Murdoch wins senior golf title in unlikely fashion

Published: August 14th, 2011 10:36 PM
Last Modified: August 14th, 2011 10:37 PM

Juneau's Gary Murdoch won a tiebreaker to claim the state senior golf championship Sunday in Fairbanks. Murdoch and Anchorage's Ross Walther both shot 151 in the two-day tournament at Chena Bend Golf Course. Murdoch fired a 75 for the first-day lead and a 76 Sunday, while Walther opened with a 76 and had Sunday's lowest score at 75.

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The USGA rules call for a sudden-death playoff, but Walther had a plane to catch and wasn't available, so Murdoch was declared the winner, according to tournament director Jeff Barnhart.

"He (Walther) turned in his card and said, 'Great tournament, I have a plane to catch,' " Barnhart told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on Sunday evening. "Quite frankly, I don't think he knew he was in a tie for first place."

Barnhart said that tournament rules stated there would be a playoff to settle ties for first place.

Other ties farther down in the standings were decideded by whichever golfer or golfers had the lowest score on the back nine for the two rounds.

Cable Starlings and William Arnold both shot 157 but Starlings took third based on the tiebreaker.

Linda Gustafson of Fairbanks shot 82 Sunday to take the women's title at 169. Jamie Berge was four strokes back at 173.