Roger Beckerman's Near-Perfect Round Earns Double PPA Victories
Roger Beckerman
2004 ProPutters.com Classic Champion
Ron Frederick
2004 ProPutters.com Classic Runner-Up19 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.
Beckermans 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.
Ill 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 wasnt 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, NC, 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, NC, and PPA National Champion Robert John of Lake Wylie, SC
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 todays 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.
South Carolinian Claims Amateur Event
19 July 2004 - Richmond, VA - Jeff Carr of Orangeburg, SC, defeated Larry Hoover of Winston-Salem in an 18-hole playoff to win the Amateur Putters Association title. Both finished at 101.
Malcolm Shoemaker of Farmville, Va., and Ricky Schults of Spartanburg, SC, shared fourth at 102. Jeff Brown of North Olmstead, Ohio, a former APA National Champion, was fifth at 104.
PPA National Championship Week continues throughout the week at the Putt-Putt Golf & Games, with the televised $20,000 PPA World Championship scheduled Wednesday, the Junior Putters of America Championships set for Thursday and the 45th Annual PPA National Championship worth $25,000 scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Professional Division of the $5,000 ProPutters.com Classic
(Richmond, VA - 19 July 2004)
Round Points Prize Player 1 2 3 4 Total Earned Money 1 Roger Beckerman (South Euclid, OH) 23 24 23 19 89 100.00 $ 500.00 2 Ron Frederick (Chandler, AZ) 22 24 22 21 89 98.00 $ 400.00 3 Brad Lebo (Shippensburg, PA) 22 26 22 24 94 96.00 $ 325.00 4 Randy Reeves (Montgomery, AL) 23 25 23 25 96 94.00 $ 280.00 5 Cliff Matthews (Arlington, TX) 22 27 23 25 97 90.00 $ 220.00 Darrell Britt (Loganville, GA) 24 25 24 24 97 90.00 $ 220.00 Bill Baus (Cleveland Heights, OH) 25 25 22 25 97 90.00 $ 220.00 8 Daryl Freeman (Bristol, TN) 22 24 22 30 98 86.00 $ 190.00 9 Randal Smith (Stoneville, NC) 24 27 23 25 99 80.00 $ 163.00 Mike Brown (Springfield, PA) 23 29 25 22 99 80.00 $ 163.00 Frank Warren (Augusta, GA) 27 24 22 26 99 80.00 $ 163.00 David Lynch (Balch Springs, TX) 21 28 24 26 99 80.00 $ 163.00 Gary Watson (Fulton, N.Y.) 23 27 26 23 99 80.00 $ 163.00 14 Jay Hadsell (Olmsted Township, OH) 26 28 23 23 100 70.00 $ 135.00 Vince Batten (Richmond, VA) 27 23 24 26 100 70.00 $ 135.00 Rick Culverhouse (Brunswick, GA) 24 25 26 25 100 70.00 $ 135.00 Kevin Lacey (Cincinnati, OH) 23 28 23 26 100 70.00 $ 135.00 John Bambling (Pittsburgh, PA) 24 26 24 26 100 70.00 $ 135.00 19 Hans Olofsson (Stockholm, Sweden) 24 29 23 25 101 61.00 $ 112.50 Jay Klapper (Loganville, GA) 22 26 26 27 101 61.00 $ 112.50 Ray Guthrie (High Point, NC) 26 27 27 21 101 61.00 $ 112.50 Robert Johnson (Lake Wylie, SC) 25 25 26 25 101 61.00 $ 112.50 23 Robb Titchell (Columbus, OH) 20 27 28 27 102 54.00 $ 95.00 Rick Baird (Pineville, NC) 25 28 23 26 102 54.00 $ 95.00 Wade Sahmel (Deer Park, TX) 26 25 26 25 102 54.00 $ 95.00 26 Greg Newport (Liberty, NC) 28 24 26 25 103 47.50 $ 70.00 Paul Sample (Bend, OR) 26 23 26 28 103 47.50 $ 70.00 Manfred Stewart (Richmond, VA) 26 26 26 25 103 47.50 $ 70.00 Thomas Rawles (Portsmouth, VA) 25 22 28 28 103 47.50 $ 70.00 Andy Coradini (Loganville, GA) 25 27 25 26 103 47.50 $ 70.00 Gilbert Sharpe (Richmond, VA) 25 25 27 26 103 47.50 $ 70.00 32 James Heikkinen (North Olmsted, OH) 22 26 27 29 104 42.50 Rick Rybaczek (Greensboro, NC) 23 28 24 29 104 42.50 Rod Miller (Columbus, OH) 27 28 26 23 104 42.50 Darrell Anderson (Mechanicsville, VA) 24 28 26 26 104 42.50 36 Mike Baldoza (Austin, TX) 26 26 23 30 105 39.00 Gil Logan (Midlothian, VA) 25 25 27 28 105 39.00 Dave Taylor (Pasadena, MD) 25 27 27 26 105 39.00 39 Dave Nutini (Dublin, OH) 25 29 24 28 106 31.00 Paul Johns (Gahanna, OH) 25 29 25 27 106 31.00 Tony Varnadore (Rock Hill, SC) 24 27 30 25 106 31.00 Jeffrey Smith (Dallas, TX) 26 27 28 25 106 31.00 Joel Woodall (Lubbock, TX) 27 30 26 23 106 31.00 Robin Ventura (Cincinnati, OH) 28 29 24 25 106 31.00 Jeff Spainhour (Chesapeake, VA) 27 29 24 26 106 31.00 Mark Hasty (Fairfield, OH) 21 30 26 29 106 31.00 Lee Messinger (Addison, TX) 28 30 22 26 106 31.00 Tom O'Brien (Cleveland, OH) 25 27 26 28 106 31.00 