Local Sports

Amateur Ryder Cup team selected

Photos

Highlands Today
Published: September 11, 2012

SEBRING - A team of 12 players and two alternates for this year's Highlands County Ryder Cup amateur squad were chosen on Saturday at the Country Club of Sebring.

Jeff Klingbiel carded a score of 71 to earn the captain title for the two-day event.

Bud Wester and Mike Browning shared second place after both shot identical scores of 73 and Avon Park High graduate Greg Gentry was fourth. Now playing golf for Webber International University, Gentry recorded a score of 74.

Randy Proctor was fifth with a score of 75 and Mike Lingenfelder was sixth with a score of 76.

Larry Roy and Mark Hopkins tied for seventh with scores of 77, while Rene Brown, Frank Crossgrove and David Stephens were in a three-way for ninth with scores of 78. Mike Wells placed 12th with a score of 79.

The real battle was for the two alternate spots, as there was a four-way tie between Nate Cervantes, Chad Lund, Jim Gulick and Darren Sapp. All four golfers shot 80.

Sapp clinched his spot with a birdie on the first playoff hole and Lund claimed the other alternate spot on the fourth playoff hole.

Many of the players have previously played for the amateur team, so it will be an experienced group that attempts to wrestle possession of the Cup away from the pros.

Even though the pro team has won the past two years, the amateurs still hold a 10-7 advantage since the event was first started.

The pro team won last year's competition 19-9, as they jumped out to an 11-3 advantage the first day of the event and cruised to the victory. Proctor, Hopkins, Wester and Crossgrove earned victories for the amateur team in match play.

The Highlands County Ryder Cup uses seven four-ball matches and seven alternate-shot matches on the first day of the tournament. The second day of the tournament will consist of 14 single matches, following the same format of the Ryder Cup matches held between the United States and England. That means in case of a tie, the professionals would keep the Cup, as the amateurs need 14.5 points to wrestle it back from their counterparts.

The public is invited to attend the Highlands County Ryder Cup, which will also be held at the Country Club of Sebring. The event will take place Sept. 22 and 23.

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