In the end, Wilson prevails for Cal Senior Am title

CARMEL, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2018) – It was a great finish to what has been a career season for Green Valley Country Club member Jeff Wilson. For Olympic Club member Randy Haag, it was another kick to the stomach.

Wilson shot a final-round 2-under 70 Wednesday at The Preserve Golf Club thanks in part to a late surge that included a Tiger Woods-esque slow-motion birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the annual California Senior Amateur Championship by two shots over Haag. The 55-year-old Wilson, who finally got the USGA monkey off his back with a win at this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur, was making his California Senior Amateur debut.

“I worked hard this year, harder than I ever have,” said Wilson, who finished the 54-hole event with a total of 4-under 212. “I put the work in.”

Wilson would find himself toiling yet again to shake off Haag. Coming down the stretch in what became a duel, the Fairfield resident made the first big move by carding a birdie on the difficult par-4 15th to take a two-stroke lead. There, it was a 20-foot putt that fell into the cup.

Haag, who last went head-to-head with Wilson (and lost) at the Homestead Mid-Am back in the early 2000’s, cut the lead back to one when he sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the ensuing 16th hole. But Wilson immediately got that shot back on the 17th when he got up-and-down for birdie after his approach shot to the par-5 stopped just off the right side of the green.