Senior Player of the Year: Gary D. Daniels, Saucon Valley CC

  In the most troubled of golf circumstances, he could overcome adversity. Daniels’ perseverance ultimately heightened his play and helped the Center Valley, Pa. resident to become the 2009 Senior Player of the Year.

GARY D. DANIELS

  Daniels, 60, began his 2009 campaign with a solid performance in the Warner Cup (Gross). On a wet and overcast day at Hopewell Valley GC, he registered a 4-over-par 76 to finish five strokes back of winner Raymond Thompson of Overbrook CC, the 2007 Senior Player of the Year.

  A week later, Daniels’ game escalated as he qualified for match play in the 109th Amateur Championship at Stonewall. After carding an 8-over-par 78 in the morning, he rebounded with an even-par 70 at the Old course and attained the No. 29 seed in match play.

  “That really solidified that I was going to have a good season,” Daniels said. “I was able to come through adversity. I figured out why I faded a little bit in the morning and corrected it.”

  Daniels exploded to the top of the Senior Player of the Year Standings by winning the Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (Gross) at Philadelphia CC a month later. He carded a 1-under-par 70 and collected 105 points for the win.

  “I double bogeyed my fourth hole (No. 13, par 4, 365 yards). That really set me back,” Daniels said. “But I didn’t worry about it. I played aggressively. I ended up turning the next hole (No. 14, par 4, 435 yards) into a birdie. That was a major key.”

  As the season continued, Daniels, a University of Denver graduate, continued to push through roadblocks. He qualified for the USGA Senior Amateur Championship, held Sept. 12-17 at Beverly CC in Chicago, Ill., by registering a 2-over-par 73 at Galloway National GC.

  “I had no real understanding of what it would take to qualify. I could see that it could be an extremely difficult course if you weren’t driving the ball well and having some precision with your iron play,” Daniels said. “I had a bad hole in that round. On No. 17, I read the wind wrong and triple-bogeyed. I overcame that. I kept focused and played the best I could. That just showed that I still had the perseverance.”

  At the championship itself, Daniels recorded a nine on the par 4, 371-yard 13th hole. Later in the round, though, he went birdie-eagle to finish with a 3-over-par 74, which gave Daniels a spot in match play.

  “It was a surreal situation; two unplayable lies on the same hole pretty much led to a meltdown,” he said of his play on No. 13. “(Going birdie-eagle) was probably the most impressive thing I did. It really showed that I had the character to persevere.”

  It’s quite clear that Daniels constantly overcame adversity on the golf course this season to achieve success. But it was his life outside of the sport that allowed Daniels to experience a storybook year.

  “Over the last year, it was very difficult for me to try to get back into it (competitive golf) because it felt really foreign to me. I didn’t know how to conduct myself under tournament conditions,” he said. “But work and my personal life straightened out. I got things back on track. It made all of the difference.”

  “It felt good to be competitive in all of the GAP events this year. I’m honored to receive this award.”