Mike Krulich wins after Virginia Senior victory
(VSGA Photo)

DeTemple (Old Hickory Golf Club, California, Md.) and Krulich (Ballyhack GC, Blacksburg) were victorious teammates at the VSGA Senior Four-Ball in Williamsburg last month.

Krulich made an improbable par 4 while DeTemple three-putted for bogey on the playoff hole to give Krulich his first individual VSGA title. He also teamed with Charles Green III to win the 1994 VSGA Four-Ball Championship.

“There were a lot better players than me out there today. Pete played a great round. He probably deserved to win. The guys I played with (first-round co-leaders Bill Williard and Scott Reisenweaver), they played better than I did. They deserved to win. I just knocked in a few putts that were unexpected. It was just my day,” Krulich said.

Krulich posted a 1-under-par 71 Tuesday at the Country Club of Petersburg and finished the 36-hole tournament with a 3-under total of 141.

DeTemple shot a tournament-best, 5-under 67 Tuesday as a follow-up to an opening-day, 2-over 74. His 141 aggregate went on the board about an hour before Krulich finished.

“I played really bad [Monday] and had to go low today. I was aggressive,” DeTemple said. “My only three-putt of the tournament was the extra hole.”

DeTemple had six birdies against a lone bogey. Krulich logged three birdies against a double bogey on the par-5 15th where he three-putted from a short distance. He made everything else.

Defending champion James Gallagher (Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour, Yorktown), two-time champion Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC, Martinsville), Williard (Cavalier G&YC, Virginia Beach) and Reisenweaver (Salisbury CC, Midlothian) tied for third at 2-under 142. Gallagher, who rallied to win last year, shot 70 on Tuesday. Decker (72) was done in by a double-bogey on the 16th hole and a bogey at the last. Williard and Reisenweaver carded 1-over 73s.

Williard and Krulich were tied at 4-under through 27 holes, but a double-bogey at the 10th hole damaged Williard’s chances. He had good looks at birdies on the 16th and 17th holes but didn’t convert. Reisenweaver suffered two three-putt bogeys.

On the extra hole, the par-4 10th, DeTemple drove the ball perfectly. Krulich pulled his tee shot into trees along the left side and had to pitch back into the fairway. His third shot from about 75 yards hit the flagstick and the ball bounced about 12 feet away from the cup. DeTemple’s second shot left him with a 30-foot uphill putt that he rolled about 7 feet behind the cup.

Krulich’s par putt rolled around the cup and dropped. DeTemple’s putt to tie slid by on the right.

“I made more than my share [of putts] today,” Krulich said. “Pete and I have been good buddies for a couple of years now. There wasn’t a 67 out there, and he shot it. I was just very fortunate.”

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