Nine holes, nine pars.
“Kind of sloppy on the front nine,” Russ Cochran said. Seven straight birdies later, Cochran had played his way into the field for this week’s Principal Charity Classic golf tournament. Cochran shot a back-nine 29 at Tournament Club of Iowa in Polk City Tuesday to finish at 7-under 64 and get one of three spots into the Champions Tour event starting Friday at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines. Also getting in was Dick Mast, who posted a 64 of his own. The final spot went to John Adams, who beat Iowa native Dave Rummells on the second hole of their sudden-death rain-soaked playoff. Both shot 66. Cochran, who will be playing in his fourth Champions Tour event of the year, and Rummells were paired together Tuesday. “He had it going on the front side,” Cochran said. “He was a pretty good pacesetter. I was hanging on. Then we flip-flopped.” Rummells, who shot a front-nine 31, bogeyed the par-5 17th hole to shoot even par on the back nine. “It’s hard for me to keep it going for all 18 holes,” Rummells said. “I always post a number in my head. I seem to hover around that number too much, instead of going deeper. I’ve got to get out of that mindset.” Cochran was treading water until the 10th green. “I made a good putt there, 20 to 22 feet,” Cochran said. “Then I made a 35-footer on No. 11. That just opened everything up.” Five more birdies followed. Cochran parred the final two holes for a 29. “And he should have birdied the last two,” Rummells said. Rummells played in five Champions Tour events last season. He tie for 58th at the Principal Charity Classic. He didn’t get through tour school last fall. He’s tried to qualify at most Champions Tour events this season, but Tuesday followed a similar script. Rummells has now lost two playoffs in qualifiers and missed by a shot in two other attempts. Adams advanced when Rummells bogeyed the 18th from a greenside bunker. Among those not moving out of the qualifier was Chris Starkjohann, who shot 68. Starkjohann, a club pro, was playing two days after tying for fifth in the Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, Ohio. “If I had putted (Tuesday) like I did at Canterbury, I would have shot 61,” Starkjohann said. “It was out there.” Field changes: Former champion D.A. Weibring has withdrawn from the Principal Charity Classic. Weibring, whose title came in 2004, is bothered by a bulging disc in his back. Mark James filled his spot. Also dropping out were Scott Hoch, John Jacobs and Jim Dent. Getting in were Mike Hulbert, Phil Blackmar and Ronnie Black.
Former Iowa State golfer Chris Baker shot a final-round 61 to capture the Hooters Classic at Quail Crossing last weekend in Boonville, Ind. Baker won $33,566 for his 27-under-par total. Baker, who graduated from Iowa State in 2008, posted rounds of 66-67-63-61.