By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Mike Roshelli still finds thrills in competitive golf.
The Graham man rode a 4-under-par 66 in Tuesday’s final round of the Alamance County Senior Amateur to win the event for the first time.
“I love to play,” Roshelli said. “I play a lot more tournaments. I’ve never gotten tired of it.”
Roshelli’s two-day score of 137 was good for a two-shot edge on runner-up Joe Gutierrez in the two-day event at Burlington’s Valley Golf Course.
Gutierrez shot an opening-round 68 for the lead and followed that with 71. Third place went to defending champion Craig Cathey, who had two rounds of 72 and the advantage in scorecard playoff with James Honeycutt (74, 70).
Roshelli played a bogey-free round Tuesday. He had birdies on Nos. 6, 12, 15 and 18. He got up and down on the 12th hole from a front bunker, while on the 15th he needed just a 1-foot putt.
“My overall game was solid,” he said. “I hit the ball good (Monday) and putted the ball lousy.”
Roshelli, a longtime member at The Valley (formerly Indian Valley Municipal Golf Course), is a fourth-time winner of the Alamance County Amateur and he said he plans to enter that again in the fall.
Roshelli, 68, retired about a year ago as a salesman for Scott Stone of Mebane, allowing him to go to the links up to five times a week. He said he works once a week in pool maintenance for Blue Haven Pools & Spas out of Morrisville.
Cathey won the past three editions of the Alamance County Senior Amateur in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The 2020 version was cancelled.
“I just could not get a putt to fall,” Cathey said. “Course was in good shape. I had fun.”
Belinda Marley was the winner of the three-entry women’s division by shooting 161 (83, 78).
Overall, there were 36 participants. Fifth place was shared by Scott Hutcherson with 149 (74, 75) and John Blythe (72, 77). Seventh place went to Randy Ector with 150 (69, 81).
