Defending NCGA Player of the Year Matt Cohn added another chapter to his decorated amateur career, rolling in a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the NCGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, Calif.
The 45-year-old San Francisco native posted rounds of 65 and 71 to finish at 8-under 136, one shot clear of Jeremy Gearhart and Adam Yount.
The championship developed into a Sunday shootout between three of Northern California's top mid-amateurs. Gearhart, the 2023 NCGA Public Links champion from Atascadero, set the pace early with a bogey-free 8-under 64 in the opening round. Yount, of Danville, stayed firmly in contention with rounds of 68 and 69, while Cohn used a first-round 65 that included a near ace on the par-3 14th to keep himself in the hunt.
The Magnificent Seven: Matt Cohn, the defending NCGA Player of the Year, made a 6-foot birdie on the 18th hole at Poppy Ridge to win the NCGA Mid-Amateur; it marked Cohn's 7th career NCGA win pic.twitter.com/WCO0OvxOYJ
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With three holes remaining, Cohn appeared to have seized control after birdieing the 16th to move one ahead. But both Gearhart and Yount answered with birdies at the par-3 17th, creating a three-way tie at 7-under heading to the final hole.
All three had opportunities on the closing par-5. Yount chipped on but couldn't convert his birdie attempt. Gearhart found trouble around the green and settled for par. Cohn then played his third shot close and calmly rolled in the winning birdie putt, punctuating a dramatic finish.
Gearhart and Yount shared runner-up honors at 7-under 137. Gearhart's opening 64 stood as the low round of the championship and one of the best competitive rounds recorded on the redesigned Poppy Ridge layout.
The victory was Cohn's second NCGA Mid-Amateur title, following his playoff win in 2018, and the seventh NCGA championship of his career. His previous victories include three NCGA Public Links titles, the Mid-Am Four-Ball and Four-Ball championships with partner Nick Randazzo, and now two Mid-Amateur crowns.
The win continues a strong stretch for Cohn, who last year captured the SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship and finished runner-up at the NCGA Amateur Stroke Play Championship. With the victory, he moves to sixth in the NCGA Men's Player of the Year standings.
NCGA Mid-Amateur Championship
Defending champion Wes Payne finished tied for 19th at 1-over 145, while 2023 champion Daniel Connolly tied for 47th at 7-over 151.
