Course knowledge helps Irwin win Short Hills Amateur
By Jon Gremmels, Quad-City Times
Monday, June 23, 2003

Joe Irwin switched his country club membership from Short Hills to Oak, but he didn’t forget how to play his former course.

Irwin took advantage of a four-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s play and used a par-filled 75 for a 144 total and five-shot victory at the Short Hills Amateur golf tournament in East Moline.

“I had a big advantage knowing the course. Was it five strokes? I don’t know,” Irwin, a 36-year-old from Moline, said. “I grew up out here. My parents were members. My wife and I joined about 10 years ago. I’ve probably spent 20 years of my life out here. I’ve played it a few hundred times, and it made all the difference in the world.”

Irwin built a sizable advantage by shooting a 3-under-par 69 Saturday. He followed up with 15 pars and three bogeys for a 75 that left him at even par for the event.

“I just played good yesterday, and the course wasn’t as hard,” Irwin said. “All I wanted to do (today) was win. I did what I had to do, and, fortunately, nobody lit it up.”

Irwin opened Sunday’s round with a 37 on the front nine, bogeying only the 416-yard, par-5 sixth hole. His only bogeys on the back nine were at Nos. 13 and 16.

His pars included an 8-foot uphill putt on No. 2 — “When you get off to a start like that, you get confidence,” he said — an 18-foot putt on No. 8, a quality chip and 8-foot putt on No. 9, a 15-foot putt at perfect speed on No. 11 — “That’s all course knowledge; I knew that putt,” he said — and a 7-foot putt on No. 12.

Tyler Pitlik, second after a first-round 73, blew up with an 88 that left him tied for 23rd.

A pair of former high school state champions helped themselves in the First Tee Quad-Cities Amateur Tour points race. Iowa State’s Tyler Swanson of Clinton, Iowa, the 2001 Iowa Class 4A champion, finished in a three-way tie for second at 149 with Joe Demory and Steve Schwabe.

“I’ve played only three events, so I think this will help me quite a bit,” said Swanson, who, unofficially, climbed from seventh to fifth. “I still have two left (to reach the minimum of five events needed to qualify for the points title), so I’ll try to go out and get a top-five finish.”

Demory’s 72 was the low final-round score. Schwabe was next at 73 and vaulted into second in the points race.

Jonas DeWitte, the 2000 Illinois Class A champion for Rockridge, broke out of a three-way tie with Mike Jump and Brian Soucinek for the top spot in the points standings. DeWitte, who finished in a four-way tie for fifth at 152, wasn’t happy with his game, though.

“I was a big mental case,” he said. “If I get in a zone to where I’m relaxed and hit balls solid, I’m probably one of the best out here. I need to stay in a groove.”

Soucinek (154) tied for 10th, and Jump (156) tied for 16th.

Ron Johnson became the fifth different player to win the Seniors title this year. His 77-78—155 left him two strokes ahead of Jim Hillbloom. Dino Vozikis, who finished 10th, holds a 1,490-1,460 unofficial points lead over Reed Swenson, who tied for third.

Contact the sports desk at (563) 383-2285 or sports@qctimes.com.