Breaking News
Local Sports

Dominant performance: Pat Carter takes West Virginia Senior Open championship

By Jay W. Bennett 5 min read

VIENNA -- Huntington's Pat Carter almost finished with a bogey-free tournament at the eighth annual West Virginia Senior Open, which concluded early Monday evening at Parkersburg Country Club.

After firing a 5-under par 68 on Sunday, the Marshall University graduate didn't slow down much on Monday. He recorded birdies on holes 3, 4, 10 and 17 before giving one back on the 18th.

In the end it didn't matter as Carter's winning total of 8-under 138 easily topped the field. Defending champ Ty Roush of Mason and fellow pro Barry Evans of Charleston -- the 2017 victor -- finished at even par with respective 146s and shared runner-up honors.

"The first year I could've played when I was 50, but I was getting married," Carter admitted of why this was his second time in the event. "I would've missed my rehearsal dinner. I played well last year. I was low am in the Senior Open last year.

"I was kind of in the thick of things until the back nine and this year I played well all 36 holes. I was very fortunate and happy. I had 35 in a row without a bogey. I was hoping to play the whole tournament with a clean card. I just three-putted the last hole. I'm not complaining. The way the greens were rolling, no three-putts until then I was very happy."

Carter was joined in the final group by Roush and Vienna's Scott Bibbee, who was 1-under par like Roush following Sunday's opening round. However, Bibbee got off to a rough start on the opening hole, which he birdied on Sunday. He finished tied for fourth at 3-over with Hurricane pro Scott Davis, who had one of four eagles in the tournament. Davis' came Monday on the par 5, 16th.

"I got started off really bad. I four-putted the first hole for a six and then kind of got behind the eight-ball a little bit," Bibbee admitted. "But it was great playing and I always enjoy it here.

"Pat and Ty are great guys to play with. It was fun and I had a good time. I like this course really well and usually play it well. I just kind of got myself on a couple holes today. Other than that it wasn't too bad."

Hurricane's Harold Payne was 4-over and stood alone in sixth.

A quartet of others tied for seventh at 6-over to round out the top 10. Coolville's Jeff Harper, Huntington's Tim Mount, Barboursville's Steve Fox and Freeman pro John Ross all had 152s. Ross is a three-time champion of the event and Carter joined Fox (2014) as the only amateur to hoist the trophy.

In the Senior Division, Martinsburg's Jim Carpenter might've trailed Vienna's Shawn Manzo by three strokes entering the second and final round, but the Harrisville High School graduate who was the winning pitcher for the Gators in the 1963 state baseball championship game completely bounced back from his 79 on Sunday.

The opening round for Carpenter featured just one birdie and seven bogeys en route to a 6-over 79. However, aside from a bogey on No. 8 and a hiccup on the par 3, 11th with a double bogey, he managed to make five other birdies en route to shooting a closing 2-under 71 for a 150 total of 4-over par.

Manzo finished a dozen strokes back and tied Cottageville's John Drake and Beaver's William Ray for runner-up accolades.

"I didn't play well Sunday, but I played very well in the practice round," said Carpenter, who has now won the last four Senior Division championships and was inducted into the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. "I knew I could score OK if I just made some shots and I did. I didn't take chances today (Monday) and I played really conservatively and it all played out.

"Two time instead of going for par 5s I laid up, chipped and made the putts both times. It worked out. I love this golf course. I shot 71 on Saturday in the practice round. I played awful Sunday. I did not miss a putt today (Monday) that I thought I ought to make and that makes all the difference in the world in golf."

Despite being three strokes behind entering the final day, Carpenter knew he could draw upon his previous playing experiences.

"I think I can win," he stressed. "I felt if I could get through the first three or four holes and I rolled in a really good putt on number two for a birdie. That got me going. I stayed right there and played well. I thought I could win."

Bill Boyle of Vienna and Beckley's Dennis Vass finished at 164 and tied for fifth in the Senior Division.

Vienna's Rick Rhoades just missed a top 10 effort in the championship flight, but settled for 11th place after posting a two-day plus-7 total of 153.

Also cracking the top 15 locally were Parkersburg's Mike Koreski (14th, 158) and Vienna's Randall Rogers (15th, 159).

Rogers recorded an eagle on No. 16 during his round Sunday. Fox made an eagle on the par 5, 6th on Sunday while pro Mike Rogers of Buckhannon had the other eagle on Monday, which came on the par 5, 3rd.

"Obviously, playing here at Parkersburg Country Club which is a great golf course and for me to win it for the first time in my career it's a special event and I'm thrilled to take home the title," Carter added. "Maybe it will be a springboard for the rest of the year.

"Ty and I were actually paired in the last group last year and he got me then. I was fortunate enough to get him this year. Not revenge, but he and I are good friends and it just so happened the shoe was on the other foot this year."

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com

Starting at /week.