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REGISTRATION FOR THE 2010 CALIFORNIA STATE AMATEUR OPENS ON
Geoff Gonzalez is the 98th California State Amateur champion
The champion defeated 46-year-old Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, the 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion, who was seeking to enhance an already glittering resume. The all Northern California final, the first since 2004 when Spencer Levin won, was initially a Wilson show, as the Green Valley CC member took a 3-up lead into the 8th hole of the match. But the 21-year-old Gonzalez was able to square the final by the end of the morning 18 through gritty putting. “Once I started making putts I built off that confidence,” the champion said. “It was big to square the match at the end of the first 18. “ Gonzalez was able to take his first lead on the 27th hole in the afternoon, slowly building to a 3 and 2 conclusion, again on the strength of solid putting. “I was down in every match I played,” the Diablo resident said. “I was used to coming from behind.” Gonzalez attacked the course in the manner of the modern tour professional, using driver on every hole and bombing it as far as possible. Par 5s are the meat for going low to this player, and Gonzalez gobbled them up all week, birding four of seven in the final match (and going 7-under on the four par 5s on his near course-record 64 in the second round of stroke-play qualifying). Wilson, who held the lead for most of the match, was unable to get his putter going, and despite laser precision with his approach shots, was unable to capitalize. “His putter was there and mine wasn’t. That was the difference,” the runner-up said. “All my bogeys were three putts. You start to lose confidence in your putter and make tentative strokes.” The three-time medalist at the U.S. Mid-Amateur and four-time U.S. Open participant, where he was the low amateur at the 2000 Open at Pebble Beach, displayed superior ball striking skills, missing very few fairways and greens. “I was hitting it close but not taking advantage,” Wilson said. “You can’t let somebody hang around like that. He started to hit good shots.” Wilson’s path to the finals took him through veteran Southern Californian mid-amateur and former champion Tim Hogarth, Grant Rappleye of Elk Grove, 1994 champion Steve Woods of Cupertino (the last State Amateur champion/medalist), and defending champion and co-medalist Nick Delio of Valencia. Gonzalez hit five or six drives during the lunch break and was able to right a leaky driver to start the final 18. “I found something that worked between rounds and started crushing it,” he said. It took eight holes, but once the champion secured the lead, he methodically built toward the final margin, never losing hole from then on. Gonzalez’s trek to the final match had the champion in four close matches, including Logan Goettsch of Fresno, Los Angeles’ Matt Grush, Scott Oxandaboure of Carlsbad and Sam Smith of Turlock. The Cal Poly rising senior dedicated the win to his recently deceased grandfather, who taught him the game. “My goal coming in was to win, and to accomplish it is huge. To see my name among all those fantastic players…” View the final photo gallery HERE. Fairfield's Jeff Wilson will face medalist Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo in finals of the California State Amateur
DALY CITY, June 26 -- Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo will face Fairfield's Jeff Wilson in the finals of the 98th California State Amateur at Lake Merced GC, in an all Northern California match-up. It is the first State Amateur final to feature both players from Northern California since 2004. Wilson, a dual NCGA/SCGA member and 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion, dismissed defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia on the 19th hole of their semifinal match. Coming into the 18th hole 1 down, Delio made a 40-foot birdie putt to win the 18th and extend the match, but faltered when he bogeyed the par-4 19th (first) hole to Wilson's par. Wilson was never down in the match, and as many as 3 up after five holes thanks to four birdies on his first four holes. The match was squared on holes nine through 12 thanks to a pair of Delio birdies and a Wilson bogey, but in the end, Wilson persevered. Delio was looking to become the first back-to-back champion since Dr. Frank "Bud" Taylor in 1954-55. “That didn’t surprise me at all (when Delio made the 40-foot putt),” the 46-year-old Wilson said, cementing the fact that his photo should appear next to a definition of “cagey veteran” in a match-play dictionary. “”It was the way the match went. He’s a fine player and we have such contrasting styles.” Wilson