Waukesha's Kevin Cahill adds to 2020 highlight reel of competitive memories by rallying for first Wisconsin State Senior Am victory

Kevin Cahill played the Wisconsin State Amateur Championship last month at celebrated Milwaukee Country Club. And then he played the Wisconsin State Open Championship last week at historic Blue Mound Golf & Country Club.

And before that? His 2020 summer schedule included stops at The Club at Strawberry Creek near Kenosha, Janesville Riverside GC, Bishops Bay CC near Middleton and Blackhawk CC in Madison.

As impossible as it would seem to top that combination of golfing excellence, the Waukesha golfer managed to do it Tuesday at, of all places, Minocqua CC.

The 60-year-old Cahill shot a 3-under-par 69 on the Northwoods gem and rallied to win the Wisconsin State Senior Amateur Championship for the first time after two painful near-misses. His 4-under-par 140 total was good for a one-stroke victory over Onalaska's Tom McClintock, 55, who birdied three of his last four holes (and five in all on the back nine) to match Cahill's 69 but was undone by a three-putt bogey from 80 feet on the next to last hole.

A year ago at Oconomowoc GC, Cahill led the rain-shortened 18-hole event by one shot with two holes to play and finished double-bogey/bogey to finish tied for fourth, two shots back. Three years ago at Ozaukee CC in Mequon, in another Senior Am reduced to one round by the weather, he was two shots ahead with three holes to play and finished bogey/double-bogey/par to finish in a three-way tie for second place, two shots behind good friend Ramiro Romo.

"I played Minocqua (CC) two years ago, when the State Am was up there, and just loved it," Cahill said in a telephone interview of the Ron Garl redesign of what, before 2001, had been a sleepy nine-hole private club with sagging membership numbers. "Most of the holes, with the exception of (Nos.) 9 and 1, which kind of run within eyesight of each other, everything else is its own setting, its own kind of theater, if you will. It's a really beautiful golf course."

The back nine certainly fit Cahill's eye.

That's where the three-time WSGA Senior Amateur of the Year made his move after being a face in the crowd of golfers tied for the lead at 2-under while the final group was playing the ninth hole. Cahill birdied No. 10 to catch Verona's Jim Doing, who had birdied Nos. 8 and 9 behind him to get to 3-under, and then gave himself a little breathing room with birdies at Nos. 12 and 13.

"Kevin never makes a mistake," said New Berlin's Rocky Sperka, one of the five first-round leaders after an opening 70 who got to 3-under with a birdie at No. 2 but then made the mistakes Cahill avoided with bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9. "He is just station-to-station, hits the ball solidly and hits the ball straight. He's got a solid short game. You have to beat Kevin because he's not going to lose."

McClintock, a late entry into the Senior Am in his first year being eligible, was almost up to that task.

After nearly falling off the radar with a 1-over 37 on the front nine, he and playing partner Bob Gregorski, a two-time State Amateur champion from Menasha, challenged each other to make four birdies on the back nine. McClintock did himself one better and made five to vault into contention.

"I made four (over his first seven holes) and looked at him and said 'Now what?' " said McClintock, tied with Gregorski, who would eventually finish seventh, at the time before rolling in a 15-footer for birdie on No. 11 to ignite his comeback effort. "We knew that we were lagging behind. We'd both shot 1-over on the front and I just caught fire. I started firing at flags. You know, last nine of the tournament that's what you do and it paid off."

And, if not for a bogey at No. 17 in between the last two birdies on the back nine, McClintock and Cahill might still be playing.

"I thought it would be a good birdie opportunity for me so I laid on a driver — it's pretty wide open (on that hole) — and caught the top of a bunker and got in some tall, wispy grass," McClintock said. "I had a pretty decent lie, but I couldn't get it up-and-down. It was a blind (approach) shot and I played it really conservative and once I got up there I had, geez, 80 feet. By that time of the day, the greens had slowed down and I left it about 25 feet short."

That left Doing as the only golfer on the course who still had a shot at catching Cahill. 

One shot back after birdies at Nos. 12 and 13, Doing fell three shots back after back-to-back bogeys, getting up-and-down from 50 yards to salvage the latter of the two on the par-5 15th. But he felt he still had a chance down the stretch to make it interesting. 

