Southwest Florida golf: Pelican Bay's Gene Fieger wins Florida Senior Open

The Club Pelican Bay's Gene Fieger survived a playoff to capture the 45th Florida Senior Open Championship on Wednesday at Miromar Lakes Golf & Beach Club. The Naples used an 5-under 211 and a par on the first playoff hole to capture the Senior Open victory.

This is Fieger’s third career Florida Senior Open victory and his first since 2018. He becomes the third person in Senior Open history to win three titles and the first since Mike San Filippo in 2008.

Fieger began the final round in a tie for sixth place, three shots behind the leaders, after rounds of 71-71 to begin the championship. After a bogey on the second and a birdie on the eighth, Fieger made the turn at 2 under for the championship.

The 2010 and 2018 champion birdied the 10th to move to 3 under and sit two shots back of Mark Mielke who held the lead. Mielke began the day with a share of the lead and took the outright lead with a birdie on the eighth. He added another birdie on the 11th to take a two-shot lead over the field.

Fieger kept it rolling on the back side, birdieing back-to-back holes on the 15th and 16th to cut Mielke’s lead to one shot. Fieger finished the final round with two-straight pars to finish with a final-round 69 and take the clubhouse lead with Todd Franks at 5-under 211.

Franks began the final round in a tie for sixth with Fieger. He got it going on the front side, birdieing three of four holes on Nos. 3-6. He ran into some trouble on the seventh with a double bogey on the seventh to make the turn at 3 under. The Fort Myers amateur carded to birdies on the back to finish the day at 5-under 211.

Mielke held the top spot on the leaderboard, heading to the 18th tee with a one-shot lead over Fieger and Franks. His second shot put him in the greenside bunker, needing to get up and down to save par and capture the win. His 20-foot putt for par lipped out and forced a playoff with Fieger and Franks.

All three players headed to the 18th tee again. Fieger hit his second shot to eight feet and two-putted for par to capture the victory.

Franks earned low amateur honors, ending the championship two shots ahead of Miles McConnell.

John Lee of Imperial shot a 71 for a 214 total and amateur J.D. Schlotterback of Golf Club of the Everglades also had a 71 to tie for fifth. Tommy Stankowski of Eastwood Golf Course tied for 20th at 217, and Rokki Rogan, an amateur from Cypress Lake, tied for 31st at 220.

Amateur P.J. Murphy from Plantation Golf & Country Club and The Forest's Scott Newhouse tied for 47th at 223.

Terry Werner, an amateur from Pelican Preserve, was 53rd at 224, and Mark Doss of Gulf Harbour and Stan Geer of Bentley Village tied for 58th at 226. Dave Bunker, an amateur from Plantation Golf & Country Club, tied for 60th at 227, and Jim Marcelak, an amateur from Gateway, was 67th at 233.

Florida Women's Senior Amateur: Boynton Beach's Terrill Samuel survived a triple-bogey on the fourth hole to edge Naples' Mary Jane Hiestand, a Hideout Golf Club member, by two strokes to win at Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club in Naples on Wednesday. Samuel finished at 221.

The triple bogey dropped Samuel into a tie with Hiestand, but Samuel played the final 14 holes in 2 under to hold off Hiestand. She bounced back with birdies on Nos. 7 and 9, and added another on No. 17 after a bogey on No. 14. Hiestand was two back going to the back nine, and birdied No. 10 to draw within a stroke, but bogeyed Nos. 11 and 13. She had a birdie on No. 15 to get within one.

Naples' Kathy Glennon, Bonita Springs' Kim Keyer-Scott and Cape Coral's Gigi Higgins all tied for seventh at 233. Amy Kennedy of Naples tied for 13th at 237, and Sydney Wells of Bonita Springs tied for 15th at 238. Naples' Natalie McNicholas tied for 26th at 245.

Betsy Knights and Diane Chancellor of Naples tied for 31st at 253. Melanie DeGroff of Naples was 40th at 260.

Naples' Kerstin Koenig won the Senior Field Flight Gross with a 168. Jennie Taylor of Naples was second in the Super Senior Field Flight with a 174.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Southwest Florida golf: Pelican Bay's Gene Fieger wins Florida Senior Open