June 16, 2013

SNOWSHOE, WV — On a sunny day 3 hours in the middle of West Virginia was a rumble of thunder. This was no ordinary thunder, but golf thunder when Rob Hench carded 4 birdies and 9 pars Saturday to take a commanding lead of the 2013 Carl Spackler Open.

Rob Hench entered his 1st major championship last January while never realizing how my life would never be the same. "I am not someone who ever considers the possibility of manevering of the ball," said Hench after 'moving day'. "It just seemed like the ball was going places it rarely does. That being straight and towards the hole."

Long opened the 2013 Carl Spackler Open with a birdie at the 1st hole. It joined Rob Fustich as leader of the tournament after one hole. He followed that up with a nother birdie and 5 pars on Friday. "It was good, but definitely nothing special," says Hench. "I think there were 9 bogeys in there. It seemed like staying-in-there while it rained would put me in great position after Day 1." The round was good for 66 points.

Rob entered moving day in 4th position and finished with a commanding 20-point lead. He carded 4 birdies and 80 points during a spectacular day with blue skies and crisp mountain air.

Hench returned on Sunday for the final round. He was playing in the final pairing with Mike Lewis, Chris Inghram, and Keith Archer. He completed his final round without a birdie, but 9 pars.

Hench won his first major by one point over Keith Archer. "We never knew it was factually this tight, but did play with an understanding every single swing on Sunday afternoon was critical," said Keith Archer. "It was fun."

The Top 10 included Jim Munksgard, Chris Inghram, Marty Whalen, Mike Long, Tom Henkel, Bobby Owens, Chris Price, and Mac Gorby. "This was a very interesting Leaderboard on Sunday afternoon," says Greg Long, Chairman of the Captains Club. "The older guys challenged each other while the younger guys decided not to contend. 7 of the Top 8 on the Leaderboard were older than 50. Only Chris Inghram was under 50 years of age. We have never seen anything like it."

Rob Hench won the 2013 Carl Spackler Open, Golden Jacket, Golden Hat, and Championship Trophy. He also took home a $300 credit to the 2014 Carl Spackler Open. He won the tournament by 1 point over Keith Archer. There were only minor arrests in Kentucky after a dozen celebrations broke out in Lexington, Ashland, and Louisville on Sunday night. Kentucky joins Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, New York, and North Carolina as winners of the Carl Spackler Open.