Ralph ‘RJ’ Arone (Championship), Todd Roberts (Senior) and John Steele (Silver) won titles in the 2025 Nye County Amateur. Joe Alvarez (Net), Joel Panning (Senior) and George Yocum (Silver) won net titles in the tournament held May 17-18, 2025, at Mountain Falls Golf Club in Pahrump.–by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider
Championship
Ralph ‘RJ’ Arone put 10 birdies on his scorecard over the two days, five each round, and overcame a quadruple bogey in the final round to win for the first time in 2025.
It was Arone’s second SNGA victory with his first win coming in late 2023.
Arone just finished his freshman year at the University of Michigan.
“I didn’t realize I had 10 birdies so that is nice,” he said. “Unfortunately, that ‘8’ kind of killed the vibe.”
At the time, he thought he had shot himself out of the tournament.
“I can’t believe that didn’t cost me the tournament,” he said. “And I feel bad for Preston (Harris) because we had just a great battle going. It was back and forth. He said he just wasn’t thinking on his bad hole (a 12 on the 15th hole). If he doesn’t have that score, I don’t win the tournament. I feel bad for him because he was playing great golf.”
Arone said having a year of college golf under his belt helped with his composure on the back nine Sunday.
“A couple of years ago, junior golfer ‘RJ’ wouldn’t have handled it as well as I did,” he said. “I just tried to keep my head in the game. My game was there. I just need to battle the mental demons and I’m getting better at it.”
Championship
Ralph Arone, 69-73—142
Tripp Hildreth, 73-73—146
Preston Harris, 68-78—146
Net
Joe Alvarez had a net eagle and seven birdies (1 natural and six net) in rallying to win the Net title.
It was the first SNGA win for Alvarez.
“It’s my first season with the SNGA and my first win…I’m very excited,” Alvarez said. “I just tried to stay out of as much trouble as possible and I was lucky enough to do that.”
He said his stellar final round was one he hopes shows up more often.
“The golf gods looked down on me today,” he said. “I’m such a hot and cold player. I can shoot in the 90s and then have other days like today.”
Alvarez added that his net birdie barrage along with the net eagle shows his game is on the rise.
“I just switched putters and just switched my driver swing and things are starting to work out,” he said. “I’ve got two more SNGA tournaments in June and I’m looking forward to those and hopefully playing well in those.”
Net
Joe Alvarez, 75-69—144
Chris Price, 73-73—146
Charlie Berydas, 77-70—147
Senior
Todd Roberts, who won seven times in 2024, won for the first time in 2025 as he cruised to an eight-shot victory.
“I’ve always been a pretty good wind player,” Roberts said. “I hit it low and that helped.”
Roberts’ work schedule has kept him off the course more than he would like.
“I’ve got so much going on with my business that it’s taken all my time,” he said. “I haven’t been sharp but this tournament I could feel myself rounding into better shape.”
As well as Roberts played over the two days, it was a pair of double bogeys in the first round that stuck in his mind.
“Those two holes could have certainly been better,” he said with a laugh. “On No. 2, I had 120 yards in and tried to hit a three-quarter wedge and flew it over the green and made double. On 17, I was in the bunker. I’m a pretty good bunker player but I zinged this one over the green. Those are the kind of things that have kept me from scoring well and winning.”
But he did say this win was a nice milestone.
“It was my 40th SNGA Senior win in nine years I have been playing,” he said. “It was nice to get that one. Today I thought my way around the course well and it paid off.”
Senior
Todd Roberts, 75-72—147
John Turk, 80-75—155
Steven Fink, 80-79—159
Senior Net
Joel Panning had a roller-coaster two days as he won his second straight SNGA tournament.
For the two days, Panning had just 10 pars and his scorecard ran the gamut from a ‘2’ to a ‘7’.
“The wind really played havoc on everyone’s game,” Panning said. “It was a grind both days.”
He added his game is in a good place but he knows there’s still work to be done.
“My short game and chipping still need improvement,” he said. “The rough was grabbing clubs today. If you hit it in the rough you were in big trouble. That’s where some of my higher scores came from.”
But there was at least one highlight.
“I almost got a hole-in-one today,” he said. “I hit it to about an inch on No. 4 with a 30 mile-an-hour wind.”
Senior Net
Joel Panning, 74-72—146
Jim LiCausi, 74-76—150
Robert Zoine, 75-77—152
Silver
John Steele won for the second time in 2025–and in back-to-back-events–as he posted a three-shot victory.
For the two days, Steele played consistent golf as he recorded 24 pars over the 36 holes. He added four birdies to his scorecard including three the first day.
“Things are really working well right now,” Steele said. “My focus has improved dramatically.”
Steele wanted to give thanks to Bobby Walzel. “He has worked tirelessly on helping me improve my game,” he said.
And the work is paying off.
“The wind was brutal and my short game really saved me,” Steele said. “I didn’t hit a lot of greens but I did hit a lot of pretty good chips. I knew I would be grinding it out and it worked out well.”
With the improvement in his game, there are still aspects he’s working on.
“I’m trying to learn how to pick it out of the bunkers and keep it on the green,” Steele said. “That’s a big challenge for me but today I did hit a couple of pretty good ‘chippy’ bunker shots that worked out pretty well.”
Silver
John Steele, 72-77—149
Terry Martin, 77-75—152
Ron Harwood, 75-77—152
Silver Net
George Yocum posted a net birdie on the tournament’s final hole to post a one-stroke victory.
It was the second straight day that Yocum had a net birdie on the final hole.
Yocum won for the first time in 2025 after winning three times in 2024.
“I was totally shocked when I found out I won,” Yocum said. “I’m not saying I played bad but I thought I just played well enough to be in the top five.”
He said the higher scores weren’t a surprise.
“This game is tough enough,” he said. “Add in the wind and you can get humbled very quickly.”
He said his net birdies on the final hole both days were definitely the key to winning.
“No. 18 is a very hard hole,” he said. “You have water left, water right, water short and water long. It requires pretty good shots and I hit a couple of good ones.”
Yocum said the wind made club selection a challenge.
“I had a wedge shot,” he said. “I ended up hitting a seven-iron. I ended up hitting the shot on the green. It was a little long but on the green. I adjusted for the wind pretty well.”
Silver Net
George Yocum, 76-77—153
Barry Boudreaux, 80-74—154
Jimmy Bradley, 71-83—154
