Amateur, 19, Captures Maryland Open
6/21/1999 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
July 23, 1998
By Mitch Rubin
Last Friday, Keith Unikel was in the middle of his 20th day without a round of golf. And the University of Maryland junior, in his final days of summer school classes in accounting and constitutional law, was just aching to get a chance to hone his game before his one practice round Saturday for the Maryland Open.
He didn't need to.
Unikel shot a bogey-free final round of 68 at the par-72, 7,000-yard Crofton Country Club to overcome a five-shot deficit, win by one shot over Dennis Winters and Mark Evenson and become one of the youngest champion in the tournament's 77-year history. Unikel finished the tournament at 1-over-par 217.
Gary Marlowe, who won the first of two Maryland Open titles in 1978, is the only other player to have won at age 19. And with yesterday's victory, Unikel became the first amateur to win since Del Ponchock in 1992, when Ponchock was playing for the Terrapins.
The 54-hole, three-day, stroke-play tournament began Monday with 150 golfers. The field was cut to 80 plus ties (those who shot 78 or lower) after the first round, and trimmed to 40 plus ties (153 and lower) for yesterdays final round.
Among the 45 competitors still playing yesterday, including 25 professionals, Unikel was the only one to break 71.
The four-time All-Met from Churchill entered the day tied for 16th place, his 75-74 -- 149 having left him five shots behind Winters. Unikel wasn't pleased with his four pars to start yesterday's round, but on the par-3 fifth hole, it all came together. "I was nervous and everything just felt a little off. Then, on five I hit a 9-iron to within six feet and it just clicked," he said. "I got all my confidence from that shot. I was able to get into the flow of the round right then."
Winters, an assistant pro at Columbia Country Club, finished tied with Rolling Road's Evenson for second place at 2-over-par 218.
As an amateur Unikel could not receive the $5,850 first prize. Instead he was given a $500 gift certificate to the Crofton pro shop. Winters and Evenson will share the combined first- and second-place money for a total of $4,712 apiece.
