SNGA Tour Aliante Report: Six More Into Nevada State Am
Six more players earned their way into the 2018 Nevada State Amateur with strong finishes in the SNGA Tour event played April 17, 2018, at Aliante Golf Club. This was the second of three qualifiers for the Nevada State Amateur which will be held July 9-11, 2018 at TPC Summerlin. Plus, championships were earned in senior and sliver gross and net divisions. — By Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider staff.
The six who earned the latest spots included: Brady Exber, Nathan Maas, Jeremy May, Chris LeCates, Kelly Knievel and Andrew Yeh.
Championship Division
The championship Division saw Ed Fryatt win for the second time in 2018.
This one was a roller coaster round as he mixed in six birdies with four bogeys. He made the outcome interesting with four birdies, three bogeys and a lone par over the final eight holes. Fryatt was already qualified for the Nevada State Amateur.
“For everybody it was a matter of just keeping it in play with the wind,” Fryatt said. “I missed just one drive all day so I was pretty happy for the most part.”
He said the finish, back-to-back bogeys, wasn’t the way he wanted the round to end. “I had it to four-under twice and you never want to finish that way but I can’t be too disappointed.”
Fryatt said the event was a good one to use in preparation for this weekend’s event at Mountain Falls. “I haven’t played a tournament round for a while so this was a good chance to escape work and use this as a tuneup for the tournament this weekend,” he said.
Championship Division
Ed Fryatt, 70
Brady Exber, 72
Nathan Maas, 73
Net Division
After a pair of runner up finishes in the Net Division to start off 2018 as well as one to end 2017, Nate Ross finally found his way back into the winner’s circle with a three-stroke victory.
Ross’ last victory was the Net Division in the 2017 Clark County Amateur.
“I made three birdies on the back nine to save the round,” he said. “I had a few double bogeys back there, too, so it was nice to get a few shots back.”
He played the last three holes two-under gross, finishing birdie-par-birdie. “That’s what won it for me.”
Breaking the string of runner up finishes was also on his mind. “It does feel good to win again,” he said. “Some of those (runner up finishes) came down to mental mistakes and hopefully I’ve put those behind me.”
Net Division
Nate Ross, 73
Eduardo Ramirez, 76
Tucker Field, 78
Senior Division
Frank Acker, also coming off back-to-back runnerup finishes, posted a victory in the Senior Division beating Todd Roberts by one stroke.
Acker won the Henderson event in February before his two runnerup finishes.
Acker said the win didn’t come without a few struggles. “I played pretty well but I didn’t finish well with a double bogey,” he said. “My ball-striking was good but I had three 3-putts. I struggled with a few short putts but I had a 20-footer and a 15-footer so I made a few, too. I’m working on some new stuff and just need to get more confidence.”
He added it was nice to win despite the finish. “I really thought I gave it away today,” he said.
Senior Division
Frank Acker, 75
Todd Roberts, 76
Vincent Sturbaum, 87
Senior Division Net
Evan Green posted his second SNGA victory, winning the Senior Division Net crown.
His last victory was the Senior Net title at the 2014 Clark County Amateur at Boulder Creek.
“I’ve been playing competitive golf since high school,” he said. “But I haven’t played competitively much recently. I have my attention span on a few other things in life including standup comedy and charity work with my wife, LVIP Dining. I love golf, but right now I’m exploring other things as well.”
As for how he got back in the winner’s circle, that was easy. “I was steady Eddie,” he said. “I kept the ball in play and aimed for the middle of the greens, especially when there were sucker pins.”
Senior Division Net
Evan Green, 72
Gary Drinkhorn, 80
William Thompson, 83
Silver Division
Al Kueker made it back-to-back Silver Division gross titles, beating Frank Abbott by two strokes. It is Kueker’s fourth Silver Division crown of the year, two gross titles and two net crowns.
“It seems like you should be able to play well all the time but it doesn’t always seem to work that way does it,” Kueker said of his streak. “Today, even my bad shots wound up being pretty good.”
He said his round started off up-and-down. “I birdied the first hole but then double-bogeyed the second,” he said. “Then I thought ‘Uh oh, here we go again’ but then I parred a lot of holes after that and it all worked out.”
He chuckled when asked about the key to his success. “I found that if I keep the ball in front of me and out of all of the crap it makes it a whole lot easier.”
Silver Division
Al Kueker, 73
Frank Abbott, 75
John Garrett, 80
Silver Division Net
Welcome back to the winner’s circle, Dave Haddock.
Haddock has been off the SNGA circuit since 2006 but came back with a bang, winning the Silver Division Net title for his first win since the early 2000s.
“Arthritis kind of knocked me out but I’m slowly getting back into it,” he said. “I’m trying to do the one-day events and didn’t do too badly in this one.”
He said his goal was simple. “I don’t hit it far enough to get into any trouble,” he said. “And my chipping and putting, the only things I can really practice, saved the day for me.”
Silver Division Net
Dave Haddock, 73
Jon Kelley, 74
Walter Sabati, 76
