Erickson, Bobroski, Steele, Colantuono Win 2023 SNGA Tour Series Championship Titles
Craig Erickson (Championship), John Bobroski (Senior), John Steele (Silver) and James Colantuono (Net) won titles at the 2023 SNGA Tour Series Championship. The event was held Dec. 12, 2023, at Las Vegas National GC. –by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider
Championship
Craig Erickson rode a roller-coaster round to victory in the Championship Division.
Erickson’s up-and-down round included six birdies, seven bogeys and five pars. He won in a scorecard playoff.
It was Erickson’s second win of 2023.
“It was a challenging day,” Erickson said. “This course has stood the test of time. It gives you great opportunities if you’re on the proper side of the green but if you get it outside of 20 feet on the wrong side of the green, it’s tough.”
He said he had more opportunities to score.
“I had some other good looks,” he said. “I left an eagle putt on the lip and lipped out two birdie putts.”
Erickson said closing out the SNGA Tour year with a win boosts his confidence going forward.
“I played pretty well all year,” Erickson said. “I can’t wait for the USGA events next year after struggling through them this summer.”
Erickson said the SNGA events and USGA qualifiers go hand-in-hand.
“I build my schedule around qualifying for the USGA events,” he said. “Those are the dream events. I’ve qualified for four of them and when you miss out the next year, it’s tough. When you miss out after two or three years, it makes you wonder what it takes to get back there.”
Overall, Erickson said ending the year with a win is great.
“It’s nice to win one every once in awhile,” he said. “The fields are deeper now and a bunch more players can win. And as I get older, it seems the competition gets that much deeper.”
Championship
x-Craig Erickson, 72
Matt Mitchell, 72
Marcus Mullins, 73
x-won scorecard playoff
Senior
John Bobroski birdied the first hole and was off and running in picking up his third SNGA victory of 2023.
For the round, Bobroski had five birdies, a double bogey, three bogeys and nine pars.
“It was a pretty solid round,” Bobroski said. “I had just one screwup on the 15th hole but otherwise it was a real good round.”
Bobroski said there was one good reason for his success.
“I decided to hit three-wood off every tee just to keep it in play,” he said. “It worked. I had a little longer approach into the greens but I didn’t hit any out of bounds.”
He also added his putting is coming around.
“I made a long, curly putt, probably a 35-footer, for birdie on the fifth hole and that was a nice bonus,” Bobroski said.
Now it’s time to look ahead to 2024.
“My goal for the day was to finish the year with a good, solid round and I did,” he said. “I’ve been working on my game and this shows a lot of work and practice will pay off.”
Senior
John Bobroski, 71
Robert Futrell, 72
Brian Hurlburt, 78
Silver
John Steele won for the third time in 2023, but it was his first win since February when he won back-to-back events.
He said it’s great to win again.
“It was a great day,” Steele said. “I was just focused and relaxed.”
He said a book has changed his life…well, his golf life anyway.
“A book I listened to, Zen Golf, changed my golf game,” he said. “It’s just amazing. They focus on relaxation and breathing and getting tension out of the body. I listened to the book on tape and now I just feel so relaxed when I’m over the ball.”
He added the results he’s seen have made him a believer.
“It’s always in the front of my mind now,” he said. “It’s my No. 1 thought to get the tension out of my body. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve felt this comfortable.”
And it’s shown in his game.
“Every shot was like a bullet,” he said. “On No. 14 (par-3, 155 yards) I hit a seven-iron and it hit the pin and stopped four inches away. It was my second birdie in a row and it just really boosted my confidence.”
Steele, who spends from mid-October to mid-May in Vegas and the rest of the year in Virginia, said he’s working hard to keep his game solid.
“I still need to work on my short game,” he said. “Today I hit a couple of chip shots I wasn’t real pleased with but overall the game is pretty good right now.”
Silver
John Steele, 73
Rex Reese, 77
Mark Williams, 78
Net
James Colantuono had four net birdies in a five-hole stretch late in the round en route to winning his first SNGA event in a three-way scorecard playoff.
“I’m stoked,” Colantuono said. “I’ve played in a couple of these tournaments and haven’t done so well. I get tense and nervous.”
Now, after a win, his confidence is growing.
“This just tells me I can play this game,” he said. “I knew eventually I could relax and play well. And it showed in my putting. I’ve been struggling with my putting but I tried to stay loose and not tense up. Today, I got the ball to the hole and putted well. It made a big difference.”
The key to those thoughts?
“I just had to calm down and get my brain in a good spot,” he said. “I think I’ve been playing too much golf lately and putting too much stress on my body. The last time I played was Friday so I gave myself a little break and I was able to finish.”
Now he’s working on a formula moving forward.
“If I’m going to perform well, I’ve got to give myself a break,” he said. “I still want to stay sharp with my chipping and putting but I need to be smart. My coach (Gaylord Rhodes) says I need to spend 30 percent of my time on the range and 70 percent practicing my short game.”
Net
x-James Colantuono, 70
Loren Little, 70
Nick Dominelli, 70
x-Won in scorecard playoff
