Champion Peter Barron (Photo: Brad Myers)
-story written by Delaware Online
NEWARK, Del. (August 2, 2016) -- The first time Peter Barron played in a Delaware State Golf Association event, he missed the cut in last year’s Delaware Open.
He did a little better than that Tuesday.
The 40-year-old amateur from Mays Landing, N.J., was the only player to break par in all three rounds at Deerfield Golf Club, and the father of three hoisted the Governor’s Cup following a three-stroke victory in the 51st Delaware Open.
“I kind of figured some stuff out this morning, where to hit driver and where you have to lay back,” said Barron, who was playing Deerfield for the first time this week. “And I putted well... Things were clicking today.”
Barron was a professional from 1994-2001, competing on several mini-tours before regaining his amateur status in 2004. He is a veteran of Golf Association of Philadelphia and New Jersey State Golf Association events, and a membership at Baywood Greens in Long Neck made him eligible to play in DSGA tournaments.
He’s glad he came back. Barron, who won the 2015 GAP Mid-Amateur and tied for seventh at the GAP Open Championship two weeks ago, dusted a field of 117 professionals and amateurs with rounds of 68-66-69 for a 7-under-par 203 total.
“Any time you win an event, no matter what it is, it’s always big,” Barron said. “Especially playing against pros, they probably don’t get to play as much because they’re in the shop and teaching, but they are very good players.”
Fellow amateur Jay Whitby, who won the DSGA Amateur in June on his home course at Wild Quail Country Club in Wyoming, made a final-round charge with a 67 but fell three strokes short.
“I had a lot of chances on the front nine,” Whitby said. “We were just talking, I missed four or five putts inside of 12 feet for birdie, so I could have really gone low on the front. But I still played really well, and just made a couple of mistakes on the way in.”
Whitby thought he needed to birdie the final three holes to catch Barron. He converted on the par-3 16th, but three-putted for bogey on 17 and narrowly missed chipping in for birdie on 18.
Still, a first and a second in the DSGA’s two major events was a good showing.
“I can’t complain,” Whitby said. “That’s a good year.”
Former champion Greg Wolfe, an amateur from Newark, and Mike Tobiason Jr., the host professional at Deerfield, tied for third at 1-under 209.
Wolfe, who played with Barron in the final group, slipped to a final-round 73 after opening with 69 and 67. Tobiason opened with 68 and 69, and thought he needed a 67 to compete for the title. He settled for a 72, but earned $2,600 as the highest-finishing professional.
“That’s a nice added perk,” Tobiason said. “You want to win the championship, but to come out low pro is still a good showing.
“I hit great shots out there,” Tobiason added. “I just really didn’t make putts. I just had no momentum.”
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