Paniccia's 5th Fresno County championship is his best yet

May 27, 2019 | by

- Scott Bemis/YourCentralValley.com video screenshot

The Fresno City golf coach rides a course record to win by the largest margin in the tournament's 92-year history

By the staff of the Fresno Bee Danny Paniccia won his fifth Fresno City Amateur Championship in dominating, record-setting fashion. He started with a Riverside Golf Course record-tying round Saturday, endured Sunday’s weather for a two-round tournament record and finished Monday with a tie for the three-round record and a record 12-shot margin of victory. The Sunnyside Country Club member shot 63-68-70 for a 15-under-par 201 total. In Saturday’s course-record round he had an eagle on the par-5 ninth, eight birdies and just one bogey (at the par-3 15th). He tied the record set by Matt Bettencourt in the 4-ball City Championships back in December 2000. Paniccia broke the record set in 2001 by former Fresno State golfer Jonathan Echols for margin of victory (nine strokes). He tied Michael Weaver’s three-round record set in 2009 when Weaver was a Clovis West High senior.

Paniccia likely benefited from a little extra competitive time on the course: He won the City Am Masters handicap flight last weekend. The Clovis West High graduate (1995) played at Fresno State and then on the Canadian Tour as a pro, leaving it in 2006. He won his first City Am in 1996 then three straight from 2010-12. Paniccia was one of only three golfers to go under par Sunday in often rainy and difficult conditions. Former Fresno State golfer Josh Watney, who shot 67 Saturday, recovered from a second-round 78 with a closing 68 to finish in a tie for second at 3-under 213 with Ryan Higton of San Joaquin Country Club (71-74-68). Watney represented Fort Washington Golf & Country Club. Michael Cliff of Belmont Country Club had Monday’s low round, a 5-under 67, to go with 72-76 for a 1-under 215 total and fourth place. Teddy Schrier of Turlock (70-73-73) and Landon Polterock of Santa Teresa (72-75-69) tied for fifth at even-par 216. Lane Pulliam of Kings River Golf & Country Club was seventh at 69-73-75–217. Casey Leebrick of Monarch Dunes (72-73-73–218) was eighth. Cutler Ayres of Kings River (74-74-71) and Michael Jura of San Joaquin (69-77-73) tied for ninth at 219. The cut at 153 left 42 of 135 golfers to tee off in Monday’s final round. Defending champion Jason Higton (76-79) was among the casualties.

Results: Fresno City Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Danny Paniccia	Fresno, CA	100	63-68-70=201
T2	Ryan Higton	San Joaquin, CA	65	71-74-68=213
T2	Josh Watney	Fresno, CA	65	67-78-68=213
4	Michael Cliff	Fresno, CA	30	72-76-67=215
T5	Landon Polterock	Fresno, CA	30	72-75-69=216