Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media and Communications
Father Time can be quite the fickled character. He takes and gives as he pleases, never really justifying his actions or choices. Though most of his work is done amongst the senior demographic, Father Time disregards age and gender. Yet, he has an Achilles Heel, a specific group of individuals he has yet to figure out how to deal with, senior-aged golfers.
Though the style of golf they played may be slightly different from those of yesteryears, it was clearly evident at the 2023 Senior Amateur Championship that these seniors can still flat-out ball. It’s as if each stopped by the Fountain of Youth for a brief welcome drink before they pulled off of Aura Vista Way into the pebble-ridden parking lot of TimberStone Golf Course — ignoring Father Time as they passed each day.
The Senior Am simply became a new chapter in the golfing legacy of its victors. Three of the four winners claimed the title for a second consecutive year — Karen Darrington, Scott Masingill and Fran Matthias — with Marilyn Celano capturing her first senior major.
WOMEN’S SENIOR
For Darrington, Saturday’s victory was the ninth time she hoisted the Women’s Senior Amateur trophy — the trophy named after her and her legacy. As she tapped in her final putt, a decent crowd had gathered off of the 18th green to cheer and congratulate one of Idaho’s most decorated golfers. Her accomplishment was met with hugs and congratulations from her fellow competitors. The only emotion shown in that crowd was that of a smile.
But for this decorated champion, her accomplishment of winning was met by that of realizing that her near future would be different, at least for the next 18 months, as her participation in IGA Championships would soon come to a pause due to her choice of serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga.
After a light-hearted start to the trophy ceremony where it was joked that she should present herself her own trophy, she spoke to those gathered about how much this meant to her and the camaraderie that had been developed over the years with these ladies with whom she has competed against since her first State Amateur back in 1979.
Karen Darrington hits her approach shot on hole No. 5.
“I’m really going to miss the friendships of all of you,” Darrington said emotionally during the trophy ceremony. “We’re really lucky to all be friends and support one another. I just want you to know how much I love and appreciate you all, and I’ll miss you.”
Going into the final round, Darrington held a two-shot lead over Melinda Howard, with several others hot on their heels. Knowing she needed to shoot a good score, better than the scores she posted for rounds one and two, Darrington buckled down and played to win — a trait that very few seem to have.
"I really try to play the golf course,” Darrington mentions. “I set a goal for myself, like today, I really wanted to shoot under par. I figured if I could shoot even par or under that I could take care of business today. One of my strengths is my mental game, so I just try to use [it] to help me a lot…”
Darrington was the only female in the entire field of both senior and super-senior women to shoot a round of even par or better. When most of the field was trending in the opposite direction, Darrington remained cool, calm and collected as she hit fairway after fairway, green after green en route to her even par 72. It doesn’t matter what sport one plays, if you are consistent, you are pretty hard to beat.
Darrington finished her championship by winning by six shots and going 77-78-72 — 229 for a final score of 11-over par.
Despite taking a year-and-a-half hiatus for her mission, Darrington will be back, and it is safe to say she will still be a force for Father Time to reckon with.
WOMEN’S SUPER-SENIOR
Despite its luscious-green fairways and smooth-rolling greens, TimberStone can and did prove to be a brute to every golfer in the field. Its length can be an issue, especially for those who don’t quite hit the ball as far as they once did. For Celano and her fellow counterparts in the Women’s Super-Senior Division, the course played tough, but they pushed back with some phenomenal golf.
Celano demonstrated to the field that her game was on point and she was there to win. Celano was coming off an already successful 2023 and even late 2022. She had lost in the championship match of the Women’s Match Play to Darrington and had won the 2022 Women’s Super-Senior Tournament of Champions last October at Elkhorn Golf Club in Sun Valley. Needless to say, Celano has quickly made herself a name among various circles as a favorite to walk away with any trophy.
Finishing the event at 30-over par, going 80-84-82 — 246, Celano’s next closest competitor was a mere 16 shots behind her. That wouldn’t have been the predicted outcome for those who followed the event and saw the scores after day one. Shawna Ianson, who finished third overall, found herself tied for the lead after day one and just ended up going in the wrong direction, like everyone else in the field, with bogeys and double bogeys flooding everyone’s scorecards.
Celano, at the age of 71, proved yet again that age is just a number. For someone who picked up golf later in life, she demonstrated that hard work and practice pay off.
Marilyn Celano hitting her infamous fairway-finder.
"Well, I started playing [golf] in 1996 as a 46-year-old and was a former tennis player,” Celano said. “I tried to transfer some of those skills with trying to stay focused when I play and more on my short game…I just feel that I’m seeing some results.”
It was an impressive showing of ball striking. On a course that played long and had some difficult hole locations, having the ability to be able to hit the ball consistently off the center of the club face is so helpful, especially when your longer irons, hybrids, and even woods are used to hit into some of these par 4s and longer par 3s — showing Father Time he doesn’t have anything on her and her game.
It is also worth mentioning the appearance of Jean Smith, an Idaho legend in the amateur golf world. Smith, who finished in fourth place, put together an impressive showing for an 82-year-old competitor. Smith, a role model for many of the gals who competed, showed true grit and the fire she has always had when it comes to competing and the yearning for victory. As the only Idahoan to ever win a national USGA Championship, the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, she has to be considered a central figure on Idaho’s Mount Rushmore of amateur golfers.
