After his opening round 66 took the lead, an even-par 71 by
Bill Schumaker of Crooked Lake GC widened his lead and earned him the 2009 PGA
Senior Professional Championship title September 10 at Harbour Trees GC. “It’s
nice to finally get a win again. It’s been a long time,” he said. His last
Section win came in 2007 when he was champion at this same event.
His efforts at this championship moved him up to the
front-runner position for the PGA Pepsi Senior Player of the Year honor that he
held eight times in a row from 2000-2007. He earned 150 more points to allow
him to continue to edge out Quinn Griffing for the 2009 honor. Griffing of The Donald
Ross Course interrupted Schumaker’s streak in 2008 when he was a rookie to the
senior division. Griffing’s showing at the 2009 national Senior PGA gave him
the points needed to defend his title.
Griffing finished as runner up at Harbour Trees after
shooting 70-72=142, and nobody came closer than him in catching Schumaker. The
closest he got all day was within two. Schumaker made two good putts on the
front for consecutive birdies at 3 and 4, and another one at the 10th
hole put him at a tournament low 7-under. But on the back he found greenside
bunkers on four occasions, creating fewer birdie attempts.
The top two finishers along with Scott Morris of Gray Eagle
GC, Cary Hungate of Kokomo CC and Todd Sandow of Sycamore GC all qualified for
the PGA Senior Professional National Championship in Port St. Lucie, Flor., Oct.
29 – Nov. 1, 2009. Denny Hepler of Raccoon Run was the first alternate and took
Schumaker’s place in Florida. Hepler finished the strongest of all Indiana
contestants by coming in at 75th after rounds of 70-73-74-77=294.