Bob's Blog

STORY AND LINK: Hogarth leads six amateurs who advance in U.S. Open local qualifying

Tim Hogarth of Northridge continued his red-hot play, firing a 5-under-par 65 today at Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena to lead six amateurs who advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying. 

Although someone will undoubtedly correct me, I can’t recall a Southern California U.S. Open local where all the qualifiers were amateurs.  David Shefter of the USGA researched records back to 2005 and found a couple of places around the nation where five of five were amateurs but no six-spotters.

Hogarth, fresh from winning the Pasadena City Amateur yesterday at nearby Brookside GC, was even par on the front nine today with two birdies and two bogies, but closed with a flourish on the back nine with four birdies and an eagle 2 on the 307-yard, par-four 17th hole when he drove the green and sank an eight-foot putt. He went birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie to finish five shots in front of Chi-Hsien Hsieh of Taipei and Daniel Lee of Valencia.  The other qualifiers — Daniel Park and Cliff Martin of Los Angeles and Tao Huang of Taipei — each shot 71.  

For Hogarth, it was the continuation of a red-hot streak. Last month, he won his second SCGA Mid-Amateur in the past three years.  Earlier this month, he lost his bid for a fifth consecutive Lakeside GC Kelly Cup when Joe Sanders chipped in for birdie on the first playoff hole. Hogarth won his third consecutive Pasadena City Amateur title over the past weekend MORE.

Sectional qualifying (each 36 holes) will take place on May 25 in England and Japan and on June 8 at 13 U.S. sites, including Saticoy CC in Somis. Those who survive that round move on to the U.S. Open June 18-21 at the Bethpage Black Course in New York City.

For scores, click HERE

STORY AND LINKS: Hogarth captures third consecutive Pasadena City Amateur title

Tim Hogarth fired a 3-under-par 69 in the final round at Brookside GC’s No. 1 course to capture his third consecutive Pasadena City Amateur Golf Championship by three shots over Jake Sarnoff.

The 42-year-old Hogarth, who last month won his third SCGA Mid-Amateur title, finished at 277, 7 under par for the 72-hole event. Sarnoff, a Loyola Marymount student, shot 71 yesterday and finished at 280.  

• Read Larry Morgan’s story in the Pasadena Star-News HERE

• For complete scores, click HERE

STORY AND LINK: USC, UCLA, USD advance to NCAA D-I golf championships

Seven Pac-10 teams, including UCLA and USC, and upstart University of San Diego were among the 30 teams who advanced to the NCAA Divison I Men’s Golf Championship May 26-30 at The Inverness Club in Toledo, OH.

UCLA and Washington finished 1-2 in the Central Regional at The Club at Olde Stone in Alvaton, KY. The Bruins were rallied on the final day and finished 1 under par over the 7,372-yard, par-72 layout. Washington, which had led going into the final round, shot 12 over par today and finished the 54-hole event at 6 over par. Phillip Francis tied for third at 2 under par, along with Cameron Tringale of San Juan Capistrano and Georgia Tech, while defending NCAA D-I individual champion Erik Flores finished sixth at 1 under par.

In the West Regional at Lake Merced GC in Daly City, USC overcame significant adversity to advance with a fifth-place finish. Arizona State (36 under par) and Oregon (27 under) finished 1-2, while University of San Diego, the last team to earn an invite to the regionals, finished fourth at 15 under par. 

The Trojans were forced to play without Jamie Lovemark, who had to withdraw with a rib injury suffered in the first round, but the remaining four players made up for it to help the Trojans advance by one shot over New Mexico State. Freshman Steve Lim shot 6-under-par 66, his best score of the year, to propel the Trojans.

Daniel Miernicki of Santee was a key figure in helping Oregon to make the NCAA finals for the second consecutive year. Miernicki, a freshman, tied for seventh individually with rounds of 69-71-69 for a 7-under 209.

Stanford finished fourth in the Southwest Regional at The University of Texas GC in Austin, while Arizona tied for second in the Southeast Regional at RedTail GC in Sorrento, FL.

For details, click HERE.

