David Denlinger
The majority of David Denlinger's time on the golf course is spent battling some of the nation's top collegiate and amateur players.
That said, it's not hard to see why defending a "major" championship on the Lanco golf circuit for the first time in his life isn't exactly a big deal — at least not from a stress standpoint.
"I look forward to it because it's a local tournament," Denlinger said of defending his title at the Lanco Kelly Cadillac Open, which begins with Thursday's first round at Foxchase Golf Club at 8 a.m. "I look at it as fun. And I'm just going to play my game and try to win it."
For everyone in the 63-player field, the winning strategy, in regard to attacking the course, could be markedly different than it was even a few weeks ago, when Lancaster Country Club — a long, difficult track that will host the 2015 U.S. Women's Open — was set to house the event.
Those plans changed in the last month, when LCC — which had recently undergone a major greens reconstruction project on its Old Course — notified the Lanco Golf Association that it was having some trouble with nine of its new putting surfaces, and feared the damage would become worse by hosting a major event.
According to Lanco president Andy Tompos, the association and the club "tried every scenario," including using LCC's Highlands nine for the tournament. But in the end, moving the event to Foxchase — which was scheduled to host next year's Lanco Open — was deemed to be the best solution.
"Lancaster wanted to do (the tournament) right," Tompos said. "And they felt very bad about what was going on."
If history is any indication, there could be a lot of interesting things going on Thursday at Foxchase, starting with a marquee 8:30 a.m. pairing of Denlinger, professional Jarred Texter and Lancaster Country Club assistant pro Rusty Harbold — a trio that finished first, second and third, respectively, at last year's Lanco Open at Four Seasons.
Denlinger, a 21-year old Lancaster Mennonite graduate who will be a senior on the golf team at Charleston Southern University this fall, is coming off a spring season in which he notched four top-16 finishes in six events, before receiving an at-large bid to compete in the NCAA Division I Championships for the first time in his collegiate career.
Since then, Denlinger has added a tied-for-eighth finish at the Monroe Invitational in New York and a pair of tied-for-22nd showings in the prestigious Rice Planters tournament in South Carolina and the North/South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C.
"I feel like I played pretty well this summer," Denlinger said. "Nothing over the top, but I feel like I'm working pretty hard and I feel pretty good about my game."
A three-time Lanco Amateur champ who is yet to win a Lanco Open, Texter's game also appears to be in shape.
Since February, Texter has made eight cuts in the 13 events he's played on the North Carolina-based eGolf Professional mini tour (formerly the Tar Heel Tour), including five top-25 finishes and two top-10s.
Since mid-June, Texter has finished in the top-26 in three of his last four eGolf events.
And then there's Harbold, who's become a force in the Lanco Open in recent years.
After finishing tied for sixth in 2008 and '09, Harbold won the Lanco Open in 2010, before finishing third last year.
"I'm definitely looking forward to (playing in) that pairing," Denlinger said.
But another player who commands attention at this point is Foxchase's own Gregg Hostetter, who finished tied for sixth in this even a year ago.
After finishing tied for seventh at the Lanco Amateur in June, Hostetter teamed with Connor Lefever to win the Lanco Better Ball on July 15.
Craig Hornberger, a senior-to-be at Manheim Township, also bears watching, having finished tied for third at last month's Lanco Amateur.
Currently the Senior Division points leader on the Lancaster County Junior Golf Tour, Hornberger shot 6-under 66 in an LCJGT event Tuesday at Crossgates.
"I think you have to make birdies to have a chance," Denlinger said.
