Anderson nearly holed out on the 9th hole of the Zinfandel course in regulation and Pavletich later sank a 6-foot birdie putt on the hole to win a sudden-death playoff over Jon Peterson and Eddie Davis, as the two picked up a win at the annual NCGA Master Division Four-Ball Championship held at par-72 Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore.

Both the Anderson/Pavelich tandem and the team of Peterson/Davis finished regulation with tournament record scores of 16-under 128. The previous mark was 129, set by the 2009 winning combo of Mark Hill and James Hay.

“This feels real good,” said Pavletich, who could have ended things earlier had he made a 6-foot putt on the 17th hole (No.8 Zinfandel course) during regulation. “It’s our first big win together.”

The two Bakersfield residents, who met through team play back in 2000, got their first big break when Anderson almost holed out on the 18th hole (the Zinfandel 9th). While the 52-year-old would miss out on an eagle, Anderson only needed to tap-in for a birdie that gave the two their second 8-under 64 and a total of 128. The birdie would end up being huge, because Peterson, playing with Davis in the same final foursome, just minutes later made a 13-foot birdie putt on the 18th that gave the Peterson/Davis team a final round 63 and 36-hole total of 128.

In the sudden-death playoff, the two squads would halve the first two holes (No.1 and No.2 on the Zinfandel course). After heading back to the 9th, it was Pavletich’s turn, as the 41-year-old calmly sank the winning putt following missed birdie attempts by Davis and Peterson.

“I knew on 18 that I had to hit it in there because Mark’s ball was in the right rough,” said Anderson of his heroics in regulation. “Then Mark made his putt.”

In Monday’s first round, Pavletich and Anderson had opened with a leading 8-under 64 after the duo put up a 67 and 68 on their own balls. In the finale, the two had to ham and egg a bit more, but they’d still post eight birdies. Not once over their 36 holes did the two pencil in a bogey.

“We knew we were playing well,” said Anderson about coming down the stretch. “We knew Jon and Eddie were playing well, but we figured we’d still be in the hunt.”

Davis and Peterson’s 63 featured 10 birdies, but also a bogey on the Chardonnay course’s par-4 6th. The two made their big late push by carding a 29 on the back-nine.

“That last hole of regulation was a lot of fun to play,” Davis said. “Jon made a clutch putt.”

“We had to go low on the back-nine just to get into that playoff. They (Anderson and Pavletich) played well,” added Anderson.

Before the final twosomes did their thing on the 18th, it appeared that there could be a different playoff. The tandems of David Schnapp and Tom Harmon and defending champs Jeff Gilchrist and Steve Woods each posted day-low 62′s to come in at 15-under 129.

For Gilchrist and Woods, who were looking to become the first back-to-back winners since Randy Haag and Darryl Donovan, the difference was just one too many putts that refused to fall into the cup.

“We both had six to eight putts over the two days that could have gone down,” Gilchrist said.

Fifth place went to the team of Mark Miller and Chris Miller, who had a final round 63 to finish at 131.

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