Semenetz Wins Again

By Frank Rizzo
CALLICOON — May 23, 2000 -- Jeff Danzer of Tri-Valley could say of the Villa Roma Country Club course, “I love it.”
This despite the disastrous second shot on the playoff hole which cost him a chance to win the Western Sullivan League golf title.
Danzer and Jeff-Youngsville’s Gregg Semenetz Jr. teed off from the 18th hole after finishing regulation tied at 80 on the par-72 course.
Both had perfect tee shots on the par-5, 415-yard hole to start the sudden-death playoff. But on his second shot Danzer placed the ball on the driving range skirting the green; later, the ball was ruled out of bounds.
“I was a bit anxious on the second shot, I came over the top,” Danzer confessed. “I didn’t know it was out of bounds over there.”
Semenetz parred the hole to clinch the first individual WSL title for a Jeff-Youngsville player.
Semenetz, a member at the Villa, knew the pitfalls of the 18th hole.
“I was concerned about where I went (with the second shot),” Semenetz noted. “I aimed it right. I didn’t want it to go down there (to the driving range) — I did it twice last year in a tournament.”
Semenetz could point to a couple of bad holes that kept his score high.
“On the eighth hole, I made a seven (double bogey), and on the 11th I went out of bounds and made an eight (three over-par),” Semenetz said.
Semenetz (a junior) and Danzer (a senior) had identical rounds — 38 on the front, 42 on the back.
“I didn’t think anybody would come close to 80 today,” said Semenetz, whose best score on the course is a 73. “The rough was deep, so if the ball went in there, you’d make a bogey.
“I’m happy to win it. Jeff (Danzer) is playing excellent. We tied yesterday at Lochmor,” Semenetz added, referring to last Monday’s league match.
J-Y edged T-V 218-224 and Semenetz and Danzer both shot 39s on the par-35 front nine at the Loch Sheldrake home course of the Bears.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time,” Danzer said of his title contention. “I’m not disappointed at all [with losing]. I came to represent my team. I have a lot of respect for the guy sitting next to me (nodding at Semenetz).”
Both will now concentrate on the sectionals. The first round is at Kingston’s Wiltwyck CC.
“I know the greens are fast, with deep roughs and narrow fairways,” Semenetz summarized the course.
Second round action — for the top 20 golfers, will take place at Grossinger’s.
Semenetz placed third at the Section IX championship last year, behind teammate Jared Kubenik — the first WSL player to cop a Section IX title.
Danzer missed making the second round by two strokes.
“Today helped my confidence,” said Danzer, a third-year player who has qualified for sectionals play every year.
Notes: The playoff reflected changes put in the league’s bylaws last year. Two years ago, J-Y’s Kubenik and Jimmy Bowers Jr. of Roscoe tied in regulation and went to a fourth tiebreaker on the match of cards, which gave Bowers the “paper” victory… the two best rounds on Tuesday — both 37s — were turned in by two of the youngest players. Freshman Henry Bosch of Eldred was two-over on the front nine while seventh-grader Sean Semenetz of Jeff-Youngsville made par on the back nine. “I’ve been coaching for 10 years and Sean is as mentally tough as any player I’ve ever had,” said J-Y coach Rick Ellison.