San Diego County Open: Michael Slesinski wins the tightly contested tournament

October 26, 2023 | by Amit Pandey of AmateurGolf.com

Michael Slesinski beats Jack Rahon for the title (Photo - SCPGA)

Slesinski defeated Jack Rahon in a playoff to win the championship

Michael Slesinski of La Quinta and Jack Rahon of Orange, CA both finished with impressive 13-under-par scores. In an exciting playoff at the Enagic San Diego County Open Championship, Slesinski won the tournament played out at Enagic GC at Eastlake in Chula Vista, CA.

Slesinski carded rounds of 69-64-67, a performance equaled by Rahon, a recent graduate from Seattle University, with his scores of 69-67-64. This strong showing from both players led to an intense playoff for the title.

Slesinski began the final round in a shared third place, trailing Harry Rudolph of La Jolla, the 36-hole leader with an impressive 11-under 131. Meanwhile, Rahon found himself farther down the leaderboard, trailing Rudolph by six strokes at 5-under 137. However, he delivered a remarkable final-round 7-under 64, the lowest score of the day, to bridge the gap and join Slesinski in contention.

They traded pars through the initial two playoff holes, setting the stage for a decisive moment on the challenging par-3 No. 17, with a green guarded by water and bunkers. Slesinski's precise tee shot landed just eight feet from the pin, increasing the pressure, while Rahon's shot unfortunately found the water hazard. With just two putts required, Slesinski sealed his victory.

San Diego's Alex Chiarella matched Rudolph for a shared third-place finish at 12-under 201, while Corey Shaun from Encinitas secured a solo fifth place with an impressive 11-under 202 over 54 holes.

Out of the 44 amateurs in the tournament, only two successfully made the 36-hole cut set at 2-over 73.

Jack Townsend, a junior at San Diego State, consistently played at 3-over-par over three days, securing a T-32nd finish and earning the distinction of being the Low Amateur. Zhengfei (Richard) Han followed closely, tying for 36th place with a total score of 4-over 217.

Results: San Diego County Open

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
T32	Jack Townsend	San Diego, CA	20	70-74-72=216
T36	Zhengfei (Richard) Han	Irvine, CA	20	69-74-74=217

View full results for San Diego County Open

About the San Diego County Open

San Diego County Open: Michael Slesinski wins the tightly contested tournament

Contested since 1929, this is a 54-hole, stroke play championship. Cut to low 39 and ties following 36- holes. Open to Professionals and Amateurs. No qualifying, open entry. Amateurs must carry an index of 4.0 or below at time of entry. Max field is ...