Kevin VandenBerg admits he hasn’t been playing his best golf of late. But his game was good enough to win another Apogee Investment Management Senior Championship.
Despite a 6-over-par 77 in the final round, VandenBerg held on to repeat as AIM Senior champion, winning the title by one stroke over Bob Hughes (4-over 75) at Drumlins Country Club.
“I have not played well this year but you just got to keep going,” VandenBerg said about his final round struggles. “You can’t get upset about it because then it’s only going to get worse.”
VandenBerg started the final round with a three-shot lead but couldn’t distance himself from Hughes, who played bogey-free on six of his last seven holes. VandenBerg finished his last seven holes with four bogeys and a double bogey to go with one birdie and a par on the par-3 16th hole.
Hughes had a chance to tie VandenBerg on 18 but he missed his par putt and carded a bogey. VandenBerg also bogeyed the hole.
“I tried to play conservative today and I think that kind of bit me on the back coming in,” VandenBerg said. “It wasn’t very good at the end. I’ve been struggling and I was just horrible today. But you have to play through it.”
While VandenBerg’s game isn’t up to his high standards currently, he led the AIM Senior Contest all three rounds and finished with a total of 9-over 223 (rounds of 72-74-77).
“One of my playing partners said I had seven lip outs yesterday (at Tuscarora GC),” VandenBerg said. “The ball is just not going in the hole for me. It will turn some time. Honestly, I’m starting to hit the ball a lot better. I hit my irons very well this week. I just haven’t been able to make a putt.”
VandenBerg will re-evaluate his game with the hope that winning the 46th annual AIM Senior title is a positive sign of things to come. Among his upcoming events is the U.S. Senior Open Final Qualifying at Golfcrest Country Club in Texas.
“I’ve got to go back and think about things and what I can do differently and learn from it,” he said.
The Central New York PGA would like to thank VandenBerg’s firm, Apogee Investment Management, for being the tournament’s title sponsor with Charlie Falgiatano and DeFrancisco & Falgiatano, LLP.