Roth wins TOC

BOYNE FALLS – Don’t call J.R. Roth an old man.

Just call him champ. The touring professional from Flushing, who is currently attempting to build a successful Champions Tour career, shot a final-round, eight-under-par 64 to win the $65,000 Michigan PGA Boyne Tournament of Champions July 23. It is his fourth career TOC title.

“We were shooting it out there at the end, but I didn’t back down – I put up a number,” said Roth, who finished with a three-round 14-under-par total of 202 with rounds of 71-67-64. “I was fortunate to come out on the winning end.”

Roth, 50, began the third and final round one strike behind Korey Mahoney, 24, an East Lansing native who plays out of Crystal Mountain Resort. Mahoney shot 67 in the final round to finish as runner-up, two shots behind Roth, who fended Mahoney off my making birdies on the last four holes. “A win is a win. I had the same emotions here: nerves, routine, psychoanalyzing myself and trying to relax,” said Roth, who collected $10,000. He qualified for the  TOC with numerous state titles, including the Michigan Open in 1998 and ’04.