advanced to the semifinals of the State Amateur in 1982 and was medalist in 2001. He earlier defeated the last State Amateur medalist to capture the title, Steve Woods of Cupertino, who earned medalist honors and the championship in 1994. Delio earned his way to the semis by besting Scott Travers of Trabuco Canyon. Both players acknowledge that the difference in age and approach will bear little impact on the final. “There’s more than one way to shoot a score,” Wilson said. “Age means nothing. There’s a lot of guys who can play,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez continued to dominate the week, when he topped first-round leader Sam Smith of Turlock, 2 up. After being all square for the first three holes, Smith took a 1-up lead when Gonzalez bogeyed No. 4, but the match was then squared again until Smith birdied holes 9, 10 and 11 to go 2 up. When the 21-year-old Gonzalez holed consecutive lengthy putts on the 12th and 13th holes to square the match, he was finally able to create some momentum. “My speed has been exceptional all week,” the rising senior at Cal Poly said. “They (his putts) finally started falling.” The tables turned at the end for Smith when Gonzalez collected two clutch bogeys, on the par-4 17th and par-5 18th, for the win. Gonzalez made the first team of the Big West Conference in 2009 following a renewed dedication to his game that began in March. “I’ve tried to stay positive and started working out more,” he said. “Right now I’m riding a huge wave of confidence.” Indeed, following a win at the Cal State Irvine tournament and two runner-up finishes at other college events, the Diablo CC member was able to capture medalist honors at both his qualifier for the State Amateur and in stroke-play qualifying earlier in the week, firing a near course-record 64 in the process. He is seeking to become the first medalist to win the championship since Woods did in 1994 and only the 12th all time to do so. "I'd be real proud to have my name on that trophy," Gonzalez said. The 36-hole final begins at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, with the second 18 holes to begin at noon. The trophy presentation to immediately follow, and spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend. Live scoring will be available. View the match play photo gallery HERE. Gonzalez, Smith, Delio and Wilson move on to semifinals DALY CITY, June 26 -- Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo will face Sam Smith of Turlock, and Nick Delio of Valencia will battle Jeff Wilson of Fairfield in the semifinals of the California State Amateur at Lake Merced this afternoon. Gonzalez, the No. 1 seed, was extended to extra holes by Scott Oxandaboure of Carlsbad, but prevailed with a par on the first extra hole. Oxandaboure had been perhaps the hottest golfer in the field coming into the day. Gonzalez will face Sam Smith, who in the comeback performance of the week, upended Jason Bittick of Ladera Ranch on the 18th hole. Smith was three holes down with five to play and captured four of those last five for the win, making a 12-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to punctuate the victory. Wilson rode a hot putter in defeating 1994 champion Steve Woods of Cupertino 5 and 4. The battle between the two veteran mid-amateurs was expected to be tight, but Wilson’s game has been heating up progressively all week. Wilson will face defending champion and No. 2 seed Nick Delio of Valencia in the semifinals in a battle between youthful exuberance and power and a cagey veteran. Delio’s awesome length is somewhat neutralized by Lake Merced’s tight fairways and strategic demands, but the 19-year-old’s crack short game has him on a roll. Delio took out Scott Travers of Trabuco Canyon in the quarterfinals. Defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia and co-medalist Gonzalez advance to quarterfinals
DALY CITY, June 25 - Defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia and co-medalist Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo both advanced to the quarterfinals of the 98th California State Amateur today, while 2007 champion Josh Anderson of Murrieta fell in the largest loss margin of the day. Pairings are available here. The No. 2-seed Delio continued his impressive play, defeating Micah Burke of Los Angles 4 and 3. The Cal State Northridge student has cruised through the week, but is mindful of the challenges ahead. “There’s still a long way to go (to defend his championship)," he said after his round. "It was tougher today because of the (foggy) weather so I knew that par was a good score – so that was my goal.” Delio is seeking to become the first repeat champion since Dr. Frank Taylor more than 50 years ago. Delio