CHIPPEWA TWP. — With the rest of the “super seniors,” Don Lippincott and Maxine Barnett are living proof that you’re never too old to play golf.
They were among 31 contestants at the Times/Black Hawk Seniors Golf Championship who were age 80 and over.
At 93, Lippincott was the elder statesman among 496 men and women who played Friday at Black Hawk Golf Course.
At 86, Barnett was the elder stateswoman.
“To think that I’m 93 and still playing golf, I’m blessed,” Lippincott said. “I don’t play all that well. But I’m still playing.”
“I love golf, although I didn’t play well today,” Barnett said. “I’m not a good golfer but I really enjoy playing.”
Lippincott lived in Hopewell Township for many years before retiring to Florida. In recent years, he spends time with a daughter who lives in Beaver and a daughter who lives in Apalachin, NY, while also going back to Florida for a few months.
Barnett, a long-time New Brighton resident now living in Patterson Township, didn’t take up golf until she was 68. She plays three or four times a week, usually at Black Hawk.
Last year, at age 85, she recorded her first career hole-in–one when she aced a par 3 at Stonecrest Golf Course.
George Smith beats his age again
Very often when he tees it up, Center Township’s George Smith shoots rounds of golf well below his age. Smith, who’s 90, did it again Friday by winning the men’s 80-and-over division with a 9-over 81.
“I played very well,” said Smith, a member at Deer Trails Country Club.
Del Sota ties for second place
Mike Del Sota, the overall men‘s champ at the 2017 Times/Black Hawk seniors event, wasn’t quite able to defend his title.
A 56-year-old resident of Brighton Township, Del Sota shot a 1-over 73 to tie for second place with Brighton Township’s Bob Filler and Moon’s Craig Schade.
Del Sota, a 2-handicap, encountered some adversity early in his round.
On the par-3 sixth hole on the third nine, he hit his tee shot in the woods. When he reloaded, he hit another tee shot that looked like it was going to be out of bounds.
That’s when one of his playing partners said, “There goes your title defense.”
As it turned out, Del Sota’s second tee shot didn’t go OB. It landed in the fringe. Then he chipped in for a bogey 4.
Later in his round, Del Sota got back to even par but wound up finishing 1 over after a bogey on the par-4 14th.
“All things considered, I played fairly well,” Del Sota said. “I’m happy with how I played.”
Romah’s practice round ace
On Wednesday, Hopewell’s Bobby Romah came out to Black Hawk for a round of golf. It was a chance to get in a practice round before the Times/Black Hawk seniors tournament. It was a chance to play a round of golf with his son Zach.
On the 16th hole, a 185-yard par 3, Romah’s tee shot wound up in the cup for his second career hole-in-one and his first in 25 years.
Age-group winners
Freedom’s Ralf James and Kennedy Township’s Joyce Fazio won the overall men’s and women’s titles, respectively, and earned $100 in pro shop merchandise.
Age group winners included:
Women’s 64-and-over: Priscilla Mavrich, Moon Township, 85.
Men’s 57-63: Bob Filler, Brighton Township, and Craig Schade, Moon, tied with 73.
Men’s 64-70: Beaver’s Mike Banchero, 74.
Men’s 71-79: North Sewickley Township’s Randy Chesko, and Center’s Joe Morris, tied at 75.
Men’s 80-and-over: Center’s George Smith, 81.
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