WOODBURN, OR (May 2, 2010)--The final round of the 66th OGA Tournament of Champions included both notable pairings and drama with both the Men's and Women's title going to players who came from behind to win their respective titles at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore. At the end of the day, it was Kristen Svicarovich, 25, of Hillsboro, Ore. and Scott Larson, 46, of Cottage Grove, Ore. who were crowned the Champion of Champions.
The event is a 36-hole gross stroke play competition and is one of the oldest contests amongst the regular clubs that are members of the Oregon Golf Association. The first Tournament of Champions was contested inn 1939. A Women's Division was added in 1997. A regular club is a group of 10 or more golfers that have established club bylaws, elect officers and are based at a regulation-length public or private golf course. Entrants must be the 2008 or 2009 Men's or Women's gross club champion and must be members in good standing of the club they represent. Also eligible are 2008 & 2009 Individual Gross titleholder of any Championship on any current OGA Performance Points lists as well as all past Women's Oregon Amateur Champions, 2008 Hudson Cup Team members and the Junior Amateur and Stroke Play. All champions must be amateurs and be 13 years of age or older.
In the morning, the final pairing in the Women's Division was a battle between the last three champions of the Oregon Women's Amateur. Going into the round, reigning Oregon Women's Amateur Champion, Amy Beth Simanton, 18, of Lake Oswego, Ore., held a narrow 1-stroke lead over Kate Hildahl, 21, of Tualatin, Ore., the 2008 champion and Svicarovich, the 2007 Women's Amateur Champion.
Both Hildahl and Simanton currently play collegiate golf and are next heading off to compete at the NCAA Regional. Hildahl plays plays for the number 32-ranked Oregon Ducks Women's Golf Team and recently finished tied for 23rd place at the Pac-10 Championships. Simanton plays for UC Davis and recently finished in a tie for first at the Big West Championship but lost the title on the third sudden-death playoff hole. Svicarovich, however, ended her playing days at Vanderbilt 3-years ago and as a working women, her golf is relegated to occassional practice and weekend play.
"I have a full-time job," noted Svicarovich who earned a Masters in Transportation Engineering from the University of Texas. "I just started practicing again a litte over a month ago. I try to practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings after work, and then get a round or two in on the weekends." She added, "my practice is far more effective and meaningful now; far more than when I was banging balls for hours on end when I was in college."
Simanton took herself out of the competition early, going triple bogey-double bogey on the difficult par 5 4th and 5th holes. But both Hildahl and Svicarovich battled on to the end. Hildahl was just 1-stroke off the lead with the final hole left to play where she went for broke but she doused her chances when she ended up in the greenside water hazard while Svicarovich stuck her final approach shot close to the hole and sank her putt for a birdie and a 3-stoke victory and a 2-over par 74-72--146 on the 5,618-yard layout.
The battle in the Men's Division was closer as 8 players were within 5-strokes of first round leaders David Lydell, 51 of Aloha, Ore. and Jake Wagner, 21, of Portland, Ore. Neither player, however, was able to hold onto their 2-stroke lead over the rest of the pack as scores on day two improved for many in the field as twice as many players were able to post under par rounds to move up the leaderboard.
Despite a bogey on the final hole, Larson was able to overcome a 4-stroke deficit to take the Men's title, finishing with a 1-over par 73-70--143 on the 6,519-yard par 71 layout. He gained entry into the competition winning the Men's Club Championship at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Ore., one of the finest public golf courses in the region that serves as the home of the Oregon Ducks Men's and Women's Golf Teams. Larson also just happens to be the Superintendent at the Golf Course.
Larson, who played collegiate golf at Oregon State from 1983 to 1986, dropped out of the game as he pursued a career in agronomy and golf course construction. He started playing again when he was hired by Jim Pliska as Emerald Valley's superintendent seven years ago. Now his name will join his boss' on the Perpetual trophy. Pliska won the event in 1986, 1988 and 2000. This is the first major title for Larson.
