WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART FOR AMATEUR

23-year-old’s scorching performance cools before a one-hole playoff at Beach Grove

Sitting and waiting an hour for the field to finish took a little sizzle off Alex Zappio’s game.

The 23-year-old charged from five shots back of the leaders after the first round of the 54th Western Ontario Men’s Golf Championship to take the lead with a sparkling 7-under-par 65 on Sunday.

But the 2015 champion’s quest for a second title in three years came to a halt when he lost on the first hole of a playoff at Beach Grove to Luke LaFave.

“That’s tough and the unfortunate part is you sit around and he comes off the golf course and is ready to go, while I’ve been sitting around. But that’s how it goes,” said Zappio, who would bogey the first playoff hole while LaFave won it with a par. “I’m pretty happy with being second after sitting 18th after the first round.”

A 38-year-old from Peterborough who lives in Berkley, Mich., LaFave had to make his own late charge just to get to a playoff.

“I kind of got word on No. 16 (about Zappio’s round) and I was 2 under,” he said. “I knew I needed a couple of birdies.”

He rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on 16 to pull to within one and nearly chipped in on the 18th to win, but hit a tap-in putt for birdie to force the playoff.

LaFave, who is head coach for men’s golf at the University of Detroit Mercy, only got his amateur status in June after 12 years as a pro. He learned of the event from Essex’s David Byrne, who he coached at Detroit Mercy, and Riverside Secondary School teacher Craig Cavanaugh, who is also from Peterborough.

“I’ve never played it before,” LaFave said.

He shot a solid 1-under-par 71 on Saturday’s first day of play at Roseland to make the cut to 39 for Sunday and finished with an impressive 3 under on the second day for a 4-under 140 total.

Zappio’s journey was far tougher as his 7-under 65 on Sunday came after a 3-over-par 75 on Saturday to get to 140.

“I was putting fine, I just needed to hit a few more greens,” said Zappio, who golfs out of Beach Grove. “I made almost every putt I saw.

“I thought 65 was the number I needed (on Sunday) and I knew I was putting fine.”

Both struggled on the first playoff hole.

“It wasn’t a pretty playoff hole for either of us,” LaFave said.

Both shot to the left into the rough near trees on the first hole. Zappio was behind a tree while LaFave sat in the rough near a tree.

“He could get (his second shot) down the fairway,” Zappio said. “I was behind the tree.”

Zappio hit a 15-foot putt for bogey that forced LaFave to drain a 10-foot par putt for the win.