Soucinek charges to victory
By Craig DeVrieze, Quad-City Times
Sunday, June 1, 2003

Brian Soucinek had a feeling.

“I knew I would win it once they took the exemption away,’’ the 35-year-old Moline golfer said after collecting a long-awaited win in the Quad-City Amateur on Saturday at Emeis golf Course in Davenport.

Had Soucinek won that title in any of the previous eight years, he would have clinched a sponsor’s exemption into the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic.

Instead, this year’s exemption will go to the overall champion of the First Tee of the Quad-Cities Amateur Tour, a title Soucinek won last year.

He moved a step closer to a successful defense of his season-long crown by adding the Q-C Amateur victory to a playoff loss, runner-up finish at the last First Tee Tour event, the Muscatine Amateur two weeks ago.

Still, he trails Mike Jump, who won the tour’s first two events, in the overall standings. Six events remain, including the Riverboat Days Amateur in Clinton, Iowa, on June 13-15.

“It still feels great,’’ Soucinek said after firing a 6-under round of 66 Saturday to win the Q-C Amateur by a shot over Bettendorf’s Mike Martin.

Soucinek finished at 4-under par 212 for the three-round tournament, which featured rounds last week at Valley Oaks golf Course in Clinton, Iowa, and Glynn Creek golf Course in Long Grove, Iowa.

Soucinek did not know at the time Saturday, but he needed to make a 45-foot bomb of an eagle putt at the par-5 18th hole to hold off Martin.

The former Bettendorf Bulldog Martin, who plays college golf at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, started the day in second place, four shots ahead of Soucinek and also finished his round with an eagle at 18 to shoot 2-under 70.

“I knew I had to shoot 67 to have a chance,’’ Soucinek said. “So I just told myself to hit the putt close. And it went in.’’

That was part of a brilliant round that included five birdies and a lone bogey and which allowed Soucinek to make up a five-shot deficit to second-round leader Jonas DeWitte, who carded a 77 Saturday at Emeis.

Soucinek, who played college golf at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, played a group ahead of DeWitte and Martin, but said he paid attention to his game only.

“I didn’t look back the whole round,’’ he said. “I just tried to stay focused and make birdies.’’

He got off to a rousing start by birdying the first two holes, and even his only bogey at the third hole couldn’t steal his thrill from curling in a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-3 second, where the pin was tucked tightly on the lefthand side.

“That birdie on 2 was like picking up a shot-and-a-half to two shots on the field,’’ he said.

Soucinek added three more frontside birdies and turned tied for the lead. He didn’t make another birdie the remainder of the day but eight steady-as-you-go pars put him in position to win at 18.

In the women’s flight, Davenport Central athletic director D’Anne Gross shot a 4-over 78 to complete a six-shot win over East Moline’s Patricia Lee.

“It feels good to play three round and be back in a competitive frame of mind,’’ Gross said.

In the championship A flight, Bettendorf High School golfer Dustin Drenth carded an even-par 72 to win at Emeis.

Other flights played final rounds at Geneva Country Club in Muscatine, Iowa, Palmer Hills in Bettendorf and Indian Bluff in Milan, Ill.

At Geneva, Butch Stormer defeated Tom Wolfe by a shot for the seniors title while John Schluns won the men’s open A flight by stroke over Clay DeCock. The E flight winner there was Scott Wright.

At Palmer, Gary Bergmann won the championship B flight, Rick Williams took the open B flight and Mark Ploehn won the D flight in a playoff over Matt Strajack.

At Indian Bluff, multi-time Q-C Amateur title winner Jack Dittmer completed a 21-shot super senior flight victory while Matt Carey won the open C flight and Gene Lebo won the senior A flight.

Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com.