McClellan

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Rob McClellan and partner Sonny Skinner didn’t know how close they were to winning the PGA Senior-Junior Team Championship at the PGA Golf Club this past week.

There was no leaderboard to watch and apparently word of mouth proved to be of little use.

The duo, who finished second last year, knew they were close, but in the end, finished runner-up once more, one shot behind champions Rick Schuller and Bob Sowards, who shot a four-round total of 255.

“Going into the final round (Thursday), we were tied in the lead,” said McClellan, the Butler Country Club pro. “I knew we were playing good, but there was no scoreboard and we had no idea where we stood. We got paired with Denny Dolci (of St. Jude Golf Club) and Kevin Shields (of Sewickley Heights Golf Club) and we knew we were beating them (that duo would finish fifth overall with a score of 258).

“We were 6-under for the day, so we knew it would be close. We tried for birdie on the last two holes but didn’t get either. Sonny talked to a rules official who said he thought we were in the lead. He was pretty upset. We were misinformed,” McClellan added.

Still, the pair had a strong showing, finishing the four rounds with 62-64-64-66 to tie with Craig Stevens of Dallas, Ga, and Alan Morin of Royal Palm Beach, Fla.

McClellan is one of many area golf professionals that venture down to Florida for the month of January and the early part of Florida to take part in a series of golf outings.

“The country club is closed January and February and the membership is good of letting me come down to Florida and working on my game,” McClellan said.

The PGA Golf Club hosts a seniors (50 and older tournament) one week, followed by the Senior-Junior Team Championships. After next week’s PGA Show (merchandising), there are individual tournaments (one stroke, the other match play) the following two weeks.

“They have it set up where you can play in a couple of tournaments before the PGA Show, then play in a couple of tournaments after that,” McClellan noted.

McClellan paired with Skinner, of Sylvester, Ga. last year when Skinner was in search of a new partner.

“We played in the PGA Cup together and actually, he used to play with another Senior,” McClellan said. “He won this about four years ago, but last year, he became a Senior and couldn’t play with his partner.

“Last year he mentioned he needed a new partner and he said ‘you need a senior?,’” McClellan added.

McClellan and Skinner’s 62 on Monday’s opening round on the Ryder Course helped them forge a four-way tie among the leaders with McClellan earning six birdies and Skinner — the PGA Senior Professional Player of the Year the past three years — adding four birdies.

“It’s the easiest of the three course,” McClellan said. “I like it better because it’s more open and I can spray my tee shots. We were 10-under the first day.

“The second day, on the Dye course, was a little tougher. There was a little issue on the greens. It was a little slower,” McClellan added.

The 8-under dropped the pair two strokes back, but they duplicated their score on Wednesday while on the Wanamaker course.

“That’s the toughest of the three,” McClellan said. “Sonny played very good the last two rounds and I didn’t do as well. I did better on the first two days and Sonny the second two days.”

Of the 150 teams that took part, 110 were cut so the top 40 advanced to the fourth and final round Thursday, again on the Wanamaker course.

McClellan will return next month and begin to prepare for the upcoming season, which will begin in April with the first individual tournament — The Tri-State Open — slated for June.

Still, he’ll enjoy his time in Florida.

“These are some good tournaments and some good players here,” McClellan quipped.