(Ben Fahrenholz of Prestwick Golf Group and Jim Schuman)

A day of survival developed quickly on Monday at the Prestwick Golf Group Classic at Watertown CC.  Steady winds of around 25 mph accompanied the field of players throughout the day and made scoring quite the challenge.

Coming out on top against the field and the elements was Jim Schuman of Blue Mound G&CC.  The 55 year old PGA teaching professional was able to post a 1-under-par 69.  His score was good enough to match David Roesch, as the two players were the only ones to break par on Monday.  Both individuals used a similar steady approach as they each only had one bogey and two birdies on their scorecard.

In most cases this would setup a must see playoff but that was not meant to be on Monday.  Setting the pace as the second twosome out, Roesch would finish his round in approximately three hours and 15 minutes.  The quick pace and an afternoon conflict left him with a tough choice.  With the majority of the field still on the course and approximately 2 hours worth of waiting, Roesch decided to honor his prior commitment.  The decision produced an easy win for Schuman as he took the playoff by default.  The win would once again help Schuman sweep all three purse divisions (regular, players and senior).

It marks the second time in four years that the Madison native has won a one-day WPGA classic at Watertown CC.  His other victory came at the Adams Classic in 2015 when he shot the very same score and was victorious via a playoff.  Monday's win comes on the heels of qualifying for his third straight U.S. Senior Open this past Friday.

A great deal of gratitude goes out to title sponsor Prestwick Golf Group and all their representatives.  The Sussex based company was supporting the event for the fifth straight season.  In addition to their support of Monday's event, the golf course furnishing company continues to help dress up the WPGA tournament program with nice on course/range products.

The WPGA would also like to acknowledge and thank Watertown CC and their staff for hosting.  The club is always welcoming and does a great job of hosting numerous events across all the state golf organizations.