"I have to thank my wife, April," said a misty-eyed Larson. "She knows how much golf makes my happy and is always behind me 100-percent."
ABOUT THE OREGON GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Oregon Golf Association (OGA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership association. Founded in 1924, the OGA was originally established with the sole purpose of conducting the Oregon Amateur Championship. Since its founding 85 years ago, the OGA has evolved to now provide a multitude of benefits and services to approximately 50,000 individual men, women, senior, and junior members at over 270 member golf clubs and 190 golf courses throughout the Oregon and SW Washington.
Men's Division
1 Scott M Larson Emerald Valley GC 73-70--143 +1
2 David Lydell Meriwether GC 69-75--144 +2
3 Rick Dimick Centennial GC 72-73--145 +3
T4 Chad Sawyer Eastmoreland GC 76-70--146 +4
T4 Greg Harless Bandon Crossings GC 78-68--146 +4
T4 Jake Wagner Riverside Golf & CC 69-77--146 +4
7 Jim Dunlap Pumpkin Ridge - Witch 77-70--147 +5
T8 Ron Hop Chehalem Glenn GC 73-75--148 +6
T8 Sulman Raza Emerald Valley GC 74-74--148 +6
T10 Brett Taylor Gearhart GC 71-78--149 +7
T10 Pat O'Donnell Broadmoor GC 76-73--149 +7
T12 Bill Winter Columbia Edgewater CC 73-77--150 +8
T12 Casey King Tokatee GC 76-74--150 +8
T12 George Hale Oswego Lake CC 77-73--150 +8
T15 Brad Mombert Bend Golf and CC 75-76--151 +9
T15 Brian Thompson Club Green Meadows 75-76--151 +9
T15 David Park The Reserve GC 76-75--151 +9
T15 Steve Belt Bayou GC 75-76--151 +9
T19 Daniel Cheremnov The OGA GC 78-74--152 +10
T19 Dick Bartholomew Tualatin CC 78-74--152 +10
T19 Mark Bowler Meriwether GC 77-75--152 +10
T19 Sam Hahn Laurelwood GC 77-75--152 +10
T23 Bill Dischinger Oswego Lake CC 81-72--153 +11
T23 Byron Patton Rose City GC 76-77--153 +11
T23 Nick Schaan Tetherow GC 77-76--153 +11
T26 Alan Minor Forest Hills GC 76-78--154 +12
T26 David Jacobsen Waverley CC 77-77--154 +12
T26 Matt Newcombe Heron Lakes GC 81-73--154 +12
T26 Nick Rodgers Eastmoreland GC 79-75--154 +12
T30 Randy Wolf Santiam GC 78-78--156 +14
T30 Rob Matson Indian Creek GC 83-73--156 +14
T32 Josh Williams Big River GC 78-79--157 +15
T32 Kevin Klabunde Rogue Valley CC 78-79--157 +15
T32 Rick Hatton Salishan GC 81-76--157 +15
T35 Dan Pool Rose City GC 78-80--158 +16
T35 Mark Forman Orchard Hills CC 75-83--158 +16
T35 Michael Kloenne Riverside Golf & CC 80-78--158 +16
T38 Caleb Taskinen Trysting Tree GC 77-82--159 +17
T38 Ed Wilson Forest Hills GC 86-73--159 +17
T38 Matt Corley Pendleton CC 77-82--159 +17
T38 Mikey Roberts Hood River GC 79-80--159 +17
T38 Rob Bressi Laurelwood GC 81-78--159 +17
T43 James Templeton Bayou GC 82-78--160 +18
T43 Nick Fancher Sunriver Resort GC 79-81--160 +18
T43 Steve Alberts The Cedars GC 80-80--160 +18
