NCGA Senior Four Ball: Berg & Thompson by 3

19 Sep 2007
see also: Northern California Senior Four-Ball Championship, Poppy Hills Golf Course
SHARE:

- photo courtesy NCGA

PEBBLE BEACH (Sept 19, 2007) – As Rob Thompson sunk his birdie putt on the 18th green, his playing partner and best friend Bob Berg shook his hand with delight. For the second time in three years Berg and Thompson captured the Senior Four-Ball Championship at Poppy Hills, the first team to do so since the tournaments inception nine years ago.

Producing seven birdies en route to a final round 66, the pair finished with a 17-under-par 199. “We did a good job taking care of each other. We did it all three days actually,” stated Thompson.

Berg and Thompson’s friendship extends beyond the golf course as the two have known each other since high school. Berg even jokes that Thompson married his fifth grade girlfriend. It is the lifelong friendship however, that set the pace for the duo. Defending champions Herb Jensen and Mark Miller rounded out the final pairing and made a great run with a final round 69 to finish in second three strokes back.

“Mark and Herb are excellent players and we knew that. They looked really good on paper coming into today so we did not know what to expect,” said Berg. Thompson added “Bob played the frontside great and then I had to turn it on for the backside. We really just know how to read each other”.

As for Olympic Club members and playing partners Gary Vanier and John Enright, they held onto third place for the third day and completed the championship with a 205, six strokes off the winning pace.

Berg and Thompson continued to joke that they’ve only played together for three years because their wives made them and they will continue to play until their wives make them quit. It was a comfort level that allowed the pair to win the event twice. “When your name is on the trophy the most, it is always more fun”, concluded Thompson.

Final results, from the Par 72 Poppy Hills Golf Club, follow:

Pos	Player	Club		Player	Club	Rd1	Rd2	Rd3	Tot
1	Bob Berg	Riverview GCC	&	Rob Thompson	Merced GCC	65	68	66	199
2	Mark Miller	Roddy Ranch GC	&	Herb Jensen	Del Paso CC	66	67	69	202
3	John Enright	The Olympic Club	&	Gary Vanier	The Olympic Club	68	69	68	205
4	Rob Adolph	San Joaquin CC	&	Douglas Johnson	Fig Garden GC	70	72	64	206
5	R. F. Martin	Plumas Lake GCC	&	Jim Whisman	Plumas Lake GCC	65	76	67	208
T6	Dennis Younglove	El Macero CC	&	Steven Wolf	Woodbridge GCC	69	69	71	209
T6	Jim Knoll	Rooster Run GC	&	Paul Balatti	Mayacama GC	70	69	70	209
8	Joe Beato	Sunnyside CC	&	Gregory Saiki	Sunnyside CC	67	71	73	211
T9	Rex Massier	Green Valley CC	&	Obie Anderson	Antioch GC	70	71	71	212
T9	Bill Bowen	Lincoln Hills GC	&	Tom Lewandowski	Rancho Murieta CC	70	72	70	212
T9	Jim Ono	Cypress GC	&	Robert Blomberg	Chuck Corica GC	69	72	71	212
T9	Lou Alvarez	Black Oak GC	&	Shellton Washburn	Meadow Club	70	72	70	212
T9	David Ellis	Granite Bay GC	&	Chris McKenna	Sunset Whitney CC	73	67	72	212
T9	Barry Brady	Gilroy GC	&	Paul Balbas	San Juan Oaks GC	68	73	71	212
T15	Carl Selkirk	Butte Creek CC	&	Dave Parsons	Chardonnay GC	69	70	74	213
T15	Clement Richardson	Corral de Tierra CC	&	Chip Campion	Corral de Tierra CC	72	72	69	213
T15	Bob Fleming	Sacramento GC	&	Jim J Haley	Empire Ranch GC	68	72	73	213
T15	James Sullivan	Pasatiempo GC	&	Ken Slasor	Pacific Grove GL	69	70	74	213
T15	Thomas O’Grady	Los Altos GCC	&	Jon Jew	Valley Hi CC	73	69	71	213
T15	Charles Gillespie	San Francisco GC	&	Stephen Smith	Monterey Peninsula CC	70	72	71	213
T15	Clifford Davis	Green Valley CC	&	Bob Olds	Brentwood GC	66	72	75	213
T15	Steven MacIlraith	Coyote Run GC	&	Richard Paiko	Wildhorse GC	68	71	74	213
23	Don Geisen	Bayonet GC	&	Dave Basham	Rancho Canada GC	71	73	70	214
T24	Charles D Crabtree	Fort Washington GCC	&	Bobby Fries	Fort Washington GCC	71	70	74	215
T24	Marshall Raymer	Castlewood CC	&	Tony Wilmer	Castlewood CC	72	70	73	215
T24	David W Goettsch	Roddy Ranch GC	&	Bruce Swanson	Roddy Ranch	74	69	72	215
T27	Gary Conti	De Laveaga GC	&	John B Cahoon	Sharon Heights GCC	71	72	73	216
T27	Michael Butler	The Olympic Club	&	Earl Stewart	Meadow Club	74	69	73	216
T29	Robert Eberle	Pajaro Valley GC	&	Charles Richesin	Woodbridge GCC	70	72	75	217
T29	Robert Reed	Castlewood CC	&	Jay Guerin	Chuck Corica GC	73	69	75	217
31	Tom Lyons	Castlewood CC	&	Terry Ackerman	Oakhurst CC	71	73	75	219
32	James Clarke	San Luis Obispo CC	&	Lee Jeberjahn	San Luis Obispo CC	75	69	76	220

ABOUT THE NCGA Senior Four-Ball

First played in 1999, the NCGA Senior Four-Ball Championship is a two-person, better-ball scratch event for senior (age 55+) and super senior (65+) golfers. The format is 54 holes four-ball stroke play (18 holes per day) over three days. After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low 30 teams and ties. Max handicap 9.4.