Michael Muehr led the whole way at Seminole Golf Club
JUNO BEACH, FL (April 28, 2018) -
Michael Muehr (Potomac Falls, VA) completed a wire-to-wire victory at the George L. Coleman Memorial, closing with a hard-fought final round 73 to win by two shots at Seminole Golf Club.
It was the first major win for Muehr since the Crump Cup title he won in 2014.
Muehr began the final round with a one-shot lead after returning to Seminole early Saturday morning to complete a weather-suspended second round. In tough conditions, Muehr protected his narrow lead throughout round two, pushing his lead to two shots at the turn and repelling a charge by former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad (New York, NY) with a key birdie at the par-5 15th hole.
In the end, it was Muehr's first-round 66, the lowest round shot in the Coleman since 2013, that propelled him to the title. Muehr finished at 3-under 213 to be the first winner since Mike McCoy in 2015 to break par for 54 holes.
Hagestad posted the low final round by three shots, a 4-under 68 that allowed him to post a target score of 1-under 215. Current U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matt Parziale (Brockton, MA) and Scott Rowe (Hinsdale, IL) both shot 1-under 71s to join Hagestad as joint runners-up.
Matt Broome (Barrington, RI), whose second-round 67 got him to within one shot of Muehr, faded with a 76 to finish fifth at 1-over 217.
The 2014 Coleman champion Patrick Christovich (New Orleans, LA) shot a final-round 71 to sneak into the top 10.
SECOND ROUND RECAP
Michael Muehr (Potomac Falls, VA) still leads after the second round of the George L. Coleman Memorial at Seminole Golf Club, but the margin was reduced from three to one entering the final round of play.
Muehr was among six mid-amateur groups still on the course when play was suspended by weather Friday afternoon. He returned to the course this morning and completed a 74 that puts him at 4-under 140 for two rounds.
All seven players who broke par in the first round shot over par in the second. Only three players shot under-par scores in round two, and they all finished play before Friday's weather suspension.
Matt Broome (Barrington, RI) shot a 5-under 67, the low round by three shots, to move into second place alone just one shot back of Muehr.
Brad Nurski's (St. Joseph, MO) back-nine 29 gave him a 70 and moved him to third place, three shots back at 1 under.
U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matt Parziale (Brockton, MA) and Scott Rowe (Hinsdale, IL) share fourth spot, both shooting 71-73 to sit at even par.
The final round will be completed on schedule later Saturday afternoon.
DAY TWO RECAP
Round two of the George L. Coleman Memorial has been suspended due to weather, with 10 groups (four senior, six mid-amateur) still on the golf course when play was halted.
Those 10 groups will return to the course early Saturday morning to finish their rounds, but the first groups of the final round will go off as scheduled. Given the forecast for clearing conditions on Saturday, the tournament will finish on time.
The course should play quite differently than the first two days as the winds shift with the passage of the cool front that sparked today's rain.
Of those who finished their rounds on Friday, none was better than the 67 shot by Matt Broome (Barrington, RI), which brought him to 3-under 141 for 36 holes.
Another notable performance was turned in by Brad Nurski (St. Joseph, MO) who turned in 41 but came home in 29 for a 70 that got him to 1 under for the tournament.
FIRST ROUND RECAP
Michael Muehr (Potomac Falls, VA) shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take the first round lead by three shots at Seminole Golf Club.
On a good day for scoring at Seminole, where seven of the 57 players in the mid-amateur field broke par, Muehr was able to shoot the lowest score recorded in the Coleman since Skip Berkmeyer shot 66 in the first round five years ago.
Last year Muehr finished fifth, three shots behind the winner Scott Harvey (Kernersville, NC). In his title defense, the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Harvey opened with an even-par 72 and is tied for 8th after the first round.
The 2016 Coleman winner T.J. Shuart (Fort Lauderdale, FL) shot a 3-under 69 and is tied for second with fellow Floridian Ryan Abbate (Weston, FL), three shots behind Muehr.
Four players, including the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matt Parziale (Brockton, MA), are tied for fourth at 1-under 71. Parziale has been playing as much high-level golf as anyone in the field coming in, starting with a memorable week at the Masters and then following it up by finishing T14 in the Terra Cotta Invitational and helping the United States Concession Cup team handily defeat the GB&I team last week.
Among those at even par are last year's runner-up Matt Swan (Atlanta, GA) and 2016 U.S. Mid-amateur champion and 2017 Masters low amateur Stewart Hagestad (New York, NY).
The Coleman Invitational continues on Friday with tee times running from 7:20am-12:50pm, with the final round on Saturday.
ABOUT THE
Coleman Invitational
NOTE: The Coleman Invitational will be taking a hiatus while the course undergoes renovations to raise the fairways in order to combat a rising water table.
One of the very best amateur events all year
long played on the last great private course
designed by Donald Ross. The course, not long
by
today's standards, lies hard by the Atlantic
Ocean. Oceanic winds and very fast greens
give
this course teeth. Ben Hogan once said 'If you
can play Seminole, you can play any course in
the world.'
The tournament is a 54-hole stroke play invitational
that draws an elite field of mid-
amateurs and seniors.
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