STORY AND LINK: Kevin Marsh wins Carlton Woods Invitational by four shots

Reigning SCGA Amateur champion Kevin Marsh won the mid-amateur division of the Carlton Woods Invitational at The Club at Carlton Woods outside of Houston by four shots, the largest margin of victory in the five-year history of the event.  Marsh, the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and 1996 SCGA Am titleholder, shot 70 on the first day and 71 on the final day over the club’s Nicklaus Course. He posted a 79 on the Fazio Course in the second round when the club was raked by strong winds.  MORE

STORY AND LINK: SCGA members do well in U.S. Open local qualifying

SCGA members — current and past — have done well during the first week of U.S. Open local qualifying. The local events lead to 36-hole Sectional Qualifying (each 36 holes) that will take place on May 25 in England and Japan and on June 8 at 13 U.S. sites, including Saticoy CC in Somis. Those who survive that round move on to the U.S. Open June 18-21 at the Bethpage Black Course in New York City.

Among the SCGA members who advanced through local qualifiers already conducted (others take place next week, including Monday at San Diego CC and Annandale GC in Pasadena and Tuesday at Industry Hills GC and North Ranch CC):

• At La Purisima GC in Lompoc: Andrew Perez, who the day before had won the Southern California Community College Championship, shot even-par 72 at La Purisima to earn one of six qualifying spots.

• At Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland (outside of Sacramento): Austin Graham of San Clemente (and UC Davis), who finished third in last year’s SCGA Amateur, was medalist with a 67.<br>

• At Ruby Hill GC in Pleasanton:Scott Travers of Lake Forest was medalist with a 68. Former three-time SCGA Amateur champion Scott McGihon qualified with a 70.

• At Towson G&CC in Phoenix: Former UCLA star Chris Heintz qualified with a 67.

• At Half Moon Bay Resort: Justin Warthen of Arroyo Grande qualified with a 73. His brother, Josh, was second alternate after a 74.

• At French Lick Resort in Indiana: 2003 California Amateur and 2006 Pacific Coast Amateur champion Patrick Nagle of Pacifica shot 69 to qualify (yes, I know he wasn't an SCGA member but he was one of my favorite NCGA guys).

• At Bermuda Dunes CC: Reigning NCAA Amateur champion Erik Flores of UCLA was medalist with a 67, while Bryan Harris of Newport Beach qualified with a 68.

• At Mayacama GC in Santa Rosa: 2008 SCGA Mid-Amateur champion Jeff Wilson shot 71 and Erik Thorson of Westlake Village shot 72 to earn spots in Sectional Qualifying.

• At Newport Beach CC: Pasadena’s Dan Sullivan shot 67 to tie for medalist honors.

For a complete list of local qualifiers so far, click HERE.

COMMENTARY: Blowing in the wind

CBS was desperately trying to fill time today while the PGA Tour decided what do with the final round of the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links. In one of the least prudent decisions in the history of televised golf, commentators Gary McCord and Ian Baker-Finch somehow made it out to the seventh hole and tried to hit the green 107-yard, par-3 hole (not 132 yards as McCord said) — this after the howling winds, which gusted to 60 mph, had blown over a 40-foot pine tree earlier in the day. 

Through wind and driving rain, McCord airmailed the green with a driver and Baker-Finch was long with 5 iron. Finally, McCord hit a 6 iron under the wind (sort of) and reached the front of the green.

It's not the first time I've seen that happen. In the 36-hole final match of the 1991 California Amateur Championship, Harry Rudolph III and Sandy Galbraith each hit pitching wedge on the seventh hole in the morning round. In the afternoon, Galbraith hit 6 iron and Rudolph hit 5 iron over the green into the ocean. Rudolph lost the hole but went on to win the title, 3 & 2.

LATE ADD: Apparently McCord and Baker-Finch weren't the only numbskulls. Read Scott Ostler''s column HERE.

STORY AND LINK: Another curious decision by Augusta National GC

As it has proven over and over again, Augusta National Golf Club is its own fiefdom and can do whatever it wants, both with its club policies and with the Masters, its own private tournament. However, you have to wonder at its latest announcement about the Asian Amateur Championship.

According to a story in Golfweek HERE, Augusta National has joined forces with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews to jointly sponsor the first AAC, which is scheduled for October 29 at Mission Hills Country Club in China. The winner of the event will receive an invitation to the 2010 Masters and will be exempt into international final-stage qualifying for the 2010 British Open.

It marks the first time since 1989 that an amateur exemption has been added for the Masters (currently the winner and runner-up of the U.S. Amateur and the winner of the British Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links championships are offered invitations).  At one time, the field contained many amateurs, including members of the U.S. Walker Cup team.

According to the story, the AAC will have a 120-man field but will be limited to Asians only. There was no word on whether Asian-born U.S. residents, such as Sihwan Kim, will be included. “We’re really trying to target Asian players and Asian-Pacific players to give them the opportunity to come through and excel,” Royal & Ancient Executive Secretary Peter Dawson said. “We believe the right thing to do is a closed championship.” August National chairman Billy Payne said he hopes the new tournament will be equal to the U.S. and British Amateurs “in short order.”  

Maybe so, but it’s got a long, uphill climb.  The field will be based on the R&A's World Amateur Golf Ranking, with at least two players coming from each of the 29 members of the Asian Pacific Golf Confederation.

A look at the current WAGR is quite revealing.  There are just 37 Asian players ranked in the top 500 with the vast majority of those coming from Australia and New Zealand and a smaller number from Korea. Frankly, I got tired and didn’t bother to go deeper than 500 but it’s obvious that, considering that the AAC is at least 15 players short of reaching the 120 mark, the field — it’s going to have to go WAY down the list. At least at the beginning, this championship isn’t going to be anywhere near world rank.  

Of course, that doesn’t even consider the quality of the R&A’s World Amateur rankings, which bases its U.S. rankings almost exclusively on college and east coast invitational tournaments (for example, Kevin Marsh, Tim Hogarth and Jeff Wilson don’t show up anywhere on the WAGR although all are ranked in the top 200 of the Golfweek/Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking).

Augusta National is to be commended on its efforts to grow golf in Asia and it may be that the winner of the AAC will be a world-ranked amateur player. However, he’ll certainly have an easier road to Augusta National than, say, the NCAA Division I individual champion, who currently isn’t exempt. It won't be the first curious Masters exemption and probably won't be the last, either. It is, after all, Augusta National.

NEWS AND LINK: SCGA member Jim Vernon re-elected USGA president

SCGA member and former president James F. Vernon of Pasadena was elected today to serve a second one-year term as president of the United States Golf Association. In a speech to delegates, Vernon, who was SCGA president in 1997 and California Golf Association president the following year, promised that the USGA would “continue its relentless pursuit of improvement” even the face of the nation’s faltering economy. 

The election of officers, which included Cameron Jay Rains of La Mesa as one of two USGA vice presidents and the full 15-member USGA Executive Committee, took place at the USGA’s Annual Meeting in Newport Beach, Calif.

Vernon, 58, is a member of Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank and Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach and is a board member of the SCGA Foundation. As the USGA’s 60th president, will lead the association’s professional staff and nearly 1,400 volunteers who serve on more than 30 committees. He begins his seventh year as a member of the Executive Committee, a term that has included two years as vice-president of the USGA and four years as chairman of the Equipment Standards Committee. 

Vernon is just the second Southern Californian to be USGA president (John G. Clock of Long Beach held the post in 1960-61).

In his speech to the assembled delegates, Vernon cited the U.S. Open and the reopening of the USGA Museum with its Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History as two of the highlights of his first term. Among other goals for 2009, Vernon identified a greater emphasis on digital technology, noting that the streaming video of the Open’s Monday playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines was the largest sports event ever watched on the internet.

Although like virtually every other organization, the USGA’s endowment was hit hard by the stock market meltdown last fall, it currently stands at $188 million, equivalent to approximately one year of association expenditures.  “I remain unqualifiedly confident that the USGA’s core programs will remain strong during the next year,” said Vernon.  MORE

In other annual meeting news:

• Cherry Hills GC in Denver was selected as the site of the 2012 U.S. Amateur Championship, the ninth USGA championship to be hosted by the Denver club, a list that includes three U.S. Opens and the 1990 U.S. Amateur (won by Phil Mickelson).

• Lancaster CC in Lancaster, Penn. will host the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open Championship. It will be the first USGA championship for the club, which dates from 1920, although the club has hosted the 2002 and 2007 Pennsylvania Opens, the 1990 and 2005 Pennsylvania Women’s Amateurs and seven Pennsylvania State Amateur championships.

• The USGA 2008 highlight film included a segment on San Diego's Pro Kids Golf Academy, one of hundreds of recipients of USGA Foundation grants under the association's For the Good of the Game program. Pro Kids is also one of the programs supported by grants from the SCGA Foundation.

• Two-time USGA Senior Amateur champion O. Gordon Brewer was given the Bob Jones Award, the USGA's highest honor. MORE

Story and link: Michelle Wie's full life

Ron Kroichick has a nice profile of Michelle Wie in today's San Francisco Chronicle. MORE

Story and link: Greg Twiggs — a blast from the past

Tod Leonard, golf writer and columnist at the San Diego Union-Tribune, has a terrific story today on 1981 SCGA Amateur champion Greg Twiggs on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Twiggs winning what is now the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course. MORE