George Zahringer III (2007)

George Zahringer, a fixture of golf in the Met Area, added another Player of the Year title in 2007, giving him 10 in total and breaking his own record of nine established in 2001.

Zahringer began his run at the title early on after posting a fourth-place finish at the prestigious Hochster Memorial. Later that month, the Bear Stearns investment banker made history when he captured his fifth Ike championship beating a field dominated by youthful talent.

One week after his Ike triumph, Zahringer traveled to Wisconsin for the U.S. Senior Open, where he tied for low amateur honors on a difficult course buffeted by strong winds.

Later in the season, Zahringer took advantage of an opportunity to earn points and make even more history. At the 107th U.S. Amateur, played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Zahringer became the oldest competitor to advance to match play, and won two matches to make it to the Round of 16. The strong showing at one of the most prestigious championships in all of golf gave Zahringer 225 points making him virtually unstoppable in the race for Player of the Year.  But he wasn’t done yet.

Zahringer finished his competitive season by advancing to match play at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. This completed an impressive trifecta for Zahringer in USGA events – low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open, and match play qualifier at both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Zahringer’s final total was 844 points – a 209 point margin over Brian Komline of High Bridge Hills and a 264 point gap over third-place finisher Joe Saladino of Huntington.