Barben Sets The Bar Again

If the Avon Park golf team wants confirmation their coach knows what he's talking about, they need only look at his mantle.

Bobby Barben won his fifth Highlands County Amateur Championship on Sunday, holding off all shooters in the top flight of the annual tournament, which was contested at Highlands Ridge North golf club.

"I only get out and play with the team on occasion," said Barber, whose two-day total of 151 bested the entire field. "It helps, because kids tend to listen to someone more if they play well."

And according to Senior-division champion Mike Cleghorn, the Red Devils are lucky to have a coach who's set the standard for amateur golf in the county for the past decade.

"I've been playing with Bobby for 25 years," said Cleghorn, whose two-day total of 156 earned his second Senior-division trophy. "He's the guy everyone in this county shoots for -- he's our bar."
One player shooting for Barben all afternoon was Mike Browning, a 47-year old former big-league reliever who carded a two-day total of 153 to claim second place in the Open division's A-flight.
Browning, who took third last year in the top flight, said matching the tournament leader shot-for-shot on the back nine is intense, but comparing the experience to pitching in front of nearly 60,000 fans at Yankee Stadium may be a stretch.

"Both are nerve-racking," Browning said. "You just have to take a deep breath and let everything go."
Tim Coury won the B-flight of the Open Division with a 167, while Frank Guglielmi won the A-flight of the "Super-Senior" division with a 155. The "Super-Senior" B-flight was taken by Francis Bertram, while Russ Rudd's 165 took home top honors in the Super-Senior C-flight.

Highlands Ridge North Head Pro Mike Lamere said the course played more difficult than it did during the Highlands County Ryder Cup, with the tees placed further back and pin placements made more difficult. The weather, which most golfers agreed added a half-dozen or so shots across the board on Saturday's opening round, also played a factor.

"These guys want it to be set up harder," Lamere said. "Plus, it rained, and that really slicked up the greens."

DIVOTS: The "Open" division was for golfers ages 18-49, while the "Senior" division featured 50- to 59-year-olds and "Super-Seniors" were 60 and above. ... Sebring High School girls golf coach Tom McClurg and Barben were inducted into the Highlands County Golf Hall of Fame after the rounds were complete. ... A return to the old Ryder Cup format was also announced before the trophy presentations: Next year's players will attempt to qualify from the same set of tees on a shorter set-up (in the 6,500-yard range). The top 12 players will qualify, and captains will be chosen by the qualifiers ... Ties in each flight were decided by a matching-card playoff, with the top-handicap hole (No. 12) first.