Posted Online:
Posted online: May 27, 2007 11:33 PM
Print publication date: 05/28/2007
Former St. Ambrose standout Peters back in Am winner's circle
By Tom Johnston, tjohnston@qconline.com
It's been 12 years since Ben Peters last played Emeis
Golf Course -- his home track while matriculating at St.
It's also been a dozen years since he won back-to-back
Quad-City Amateur titles.
There must be something about the number 12, because
that's how many putts -- or few putts -- he needed to put the finishing touches
on a 5-under 31 on the final nine holes to put himself
back in the QC Am winner's circle.
To say the least, it was a sweet Sunday homecoming for
the former Fighting Bee, who ran away from the field at the rain-shortened
National City Bank Amateur Tour event. The scheduled 36-hole, two-day event was
condensed into a one-day, 27-hole marathon that Peters finished off with a trio
of consecutive birdies on the Emeis front nine. That
gave him the victory by five strokes over Dean Cavanaugh (70-36) and six over
Steve Schwabe (75-32) and former two-time champ Brian
Soucinek (73-34).
Josh Nelson (74-34) and Chris Wilkins, who had the
best opening 18-holes (68-40) tied for fifth. The Championship Flight was pared
to the top 36 golfers for the final nine holes and it took a 78 or better to
survive that cut.
While Wilkins may have been wishing the championship
was decided in Sunday's first 18 holes, Soucinek was
really wishing Saturday's round had been kept on the books. He started with
birdies on four of his first five holes before torrential rain and unplayable
conditions scrapped Saturday's round.
Peters, 33, couldn't have been happier Mother Nature
intervened. He started Saturday's morning shotgun with three-putt pars on the
par-5, Nos. 18 and 1 and three-putted for bogey on No. 2.
"I was extremely fortunate to have (Saturday's)
round washed out," said the former
By the time the final nine holes rolled around, he was
rolling it extremely well.
"I hit the ball extremely well and then got some
putts to go in," he said of his afternoon round.
He really didn't have any explanation for the
turnaround, only saying some guys floated to Palmer Hills Golf Course Saturday
afternoon for a friendly round in the rain and "I kind of figured some
things out; maybe I just relaxed a little more, but I started rolling it better
and subsequently the putts rolled in."
-- Other winners: While Peters was finding the
hole with his putter, Dan Dalziel started off the
final nine holes of his senior title defense not needing his putter. He slam
dunked his approach shot on No. 10 from inside 100 yards and rode that eagle to
a final nine 3-under 33 to follow his morning 1-over 73, the low senior score.
That gave the
The women's title was decided in 18 holes with