LA HABRA HEIGHTS, Calif. (Sept. 18, 2007)--Rich Tolly of Laguna Hills gave himself an early birthday present at Hacienda Golf Club today. One day before his 57th birthday, Tolly won a four-man, three-hole aggregate playoff by two shots to capture the 30th Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) Senior Amateur Championship.
One of those he defeated, first-round leader Robert Carver of Fullerton, captured the SCGA Super Senior Amateur Championship (for golfers age 65 and older) by 10 shots over Robert Wernick of Rancho Mirage.
The 72-year-old Carver, the Hacienda GC club champion, was bidding to become the first person ever to win both events and the oldest to win a SCGA individual title, but ultimately a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 seventh hole and a double-bogey 7 on the 10th hole left the door open for his challengers. After shooting 1-under-par 70 yesterday, Carver shot 77 today for a 147 total, 5-over-par for the two rounds.
“It just wasn’t meant to be,” Carver said after the playoff.
Tolly, a member at El Niguel CC, also finished at 147 (74-73) and when he signed his scorecard assumed he was out of championship fray.
“I didn’t think I could win,” he said later, ”because there were too many good players in front of me. So, when I found out I was in a playoff, I was stunned.”
That a playoff was needed at all was courtesy of two-time champion Steve Bogan of Placentia, who came to the 416-yard, par-4 finishing hole with a two-shot lead. Bogan left his approach shot short of the green, but still need only to make bogey to secure his third title.
“The last thing I told myself was not to leave it short,” said Bogan later.
He didn’t, powering the chip through the green and into a greenside bunker, then failing to get up and down.
That left Bogan, Carver, Tolly and Jim Seymour of Bakersfield, who also shot 74-73, to battle it out in a three-hole, total-score playoff. Tolly and Seymour both made par 4s on the first playoff hole (the 387-yard ninth), while Bogan and Carver posted bogey 5s. Tolly, Seymour and Bogan all made par 5s on the 17th hole, but Carver’s bogey 6 left him two shots behind.
On the 18th hole, Tolly nailed a six iron-shot 157 yards into the wind, stopping 12 feet from the flagstick. Seymour’s approach shot landed in a greenside bunker and when he flew his explosion shot into a bunker behind the green, the door was open for Tolly, who two-putted for the victory.
“I’m absolutely speechless,” said Tolly afterwards. “I’ve never won anything in my life and to win this event against this quality field is unbelievable. I hit every shot really solid in the playoff and it turned out to be enough.”
Tolly’s 25-year-old son, Ryan, was caddieing and proved to be a critical asset on the 429-yard 14th hole.
“I had about a 15-foot birdie putt,” said Rich Tolly later, “and I read to break right. Ryan said, ‘No way, dad; it’s going to break a ball to the left.’ Good thing I listened to him because it rolled right in the hole.” That was his only birdie on the day; he also had three bogeys and 17 pars (including the playoff holes).
|
Name/Hometown |
Rd.1 |
Rd.2 |
Tot. |
T1 |
Rich Tolly, Laguna Hills, CA |
74 |
73 |
147 |
T1 |
Steve Bogan, Placentia, CA |
74 |
73 |
147 |
T1 |
Robert Carver*, Fullerton, CA |
70 |
77 |
147 |
T1 |
Jim Seymour, Bakersfield, CA |
74 |
73 |
147 |
T5 |
Steve Rhorer, Costa Mesa, CA |
75 |
74 |
149 |
T5 |
Scott Parker, Placentia, CA |
73 |
76 |
149 |
T5 |
Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, CA |
73 |
76 |
149 |
8 |
Jerry Michals, Carlsbad, CA |
75 |
76 |
151 |
9 |
Dave Crawford, Camarillo, CA |
76 |
76 |
152 |
T10 |
Warren Caves, Newport Beach, CA |
80 |
73 |
153 |
T10 |
Charley Griswold, Ojai, CA |
80 |
73 |
153 |
T10 |
Gregory Hetzer, San Pedro, CA |
79 |
74 |
153 |
T10 |
Steve Yavorsky, Capistrano Beach, CA |
75 |