"I'm like, 'I've gotta birdie-out; I've got to make three birdies,' " said Doing, who didn't know Cahill had made his lone bogey of the day at No. 17 to bring Doing within two shots of the lead. "I missed like a 7-footer on No. 17, which would have gotten me to 3(-under). And then I stuck it up there 12 feet on (No.) 18.

"It would have been fun to come up and go 'Hey, if I make this birdie on (No.) 18 like I did (Monday), I'm in a playoff.'"

Instead, McClintock made par and Cahill removed the hint of drama that had dominated the day by making a routine par on No. 18 for the victory.

"I've kind of buttered up the Senior Am the last few years," said Cahill, whose victory helped fill a void left by the COVID-19 cancellation of the U.S. Senior Amateur for a guy who reached the semifinals of that event in 2016. "I had a little bit of success a few years ago in those things. I still think, physically, I can compete in that stuff so it's disappointing, but what happens happens."

And Tuesday, at least, Cahill showed he's a golfer who can still make it happen.

POS		PLAYER	TOTAL	THRU	TODAY	R1	R2	SCORE
1	5	Kevin Cahill  Waukesha, WI	-4	F	-3	71	69	140
2	6	Tom McClintock  Onalaska, WI	-3	F	-3	72	69	141
T3	2	Jim Doing  Verona, WI	-2	F	E	70	72	142
T3	2	Rocky Sperka  New Berlin, WI	-2	F	E	70	72	142
T5	6	Bob Zarter  Wrightstown, WI	E	F	-1	73	71	144
T5	4	Mike Murphy  Fitchburg, WI	E	F	+2	70	74	144
T7	19	Dan Wubbels  Madison, Wi	+1	F	-3	76	69	145
T7	1	Robert Gregorski  Menasha, WI	+1	F	+1	72	73	145
T7	1	John Lonergan  Neosho, WI	+1	F	+2	71	74	145
T7	6	Brian Drerup  Minocqua, WI	+1	F	+3	70	75	145
11	-	Bill Crinzi  New Berlin, WI	+2	F	+1	73	73	146
T12	9	Mitch Bowers  Mineral Point, WI	+3	F	E	75	72	147
T12	9	Robert Pyle  Green Bay, WI	+3	F	E	75	72	147
T12	4	Todd Westrich  De Pere	+3	F	+1	74	73	147
T12	1	Mark Dalebroux  Madison, WI	+3	F	+2	73	74	147
T12	11	John Kestly  Pewaukee, WI	+3	F	+5	70	77	147
T17	9	Ed Dzirbik  Brookfield, WI	+4	F	E	76	72	148
T17	9	JT Johnson  Eden Prairie, MN	+4	F	+4	72	76	148
19	19	Bruce Henning  Brookfield, WI	+5	F *	-1	78	71	149
20	9	Tom Zastrow  Greendale, WI	+6	F	+5	73	77	150
T21	17	Brian Buss  Eau Claire, WI	+8	F *	+2	78	74	152
T21	5	Mike Smith  Pewaukee, WI	+8	F	+4	76	76	152
T21	17	Dave Ullenberg  Brown Deer, WI	+8	F *	+2	78	74	152
T21	17	Marv Nelson  Burlington, WI	+8	F *	+2	78	74	152
T21	5	John Hogan  Rhinelander, WI	+8	F	+6	74	78	152
T21	5	Daniel Moore  Nekoosa, WI	+8	F	+6	74	78	152
T27	5	David Preboske  Eagle River, WI	+9	F	+4	77	76	153
T27	1	Terry Flesch  Fond du Lac, WI	+9	F	+5	76	77	153
T27	1	Chuck Garbedian  Waukesha, WI	+9	F	+5	76	77	153
T27	11	Jim Frusher  DePere, WI	+9	F	+7	74	79	153
T27	38	Jim Rollefson  Franklin, WI	+9	F *	+1	80	73	153
T32	6	Charles Weber  Milwaukee, WI	+10	F *	+4	78	76	154
