Wearing Tiger Woods’ traditional Sunday colors – red shirt and black shorts – Maryland junior Sean Bosdosh had a Tiger-like finish in the Maryland Open on Wednesday. Rolling in a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th green at Old South Country Club, Bosdosh edged Virginia sophomore Denny McCarthy by a stroke to capture the tournament for the first time.
With his father, acclaimed teaching pro Steve Bosdosh, at greenside, and his brother and Maryland teammate, Stephen, serving as caddie, Bosdosh drained the biggest putt of his career to capture the tournament for the first time.
“I knew I had to make it,” Bosdosh said. “My brother told me the read – it was just outside right edge. I knew it was there, and if I just stroked it on that line, all I had to do was put the right speed on it, and that’s exactly what I did. I just trusted it.”
Bosdosh (69-66-69 – 204), a member at Holly Hills, also credited his brother for helping prepare him for the moment. For years they have had putting competitions, simulating do-or-die, match-play situations.
“I do a really, really difficult drill with my brother. We always compete,” Bosdosh said. “I’ve had putts like that and I know I’ve had to make it and I made them. So it was just like practice.”
The birdie was the fourth in the last eight holes for Bosdosh, who surged past second-round leader and recently-turned professional Charlie Winegardner (68-66-74 – 208), a longtime member of Old South and recent graduate of Coastal Carolina.
The key hole was No. 13, a par 4, where Winegardner hit trees on his first two shots and missed a 3-footer on his way to a double-bogey 6 while Bosdosh hit a 9-iron to within 4 feet and made the birdie putt. The three-shot swing gave Bosdosh the lead for good, but he still needed to fend off a challenge from McCarthy (73-63-69 – 205).
A match-play duel of Bosdosh versus McCarthy was an appropriate conclusion. Two years ago, after Bosdosh became the youngest player in history to win the Maryland Amateur, McCarthy accomplished the same feat in the Maryland Open.
On Wednesday, Bosdosh appeared in command when he made an 8-footer for birdie at No. 15, his third straight 3, to take a three-shot lead. But at No. 16, a 150-yard par 3, McCarthy hit his tee-shot to within 4 feet and made the birdie putt, while Bosdosh 3-putted from 40 feet for a bogey and a two-shot swing.
After trading pars on No. 17, both took dead aim at eagle on No. 18, a par 5 where tees were moved forward, making it a 480-yard hole. After McCarthy pulled a 6-iron left of the green, Bosdosh drilled a 7-iron over the green, into a bunker. McCarthy appeared to have the edge as he hit a flop shot to within five feet and Bosdosh exploded 20 feet past.
But Bosdosh responded with his clinching putt, a fist pump, a high-five from his brother, and a nod to his dad.
“It didn’t really come down to the last hole,” McCarthy said. “I had plenty of chances earlier in the round. I had really good looks on the front nine, I just didn’t make any of them.”
Afterward Bosdosh learned that his sister, Stephanie, had won her match in the Bobby Bowers Memorial, advancing to Thursday’s semifinals.
Bosdosh grew emotional later when asked about his relationship with his father, a regular in magazine instruction pieces and Golf Channel advertisements.
“Every shot I look to him and give him a thumbs-up. If he shakes his head, yes, then I’m happy, I don’t care what I score,” Bosdosh said. “It’s really cool to have a dad so close that I can be able to talk to about golf rounds. He’s encouraged and helped me so much. I’d never be anywhere without him.”
University of Maryland junior Sean Bosdosh exhorts as his 20-foot birdie putt rolls into the cup giving him the win by one stroke in the Maryland Open. / Photo by Kevin Dunleavy
Kelly is low-pro
Annapolis native Brendan Kelly (71-69-66 – 206), now a mini-tour player, had a spectacular day, capturing low-professional honors and the biggest check of his young career, $8,100. Kelly, a 2011 graduate of Villanova and former Maryland Amateur champion, made a hole-in-one on the 194-yard third hole, played the first four holes in 5-under-par and the last six in 4-under, to overtake Winegardner (68-77-74 – 208) and edge four-time Maryland Open winner Chip Sullivan (67-75-65 – 207).