78 |
153 |
T10 |
Rick Herrera, Orange, CA |
73 |
80 |
153 |
T10 |
James Myers, Oceanside, CA |
74 |
79 |
153 |
16 |
Robert Forster, Huntington Beach, CA |
74 |
80 |
154 |
T17 |
Scott Monroe, Julian, CA |
76 |
79 |
155 |
T17 |
Bob Stermon, San Diego, CA |
76 |
79 |
155 |
T17 |
Stephen Friend, Redondo Beach, CA |
74 |
81 |
155 |
T20 |
Jim Krusen, San Diego, CA |
80 |
76 |
156 |
T20 |
Jim Lovell, Yorba Linda, CA |
79 |
77 |
156 |
T20 |
Karl Stewart, Hemet, CA |
78 |
78 |
156 |
T20 |
Donald Ludwig, San Diego, CA |
77 |
79 |
156 |
T24 |
Jim Saivar, San Diego, CA |
81 |
76 |
157 |
T24 |
Robert Wernick*, Rancho Mirage, CA |
82 |
75 |
157 |
T24 |
Paul Shimoff , Redlands, CA |
78 |
79 |
157 |
T27 |
Michael Uptegraff, Irvine, CA |
81 |
77 |
158 |
T27 |
Richard Oh, Chino Hills, CA |
78 |
80 |
158 |
T27 |
Patrick Rohan, San Diego, CA |
78 |
80 |
158 |
T30 |
Peter Daley*, Newport Beach, CA |
80 |
79 |
159 |
T30 |
Bob Jordan, La Habra, CA |
78 |
81 |
159 |
T30 |
Mas Matsumoto*, Monterey Park, CA |
78 |
81 |
159 |
T33 |
Randy Blackman, Glendora, CA |
81 |
79 |
160 |
T33 |
Robert Latiano, Carlsbad, CA |
80 |
80 |
160 |
T33 |
Chip Bridges, Encinitas, CA |
80 |
80 |
160 |
T33 |
Steven Hakes, San Diego, CA |
76 |
84 |
160 |
T33 |
Frank Merhar*, La Jolla, CA |
87 |
73 |
160 |
T38 |
James R. Haxton, Santa Ana, CA |
81 |
80 |
161 |
T38 |
Tony Reboton, Palm Desert, CA |
81 |
80 |
161 |
T38 |
Thomas Hofman, Sierra Madre, CA |
82 |
79 |
161 |
T38 |
Rene Grivel, San Juan Capistrano, CA |
85 |
76 |
161 |
T38 |
George Hunter, Agoura Hills |
76 |
85 |
161 |
T38 |
Larry Grant, Westminster, CA |
87 |
74 |
161 |
T44 |
Allen Belknap, Alta Loma, CA |
85 |
77 |
162 |
T44 |
Beau Miller, Los Angeles, CA |
85 |
77 |
162 |
T46 |
Jack Rector, Thousand Oaks, CA |
81 |
82 |
163 |
T46 |
Donald Garczewski, Carlsbad, CA |
84 |
79 |
163 |
T46 |
Michael Hogan, Oxnard, CA |
80 |
83 |
163 |
T46 |
Stephen Shuchter, San Diego, CA |
85 |
78 |
163 |
T46 |
Don Baker, Woodland Hills, CA |
85 |
78 |
163 |
T46 |
William Cvengros, San Juan Capistrano, CA |
85 |
78 |
163 |
T52 |
Lee Anson, Escondido, CA |
82 |
82 |
164 |
T52 |
Ralph Rubenstein*, La Quinta, CA |
84 |
80 |
164 |
T52 |
Lloyd Sappington*, Ranch Santa Fe, CA |
83 |
81 |
164 |
T55 |
Ray Vanyo*, Banning, CA |
84 |
81 |
165 |
T55 |
John Donnelly, San Diego, CA |
85 |
80 |
165 |
T57 |
Mike Wilcock, Irvine, CA |
80 |
86 |
166 |
T57 |
Bill Cunerty, Mission Viejo, CA |
80 |
86 |
166 |
T57 |
Tom Eastlack*, Prescott, AZ |
83 |
83 |
166 |
T57 |
Barry Glaser, Upland, CA |
80 |
86 |
166 |
T57 |
Jim Miller*, Carlsbad, CA |
84 |
82 |
166 |
T57 |
Douglas Swinehart, Pauma Valley, CA |
84 |
82 |
166 |
T63 |
Ken Krieger*, La Quinta, CA |
82 |
85 |
167 |
T63 |
Dick Logan*, San Diego, CA |
83 |
84 |
167 |
T63 |
John Paige, La Jolla, CA |
83 |
84 |
167 |
66 |
Bill Clemo*, Ventura, CA |
83 |
85 |
168 |
T67 |
Robert Vales*, Cardiff, CA |
82 |
87 |
169 |
T67 |
Avio Piombetti, Encino, CA |
88 |
81 |
169 |
T69 |
Howard Paulson*, Yorba Linda, CA |
85 |
85 |
170 |
T69 |
Herbert Young*, Los Angeles, CA |
85 |
85 |
170 |
T69 |
David Hamdorf, San Clemente, CA |
87 |
83 |
170 |
T69 |
Douglas Tambara, Huntington Beach, CA |
87 |
83 |
170 |
T73 |
Steve Wilson*, Solana Beach, CA |
83 |
88 |
171 |
T73 |
Philip Lawler, Lake Forest, CA |
85 |
86 |
171 |
T73 |
Bill Brooks* , Simi Valley, CA |
87 |
84 |
171 |
T73 |
Patrick Russell, Camarillo, CA |
93 |
78 |
171 |
T77 |
Stephen Grubman, North Hollywood, CA |
85 |
87 |
172 |
T77 |
Bob Claydon, Aliso Viejo, CA |
86 |
86 |
172 |
79 |
James Hopkins, West Hills, CA |
87 |
86 |
173 |
80 |
Bruce Short, Palos Verdes Estates, CA |
85 |
90 |
175 |
81 |
Jerome Napier*, Venice, CA |
92 |
85 |
177 |
82 |
Tom McCutcheon*, Cypress, CA |
85 |
94 |
179 |
83 |
Bob Warburton*, Bermuda Dunes, CA |
91 |
90 |
181 |
|
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Story by Robert D. Thomas, SCGA