T32	6	Bart Ott  Brookfield, WI	+10	F *	+4	78	76	154
T32	6	Pat Boyle  Greendale, WI	+10	F	+6	76	78	154
T32	19	Dave Massey  Cottage Grove. Wi.	+10	F *	+3	79	75	154
T32	11	Greg Moser  Madison, WI	+10	F	+7	75	79	154
T37	5	Paul Zarek  Burlington, WI	+11	F	+6	77	78	155
T37	1	Brian Brugger  Franklin, WI	+11	F *	+5	78	77	155
T37	16	Dick Ohme  Appleton, WI	+11	F	+8	75	80	155
T37	21	Ron Stortz  Delafield, WI	+11	F	+9	74	81	155
T37	26	Ramiro Romo  Burlington, WI	+11	F	+10	73	82	155
T42	10	Robert Lehninger  Wauwatosa, WI	+12	F	+7	77	79	156
T42	9	Ed Stremlow  Germantown, WI	+12	F *	+5	79	77	156
T44	12	Scott Skogen  Onalaska, WI	+13	F	+8	77	80	157
T44	6	Paul Bryant  Wauwatosa, WI	+13	F *	+7	78	79	157
T44	7	Richard Pfeil  Lake Geneva, WI	+13	F *	+6	79	78	157
T44	31	Tracey Ahlborn  Minocqua, WI	+13	F *	+4	81	76	157
T48	10	Bruce Hansen  Racine, WI	+14	F *	+8	78	80	158
T48	27	Larry Searl  Weyauwega, WI	+14	F	+11	75	83	158
T48	3	Steve Babcock  Brodhead, WI	+14	F *	+7	79	79	158
T48	17	Ken Heffel  Racine,WI	+14	F *	+6	80	78	158
T48	17	Steve Rottler  Hartland, WI	+14	F *	+6	80	78	158
T53	21	John Haines  Mequon, WI	+15	F	+10	77	82	159
T53	21	John Aufderhaar  Watertown, WI	+15	F	+10	77	82	159
T53	2	Bill Cunningham  Madison, WI	+15	F *	+8	79	80	159
T53	12	Martin Buehler  Hinsdale, IL	+15	F *	+7	80	79	159
T53	22	Dan Wucherer  Waupun, WI	+15	F *	+6	81	78	159
T58	24	Marc Casper  Okauchee, WI	+16	F	+6	82	78	160
T58	24	Jim Covelli  Racine, WI	+16	F	+6	82	78	160
T58	24	John Golden  Verona, WI	+16	F	+6	82	78	160
T58	24	Kurt Hoppe  Wisconsin Rapids, WI	+16	F	+6	82	78	160
T58	20	Jim Scharnberg  Franklin, WI	+16	F *	+10	78	82	160
T58	7	Mike Wemmert  West Bend, WI	+16	F *	+9	79	81	160
T58	7	Jim Barry  Waukesha, WI	+16	F *	+8	80	80	160
T58	7	John Siebert  Madison, WI	+16	F *	+8	80	80	160
T66	35	James Lansing  West Allis, WI	+17	F	+5	84	77	161
T66	29	Paul Schwarz  Appleton	+17	F	+6	83	78	161
T66	29	Bob Rogowski  Muskego	+17	F	+6	83	78	161
T66	16	Chuck Silkey  Cedarburg, WI	+17	F	+7	82	79	161
T66	16	Tom Paulson  Longboat Key, FL	+17	F	+7	82	79	161
T66	28	Jamie Young  Kenosha, WI	+17	F *	+11	78	83	161
T66	1	Guy Roe  Minocqua, WI	+17	F *	+9	80	81	161
T66	9	Steve Etrheim  Plover, WI	+17	F *	+8	81	80	161
T66	9	Scott Semingson  Strum, WI	+17	F *	+8	81	80	161
T66	15	Joe Blommel  Muskego, WI	+17	F *	+10	75	82	157
T76	25	Larry Henry  Lake Geneva, WI	+18	F	+6	84	78	162
T76	6	Dominic Carini  Greenfield, WI	+18	F	+8	82	80	162
T76	38	Bill Schneider  Appleton, WI	+18	F	+12	78	84	162
T76	25	Jeff Corcoran  Waukesha, WI	+18	F *	+11	79	83	162
T76	25	John Uekert  West Bend, WI	+18	F *	+11	79	83	162
T76	25	David Freeborg  Green Bay, WI	+18	F *	+11	79	83	162
T76	1	Paul Foegen  Marshfield, WI	+18	F *	+9	81	81	162
T76	1	Ron Hyde  Waukesha, WI	+18	F *	+9	81	81	162
