NCGA Masters: Looper ekes one out
NCGA photo
PEBBLE BEACH (July 8, 2008)--Jamie Looper thought he might have blown his chances when he missed a one-foot tap-in putt on the 13th hole at Spyglass Hill. But the reigning Master Division Four-Ball Champion walked off the 18th green with a smile on his face, an even-par 72 on his scorecard and the 2008 Master Division Championship to his name.
The Oakdale member rolled in a 5-foot putt on the final hole for birdie to finish at two-over-par 146 for the tournament and a two-stroke win over Olympic Club’s Randy Haag.
Looper and Haag were tied going down 18, although Looper didn’t know exactly how he stood.
“I had missed a short birdie putt on 17" he said. "I knew that I had to make birdie [on 18] to have a chance at getting in a playoff.”
While Haag said that he “hit a lot of loose shots out there,” it was a bogey on 18 that meant a two-stroke swing in a match that had been back and forth between the two players all day.
Looper’s philosophy on the course appears to be working.
“My focus out here is not to overpower the golf course," he said. "I managed the golf course very well over the two days.”
Currently ranked 10th on the NCGA Points list, Looper has qualified for the NCGA Championship in August and also is looking to make the Hanna-Wehrman Cup team again for the third year in a row.
It was Tom Moshier of Kings River who produced the heartbreak story of the tournament. While he began the day back in fifth place, Moshier had played excpetional golf to get his score to one-under-par and tied for the lead after the 16th hole. It was tough last two holes in which Moshier posted a triple-bogey on 18 and finished the day at six-over-par 150 to tie in third with Burlingame Golf Center’s Chris Aliaga.
--Courtesy NCGA