will face Scott Travers of Trabuco Canyon, who came back from 2 down in his match against Kevin Fryer of San Ramon, winning 2 and 1. Travers didn’t take his first lead in the match until the 16th hole. Gonzalez topped Los Angeles' Matt Grush 2 and 1, in a match that Grush had squared and took the lead on at 15, the only time he led the match. When rush bogeyed the par-4 16th hole and Gonzalez birdied the par-4 17th to go 1 up, he was able to hold on to the lead for the win. Gonzalez and Delio looking to be the next medalist-champion since Steve Woods of Cupertino in 1994. Woods defeated 2007 SCGA Amateur champion Brett Kanda of La Crescenta this morning, 3 and 2. Although Kanda was able to square the match up on the 10th hole after being down for the six holes prior, two bogeys on holes 15 and 16 allowed Woods to close out the match. Scott Oxandaboure of Carlsbad continued his impressive play, crushing Anderson 5 and 3. After establishing a 6-up lead, the 27-year-old Oxandaboure cruised to a win on the 15th hole, continuing a hot streak that has seen the former USC Trojan and California Community College state champion in red numbers the entire week. He faces co-medalist and No. 1 seed Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo in the quarterfinals, who showed no signs of the “medalist jinx,” dispatching Matt Grush 1-up. USC Trojan coach Chris Zambri had to enjoy the match between two members of his incoming recruiting class – Martin Trainer of Palo Alto and Sam Smith of Turlock. Both players had very successful junior careers – Trainer capturing the San Francisco City title as a 16-year-old and Smith winning the NCGA Junior at Lake Merced in 2007. The 18-years olds put on quite a show as their see-saw match went back and forth (there were five ties throughout) with neither player able to establish momentum. Smith finally took a 1-up lead on the par-3 15th and held on for the 2 and 1 win. “I was hoping we'd both play well,” Smith said. “It was fun because every hole counted. You couldn’t afford to give one away.” Jason Bittick of Ladera Ranch, the 2008 SCGA Foursomes champion and runner up in the 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur, made easy work of E.J. Kahn of Los Angeles, winning that match 4 and 3. The 41-year-old will face Smith in tomorrow’s quarterfinals. Bittick took advantage of seven bogeys committed by Kahn by the 15th (and final) hole, collecting all pars and only one bogey himself. Jeff Wilson of Fairfield upended 19-year-old Grant Rappleye of Elk Grove, 3 and 1. Wilson’s ticket to the quarterfinals was punched via his deep experience in USGA match play events, including runs to the semifinals of two U.S. Mid-Amateurs. Wilson, the 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion, will face Woods in the quarterfinals, their furthest advancement in the State Amateur in many years. In an event that has come to be dominated by college golfers, who have captured five of the last six state titles, half the quarterfinal field is comprised of mid-amateurs (Oxandaboure, Bittick, Wilson and Woods). The field is also evenly split by demographic, with North and South players represented by four players apiece. The quarterfinals and semifinals are contested tomorrow at Lake Merced, with the scheduled 36-hole final set for Saturday beginning at 7:30 a.m. View the match play photo gallery HERE. Defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia and co-medalist Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo advance to the Round of 16 By Katie Denbo DALY CITY, June 25 -- Co-medalists and top seeds Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo and defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia steadily handled their matches this morning, defeating their competition and moving onto the Round of 16 at the 98th California State Amateur Championship at Lake Merced GC in Daly City. Pairings are available here.
Gonzalez, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student, topped Fresno's Logan Goettsch 2 and 1 in the first round of the day. Goettsch, who earned the 32nd seed after parring the fourth playoff hole last night, was 1-up after the first hole and again at 8, but after four all-square holes Gonzalez took advantage of Goettsch's costly bogey on the par-3 12th hole and birdied the par-4 16th to secure the match. “I had a totally different mindset coming into today,” Gonzalez, a rising senior at Cal Poly, said. "I tried to use the positive vibes from yesterday but to a certain point, it doesn’t matter.” Delio defeated Mountain View's Kevin Lozares 2 and 1 later in the morning, Lozares also qualifying for match play in playoff holes. Delio, a golfer at Cal State Northridge, was as many as 5 up