalet (rain shelter). The course was flooded. The 15th fairway looked like a river,” said Bashour. “It was unlike anything I was a part of.
“It was crazy.”
Adding to the craziness was the two-hour wait in the shelter, plus the uncertainty of just how the group was going to find their way back to the clubhouse.
“A worker picked us up on a road (behind the course) and took us back,” said Bashour. “(The 15th hole) was a river, an absolute river. Debris was floating down to the clubhouse.
“I have never seen a course like that.”
Bashour left the course feeling he played good golf, but also felt he could’ve played better and left some shots on the course.
“The 74 on the first 18 was a good, solid score. It’s not what I wanted. I had three 3-putts on the back nine (his opening nine). That’s not what I wanted,” said Bashour. “It hurt me I didn’t capitalize on the green. I had good looks and turned a couple into bogeys. I (don’t have the 3-putts) and I would’ve been right around par, 1-over. I convert the birdie putts and it would’ve been better.
“I didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on myself. The 74 was a good start. I just needed to focus and do what I did in Round 1, make some adjustments on the green and see what happens.”
Elizabeth Forward senior Angus McHolme completed 16 holes of the second round when the siren sounded late Monday afternoon.
“I was 2-over through 16 holes,” said McHolme, who had a first round score of 10-over 80. “I was playing really good golf on the second 18. I had consecutive birdies on Nos. 6, 7 and 8.
“I was not ready to play the first 18 holes. I wasn’t confident in the practice round.”
McHolme changed his outlook for the second round of the day.
“I started believing in my swing. I had nothing to lose,” said McHolme. “I knew I wasn’t hitting good shots. I was not being rewarded for good shots.
“It was really rough.”
McHolme, too, said he’d never seen anything like he witnessed Monday afternoon at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
“It was kind of enjoyable. It was insane. There was so much lightning. It was pretty dangerous,” said McHolme.
“There was a pushcart floating down the 18th fairway. We couldn’t walk straight to the clubhouse. All the (cart) bridges were flooded out. We walked up to a road behind the 17th green and walked back to the clubhouse.”
Both McHolme and Bashour have a major competition lined up this month.
McHolme will play in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Balturol Golf Club on July 16-21. The first two days are stroke play to pare the field to 64 and the rest of the week is match play.
“(The West Penn Am) was definitely frustrating, but I will take something out of it. I’ll have more confidence in my shots and trusting what I practiced hundreds of times,” said McHolme.
Bashour and multiple Fayette County Open champion John Kingora both qualified for the 85th West Virginia Open Championship on July 25-27 at The Resort at Glade Springs. Bashour finished first in the qualifier at The Pines Country Club with a 1-over 72, while Kingora tied for sixth at 4-over 75. The field is cut to the low 60 scores and ties for the final round.
“It’s my first time playing in the West Virginia Open,” said Bashour.
Bashour said he’ll use the experience, although shortened, from the West Penn Am in preparation for the West Virginia Open.
“Anytime you can get reps playing under pressure, every shot that counts, thinking one shot ahead, it’s still a good experience for me to get prepared (for playing in the West Virginia Open),” explained Bashour. “I’ll be prepared now. It’s real. Everything counts or you pay the price.”