James White (Concord, OH) 24 29 26 27 106 31.00 Vance Randall (Asheville, NC) 25 27 28 26 106 31.00 Buddy Taylor (Gambrills, MD) 25 30 25 26 106 31.00 52 Greg Ward (Loganville, GA) 24 25 31 27 107 22.50 Scott Broaddus (Richmond, VA) 27 26 27 27 107 22.50 Peter Neumann (State College, PA) 24 30 26 27 107 22.50 Russell P. Sigmon (Eden, NC) 24 29 30 24 107 22.50 56 Rod Phillips (Lubbock, TX) 24 28 25 31 108 19.50 Charlie Greenwalt (Indianapolis, IN) 23 28 27 30 108 19.50 58 Rusty Taylor (Glen Burnie, MD) 28 29 24 28 109 15.50 Nate Nichols (Edinburgh, IN) 25 26 28 30 109 15.50 Hank Mersereau (Fort Walton Beach, FL) 28 32 24 25 109 15.50 Bill Kirby, Jr. (Fayetteville, NC) 26 32 27 24 109 15.50 Gary Moore (Mechanicsville, VA) 28 25 27 29 109 15.50 Gary English (Buford, GA) 26 29 26 28 109 15.50 64 Tim Greenert (Louisville, KY) 26 28 26 30 110 11.50 Ed Grajewski (Midlothian, VA) 24 30 28 28 110 11.50 66 James Weber (Cincinnati, OH) 28 31 25 28 112 9.50 John Ventura (Reading, OH) 26 28 28 30 112 9.50 68 John Napoli (Clearwater Beach, FL) 27 34 24 28 113 7.50 Karl Moe (Grove City, OH) 26 31 27 29 113 7.50 70 Jim Cruse (Baltimore, OH) 26 30 27 31 114 5.25 Jim Engel (Canfield, OH) 28 29 28 29 114 5.25 Steve Lyon (Smyrna, GA) 29 28 30 27 114 5.25 Ricard Lockner (Bromma, Sweden) 27 36 26 25 114 5.25 74 Randy Orr (Lawrenceville, GA) 25 31 27 32 115 5.00 75 Dom Perry (Canfield, OH) 29 31 29 27 116 5.00 76 Scott Buddie (West Lake, OH) 26 29 29 33 117 5.00 Rick Shelton (Lakewood, CO) 28 32 30 27 117 5.00 Gary Hinshaw (Richmond, VA) 32 29 28 28 117 5.00 79 Kenneth Schooler (Fredericksburg, VA) 30 32 30 27 119 5.00
Amateur Division of the $5,000
ProPutters.com Classic
(Richmond, VA - 19 July 2004)
| Round | Points | Prize | ||||||
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | Earned | Money | |
| 1 | Carr, Jeff | 24 | 28 | 24 | 25 | 101 | 100.00 | $ 40.00 |
| 2 | Hoover, Larry | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 101 | 98.00 | $ 40.00 |
| 3 | Schults, Ricky | 24 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 102 | 95.00 | $ 40.00 |
| Shumaker, Malcolm | 23 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 102 | 95.00 | $ 40.00 | |
| 5 | Brown, Jeff | 24 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 104 | 92.00 | $ 40.00 |
| 6 | Handschuh, Martin | 22 | 29 | 25 | 29 | 105 | 89.00 | $ 40.00 |
| Biesma, Dennis | 24 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 105 | 89.00 | $ 40.00 | |
| 8 | Moore, Barry | 25 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 107 | 86.00 | $ 40.00 |
| 9 | Foster, Michael | 29 | 26 | 24 | 29 | 108 | 84.00 | $ 40.00 |
| 10 | Combs, Bill | 29 | 28 | 23 | 29 | 109 | 80.00 | $ 13.33 |
| Williams, Bennie | 28 | 29 | 23 | 29 | 109 | 80.00 | $ 13.33 | |
| Koo, Jonathan | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 109 | 80.00 | $ 13.33 | |
| 13 | Mingo, Barbara | 26 | 28 | 26 | 30 | 110 | 74.00 | |
| Dibbs, Chuck | 26 | 28 | 24 | 32 | 110 | 74.00 | ||
| Matthews, Mike | 24 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 110 | 74.00 | ||
| 16 | Garrett, Bill | 27 | 32 | 26 | 26 | 111 | 70.00 | |
| 17 | Cyr, Chuck | 26 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 112 | 67.00 | |
| Smith, Amy | 28 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 112 | 67.00 | ||
| 19 | Taylor, James | 31 | 28 | 25 | 29 | 113 | 63.00 | |
| Smith, Larry | 30 | 26 | 26 | 31 | 113 | 63.00 | ||
| 21 | Walker, James | 30 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 114 | 60.00 | |
| 22 | DeLucca, Mickey | 30 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 115 | 58.00 | |
| 23 | White, Bonnie | 30 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 116 | 56.00 | |
| 24 | Helton, Steve | 32 | 31 | 23 | 31 | 117 | 53.00 | |
| Whitten, Brandon | 30 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 117 | 53.00 | ||
| 26 | Self, Lynn | 30 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 118 | 50.00 | |
| 27 | Jones, Steven | 29 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 119 | 49.00 | |
| 28 | Sanner, Terry | 29 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 125 | 48.00 | |
| 29 | Sahmel, Adam | 32 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 126 | 47.00 | |
| 30 | Biesma, Scott | 33 | 41 | 34 | 33 | 141 | 46.00 | |