MEN’S SENIOR
Anyone who has ever followed the golfing career of Masingill has seen nothing but consistency and a plethora of trophies at his side. He’s competed at every level of golf —having spent roughly 10 seasons on the PGA Tour Champions once he turned 50 years old. He has claimed nine IGA State Amateur trophies and a handful of others. And upon returning to amateur golf, Masingill picked up right where he left off.
Yet, in what may be the biggest pushback on Father Time, Masingill doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The recently turned 72-year-old had a top-20 finish at this year’s State Amateur at Jug Mountain Ranch in McCall — an event that he had a top-five finish at last year and one that many would say he has “no place” competing in. Then, to top it all off, he did a repeat at this year’s Senior Am — putting his trophy count at some absurd number like only a few others have, including the likes of Darrington and Smith.
The storyline for Masingill’s victory followed a very similar path to last year’s event, a nail-biter to the end with non-other than Scott Vermeer. The final round, or as we like to call it: “the Battle of the Scotts,” came down to the two of them seeking to capture a second Senior Amateur victory.
Masingill said: “It means something to me, especially with [ Joe Malay’s] name on the cup…But yes, this really matters to me. I work toward it. I work hard to try to keep myself in good shape and get my game in shape. It really matters to me.”
The two Scotts had hung tough through the opening two rounds, playing solid enough golf to keep themselves in the competition, sitting near or on top of the leaderboard following day two. Finding themselves paired with one another in the final group of the final round, the challenge of playing with deja vu was accepted by each golfer — allowing Father Time to flip the hourglass back in time.
Things got extremely interesting as the two entered their back nines. Vermeer went birdie-birdie on holes 10 and 11 to tie Masingill for the lead. It was on 13 when Masingill made his lone bogey of the final round, flipping the tide in favor of Vermeer who had captured the lead for the first time this tournament.
Yet, just as quickly as one can be given the lead, it can be taken away. Heading into hole No. 14, Masingill noticed his wife off in the distance — a surprise visit for the soon-to-be victor. With just 20 feet left for birdie, Masingill rolled in his putt with confidence and swagger, saying thanks to the applause from the gallery before his ball even fell into the hole. Vermeer would go on to go bogey the hole and then proceed to bogey his next two holes, finding the trophy to be just out of reach.
Scott Masingill watches as his ball falls in the hole for a birdie on hole No. 14.
"You know, I wasn’t playing all that well, [and] just wasn’t that confident,” Masingill stated. “I thought when I was one stroke down with four or five to play, I thought, you know there is just no reason to hold back. I was a little tentative earlier and my wife, Lori, showed up, so she is my good luck charm. And so I knew I was in good hands.”
After stuffing his final approach shot into the 18th green, Masingill sunk his final birdie and soon walked off the green to be greeted by his wife who proved to be the difference maker for Masingill’s quest for victory.
Hey, when you’re playing the level of golf that he is at his age, one could say he may have the upper edge on Father Time — shooting 72-70-71 — 213 (-3).
MEN’S SUPER-SENIOR
It is pretty safe to say that the Men’s Super-Senior Amateur was more Matthias’ to lose than for anyone else to step up and challenge the two-time champion. Placard in a cheetah-based printed shirt for his final round, Matthias owned the championship from start to finish in his division. Going sub-par in two of his three rounds proved that the only way he was losing was if some sort of catastrophe happened.
Finishing at a solid 5-under par for the week with rounds of 68-73-70 — 211, Matthias’ control of the golf ball and his game was simply unmatched. As players crumbled under the weight of the heat bearing down on them and the difficulty of the golf course, Matthias continued his solid play: hitting long drives into almost every fairway, accumulating greens in regulation, and rolling the rock better than the remainder of the field.
With a gentle smile and a confident walk, nothing was going to rattle him on the golf course. His work ethic is well-known, and his goal is to win and claim the throne for top men’s super-senior golfer year-in-and-year-out.
"Well, coming into it, I was a little nervous because last year I didn’t have any expectations,” Matthias said. “I just wanted to try to play my best. Where it ended up, it ended up. Being last year’s champion and coming into this year, I had more expectations for myself to finish higher and hopefully win it. I spent the week working pretty hard on my golf game.”
Clear demonstration of Fran Matthias’ practice paying off.
Sometimes it is the little moments that propel individuals into achieving great things. As mentioned above, it was the sight of his wife that worked for Masingill, for Matthias, it was his caddie, Garrett Stephenson, who asked him what was wrong with him and that he needed to straighten up a little bit after his shaky start through his first seven holes of his opening round. Taking the advice to heart, Matthias went on to par his next hole and then string together three straight birdies. Never looking back.
Must be a blessing to have your driver as the greatest weapon in your golf back, something Father Time probably throws fits about.
CONCLUSION
To keep this wrap-up brief, the 2023 Senior Amateur Championship displayed some of the best golf of the year. From all-time greats to maybe first-time participants, the golf was high quality and didn’t disappoint. Watching the process of these golfers working their way around a course is inspiring and definitely cool to see — doing things that I can’t do, being nearly 30-40 years my senior.
If I could say one thing to Father Time, it would be, “You might want to get that Achilles Heel looked at.”
For a complete look at the 2023 Senior Amateur Championship leaderboard, CLICK HERE.
2023 Senior Amateur Payout