SF City Championship: Saturday 2/19 Qualifying Notebook

19 Feb 2005
see also: San Francisco City 2024 MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP, TPC Harding Park Golf Course
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Up-and-down at Lincoln's 18th for 69

Story by Elizabeth Kricfalusi , for amateurgolf.com

San Francisco, CA (Feb 19, 2005) -- On a day that saw a steady morning drizzle turn into a torrential downpour by mid-afternoon, the players of the 2005 San Francisco City Golf Championship struggled to make par-72 at Harding Park, one of two venues for the tournament. Rick Reinsberg, who won the tournament two years ago, and Domingo Jojola were exceptions, tying each other with the low Harding Park score of 70.

The Lincoln Park crowd fared a bit better against the inclement weather, with Ryan Trask posting a 2-under-par 66 and several players finishing in the high 60s.

“Some of the young bucks can really play, and the elements don’t seem to bother them very much,” said Judith Powell, Tournament Director.

Another consequence of the wet conditions was the continual request by players to take embedded-ball relief, according to Michael Sweeney, Assistant Director of Rules & Competitions for the NCGA. However, even Sweeney was surprised by one particular lie he reviewed.

Taylor Hobin, a 19-year-old member of the University of San Francisco golf team, had hit a perfect tee shot down the middle of Lincoln’s 18th fairway, and then pitched an 8-iron just over the green.

“The ball made a big old indentation mark and popped out again, and then it was just sitting on the corner,” said Hobin.

Sweeney was called out to make a ruling, but since the ball no longer lay within the pitch-mark, it could not be considered an embedded ball. And although the pitch-mark was directly behind the ball, Hobin was not entitled to stamp it down, as that would have improved the area of the intended swing—only permissible on the green. Hobin calmly rose to the challenge and made an impeccable chip shot to land the ball within a few feet of the pin. He then holed his putt to make par, finishing out the day with an impressive round of 69.

Other notable highlights from the first round:

-- Danny Buell, who had prequalified on Friday with the day’s low score of 63, shot 72 at Lincoln Park.

-- Bob Niger, last year’s City Championship runner-up and this year’s current leader in amateurgolf.com Championship Division points, ended his day at Harding Park with a solid 75.

-- Despite the rain, all players were required to walk the course. However, caddies were permitted to use carts to transport the players’ clubs.

The top 63 players after Sunday’s round, along with defending champion Steve Sparolini, will advance to the first round of match play that will take place February 26-27 at Harding Park.

click here for updated full-field scores from the SF City Championship website

click here for Men's Open Division match play brackets

ABOUT THE San Francisco City Championship

>> TOUR PORTAL

*An NCGA Points Tournament*

**New Entry Procedure for 2024: Registration opens for all players on October 1. There will be 50 spots held for exempt players under the following categories:

* The past 10 years of the San Francisco City Golf Champions
* 2023 San Francisco City Men’s Championship Match Play Qualifiers
* Top 20 men’s 2022-2023 NCGA Points Lists
* 2023 NCGA Champions (Amateur, Mid- Amateur, Junior)
* The top 3 finishers in each of the 6 AmateurGolf.com Winter Tour events (Dec 2023-Feb 2024)

Registration for exempt players, and for non- exempt players with a handicap index of 6.4 or lower as of the date of entry, opens on October 1 and will remain open until the field limit (120 players including spots reserved for exempt players) is reached. When the field limit is reached, all additional registrants will be entered in the pre-qualifier at Presidio Golf Club on Friday, March 8, 2024.

Once entries close, if there are any unfilled spots in the Men's Championship (due to fewer than 50 exempt players registering or withdrawals), they will be filled by Pre- Qualifier registrants in the order in which they registered.

Players entering pre-qualifying will pay an entry fee of $165 for the pre-qualifier, and those advancing from the pre-qualifier will pay the remainder of the entry fee (must be paid prior to playing).

The 36-hole match play qualifier will be held March 9-10, 2024, with 18 holes played at TPC Harding Park and 18 holes at Presidio Golf Course for a combined 36-hole qualifying score.

There will be 156 players in the qualifying round with 64 players advancing to match play. When all qualifying has been completed, the Men’s Championship Flight will consist of 64 contestants. In the event of a playoff to qualify for match play, a player must be present in order to retain his right to participate in the playoff.

Match play will begin on March 16, 2024. All match play for the Championship Flight (Mar 16-17, 23-24) will be held at TPC Harding Park.

A schedule of all dates of play can be found on the tournament website sfgolfchampionship.com.

WITHDRAWALS AND REFUND POLICY
Players needing to withdraw should do so by filling out the form at sfgolfchampionship.com/con tact/. Players withdrawing before the entry deadline of February 19 will receive a refund of their entry fee minus $50. There will be no refunds after the entry deadline.

CART POLICY
The use of carts is prohibited for players and caddies in the Men’s Championship Flight (Appendix I – Local Rule Applies)

SPECIAL OFFER TO SF CITY PLAYERS:

SF City players get 50% off Strackaline Yardage Books! CLICK HERE for details

ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
The oldest municipal tournament in the USA. Match play event with scratch men's, senior men’s, women's, senior women’s, and open flight divisions. Past champions include Ken Venturi, Harvie Ward, Juli Inkster, Bob Rosburg, George Archer, and Dorothy Delasin. Some of the “non winners” include Tom Watson and Johnny Miller. Click the “history” tab for more about this wonderful event.

View Complete Tournament Information

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