Battista Qualifies for US Senior Open

Past PPGA winner Mark Battista qualified for the US Senior Open yesterday at the Victoria Club in Riverside, CA.  His round of 4-under par was good enough for medalist honors and topped a field of mostly professionals, including former PGA Tour professionals TC Chen and Jack Renner.  The US Senior Open will be played July 29-August 1 at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, WA, a suburb of Seattle.  Sahalee was the host to the 1998 PGA Championship won by Vijay Singh.

The US Senior Open marks Battista's first major championship and first time back competing in a USGA event in 27 years.  He qualified for the US Amateur in 1980, 1982 and 1983 while living in Rhode Island.

Battista woke up yesterday morning and laid in bed debating whether or not he wanted to make the hour and fifteen minute drive to Riverside.  The 60 year old Battista is glad he decided to do it.  "I figured I'd give it one more shot."  Battista went out in 4-under, "I played great on the front nine and really could have been about 7-under but I missed a few 8 footers for birdie."  Battista admitted that's when he started thinking about Sahalee.  "I knew 3-under made it last year and there are four par-5s on the back so I knew there were only a few holes to worry about.  I missed a short birdie putt on ten, then missed the green on eleven and almost holed the pitch.  Then I missed the three-footer coming back.  But I was able to make a birdie two holes later and get it back.  I hit it great all day, hit a lot of good iron shots, hit fifteen greens and made all my short putts, which is what you have to do in this.  I made some good five footers on the back to really keep the round going." 

Mark now resides in Rancho Mirage California and comes back to the area each year to compete in PPGA events as well as other events on the local circuits.  He moved to New Jersey in 1998 and started playing PPGA events in 2000.  Mark's first PPGA victory came in 2006 when he teamed with Ken Gaskill to capture the Philadelphia Better-Ball Championship at Cobbs Creek GC in a four hole playoff over Matt Welsh and Pat Sullivan.  Mark teamed with Gaskill again this year and won the senior division of the Philadelphia Better-Ball while placing 5th in the overall championship.  Battista also played in the Publinks Championship at Jeffersonville this year finishing T-14 with a score of 76.

"Whether it's Cobbs Creek or Sahalee you always want to win.  I am going to try to make some pars and stay away from the doubles, put some good rounds together and who knows."

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