after 11 holes, but bogeyed 12, 13 and 15 before birdieing the par-4 17th hole to close out the match. Perhaps the biggest upset of the day came by the match between 1999 California Amateur champion Tim Hogarth of Northridge and Jeff Wilson of Fairfield. Both consecutive SCGA Mid-Amateur champions (Wilson in 2008 and Hogarth in 2009), Wilson upset Hogarth 4 and 3, building up a string of winning holes beginning on 6 after Hogarth led 1 up for holes 2 through 4. Wilson birdied four of his last nine holes before closing out Hogarth, arguably Southern California's most accomplished amateur player, on the 15th. Hogarth was the highest seeded player, at No. 3, to lose in today’s round. “I started hitting it close,” the Green Valley CC member said. “And once you get up you can apply some pressure. This is a good golf course for me.” Murrieta's Josh Anderson, the 2007 California State Amateur champion who won in the event's first venture away from Pebble Beach Golf Links, defeated Reseda's Ramsey Sahyoun 2 and 1 after waging an 11-hole comeback that saw Sahyoun as many as 2 up between holes 5 and 15. Anderson never led his match until the 16 hole, when he took advantage of a bogey by Sahyoun on the par-3 15th to go all-square, then birdied 16 and 17 to close the match. Steve Woods of Cupertino, the 1994 champion and the last player to be medalist and champion in the same event when he did so that year, defeated Scott Clayton of San Bernardino, 1 up. Woods battled back and forth with first-round co-leader Clayton, before Woods collected a key birdie on the par-4 16th to take and maintain a 1-up lead. Another past champion, Don DuBois of Newport Beach (2005), was upset by Carlsbad's Scott Oxandaboure, 4 and 3. Oxandaboure never lost a hole to DuBois, who paired with Wilson to win the 2009 SCGA Foursomes title, and double-eagled the par-5 ninth hole to go 3-up. A birdie on the par-3 12th gave Oxandaboure a 4-up lead where he would remain for the duration. “I was a little shaky coming into the week,” Oxandaboure, a former USC Trojan, said after his round. “ But today I hit fairways and I was able to convert.” In other matches: Matt Grush of Los Angeles, a UC Santa Barbara golfer, defeated recent University of San Francisco graduate Kenny Adams, Jr. of Fallbrook, 4 and 2. Grush, who placed seventh in the 2008 SCGA Amateur Championship, led the entire match. Martin Trainer of Palo Alto, the 2008 San Francisco City champion, defeated San Diego's James Erkenbeck, 3 and 1. Erkenbeck, who attends University of New Mexico, was a quarterfinalist in last year's State Amateur, but never led in his match against Trainer. Jason Bittick of Ladera Ranch, the 2008 SCGA Foursomes champion, defeated Newport Beach's Bryan Harris 3 and 2. The match was all square for the first five holes before Harris, a UC Irvine student, took a 1-up lead, but Bittick eagled the par-5 ninth to square the match again and didn't look back. E.J. Kahn of Los Angeles defeated Gregor Main of Danville, 1 up. In the closest match of the day, Kahn, who attends University of San Francisco, and Main, a UCLA golfer who made the cut at this year's Buick Invitational, traded birdies on the first two holes and remained all-square until hole 7, when Main collected a bogey and Kahn was able to maintain the lead. Micah Burke of Los Angeles defeated Al Geiberger, Jr. of Palm Desert, 3 and 1. Burke, who attends Cal State San Bernardino and has participated twice in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, led Geiberger from the first hole, eagling the par-5 14th and birdieing the par-4 17th to close the match. Kevin Fryer of San Ramon defeated Tyler Crawford of Rancho Mirage, 2 and 1. Crawford, the 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur runner-up, led between holes 3 and 9, before bogeying holes 10 and 11 for Fryer to take the lead. Fryer made it to the Round of 16 in last year's State Amateur. Scott Travers of Trabuco Canyon defeated George Gandranata of Emeryville, 5 and 4. Travers, a Santa Clara College student, birdied the par-4 second hole to take a 1-up lead, and took advantage of a three-hole string of bogeys by Gandranata, a UC Berkeley golfer and semifinalist at the 2008 Pacific Northwest Amateur, to increase his lead. An eagle on the par-5 ninth and a birdie on the par-4 10th put Travers 5-up, where he remained. Grant Rappleye of Elk Grove defeated Eric Mina of Fremont, 2 and 1. Rappleye, who attends Sacramento State, led from the first hole over Mina, an accomplished golfer at UC Berkeley. Brett Kanda of La Crescenta defeated Patrick Duncan, Jr. of Rancho Santa Fe, 1 up. Kanda, the 2007 SCGA Amateur champion and UNLV golfer, held a lead from the first hole until going all-square on 14, birdieing the par-3 15th to go 1 up, then losing the 335-yard 16th hole when Duncan drove the green and drained the putt for eagle to Kanda's birdie. The match remained all square until Kanda birdied the par-5 18th hole to win the match. There are now nine Southern California players and seven Northern California players remaining in match play. Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow and live scoring will be available. View the match play photo gallery HERE. Defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia and Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo share medalist honors at California State Amateur