T84	34	Preston Irwin  Bartlett, IL	+19	F	+5	86	77	163
T84	42	Ron Long  Ripon, WI	+19	F *	+4	87	76	163
T84	17	Joe Wirth  Mequon, WI	+19	F	+7	84	79	163
T84	11	Keith Luedtke  South Milwaukee, WI	+19	F	+8	83	80	163
T84	11	Steve Nibbe  Madison, WI	+19	F	+8	83	80	163
T84	33	James Anderson  Abrams, WI	+19	F *	+12	79	84	163
T84	33	Martin Cherney  Brookfield, WI	+19	F *	+12	79	84	163
T84	19	Carl Anderson  Brookfield, WI	+19	F *	+11	80	83	163
T84	19	Patrick Moynahan  Egg Harbor, WI	+19	F *	+11	80	83	163
T93	11	Terry Peterson  Green Bay, Wisconsin	+20	F	+10	82	82	164
T93	11	Mike Kehoe  South Milwaukee, WI	+20	F	+10	82	82	164
T93	28	Robb Brodbeck  Waunakee, WI	+20	F *	+12	80	84	164
T96	30	Dan Wick  Waukesha, WI	+21	F *	+6	87	78	165
T96	1	Mark Asplund  Birnamwood, WI	+21	F	+10	83	82	165
T98	3	Glen Reinke  Marinette, WI	+22	F	+10	84	82	166
T98	3	Greg Johnson  Black River Falls, WI	+22	F	+10	84	82	166
T100	1	Dick Regenberg  Madison, WI	+23	F	+11	84	83	167
T100	5	Joe Stangel  Green Bay, WI	+23	F	+12	83	84	167
T100	18	Keith Wood  Milwaukee, WI	+23	F	+13	82	85	167
T100	49	Brian Maloney  Green Bay, WI	+23	F *	+16	79	88	167
T104	40	Scott Smith  Oneida, WI	+24	F *	+7	89	79	168
T104	3	Tom Thompson  DePere, WI	+24	F	+12	84	84	168
T106	5	Joe Sherwood  Green Bay, WI	+25	F	+12	85	84	169
T106	28	Brian Westcott  Hartland, WI	+25	F *	+9	88	81	169
T106	55	Brad Houghton  Rice Lake, WI.	+25	F *	+18	79	90	169
T106	31	James Ritchay  De Pere	+25	F *	+16	81	88	169
T110	8	Jerry Gitlewski  Sussex	+26	F	+12	86	84	170
T110	24	John Thorpe  Appleton, WI	+26	F *	+10	88	82	170
T110	1	John Swanson  Brookfield, WI	+26	F	+13	85	85	170
T110	1	Bill Tensfeldt  Madison, WI	+26	F	+13	85	85	170
T110	35	Rick Theiler  Grafton, WI	+26	F *	+8	90	80	170
T110	28	Jim Hein  Pewaukee, WI	+26	F	+16	82	88	170
T110	28	Bill Kaether  McFarland, WI	+26	F	+16	82	88	170
T110	28	Pat Leahy  Hartland, WI	+26	F	+16	82	88	170
T118	8	Mike Sorgi  Milwaukee, WI	+27	F *	+12	87	84	171
T118	7	Bob Kohl  Pewaukee, WI	+27	F	+14	85	86	171
T118	7	Larry Anderson  Lindenhurst, IL	+27	F	+14	85	86	171
T118	16	Daniel Mueller  Kenosha, WI	+27	F *	+11	88	83	171
T118	17	Gary Gustavson  Green Lake, WI	+27	F	+15	84	87	171
T123	3	Tim McKeough  Green Bay, WI	+29	F *	+14	87	86	173
T123	5	Mark Olsen  Pleasant Prairie	+29	F	+15	86	87	173
T123	5	Dan Rajek  Merrill, WI	+29	F	+15	86	87	173
T123	22	Steve Rajek  Mosinee, WI	+29	F	+17	84	89	173
T123	85	Curt Lumpp  Cambridge, WI	+29	F *	+23	78	95	173
T128	10	Jim Socha  Onalaska, WI	+30	F	+16	86	88	174
T128	6	Patrick Hogan  Green Bay, WI	+30	F *	+14	88	86	174
T128	17	Don Higgins  Madison, WI	+30	F	+17	85	89	174
T131	3	Steve Jaeger  Brookfield, WI	+31	F *	+15	88	87	175
T131	18	Steve Sevals  Rice Lake, WI	+31	F *	+12	91	84	175
