Timothy Cobb, St. Augustine, FL
RESULTS: 43rd Dale Morey Championship
PALM HARBOR, Fla. – The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort is known for challenging some of the best players in the world. This week 78 members battled over three rounds on the 1974 Larry Packard layout, which is famous for the Snake Pit and hosts the annual PGA TOUR Valspar Championship. Scoring conditions were optimal during the final round as six players found red numbers on Wednesday.
In the Senior division, Timothy Cobb, St. Augustine, FL, edged ahead of runner-up Kevin VandenBerg with a closing birdie on his final hole (No. 1, par 5, 528 yards). Cobb closed with a tournament low round of 67 (-4), to claim his first Society of Seniors win at +1, 214. Cobb was battling an elbow injury throughout the week and even contemplated withdrawing prior to the event. Needless to say, his decision to tough it out paid off.
“I was really 50-50 as to whether I thought I could play,” said Cobb. “I just kept it to controlled swings and thankfully things worked out and I was able to post some good scores this week. The golf course was certainly a challenge and I’m thrilled to come out on top against a strong field.”
Cobb came out of the gate with a birdie on his first hole of the day and then strung together a bunch of pars and sprinkled some birdies through 16 holes and found himself four-under on the day. His lone bogey came on No. 18 (par 4, 390 yards), the final hole of the Snake Pit, but he was able to bounce back with the winning birdie on No. 1. He and VandenBerg were tied with just a few holes to go, but a VandenBerg bogey on No. 16 (par 4, 412 yards) gave Cobb a momentary one shot advantage.
VandenBerg would fire a solid final round of 70 (-1) that featured two birdies against the lone bogey.
Michael Anderson, Novi, MI, David Glabicki, Cary, NC, and Michael Standard, Jackson, GA, each finished in a tie for third place at +3, 216.
Stevie Cannady, Pooler, GA
Super Senior Division
Stevie Cannady, Pooler, GA, emerged victorious in the Super Senior division as he posted a three day total of +3 to win by three strokes over runners-up Emile Vaughan, Pike Road, AL, and Mel Collins, Long Beach, CA, who finished at +6.
“I thought the Copperhead Course certainly lived up to its reputation,” said Cannady. “I was proud to be able to play the Snake Pit at even par for the tournament, and had some key up-and-downs there across each round. My short game was sharp and the irons were pretty good. Birdies were hard to come by and putting was at a premium on tricky greens.”
During Monday’s round, Cannady got through the Snake Pit at one-under par on his way to carding one of the few red numbers with a 70 (-1).
A sharp short game helped him play steady throughout the final round and he took advantage of some mistakes from his opponents. A key moment came on No. 5 (par 5, 526 yards) as Cannady stuck one tight for birdie to push his lead to four strokes. He was able to cruise in from there and noted a buried lie in the bunker on No. 6 as the lone hiccup to an otherwise solid round.
Bob Beck, Allentown, PA, and Richard Kerper, Oldsmar, FL, tied for fourth place at +7, 220.
Don Donatoni, West Chester, PA
Legend Division
Don Donatoni, West Chester, PA, added another trophy to his collection as he won the Legend division by six strokes and posted the tournament low score of three-under par 210. Mark Weston, Windermere, FL, finished runner-up at +3. This is the eighth victory for Donatoni in Society of Seniors event, and he shows no signs of adding to that total.
Donatoni was a model of consistency and the only player in the event to play each round under par as he carded three consecutive rounds of 70 (-1). Wednesday’s final round featured three birdies against two bogeys.
“It was an awesome week here at Innisbrook,” said Donatoni. “I understand why they hold a PGA TOUR event here, it requires shot-making, you have to keep it straight, and the greens are difficult for guys like me that are used to bent or poa grass. I made enough putts to be under par each day and I’m extremely proud. I knew there was a strong stable of challengers behind me and I just tried to be as mistake-free as you can be around this course.”
In 2023 at Copperhead, Donatoni also came away with the win in the Ralph Bogart Tournament.
After starting with a bogey in the final round, Donatoni settled down and made some key birdies to keep the momentum going and build on his lead. Hole No. 6 (par 4, 360 yards) was a key par in the round as he found the trees off the tee and had to scramble. He would make a tremendous up-and-down from a difficult lie to steady the ship and cruise to victory.
Jack Marin, Durham, NC
Super Legend Division
Taking the title in the Super Legend division was Jack Marin, Durham, NC, as he outdueled the red-hot Pete Allen, Southport, NC, who was coming off a win at the recent John Kline Championship in Columbus, OH. Marin, a former star basketball player at Duke University and the NBA, posted a total of 219 (+6) to win by two strokes.
Marin strung together rounds of 71-75-73 to get the job done and credited a solid short game and some timely putting on his way to the win.
Special thanks to Innisbrook Resort for hosting the event, and to Callaway Golf for their sponsorship of the Society of Seniors.
Event GGID: 25SOS6
