David McCaslin Wins IPPT Central Major in Record Setting Fashion

22 May 2005 - Columbus, IN - Brownsburg, Indiana touring pro David McCaslin tied an IPPT 108-hole scoring record with a 67 under par, 149, and edged Cincinnati's Kevin Lacey by 2 strokes in route to his first win of the 2005 season. 15 professionals entered the tournament with visions of winning the event, and it didn't take long to realize that going low would be the theme of the day.

Lacey opened things up with a course record setting 21 which had him 5 shots ahead of his nearest competitors, McCaslin, Jerry Pinotti and Nate Nichols. Round two saw McCaslin come back with a big number of his own, as he carded a 22 to pull within 2 shots of Lacey who was the leader in the clubhouse at 46. The pace slowed down some in round three as McCaslin and Lacey each carded 28's to reach the midway point with Lacey leading the way with a 74 and McCaslin 2 back at 76. Jeff Garrison also found himself in the mix after rounds of 27-24-27 had him alone in 3rd place at 78.

The pace picked back up in round four as McCaslin shot 23, Lacey 25 and Garrison 24. With 2 rounds to go McCaslin and Lacey each stood at 99 and Garrison was 3 shots back at 102. By the end of round five, the three man race had been narrowed down to two, McCaslin again scored a nice round with a 24, putting him in at 123, Lacey shot 25 to stand at 124, and Garrison had slipped back a bit with a 27 leaving him at 129. Round six was a back and forth battle, but in the end it was McCaslin who "survived", finishing up with a 26 compared to Lacey's 27. Garrison finished up in 3rd place, James Weber 4th, and Charlie Greenwalt 5th.

Zach Smith Charges from Behind to Win the Amateur Title

22 May 2005 - Columbus, IN - Indianapolis, Indiana's Zach Smith built up an early lead and was able to cruise home to his second win of the 2005 season. The day started out with John Watkins and Josh Garrison leading after round one with identical 9 under par 27's, while Ted Cain and Zach Smith each stood one back after firing 28's of their own. Another 27 by Watkins kept him in the lead after round two, but Smith matched him with a 27 of his own to remain one shot back. Round three is where Smith separated himself from the field with a fine 24 that had him as the leader in the clubhouse at 79, 6 shots ahead of Watkins who shot a dismal 3rd round 31.

Rounds 4-6 were merely a matter of Smith going through the motions to maintain his lead, while the rest of the field played for 2nd. When it was over, Smith had indeed hung on to win with a 50 under par 166, which was 7 shots better than Watkins, who finished his day with a 43 under par 173. Ted Cain finished up in 3rd place, Anthony Russell 4th, and Josh Garrison 5th.

Scores provided by Robb Titchell and tournament recap provided by Nate Nichols and Shawn Gilliland.