By Katie Denbo DALY CITY, June 24 – Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo and defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia both combined 36 holes of sub-par golf for 9-under-par 135s, to share medalist honors at the 98th California State Amateur Championship at Lake Merced GC in Daly City. Gonzalez, age 21 and a senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, fired an 8-under-par 64 in today's final stroke-play round, just one stroke shy of equalling the course record of 63 set by Nationwide Tour player Roger Tambellini. Gonzalez racked up three birdies and three eagles on the way to shooting the lowest round of the championship, including birdieing the first hole of his round. “It was a huge boost of confidence,” he said. Gonzalez eagled all the par-5s except for No. 14, in which he missed the green and settled for birdie. Cal State Northridge golfer Delio, however, followed suit. The 19-year-old shot a 66, the second-lowest score of the round, and paired with his day-one score of 69 shared honors with Gonzalez. Knowing pre-round that he had to shoot a 66 to tie, Delio birdied five of the nine front-side holes for a total eight birdies, while going 4-under on the par-5 holes. “I knew it [shooting 66] was doable,” Delio said. The last medalist to win the championship was Steve Woods in 1994. The Cupertino resident carded a 75 today, to tie for 24th at 1-over-par 145 and give him a berth into tomorrow's Round of 32. After shooting 68-69, 1999 California State Amateur champion Tim Hogarth of Northridge stands alone in third place at 7-under-par 137, a two-stroke lead over Palo Alto's Martin Trainer (68-71--139). The 43-year-old Hogarth has a decorated resume including the 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links title, six L.A. City Championships and is the only player to have won the SCGA Amateur, Mid-Amateur and California State Amateur. Hogarth, who also won this year's SCGA Mid-Amateur, will be pitted in a spotlight match against another SCGA Mid-Amateur champion and decorated NCGA player, Jeff Wilson of Fairfield (2008; 73-72--145). Also advancing was 2005 California State Amateur champion Don DuBois of Newport Beach, who shot 72-73--145, and first-round leader Scott Clayton of San Bernardino, who followed up yesterday's 67 with a 74 today. Clayton shared yesterday's lead with Sam Smith of Turlock, who despite having Jekyll and Hyde rounds of 67-76, advanced to match play as well. Following the first two rounds of stroke play, the field of 156 was cut to the low 32, 20 being SCGA members and 12 living in Northern California. In that group, nine of those players advanced to match play in the 2008 championship as well: Trainer (Round of 32), Delio (winner), Woods (Round of 16), 2007 California State Amateur champion Josh Anderson of Murrieta (Round of 16; 72-70--142), 2008 SCGA Match Play runner-up Josh Dupont of Poway (quarterfinalist; 70-74--144), James Erkenbeck of San Diego (quarterfinalist; 74-71--145), Bryan Harris of Newport Beach (Round of 16; 71-74--145), Grant Rappleye of Elk Grove (Round of 32; 72-72--144), and Kevin Fryer of San Ramon (Round of 16; 71-74--145). The Southern California team dominated the the Roger Lapham Challenge Cup matches this year, topping its Northern California counterparts by 30 strokes for the trophy and avenging its one-stroke loss to the NCGA in 2008. With the best five of six individual scores counting toward the 36-hole team score, the Southern California team of Anderson, Delio, Dupont, Jason Bittick of Ladera Ranch (70-71--141), Tyler Crawford of Rancho Mirage (69-72--141), and Matt Hoffenberg of Simi Valley (71-75--146; did not make match play) recorded a team score of 18-under-par 702. The Northern California team of Wilson (the only North team member to make match play), Steven Chung of Sacramento (69-87--156), Randy Haag of Burlingame (70-77--147), Scott Hardy of Pleasant Hill (75-73--148), Chris Marin of Monterey (75-77--152), and Taylor Travis of Fremont (72-74--146) finished at 732. The Round of 32 begins at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, with Gonzalez taking on Logan Goettsch of Fresno, who won a playoff on the fourth hole to take the 32nd seed. Delio will play 31-seed Kevin Lozares of Mountain View, who also played off for a spot in match play. Matches will tee off every 9 minutes and the last match will begin at 9:45 a.m. Live scoring will be available. For a photo gallery of today's round, click HERE. Scott Clayton of San Bernardino and Sam Smith of Turlock lead after first round of California State Amateur Championship
