MURRIETA, Calif. (April 26, 2007)-- Displaying balance up and down its roster and a finishing kick, Mission Hills Country Club of Rancho Mirage defeated Oakmont CC of Glendale, 28-20, at The SCGA Golf Course to win the Thursday division of the 107th Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) Team Play.
The victory was the second title for Mission Hills in the past four years. Oakmont was playing in the finals for the first time since 1976.
With two points counting for each win and halved matches counting one point each, Mission Hills eased out to a 12-6 lead after the first three groups and Oakmont could not erase the deficit. When Mission Hills’ final group, David Raab and Charles Carry, swept their individual and four-ball matches, the players in the 7th group conceded their matches at that point to compute the final score.
Oakmont was giving 49 handicap strokes to Mission Hills. The singles were almost evenly divided (17-15 in favor of Mission Hills) but the desert group proved strong in the four-ball matches winning five and halving one.
After winning its group, Mission Hills defeated PGA West, Rancho Las Palmas CC and Chula Vista GC to reach the semifinals, where it eliminated Marbella CC to move on to the finals, San Gabriel CC and Industry Hills GC to reach the semifinals where it knocked off Antelope Valley CC.
FINAL SCORE: Mission Hills d. Oakmont, 28-20
SINGLES MATCHES:
Fred Stroock (M) d. Robert Veeh (O), 1 up (M: 2 pts)
Brian Woolf (O) d. Steve Ariens M), 3 & 2 (O: 2 pts)
John Fisher (M) d. Gary Fox (O), 4 & 3 (M: 2 pts)
Kevin Grahn (O) d. Richard Umbenhauer (M), 3 & 2 (O: 2 pts).
Dennis Sibson (M) d. John Minnick (O), 1 up (M: 2 pts)
John Hillman (O) d. √Mike Noland (M), 3 & 1 (O: 2 pts)
Mike Hamilton (O) d. Richard Gorosh (M), 4 & 3 (O: 2 pts)
David Lieberman (M) d, Thomas Causey (O), 2 up (M: 2 pts)
Steven Archer (O) d. Larry McDermid (O), 6 & 5 (O: 2 pts)
Paul Panico (M) d. Robert Carter (O), 6 & 5 (M: 2 pts)
Doyl Burkett (M) d. Larry Rubenstein (O), 3 & 2 (M: 2 pts)
Kent Kitchen (O) d. Carrington Clark (M) d, 3 & 2 (O: 2 pts)
Michael Sarafian (M) halved/concedede Alex Venneri (O) (1 pt each)
Jon Kagawa (O) d. Moe Quirk (M), 1 up/conceded (O: 2 pts)
David Raab (M) d. Carl Light (O), 4 & 3 (M: 2 pts)
Charles Carry (M) d. Marcus Fishman (O), 5 & 3 (M: 2 pts)
Singles totals: Mission Hills, 17, Oakmont, 15
FOUR-BALL MATCHES:
Stroock-Ariens (M) d. Veeh-Woolf (O), 2 & 1 (M: 2 pts).
Fisher-Umbenhauer (M) d. Fox-Grahan (O), 2 up (M): 2 pts).
Sibson-Noland (M) • Minnick-Hillman (O), 1 up (M: 2 pts)
Hamilton-Causey (O) d. Gorosh-Lieberman (M), 2 up (O: 2)
McDermid-Panico (M) halved Archer-Carter (O); (1 pt each)
Burkett-Clark (M) d. Rubenstein-Kitchen (O), 3 & 2 (M: 2 pts)
Sarafian-Quirk (M) d. Venneri-Kagawa (O), 1 up/conceded (O: 2 pts)
Raab-Carry (M) d. Light-Fishman (O), 5 & 3 (M: 2 pts)
--Story courtesy SCGA
