VERONA — Artie Fink and Todd Homan have known each other — and each other’s golf games — for a long time.
On Monday, the duo used their knowledge to bring home a championship.
The two Altoona natives fired a 12-under score of 130, claiming the 16th WPGA Senior Four-Ball Championship at Green Oaks Country Club.
“We’re actually two days apart, age-wise,” said Fink, the reigning WPGA Senior Amateur champion. “We’ve been good buddies for a long time and play a lot of golf together at home. We know each other’s games, up, down, in and out."
On the greens, the duo felt they had an edge on the rest of the field.
“It’s huge because we both read putts the same way,” Homan said. “We do really well helping each other read putts.”
The two winners had to pull out some late heroics, posting a birdie on the 18th hole to edge Bob Crnjarich and Rick Vano by a stroke. The four players were in a group together throughout the day.
“It really pushed us,” said Fink. “We watched what they did, especially in the back nine of the second round. It almost became match play with them.”
Crnjarich and Vano posted par on the final hole, finishing second at 11-under. Joe George and Ralph Litrenta were third at 6-under.
In the Super-Senior Division, Pittsburgh Field Club members Jim Wallisch and John Marous took home the title with a 3-under mark. Alan English and Robert MacWhinnie were 1-under, good for second place.
While the second round finished flushed with sunshine, the day was a bit of a mixed bag from a weather standpoint.
Heavy rains over the weekend caused a saturated golf course, which took on a pair of strong rain storms during the course of play.
“In Altoona, we got rain but it wasn’t like this,” said Fink, who has won the WPGA Four-Ball Championship twice as a younger player, and now adds the senior trophy to his collection. “When it’s soggy and wet, I just try to hit it shallow so you’re not hitting it fat. It’s so easy to do that.”
Added Homan: “We just tried to stay patient. It was hard, but it was hard for everybody. Artie has some length, so you know you’ve just got to hit it straight.”
“Overall though, this was a great day, a great time.”
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