25 Apr Metro Amateur Championship recap
Former Samford University golfers Andy McRae and Vic Kyatt captured this year’s Mid-Amateur Division in the Birmingham Golf Association’s Metro Amateur Championship played at Pine Tree Country Club.
The Senior Division was won by Pine Tree members Alan Seigel and Al Gibbs, while fellow Pine Tree members Donald McCurdy and Mike McFarland took home the Super Senior title after a three-team playoff.
McRae, who plays at Hoover CC and is a former State Amateur champion, partnered Pine Tree’s reigning club champion and former State Mid-Amateur champion Kyatt to a five-shot victory after outstanding rounds of 63-64–127, good for 17-under-par in the team best ball format. They won by five shots from Clint Provost of Hoover and Jimmy Finnerty of Vestavia, who shot back-to-back 66’s. McRae and Kyatt finished second last year to John Darby and Wes Carter. The Trussville team of Keith Crumpton and Doug Edwards finished third (65-68—133).
Seigel, whose father Jerry is the oldest living BGA Hall of Fame inductee at 89, and Gibbs fired rounds of 66-67—133 to win by a shot over Trussville’s Chuck Brand and Matthew Bennett of Pell City (66-68–134), with two teams tied for third: defending champions Neill Hatcher and Ed Kinzer of Pine Tree (66-69–135) and Hoover Country Club’s David Clayton and Kevin Newton (69—66–135). Siegel and Gibbs finished tied second last year.
The Super Senior Division saw three teams: McCurdy and McFarland (70-71); Tom Jungkind and David Minshew (71-70); and overnight leaders Clarke Kelly and Steve Bailey (68-73) tied on 141. This led to a six-player playoff, with McCurdy’s birdie putt on No. 15, the first playoff hole, proving decisive. Jungkind and Minshew took second after a par on the second playoff hole, No. 16.
Jungkind won the Super Senior last year with Mike Greer. Both are inductees in the BGA’s Hall of Fame.
Click here for results; toggle between age divisions to see all scores.
Super Senior Metro Amateur champions Michael McFarland and Donald McCurdy.
Senior Metro Amateur champions Al Gibbs and Alan Seigel.
Mid-Amateur Metro Amateur champions Vic Kyatt and Andy McRae.