Championship at Desert Willow Determines Short Game Wizards
It’s one of golf’s oldest sayings: You drive for show and putt for dough. But don’t forget about those challenging approach shots in between those drives and putts. The SNGA’s 2018 Short Game Championship at Desert Willow put those short-game skills on display in a one-day event on April 6, 2018. In the end, Craig Erickson (Championship), Todd Roberts (Senior) and Al Kueker (Silver) showed off their short-game talents in winning gross division titles while Shawn Smith (net), Todd Sherman (senior) and Larry Agan (Silver) won net titles. — By Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider staff.
Desert Willow Golf Club is a par-60 executive course located in Henderson. The layout reaches 3,811 yards and was designed by Billy Casper and Greg Nash.
Championship
Craig Erickson finished in high style with three straight birdies in posting a five-stroke victory in the Championship Division. He shot even par 60 on the challenging layout, despite its apparent lack of length.
“That’s a really good score on this course,” Erickson said. “It’s a hard course.”
Erickson said his round was solid from start to finish. “I hit 16 or 17 greens and birdied all of the par 4s except on the first,” he said. “I just didn’t get into much trouble.”
This was Erickson’s first start in 2018. He won the 2017 Clark County Amateur.
“I had a lot of good looks and making three straight birdies at the end was a good way to finish,” he said.
Championship
Craig Erickson, 60
Jason Cordon, 65
Brandon Wilkinson, 68
Net
Shawn Smith’s one-over-par 61 was good enough for a one-stroke victory in the Net Division.
“I had a couple of birdies in the middle and a few strings of pars so I played pretty solid,” he said of his second SNGA victory in 2018.
The key to his early-season success? That’s easy. “I just try not to get too excited,” he said. “Once I start to get excited, whether it’s good or bad, that’s when I get in trouble.”
He also said his par-3 play has helped his success. “I just try to stay relaxed and not overhit my irons,” he said. “It’s really that simple.”
Net
Shawn Smith, 61
Jim Cail, 63
Alissha Champagne, 64
Senior
Todd Roberts won a scorecard playoff over Frank Acker for the Senior Division title. It was Roberts’ first SNGA win of 2018.
“I got off to a really bad start,” Roberts said. “I was four over through the first six holes and I had hit five greens so it was pretty frustrating.”
He said his overall day left a lot to be desired. “I had a hard time putting on the greens,” he said. “I only had one birdie and just kind of hung in there. I persevered and fortunately it was good enough.”
Senior
Todd Roberts, 64
Frank Acker, 64
Scott Gardner, 66
Senior Net
Todd Sherman’s first win in an SNGA event started off with a bang as he birdied the first hole en route to a four-shot victory.
“I was pretty pumped up after that,” he said. “I played good through 10 and then I went OB and kind of screwed up the score but I still managed to come out on top.”
He said his game-plan was simple. “It was a little windy to begin with so I kept it low,” he said. “My short game is pretty good and I was happy with the round.”
Senior Net
Todd Sherman, 60
David Koch, 64
Don Blanton, 66
Silver
Al Kueker won his third Silver event of the year, but his first gross division crown.
“I didn’t play that well but I chipped and putted pretty well,” he said. “It’s a pretty tough course.”
And he saw the toughness first-hand. “I three-putted eight and nine and thought ‘here we go’ but I got the putter back on track on the back nine and finished pretty well.”
He said the 14th hole proved to be the key. “It’s a 220-yard par-3 and I hit driver over the green but managed to get it up and down for par.”
Silver
Al Kueker, 65
John Kelley, 69
Michael Manthey, 81
Silver Net
Larry Agan is in the winner’s circle for the first time in 2018, posting a four-shot victory in the Silver Net Division.
It was Agan’s first win in 2018 after picking up two wins in 2017 and one victory in 2016.
“I stayed out of trouble and didn’t have any high scores,” he said. “I haven’t played golf in awhile and luckily everything worked out well today.”
He added he finished strong. “I was only two-over the last seven holes,” he said.
Silver Net
Larry Agan, 59
Jim Burger, 63
Walter Sabati, 65
