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52-year-old Randy Haag of The Olympic Club carded six birdies to take a one stroke lead at the Preserve Golf Club
by Scott Seward, for amateurgolf.com
CARMEL, Calif. (October 27, 2011) - Randy
Haag of Burlingame, Calif. has a one-stroke
lead after the first round of the 20th annual
Stocker Cup at the Preserve GC. The 52-
year-old carded six birdies in posting a 4-
under 68, but still left the course frustrated
after a bogey on the 18th hole.
"We're all looking for the perfect round,"
Haag said. "But you have to remind yourself
that it's a 72-hole tournament. The patience
aspect is important here - where to be
aggressive and where not to be.
"But the course is in fantastic shape, and
winning this would be a wonderful way to
end the year."
Indeed, Haag won his sixth overall and third
consecutive Northern California Golf
Association Player-of-the-Year award and
earned low amateur honors for the second
straight year at the British Senior Open.
Earlier this month, the Olympic Club member
won his seventh club championship in a 13-
and-12 blowout win. Haag, the '92 and '97
champion of this event, is seeking his first
win in the championship at the Preserve,
after finishing runner-up five times.
San Jose's Anthony Barrera is one shot
behind Haag. The Ranch Club member has
tasted success in the past two U.S. Mid-
Amateurs, finishing in the quarterfinals and
final 16. The 27-year-old is playing in his first
Stocker Cup.
Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, a three-time U.S.
Amateur medalist, is three back of the
leader. The Green Valley member is tied for
third place with Jason Pridmore of Ventura.
"These greens are tough," the 48-year-old
Wilson said, echoing the feeling of many in
the field. "You have to putt defensively.
Sometimes you're happy with two putts from
eight feet."
Two-time defending champion Kevin Marsh
of Henderson, Nev. posted an even-par 72,
and is four back.
David Nelson of Reno and Doug Pool of Las
Vegas are tied for the lead in the Tatum
Cup, for "A" golfers aged 55 and older.
Nelson and Pool carded even-par 72s. The
shots of the day came from Russ Newman of
Fargo, ND, who holed out twice from exactly
111 yards (both shots came on par fours) for
two eagles in shooting 73 (one of a slew of
players posting that mark).
The Preserve's Brad Stroh has the lead in
the Elliott Cup, a 54-hole best-ball team
competition that pits one of the scratch A-
Players with a B-Player competing at 90
percent of his assigned handicap. Stroh and
partner Jerry Ledzinski of Monterey carded a
net best-ball 61.
The Elliot Trophy is presented after
Saturday's third round. The top 16 "A"
players and ties along with the top 4 senior
players will advance to the final round on
Sunday.
Notes: A frost delay, not uncommon for
Carmel Valley this time of year, held up the
start of play for an hour ... Straight Down
and Titleist Fittingworks were on hand,
allowing players to get custom fitted and
custom-embroidered clothing for the
competitors.The 108-player field (54 "A" and
54 "B" players) is the largest in tournament
history.
About the Stocker Cup
This event is dedicated to the memory of Peter C. Stocker, a prominent west coast real estate developer and avid amateur golfer who died in a tragic helicopter accident in 1990. The premier mid-amateur tournament on the West Coast, this is a 72 hole ...
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