T131	24	Craig Peachy  Fond Du Lac, WI	+31	F *	+10	93	82	175
T134	8	Andrew Osowski  Germantown, WI	+32	F *	+17	87	89	176
T134	-	Tom Roy  Eleva, WI	+32	F *	+16	88	88	176
T134	33	Tom Krause  Waukesha, WI	+32	F	+20	84	92	176
T134	11	Brian Spychalla  Waukesha, WI	+32	F *	+14	90	86	176
138	20	Bill Feehan, Jr.  La Crosse	+33	F	+19	86	91	177
T139	13	Todd Cook  Beaver Dam, WI	+34	F *	+19	87	91	178
T139	6	Mike Gerrits  Green Bay, WI	+34	F *	+16	90	88	178
T141	15	Bill Zuiker  Marshfield, WI	+35	F	+20	87	92	179
T141	7	Bill Paul  Casco, WI	+35	F *	+19	88	91	179
T141	7	Tom Felch  Ringle, WI	+35	F *	+19	88	91	179
T141	30	Didier Ibar  New Berlin, WI	+35	F	+22	85	94	179
T141	8	Jeff Kjorlien  Hubertus, WI	+35	F *	+16	91	88	179
T146	28	Fran Hewuse II  Tomah, WI	+36	F	+22	86	94	180
T146	12	Mike Meyers  Minocqua, WI	+36	F *	+20	88	92	180
T148	14	Andrew Schuelke  Franklin, WI	+37	F *	+21	88	93	181
T148	3	Bob Thompson  Highland Park, IL	+37	F *	+19	90	91	181
T150	24	David Gursoy  Conover, WI	+38	F *	+23	87	95	182
T150	32	Dan Jelinek  Iron Ridge, WI	+38	F	+24	86	96	182
T150	5	Neal Weitermann  Germantown, WI	+38	F *	+17	93	89	182
T150	10	Krys Komornicki  Elm Grove, WI	+38	F *	+15	95	87	182
154	6	Jim Appelgren  Minocqua, WI	+39	F *	+16	95	88	183
155	2	James Winistorfer  Mequon, WI	+40	F *	+20	92	92	184
T156	7	Patrick Garvens  Milwaukee, WI	+41	F *	+22	91	94	185
T156	1	Mike Greenhalgh  Madison, WI	+41	F *	+20	93	92	185
T156	11	Tim Filtz  West Bend, WI	+41	F *	+13	100	85	185
159	1	Thomas Gordon  Plymouth, WI	+42	F *	+20	94	92	186
T160	11	David J. Butzen  Mequon, WI	+45	F *	+26	91	98	189
T160	2	Terry Schilz  Cambridge, WI	+45	F *	+23	94	95	189
162	2	Byron Olson  Menomonee Falls, WI	+46	F *	+23	95	95	190
T163	10	Seve Weiher  Hubertus, Wi.	+48	F *	+28	92	100	192
T163	1	Harry Markos  Shorewood, WI	+48	F *	+24	96	96	192
165	5	James Dicks  Ottawa, WI	+49	F *	+26	95	98	193
166	1	Greg Moline  Mequon, WI	+50	F *	+22	100	94	194
167	2	James Olson  Egg Harbor, WI	+51	F *	+20	103	92	195
168	4	John Upson  Woodbury, MN	+52	F *	+28	96	100	196
169	1	Doug Bader  Grafton, WI	+57	F *	+24	105	96	201
170	6	Al Walschinski  Appleton, WI	+59	F *	+35	96	107	203
171	1	Bob Warpinski  Green Bay, WI	+65	F *	+32	105	104	209
DID NOT FINISH
WD	-	Randy Warobick  North Lake, WI	+3			75		75
WD	-	Michael Fischbach  Milwaukee, WI	+3			75		75
WD	-	Thomas Hau  Kiel, WI	+10			82		82
WD	-	Eric Peter  Elm Grove, WI	+15	11 *	+7	80	49	129
WD	-	Eric Hjortness  Menasha	+18			90		90
WD	-	Brian Hale  Sherwood, WI	+22	9	+9	85	45	130
WD	-	Mike Jr. O'Connor  West Bend, WI	+31			103		103
WD	-	Erik Johnson  Hazelhurst, WI	+32	9 *	+14	90	50	140
DQ	-	Robert Becker  Madison, WI	+33	9 *	+15	90	51	141
NS	-	Jim Stangel  Algoma, WI	+13			85		85
NS	-	Peter Grefsheim  Madison, WI
JWD	-	Dennis Priest  Greenfield, WI