Former PGA Tour player Michael Muehr of Potomac Falls was the medalist for the third straight year at the 86th Crump Cup (71-67 – 138), but fell in the semifinals of the prestigious invitational tournament held at Pine Valley (N.J.).
Muehr, the 2008 champion, lost to Scott Rowe of Hinsdale, Ill., 1 up. Rowe went on to lose in the finals, to four-time winner Michael McCoy of West Des Moines, Iowa.
It was the second straight year that Muehr lost in the semifinals.
Legendary Vinny Giles of Richmond won the Senior Division for the fourth time, defeating Jeff Burda of Modesto, Calif. in the finals, 1 up. Vienna’s Pat Tallent, who won the Senior Division in 2009, fell in the semifinals Sunday morning to Burda, 3 and 1, while Giles took care of 2011 Walker Cup captain Jim Holtgrieve, 4 and 3.
Championship Sunday of the Crump Cup, is the only day of the year that notoriously private Pine Valley, often listed as the No. 1 golf course in the world, opens its doors to the public. The tournament usually draws more than 1,000 spectators, who are required to park offsite and take a shuttle to the course.
Muehr, 38, played three years on the PGA Tour but was forced to quit in 2002 when he was diagnosed with melanoma. A few weeks after regaining his amateur status in 2007, Muehr qualified for the U.S. Amateur. He now works for Merrill Lynch.
