Saturday, June 26, 1999
Volpenhein's 6th Met title the 'sweetest'
BY SAM MELLINGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jim Volpenhein has been there and done that.
But that didn't stop the goosebumps when he won the 90th Greater Cincinnati Golf Association Metropolitan Amateur Championship Friday at Hyde Park Country Club.
A six-time champ now, Volpenhein swore that collecting Met trophies did not follow the law of diminishing returns.
“This one's the sweetest because it's been seven years,” he said.
He first won the tournament in 1981 at the age of 21. After moving from the area and a brief stint as a pro golfer, Volpenhein was reinstated as an amateur and won the Met in 1988-90 and 1992. His latest conquest came when he beat Miami University golfer Tee McCabe in 20 holes.
“This one helps with my midlife crisis,” said Volpenhein, 39. “It didn't seem like it had been seven years, I had always done well in this tournament but never got over the edge. I started to wonder if I'd ever win again.”
The gallery of about 100 was wondering the same thing on the 18th hole. McCabe and Volpenhein entered the hole even, but McCabe held the upper hand after his second shot stopped 12 feet from the hole. Volpenhein's approach almost hit a man sitting a few feet behind the green.
“At that point,” McCabe said, “I didn't think I had it won, but I knew I had a real
good chance. I had two chances: I could either make the putt and it'd be over, or if his third shot wasn't great and he two-putted, I could win it that way.”
McCabe missed his putt and Volpenhein erased the other option by sticking a great up-and-down chip a foot from the pin to send the match into extra holes.
“That was a phenomenal shot,” McCabe said. “But I didn't think that was the shot of the match.”
That would come a hole later, the first of the sudden death playoff. McCabe's tee shot stopped in the middle of the fairway, while Volpenhein's ended up in a sand trap about 150 yards out.
McCabe hit the green with his next shot. Volpenhein got out of the bunker but left his approach 30 yards short of the green.
Again, advantage: McCabe.
But just like on No. 18, Volpenhein came up with a great chip, almost sinking his third shot for birdie. Both players carded pars, and the match went on.
“I just seem to handle those pressure shots well,” Volpenhein said. “Golf is such a mental game, I just always believe I have a chance as long as the other guy's not in the hole already.”
On the 20th hole, however, Volpenhein didn't have to save himself. After a solid drive down the fairway, he stuck his approach five feet from the pin, knocked his ball in for birdie, dropped his club and accepted congratulations. “I got lucky, it takes so much luck to win this,” he said.
It was Volpenhein's third straight one-up victory.
In the semifinal against Xavier University golf coach Doug Steiner, Volpenhein was down one on the 17th hole when his girlfriend, attorney Kelly Rice, had to leave the course for work.
“I said, "Honey, I'm down one, I don't know if there's going to be another match,”' Volpenhein said. “She said, "Oh, don't worry, I know you'll win.' That's true love.”
McCabe (Lakota High), who was 3 years old when Volpenhein won his first Met, advanced to the final with a 1-up victory against Scott Ross in the semifinals Friday morning.
McCabe said he played a smart match and that experience “played no factor,” but Volpenhein saw the gap in ages a different way. “It works two ways,” he said. “He's young, he hits it long, and he's probably thinking about turning pro, he's got the game for it. But experience is on my side. Your mind plays tricks on you in this game, and in situations like those last three holes, experience helps.”
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