Roger Beckerman Wins 2004 PPA Senior National Championship (Richmond, VA

Roger Beckerman Wins
2004 PPA National Seniors Championship

Roger Beckerman
2004 PPA National Seniors Champion

Bill Baus
2004 PPA National Seniors Runner-Up

19 July 2004 - Richmond, VA - Roger Beckerman of South Euclid, Ohio, fired a near-perfect round of 19 in the final round of the $5,000 ProPutters.com Classic, then beat Ron Frederick of Chandler, Ariz., in an 18-hole playoff for his fifth major Professional Putters Association title.

Beckerman’s almost flawless round over the No. 3 course at the Putt-Putt Golf & Games on Midlothian Turnpike assured him of the PPA National Seniors crown that was played simultaneously with the ProPutters.com event.

“I’ll have to shoot 19,” said Beckerman, 53, who entered the final round two strokes behind Frederick, a PPA Hall of Famer. “Conceivably, I could do it. But, no, Ron was in at 89 and I wasn’t thinking about shooting a 19. I was just thinking about winning the PPA National Seniors going into the final round.’’

Frederick had posted scores of 22, 24, 22 and 21 to set a world record of 89 as Beckerman began his fourth round. He previously turned in scores of 23, 24 and 23 before scoring holes-in-one on the first 12 holes, missing the 13th and then acing in to deadlock with Frederick. Beckerman and Frederick eclipsed the previous PPA four-round mark of 90, previous held by Mike Brown of Springfield, Pa.

His 19 was one-stroke away from perfection in the the sport that has been played since 1960. Only two other players have scored perfect games of 18 - former PPA National Champion John Napoli of Clearwater, Fla., in 1979 and Warren Morris of Orlando, Fla. in 1973.

Beckerman then scored a 26 in the 18-hole playoff, Frederick suffering two costly bogeys at the 14th and 15th holes, assuring Beckerman of his fourth major crown. He won the 1984 PPA National Championship and the 1996 and 1991 PPA National Match Play Championships.

Brad Lebo of Shippensburg, Pa., was third at 94. Randy Reeves of Montgomery, Ala., was fourth at 96. Cliff Matthews of Arlington, Texas, and Darrell Britt of Loganville, Ga., and Bill Baus of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, shared fifth at 97. Daryl Freeman of Bristol, Va., was eighth at 98. Rounding out the top 10 were Randall Smith of Stoneville, N.C., Brown., Frank Warren of Augusta, Ga., David Lynch of Balch Springs, Texas, and Gary Watson of Fulton, N.Y., all at 99.

Vince Batten, the hometown favorite, was 11th at 100 along with Jay Hadsell of Olmsted, Ohio; Rick Culverhouse of Brunswick, Ga., Kevin Lacey of Cincinnati, Ohio; and John Bambling of Pittsburgh., Pa. Hans Olofsson of Stockholm, Sweden, was at 101 along with Jay Klapper of Loganville, Ga.; Ray Guthrie of High Point, N.C., and PPA National Champion Robert John of Lake Wylie, S.C.

Beckerman earned $500 for his PPA ProPutters.com victory and $225 for the PPA National Seniors title, bringing his PPA lifetime earnings to more than $46,000 since he turned professional in 1978. He won the National Seniors crown by eight strokes over Baus, the 2001 PPA National Seniors Champion.

“Roger Beckerman was destined for the PPA Hall of Fame,’’ said Joe Aboid, PPA Commissioner, “and today’s performance absolutely assured him of his place in our shrine. His 19 was magnificent, one of the greatest comebacks in the history of our game.”