Boros wins third Tri-State Open title

Director of instruction at Treesdale has six birdies in final round of 67

WEIRTON, W.Va. — With a bunch of players little more than half his age — with a lot more distance — chasing him, Joe Boros did what any seasoned player would do in the final round of the E-Z-Go Tri-State Open: He split the tree-lined fairways, stayed out of the dense rough and made quite a few birdies.

At 55, Boros is old enough — and good enough — to have played in two U.S. Senior Opens and two Senior PGA Championships, the most recent coming three weeks ago in Benton Harbor, Mich. But he showed Tuesday at Williams Country Club he still can teach the young guys who hit the ball 40 yards past him a thing or two.

“I hit first every time out of the fairway, for sure of that,” said Boros, director of instruction at Treesdale.

Twenty-two years after he became only the second player in tournament history to repeat as champion, Boros won the Tri-State Open for a third time by making six birdies in a final-round 67 to post a oneshot victory over Cranberry Highlands instructor Shawn McCall and Villanova junior Andy Butler of Oakmont.

Boros, who finished at 5under 139, is the oldest player to win the Tri-State Open since Roy Vucinich won in 2006 at age 59.

“This is the kind of golf course I can do that because

— Joe Boros

you have a lot of short clubs into the greens,” said Boros, referring to the 6,528-yard layout at Williams.

Indeed, Boros made four birdies en route to a backnine 33, all coming on holes where he hit nothing more than a pitching wedge to the green. The most important came at the 404-yard 16th and the 338-yard 17th, right after he missed a very makeable 5-footer for birdie at the short par-4 15th.

His only bogey came at the 386-yard 13th when his approach landed in a greenside bunker and he missed a 5-footer to save par.

“I thought if I could come out and not make bogeys, I’d have a chance,” said Boros, who began the day two shots from the lead after an opening 72. “I’m a guy who doesn’t make a lot of birdies.”

But he made enough to hold off McCall, who made three consecutive birdies, beginning at No. 10, to take the lead; and Butler, who moved into the lead with his third birdie in four holes at No. 15. Each of those players, though, three-putted No. 17 to end their chance at victory.

So did first-round coleader John Aber (71). The only player to tame the short hole was Edgewood assistant Mike Frisina (71), who tied Aber for the first-round lead. He made birdie at the 17th, but by then it was too late.

McCall birdied the final hole — his fifth on the back nine — to tie for second after shooting 68.

“I’m not a guy who watches leader boards,” Boros said. “If I’m hitting it well, I’m looking to make another birdie, I don’t care what anyone else is doing. If I can beat the golf course, I can win the tournament.”

Spoken like a true veteran.

“I don’t care what anyone else is doing. If I can beat the golf course, I can win the tournament.”