Mccormick's 65 Leads Njsga/njpga Senior Open At Spring Brook

In his last two competitive rounds over the past five days, nobody has been hotter than professional Mark McCormick of Suburban Golf Club.

Last Thursday, May 26, McCormick fired a five-under 67 to win an New Jersey PGA Pro-Amateur event at difficult Ridge at Back Brook. Then on Tuesday, May 31, McCormick again was five under par, this time with a 65, to lead after the first round of the 28th NJSGA/NJPGA Senior Open Championship , presented by Golf Life Navigators, at the 6,350-yard Spring Brook Country Club in Morristown.

Mark Yannotta of Anchor G.C. was right behind with a 66, followed by a 68 from Fairmount amateur Allan Small, a five-time NSGA Senior Amateur champion, and pro Stu Blasius of Raritan Range.

McCormick’s playing partner, NJPGA Sectional Champion Brent Studer of Metedeconk National, shot a 69 as did four-time champion Bill Britton of Trump National at Colts Neck, followed by 70s from pros Ed Whitman of Knickerbocker and defending champion Jim McGovern of White Beeches and NJSGA Senior Amateur champion Bill Charpek of Navesink and amateur Adam Kugler of Alpine.

Following Tuesday's round, the top 40 and ties from the starting field of 116 return for Wednesday’s 18-hole final round.

PHOTO GALLERY LEADERBOARD ROUND 2 PAIRINGS

Anthony Fioretti of Ballyowen had a moment to remember with a hole-in-one on his first swing of the day, notching a hole-in-one on the 165-yard 10thhole, using a six iron. It was the fourth ace of his career.

“I’m just sticking with my pre-shot routine. It’s something I’ve been working on with my swing, and I just try to commit to that,” said McCormick, the State Open champion in 2008. “I putted well last week at Ridge.”

McCormick’s round included an eagle on the par-5 467-yard 17th hole. There, his tee shot left him 183 from the flag. His six-iron ended 10 feet from the hole. He added five birdies against two bogeys. McCormick was familiar with Spring Brook. When Brian Gaffney won the State Open there in 2010, McCormick was in contention until a triple-bogey on the 14thhole proved costly.

“As you get older, it’s harder to stay focused for 18 holes,” said McCormick, 53, who played in the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic Club in San Francisco. “I wanted to stay mentally focused on every hole. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I just want to stick to my routine and see how it goes.”

Yannotta, 52, has been close in this event, finishing third last summer and second in 2014. His round included five birdies and a bogey.

“I surprised because I haven’t been playing much, maybe four or five round all year due to the weather. It’s enjoyment just to play golf. It’s nice to see green. Hopefully, I can get into a nice rhythm.”

Small, 63, who became Amateur champion in 2004 and collected Mid-Amateur titles in 1986 and 2006, had a solid round of three birdies and one bogey.

“I was hitting the ball well and rolling the ball well and I finally got a couple of putts to drop on the back,” Small said.

Blasius, 54, is moving to Oregon on June 19. He expects to winter in Florida followed by a trip to Portugal. He had five birdies and three bogeys yesterday.

“My strategy was to play par golf my first three holes. It was a very good day that could have been better. I got a lot out of it,” Blasius said.