DALY CITY, June 22 -- Scott Clayton of San Bernardino and Sam Smith of Turlock shot 5-under-par 67 and are tied for the lead after the first round of the 98th California State Amateur Championship at Lake Merced GC in Daly City. Second round pairings can be viewed HERE. Clayton, age 21 and a senior at UC Riverside, had never played Lake Merced before yesterday’s practice round, but fired five birdies and two eagles on the 6,812-yard layout today. The two-time San Bernardino County Amateur champion holed an 80-yard lob-wedge shot on the par-4 17th for eagle but kept a level-head as the birdies kept dropping. “I had a lot of fun," Clayton said after his round. "It’s nice knowing that it’s 36-hole qualifying for 32 spots. I know once I’m into match play anything can happen.” Smith, who will play for the University of Southern California this fall, made a hole-in-one on the 184-yard par-3 8th hole with a 6-iron to help him to the lead. “I hit the perfect shot,” the 18-year-old said of the ball which landed straight in the hole. Although Smith struggled early when he four-putted the third hole for a double-bogey then bogeyed No. 4 as well, he collected six birdies during his 18 holes. Decorated amateur Tim Hogarth of Northridge, the 1999 California Amateur champion, 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion and the only SCGA player to win the SCGA Triple Crown (SCGA Amateur, Mid-Amateur and State Amateur), is tied for third at 3-under par with 2008 San Francisco City champion Martin Trainer of Palo Alto. Four players are tied for fifth at 69: defending champion Nick Delio of Valencia, 2009 SCGA Mid-Amateur runner-up Tyler Crawford of Rancho Mirage, 2008 NCGA Valley Amateur champion Steven Chung of Sacramento, and Santa Clara College student Scott Travers of Trabuco Canyon. Other defending champions are in the hunt as well. Two-time winner Casey Boyns (1989 and 1993) of Pacific Grove and Steve Woods (1994) of Cupertino shot 2-under-par 70s, while 2001 champion Darryl Donovan of Morgan Hill, 2005 champion Don DuBois of Newport Beach and 2007 champion Josh Anderson of Murrieta are two of 13 players tied at even-par 72. Anaheim Hills's Jordan Nasser (2006) fired a 2-over 74, and Gary Vanier of Pleasant Hill, the only player in history to win the California State Amateur (1982) and CGA Senior Amateur (2007), shot 6-over 78. In the Roger Lapham Challenge Cup, a North vs. South team competition which counts the best five of six scores from pre-selected team members, the SCGA leads by nine shots over its Northern California counterparts. Aided by five sub-par scores, the Southern California team carded Delio’s 69, Crawford's 69, Joshua Dupont of Poway's 70, and 71s from Ladera Ranch's Jason Bittick and Simi Valley's Matt Hoffenberg. Josh Anderson's 72 will not count toward today's team score. The Northern California team collected scores from Chung (69), 2009 amateurgolf.com Monterey Bay champion Randy Haag of Burlingame (70), Taylor Travis of Fremont (72), 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion Jeff Wilson of Fairfield (73), Chris Marin of Monterey (75), and Scott Hardy of Pleasant Hill (75), one of the 75s of which will not count toward the team score. Northern California is the defending champion. After tomorrow's stroke play round, the field will be cut to the low 32 players and match play will begin. Last year's cut after two rounds of stroke play was 4-over-par 140. View a photo gallery of the first round HERE. Valencia's Nick Delio looks to defend title at the 98th California State Amateur Championship
