Reflection Bay Champs – Barzekoff, Knievel, Acker, Yocum, Sarno, Carlin
Cameron Barzekoff (Championship), Kelly Knievel (Senior) and Frank Acker (Silver) won gross titles in the 2020 Reflection Bay Amateur held June 6-7, 2020, at Reflection Bay Golf Club. The net titles went to George Yocum (Net), Freddie Sarno (Senior) and Patrick Carlin (Silver). –by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider staff.
Championship
Cameron Barzekoff rallied from a four-shot deficit to win the Championship Division title. It was his second SNGA crown as he also won this event in 2019.
Barzekoff, who played two years of high school golf at Palo Verde in Vegas before finishing high school in Arizona, had two eagles in the final round including on his final hole of the tournament.
“Eagling the last hole was clutch,” he said of the round that also saw him post two birdies and a lone bogey. “We both (Barzekoff and Hazen Newman) knew we were tied. I hit a good iron shot in there and made a 15-footer. It was a great way to finish the tournament.”
He added the round was solid from start to finish.
“I just went out and played golf and had fun,” he said. “I kept the ball in play and rolled in some putts today. I made a lot more putts today.”
Barzekoff has recently entered the college transfer portal after playing the past two years at Boise State. “I’m kind of a free agent right now,” he said. “I’m not sure where I’m going to be going but I decided to stay closer to home and be close to family. That’s why I’m looking at schools in the area like California, Utah and Nevada.”
He added this victory will definitely help his future play. “It’s given me a boost of confidence heading into the summer and next season,” he said.
Championship
Cameron Barzekoff, 71-65—136
Hazen Newman 67-70—137
Jacob Johnson, 78-66—144
Net
George Yocum is back at it in the Net Division. Yocum won two net titles in June of 2019 (including this event) and then won the 2019 Nevada State Net Am in August.
Now, he’s back in the winner’s circle again as he posted a one-shot victory.
“To win as the defending champion is pretty awesome,” he said
He said the layout is ideal for him. “I really like the course,” he said. “It sets up well to my eye. The conditions (Sunday) afternoon were difficult but when you’re playing well the conditions never seem as bad as they are.”
He had trouble on holes 1-9 each day but holes 10-18 treated him well. The groups started on No. 1 one day and No. 10 the other day of the event.
“I had a bad nine each day,” he said. “I struggled on the front nine but then played well on the back nine.”
He said one hole in particular got him going. But, it wasn’t a good shot that paved the way. Rather it was a good break.
“The hole that got me going was No.10 (Saturday),” he said. “I hit it and it was heading out of bounds but it caught the fence and bounced back in. I got lucky several times. My score could have been worse but it all worked out. You take the good breaks with the bad ones.”
Net
George Yocum, 72-72—144
Michael Godfrey, 73-72—145
Renee Rocco, 70-75—145
Senior
Kelly Knievel played his final nine holes two-under-par to post his third SNGA victory in 2020.
Knievel is getting used to this winning thing.
“I just focus so much better in tournaments than I do playing with my buddies,” he said. “In my mindset, it’s all about winning the tournament.”
He did just that despite a tough first nine on the final day.
“I three-putted the first hole and hit it in the water on eight and nine,” he said. “I just tried to keep my focus. I knew it wasn’t the end of the world and the course was set up short so I knew I would have opportunities at birdies.”
He wound up with a double bogey on eight and got it up-and-down for par on the ninth. “I was only one over for the day at that point so I knew as long as I put the driver in play there would be birdie chances,” he said.
He did just that with birdies on 11 and 12. He parred his final six holes for the one-shot victory.
“Winning begets winning,” he said. “It’s not that complicated. Golf is tough enough as it is…you have to try and keep it simple.”
Senior
Kelly Knievel, 73-71—144
Chris Whatley, 72-73—145
Sean Mulvenon, 75-71—146
Senior Net
Freddie Sarno had to hold on to post his second SNGA victory and first since winning this same tournament back in 2018.
Sarno fired a sizzling 66 on Saturday that included a birdie, six net birdies and a net eagle. He struggled with a 74 on Sunday but still came away with a one-stroke victory.
Senior Net
Freddie Sarno, 66-74—140
James Atkinson, 71-70—141
David Golder, 71-75—146
Silver
There was good news and bad news for Silver Division champion Frank Acker. The good news is he had six birdies in the first round of the tournament. The bad news? He didn’t record a single birdie in the second round but still came away with his third SNGA victory in 2020.
To say he was shocked to win would be an understatement.
“I knew it would be close,” Acker said of his no-birdie, four-bogey round. “I certainly wouldn’t have been surprised if I had lost.”
He said putting–or lack of putting–was the story of the day.
“I hit 14 greens and just didn’t make any putts,” he said. “I had one three-putt and one one-putt. I just couldn’t get a putt in the hole.”
He said it was a day where he kept waiting for the putts to fall.
“I thought I’d make some birdies,” he said. “But the few chances I had wouldn’t drop. I thought I’d get on a little run somewhere but it never happened.”
But, Acker is the first to admit a win is a win.
“At this age you take them when you get them,” he said. “I was hoping to shoot around par and figured that would be a good score. But it turned out just fine.”
Silver
Frank Acker, 70-76—146
Patrick Woerner, 72-75—147
Dan Parkinson, 72-76—148
Silver Net
Patrick Carlin turned up the heat Sunday and roared from behind to earn his second SNGA title.
Carlin was five shots behind heading into the second round but six net birdies and a net eagle helped him rally for the win. A 7-footer on the last hole sealed the victory.
“I’m from Kingman (Ariz.) and the wind blows every day,” he said with a laugh. “We always seem to play in the wind there.”
He said his putting was the key…at least for the second day.
“I putted really well (Sunday),” he said. “I made a lot of 5-6 footers in the wind and that made a big difference. I really had trouble with the speed of the greens the first day. It seemed like I had a lot of 10-footers and then had 12-footers coming back. That’s not good.”
But the second day was different. “Making a few 5-6 footers and then a 20-foot eagle putt really helped,” he said. “And a couple of times I was in really bad shape but wound up making a par or a bogey instead of big numbers. That was big. I definitely got away with a few things.”
His other SNGA win came at Cascata a couple of years ago. “I won by one shot there as well,” he said. “It really just depends on my game. It can be really bad or it can be OK. This weekend it was OK.”
Silver Net
Patrick Carlin, 73-67—140
Al Kueker, 70-71—141
Loren Little, 71-72—143
