Jumping Brook's Kenny Bontz Wins 2nd National Amputee Championship

After winning his second National Amputee Golf Association championship two weeks ago, Kenny Bontz of Jumping Brook says his new going is reaching the PGA’s Champions Tour.

“I’m 47 and a half. I have two and a half years to work on it. I have a sponsor who wants to send me to Arizona to get better. I feel I need to shave two strokes off my game to have a chance,” said Bontz, who had his left leg amputated just above the knee in 2006 after a long battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a former of cancer.

A new driver, a TaylorMade M-2 with a 48-inch shaft, has helped Bontz added 25 yards off the tee and that helped him shoot 76-78-75-229 to win the NAGA championship for the second time in four years, at Chicaksaw Point G.C.. in Kingston, Okla. He won by two strokes over Tracy Ramin of Michigan after trailing by one going into the final round.

After that, he shot 73 to make it into match play at the Lehigh Valley Amateur at Green Pond C.C. in Bethlehem, Pa., where he is competing this weekend.

This May, Bontz finished third in the world at the World Cup of Disabled Golf in South Africa. He teamed with U.S. Army veteran Chad Pfeifer, who competed in a PGA Tour web.com event, to win the team portion by 42 shots.

But prior to his departure for South Africa he fired a career-low round of 8-under-par 62 at a celebrity tournament in Florida, bogeying his first hole before bouncing back with nine birdies.

“I’m ecstatic about anything I can win on a national level. My scores are coming down,” said Bontz, who has won six club championships at Jumping Brook. “I needed a long tee ball and I got it. I’m hitting it down the middle with the new driver and I got my little draw back. I’m just piecing together the game and hopefully I can get it all together by the time I reach 50,” said Bontz, who owns A Step Ahead Landscaping.

“I’m playing really good and feeling pretty good. I’m hitting it the best I have all summer.”

Bontz has been paying a lot of attention to his game in recent years. He has played in many NJSGA over the years.

He has advanced in match play at the NJSGA Mid-Amateur Championship, and qualified with partner Sam Gordon for last year’s NJSGA Four-Ball Championship.

``I’ve been working with (Metedeconk National head pro) Brent Studer for a long time now, and we’re trying to work on getting more distance for me,’’ Bontz said. ``Brent thinks I hit it far enough, but instead of 8-iron I’d rather be hitting wedge into greens. But this is the best I’ve been hitting the ball in a long while.’’