Rusty Strawn shot his third consecutive round of 2-under 69 to capture the Society of Seniors Dale Morey Championship on Wednesday at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Oldsmar, Florida.
The resident of McDonough, Georgia, had won four titles already this year – the Golfweek Senior National Match Play, the Golfweek Player of the Year Classic, the SOS Spring Classic and the Reynolds Senior Invitational – before beating Jack Larkin by five strokes to earn his fifth victory of 2021.
Larkin defeated Strawn two weeks ago at the Georgia Senior Championship, and it looked like he might take another tournament from Strawn when he birdied the opening hole of Wednesday’s final round to tie for the lead. However, Strawn made birdie on Nos. 3, 4 and 5 for a lead he would carry the rest of the day.
Strawn’s 6-under 207 created separation between Larkin, who finished at 1-under 212. Steve Maddalena and Richard Kerper tied for third at 3-over 216.
The tournament is named after Dale Morey, the former amateur who won more than 260 events and claimed two U.S. Senior Amateurs. The event switched to a single division for 2021.
The Oklahoma men’s squad and the Oklahoma State women’s team captured respective East Lake Cup victories Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia.
On the men’s side, the Sooners defeated arch-rival Oklahoma State by a 3-2 margin in the final match, with Logan McAllister, Jaxon Dowell and Chris Gotterup providing the winning points. McAllister and Gotterup won handily, but Dowell needed to win Nos. 16, 17 and 19 to tie and eventually beat OSU’s Eugenio Charcarra.
Oklahoma got to that final match by beating reigning national champion Pepperdine in the semifinals, 3-1-1. Gotterup was a co-medalist along with Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays during the stroke-play portion of the event, making it a dream week for the Sooners.
On the women’s side, Oklahoma State beat Duke by the same 3-2 margin in what was a rematch of one of the NCAA Championship semifinals last spring. Isabella Fierro, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Hailey Jones were the point providers for the Pokes. None of the matches reached the 18th hole, although Hinson-Tolchard and Jones were both pushed to the 17th hole.
It is the fourth consecutive victory for the Cowgirls. Rina Tatematsu won the stroke-play portion of the event, which now makes three individual victories in the fall between her and recent transfer Caley McGinty. The Englishwoman who won three times at Kent State last spring now has won twice this fall after the move.
Staff and Wire Reports