46 Wade Bowyer Green Mountain GC 77-84--161 +19
T47 Brian Gibson Bandon Crossings GC 78-84--162 +20
T47 Lance Gilmore Willamette Valley CC 80-82--162 +20
T47 Steven Shields Gresham GC 83-79--162 +20
T50 Herman Holm Santiam GC 84-79--163 +21
T50 John Sandberg Michelbook CC 83-80--163 +21
T50 Johnny Coppedge The Oregon GC 84-79--163 +21
T50 Michael Hoopes Quail Valley GC 86-77--163 +21
T50 Timothy Amburn Diamond Woods GC 86-77--163 +21
55 Keith Thompson Alderbrook GC 86-79--165 +23
T56 Cameron Azari Red Tail 85-81--166 +24
T56 Gary Torrey Wildhorse Resort GC 81-85--166 +24
T56 John Iwamura Chinook Winds GC 83-83--166 +24
59 Jim Parks Meadowlawn GC 86-81--167 +25
T60 Jeff Lindaman Oregon City GC 81-87--168 +26
T60 Randy Harbick Tokatee GC 83-85--168 +26
T62 Aaron Barnett Condon GC 91-78--169 +27
T62 Logan Genaw Laurel Hill GC 89-80--169 +27
T62 Paul Schones Marysville GC 84-85--169 +27
65 John Smallwood Crooked River GC 89-82--171 +29
T66 Kyle Wolf Agate Beach GC 88-85--173 +31
T66 Matt Scrivner Willow Creek CC 90-83--173 +31
T66 Rich Edwards Olalla Valley GC 87-86--173 +31
T69 Antoine Garcia Oak Knoll GC 92-84--176 +34
T69 Jerom Gilbert Dutcher Creek GC 82-94--176 +34
71 Joe Pranger Willow Creek CC 94-84--178 +36
72 Morgan Vandecoevering Sunset Grove GC 89-90--179 +37
73 Jason Taylor Lewis River GC 93-87--180 +38
74 Ted Proctor China Creek GC 92-89--181 +39
75 Gene Chavez Illinois Valley GC 99-84--183 +41
76 Bob Bennett Cross Creek GC 99-92--191 +49
T77 Jonathan Romano Royal Oaks CC 78-DQ--DQ DQ
T77 Randy Mahar Columbia Edgewater CC 78-DQ--DQ DQ
Women's Division
1 Kristen Svicarovich Forest Hills GC 74-72--146 +2
2 Kate Hildahl Emerald Valley GC 74-75--149 +5
3 Lara Tennant Waverley CC 79-71--150 +6
4 Amy Beth Simanton Oswego Lake CC 73-78--151 +7
5 Brie Stone Mckenzie River GC 80-74--154 +10
6 Joan Edwards-Powell Columbia Edgewater CC 80-77--157 +13
7 Sharon Shin Langdon Farms 79-79--158 +14
8 Anita Wicks Roseburg CC 82-78--160 +16
9 Trina Jones Rogue Valley CC 81-81--162 +18
10 Charisse Spada Waverley CC 83-81--164 +20
11 Rosie Cook Awbrey Glen GC 80-85--165 +21
12 Donna Smoot The Reserve GC 83-83--166 +22
13 Kelli Miller La Grande CC 83-86--169 +25
14 Loree McKay Pumpkin Ridge - Witch 85-85--170 +26
15 Penny Saenguraiporn The Oregon GC 85-87--172 +28
T16 Helen (Rusty) Beckel Eastmoreland GC 89-84--173 +29
T16 Vonnie Core Broadmoor GC 88-85--173 +29
18 Kumiko Rodewald Pumpkin Ridge - Witch 92-87--179 +35
T19 Karyl Johnson Persimmon CC 93-87--180 +36
T19 Kim Oh Orchard Hills CC 90-90--180 +36
21 Connie Martin Persimmon CC 95-88--183 +39
22 D'nise Minor Forest Hills GC 98-96--194 +50
T23 Loreen Carr Dutcher Creek GC 100-97--197 +53
T23 Terrie Marshall Tri-Mountain GC 99-98--197 +53
25 Pat Delplanche Sunset Grove GC 117-107--224 +80