Mild winds and perfect 75 degree temperatures allowed for great scoring conditions over the course of the tournament.  After the first day of play, the Rockford, IL team of Chris Beto and Eric Burch set the pace with a +11 performance, followed by John Gregorio and Andrew Gableman with +9, and the Tuscon, AZ team of Tom Beach and Erik Nielsen playing to a +8 finish. 

It was the play of Marty Carmody and Mike McLoone on the day two that made the biggest move of the field.  Their best ball 67 on the first 18 holes netted them a +13 point performance before the final nine hole aggregate scores of 34 and 37 earned them another +4 points giving them a +17 total for the day and vaulting them into third place overall.  Gregorio and Gableman faded out of contention with a -1 total over the final 27 holes, while Beach and Nielsen could only add +7 for the day securing a second place finish overall. 

For the third time in four years, Beto has found himself in the winners circle with new partner Burch.  For the second day, a steady 67 for the better ball portion and a pair of 38’s for the aggregate format earned them +8 overall securing their first place finish.

In the Senior Division, the southern California team of Bob Forster and Steve Friend couldn’t hold on to their +3 day one lead as Gus Kozina and Fred Lukasik combined for a +5 finish on day two to overtake the lead by two points in what turned out to be an exciting comeback for the senior championship.

Final results from the 2006 Merit Amateur follow: