Players Go Low in Oceanside
Oceanside, CA – The San Diego Tour returned to Arrowood Golf Course for the Oceanside Amateur Championship on a beautiful Sunday morning. Players got to experience great spring weather accompanied by great course conditions and several competitors took advantage of the day to earn top honors within their flights. Todd Hutchenson won the Troops First 50/50 raffle and $300 in our continued effort to support the David Feherty Troops First Foundation. Congratulations to the winners and we look forward to our traditional Southern California weather as we get into our spring and summer schedule starting with the JC Championship at Twin Oaks on Saturday.
The Championship Flight in San Diego continues to impress with great play and even better competition. Michael Aubry of Santee was the early leader in the clubhouse. 1-under thru 15 holes, Aubry doubled one of the most difficult driving holes the Tour playesr all year, the formidable par-four 16th, but finished with two strong pars to take the clubhouse lead at 1-over par 72, his best score on Tour! Brian Springer of Murrieta has not been able to play much golf at all this year, tournament or otherwise. It was hard to tell. Springer entered the back nine with a four stroke advantage thanks to a birdie on #8, a tap-in eagle on #9, and an outward nine of 4-under par 32. Springer would struggle and fall out of contention on the back nine, but he finished with a birdie on #18 to tie the lead at 72. Grant Martens of San Diego went out in even-par 36 and closed like the National Champion he is. Martens would birdie #10, #11, #13, and #15 and closed in just 32 strokes to claim his second win of the season at 3-under par 68 at the Oceanside Amateur Championship. Aubry and Springer tied for 2nd place.
Palmer Flight saw Christopher Newton have a rollercoaster type round as he held on to win by three shots. Newton, who turned in 40, only made two pars on the back nine. Three birdies and four bogeys rounded out the back nine card as he closed in 1-over par 36 to claim his 1st Tour win in San Diego at 5-over par 76! Nick Jimas of La Jolla and Pete Staffa of Fountain Valley both both birdied the 9th hole and both broke the 80 mark, tying for 2nd place at 79.
The Hogan Flight witnessed a personal best round of golf that earned a trophy on Sunday. Stefan Koch made four birdies to offset most of his bogies, and finished two-over par with an exceptional round of 73, four strokes ahead of the two-way tie for second place. Koch may find himself playing with the Palmer Flight after his fourth win and a great start to the season. His 2019 play has been so improved that he has not shot a score over 80 so far this calendar year! Kent Houston and David Boreno both anticipated being in contention for the trophy, and shared second place with fine scores of 77 at Arrowood GC. Allen Cornwall recorded a round of 80 and earned fourth place to finish off the podium on Sunday morning.
Rob Salazar started his Tour career just last season in Snead Flight. Now he is a Champion in Sarazen Flight! After earning a Journey To Better Performance Promotion to Jones Flight, Salazar opted to play up a flight to Sarazen a few months back even though his index was still in the Jones range. Everything was working on the front nine, and Salazar held it together on the back nine to successfully break into the 70s on Sunday. Salazar shot 79 and posted his lowest score on Tour, earning him the Sarazen Flight trophy. Michael Terry held the top spot for a while, and his score of 81 earned him second place in the Oceanside Amateur Championshp. Spencer Sam played in the same pairing as Salazar, and tried to reel him in on the back nine, his score of 83 took third place on Sunday afternoon.
The Jones Flight had a large handful of players packed into the 90s and two competitors break into the 80s to battle for first place. Darrell Prescott and Brad Forsyth rode in the same cart for 18 holes and both players shot respective scores of 86 in regulation, only to return to the first hole in a sudden death playoff. Prescott came out on top after the first playoff hole, and he captured his first win on Tour in over 5 years. Forsyth’s solid round resulted in second place on Sunday. Douglas Spence and Ike Ellis both shot matching scores of 91 to tie for third place in the Oceanside Amateur Championship.
A couple of players kept their scores in the low 90s on Sunday in the Snead Flight and were rewarded and recognized for the effort. Ricardo Fronseca posted a solid score of 92 on his way to an Oceanside Amateur Championship. Craig Martin was right on his heels, shooting a round of 94 to take second place. Congratulations to both players on their good play.
The Tour returns to action this Saturday with the JC Championship at Twin Oaks Golf Club
