Scott Raber fends off late charge to win AG's Christmas Classic
12/5/2021 | by Conner Penfold of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for AGC Christmas Classic, Del Monte Golf Course
Davis, Calif. native goes wire-to-wire to pick up the win at Del Monte Golf Course
Scott Raber captured a wire-to-wire victory at the 2021 AmateurGolf.com Christmas Classic, but it took some late-round scrambling to complete it.
The Davis, Calif. native had to fight through three straight bogeys starting on hole 14, all the while Connor Golembeski was busy birdieing four of his last six to post the lowest score of the tournament.
Raber, who wasn’t scoreboard watching, was staring down the barrel of a fourth consecutive bogey when his third at the par-5 17th shot over the green from a tight, dirt-ridden lie.
“I ended up in kind of a weird spot left of the green,” Raber said. “I could have tried getting it close, but with it sitting on the sand the last thing I wanted was to get too cute and end up in the front bunker where it probably would have plugged on me.”
PHOTO GALLERY
The 50-yard shot scurried over the green, leaving Raber a dicey downhill chip to the front pin location. He trickled it down to tap-in range with ease, moving on to the 18th where he navigated a pair of trees affecting his approach into the closing par-4.
“My playing partner Ben Corfee and I won the NCGA Four-Ball [back in 2015] but from an individual perspective, this is probably my biggest amateur victory,” Raber said.
Golembeski, a junior at the University of California-Berkeley, surprisingly left the par-5 17th off his list of closing birdies. A final circle on the scorecard on 18 gave him the clubhouse lead.
So what was the key to rattling off eight birds and nearly coming from seven back to win the tournament?
“I think it was just keeping the ball below the hole,” Golembeski said of his final-round 66. “I struggled with that yesterday on the back nine, which led to a lot of bogeys. So I made a point of it today.”
Golembeski’s teammate Simon Kwon was in the final pairing alongside Raber, and had opportunities on 17 and 18 to draw level and force a playoff but missed the green from short yardage on 17 and failed to roll in a 20-footer for birdie at the 18th. Still, impressive rounds of 69 and 72 gave the freshman from Salt Lake City, Utah a runner-up finish alongside his Cal teammate.
* * * * *
Michael Staskus and Charles Richesin
Michael Staskus made a couple of early bogeys but closed at two-under in his final 12 holes, including a birdie at the last to secure victory. He began the day four back of Cory Synnestvedt and Corey West but slowly climbed the leaderboard with his steady string of pars throughout the day.
Synnestvedt tied for second alongside Tony Ralph, while West finished in a three-way tie for fourth with Fred Mills and Charles Richesin. The latter of the two claimed the Super Senior title with rounds of 75 and 78.
* * * * *
Kristen Lee posted the only red-figure outside of the championship flight and used it to earn a three-shot win in the Net Division. Lee, who played collegiately for Chapman University in Orange, Calif., fired a 70 on Sunday that included an eagle at the par-5 15th.
First-round co-leaders Marc Sanders and Scott Henrikson took second and third place, respectively, after they were unable to follow up their 73s from Saturday.
The Davis, Calif. native had to fight through three straight bogeys starting on hole 14, all the while Connor Golembeski was busy birdieing four of his last six to post the lowest score of the tournament.
Raber, who wasn’t scoreboard watching, was staring down the barrel of a fourth consecutive bogey when his third at the par-5 17th shot over the green from a tight, dirt-ridden lie.
“I ended up in kind of a weird spot left of the green,” Raber said. “I could have tried getting it close, but with it sitting on the sand the last thing I wanted was to get too cute and end up in the front bunker where it probably would have plugged on me.”
PHOTO GALLERY
The 50-yard shot scurried over the green, leaving Raber a dicey downhill chip to the front pin location. He trickled it down to tap-in range with ease, moving on to the 18th where he navigated a pair of trees affecting his approach into the closing par-4.
“My playing partner Ben Corfee and I won the NCGA Four-Ball [back in 2015] but from an individual perspective, this is probably my biggest amateur victory,” Raber said.
Golembeski, a junior at the University of California-Berkeley, surprisingly left the par-5 17th off his list of closing birdies. A final circle on the scorecard on 18 gave him the clubhouse lead.
So what was the key to rattling off eight birds and nearly coming from seven back to win the tournament?
“I think it was just keeping the ball below the hole,” Golembeski said of his final-round 66. “I struggled with that yesterday on the back nine, which led to a lot of bogeys. So I made a point of it today.”
Golembeski’s teammate Simon Kwon was in the final pairing alongside Raber, and had opportunities on 17 and 18 to draw level and force a playoff but missed the green from short yardage on 17 and failed to roll in a 20-footer for birdie at the 18th. Still, impressive rounds of 69 and 72 gave the freshman from Salt Lake City, Utah a runner-up finish alongside his Cal teammate.
* * * * *
Michael Staskus and Charles Richesin
Synnestvedt tied for second alongside Tony Ralph, while West finished in a three-way tie for fourth with Fred Mills and Charles Richesin. The latter of the two claimed the Super Senior title with rounds of 75 and 78.
* * * * *
Kristen Lee posted the only red-figure outside of the championship flight and used it to earn a three-shot win in the Net Division. Lee, who played collegiately for Chapman University in Orange, Calif., fired a 70 on Sunday that included an eagle at the par-5 15th.
First-round co-leaders Marc Sanders and Scott Henrikson took second and third place, respectively, after they were unable to follow up their 73s from Saturday.
Results: AGC Christmas Classic
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Macero, CA | 100 | 68-72=140 | |
| T2 | Redmond, WA | 65 | 75-66=141 | |
| T2 | Salt Lake City, UT | 65 | 69-72=141 | |
| 4 | Mountain View, CA | 30 | 73-70=143 | |
| T5 | Mill Valley, CA | 30 | 74-71=145 |
About the AGC Christmas Classic
2025 GolfGenius PortalThe Christmas Classic was founded by 2-time California State Amateur Champion Casey Boyns over 20 years ago and it always attracts a great field. This is our most popular event, and year in and year out it sells out. Field limit...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s
Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original