By Katie Denbo In last year's battle of youth at Lakeside GC, Valencia's Nick Delio racked two golf balls nearly in half with his 320-yard drives and succeeded in topping Carmichael's 15-year-old Austin Roberts 7 & 5 for his first major amateur title at the California State Amateur. This year, Delio, now 19, will look to become the first player since Dr. Frank “Bud” Taylor in 1954-55 to win consecutive titles. Delio is one of eight past champions who will take the tee at the 98th playing of the California State Amateur Championship, to be held at Lake Merced GC in Daly City in the championship's first Northern California playing outside of the Monterey Peninsula. The state amateur will take place June 22-27 with stroke-play rounds being played June 22 and 23. Match play will begin June 24 and culminate with a 36-hole final match on Saturday, June 27. In the midst of the competition is a team event between the North and South. Among returning champions is Tim Hogarth of Northridge, fresh off his third SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship win in April as well as his third Pasadena City Championship in mid-May. Hogarth, the 1999 winner of the California State Amateur, is the Southland's most decorated golfer and the only one to achieve the "Triple Crown": the SCGA Amateur (2004), SCGA Mid-Amateur (1999, 2007, 2009) and the California State Amateur (1999). With partner John Pate, also in this year's field, he also won the 2004 and 2005 SCGA Foursomes Championships, and in 2008 he added an SCGA Tournament of Club Champions win. On a city level, Hogarth has also won six Los Angeles City Amateur Championships, plus six Kelly Cup Invitationals, and now three consecutive Pasadena City Amateur Championships. Other returning champions include: Josh Anderson (2007) of Murrieta, a 20-year-old student golfer at Pepperdine University who was also the medalist at that year's U.S. Amateur Sectional Qualifier. Casey Boyns (1989 and 1993), a caddie at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Pacific Grove resident who was inducted into the 2009 California Golf Hall of Fame for his many years of wins and golf accomplishments. Among the wins are two NCGA Amateur titles, four Northern California Public Links championships, and participation in eight United States Golf Association championships. Darryl Donovan (2001), a CEO and Gilroy resident who was the first NCGA player since Boyns in 1993 to win the state amateur. The former professional golfer won the 2007 Roddy Ranch Four-Ball with Boyns as his partner, as well as the 2002 Scratch Players Mid-Amateur Championship. Don DuBois (2005) of Newport Beach, the 1980 Arizona Amateur champion, 2005 SCGA Player of the Year and 2006 SCGA Foursomes champion (with partner Will Tipton). Jordan Nasser (2006) of Anaheim Hills, a recent University of Southern California graduate who made it to the round of 32 at the 2004 U.S. Amateur and tied for 7th at the 2007 SCGA Amateur Championship. Nasser's father Burhan caddied for him the entire week of his California Amateur win. Gary Vanier (1982) of Pleasant Hill, the only player in history to win both the California State Amateur and CGA Senior championship, which he accomplished with his senior win in 2007. Steve Woods (1994) of Cupertino, who was also the 1994 and 2006 California Amateur medalist. Players of note include Jason Bittick of Ladera Ranch, 2008 SCGA Foursomes champion (with John Adams), Jeff Burda of Modesto, 2008 CGA Senior Amateur champion; Randy Haag of Burlingame, an 11-time NCGA championship winner; Matt Hoffenberg of Simi Valley, 2008 SCGA Match Play winner and 2008 California Amateur semifinalist; Brett Kanda of La Crescenta, 2007 SCGA Amateur champion; John Pate of Santa Barbara, seven-time SCGA champion and 1995 California Amateur runner-up; and Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, the 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion who played in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and has won several Northern California events. In the North-South Challenge Match, the team of Southern California's Anderson, Jason Bittick, Tyler Crawford, Delio, Josh Dupont and Matt Hoffenberg will take on Northern California's Steven Chung, Haag, Scott Hardy, Chris Marin, Taylor Travis and Wilson in a 36-hole stroke play format where the best five of six scores count toward the team total. Northern California is the defending champion. Lake Merced GC has played host to several NCGA and USGA events, including Tiger Woods' debut as a 14-year-old in USGA competition. More about the course can be read here. The 2008 playing of the championship, held at Lakeside GC in Toluca Lake and Oakmont CC in Glendale, was the first time in the event's history that it had been played both outside of the Monterey Peninsula and Northern California. The championship moved from it's home at Pebble Beach GL to Monterey Peninsula CC in 2007 as the start to a yearly rotation between Northern and Southern California. Spectators are welcome to attend the championship free of charge and live scoring can be viewed on this site for each round of the championship. |
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DALY CITY, June 27 -- Geoff Gonzalez captured the 98th California State Amateur at Lake Merced GC, becoming the first player in 15 years and only the 12th overall to win the championship and medalist honors.
