Four New Champions Savor Major Titles at 2025 Las Vegas Senior City Amateur
LAS VEGAS, NV (June 6, 2025)—Mike Ketcham (Senior) and Ron Harwood (Silver) won gross titles in the 2025 Las Vegas Senior City Amateur. Jim LiCausi (Senior) and Jimmy Bradley (Silver) won net titles in the tournament which was the SNGA’s second major of the year. The event was held June 5-6, 2025, at the Las Vegas Golf Club.—by Bill Bowman, LasVegasGolf nsider.com
Senior
Mike Ketcham needed 37 holes to win his first SNGA title as he beat Ray Nomura in a playoff to win the Senior crown.
Ketcham parred the first playoff hole to secure the major crown.
“Everyone works their tail off to win a major,” he said. “This is my first attempt and it feels really, really good. I’ll cherish this for the rest of my life.”
Ketcham added his game was solid both days…well, for the most part.
“My game feels really good,” he said. “I played very well yesterday and had a good start today. Then on holes five through 11, I really struggled. It was kind of an out-of-body experience. But I regained my composure on 12 and made a nice putt for birdie. It was good to see it go in. It’s golf…it just takes one good hole to regain your confidence.”
He said with an impressive field, winning a major is something he won’t take for granted.
“There’s no doubt the field was stacked,” he said. “There are a lot of great players who have won a lot of tournaments. To be able to go head-to-head with them just validates the hard work I’ve put in is paying off.”
He said one shot stands out over his two days of play.
“The last hole yesterday, No. 9, our 18th hole, was great,” he said. “I hit a three-wood from 240 yards to about three feet and made eagle. That capped off a really good day and put me into a great mindset going into today.”
Senior
x-Mike Ketcham, 66-70—136
Ray Nomura, 70-66—136
John Turk, 70-70—140
x-Won in playoff
Senior Net
Jim LiCausi opened the final round playing his first five holes in three-under-par with a net eagle thrown in as he won the Senior Net title.
LiCausi added a string of three straight natural birdies to start his final nine holes in winning the major.
“I think I’m around 12 major wins,” he said. “These are what I practice for. I try to get my game up for them.”
He said his three straight birdies to start his final nine holes were key.
“That really got me going,” he said. “The birdies kind of made the round decent. I was trying to catch the gross guys but they were playing great golf. I wanted to win the gross but I’m happy with the net.”
He added that despite the win, there’s still work to be done with his game.
“There’s always room for improvement,” he said. “For me, it’s always going to be the putter. If I was a halfway decent putter, I would be a pretty good golfer.”
In the end, LiCausi said the event was run impressively–as usual.
“It’s extremely important that we thank Ann (Sunstrum) and her staff and the rules officials for all their hard work,” he said. “Their work always makes the events that much better.”
Senior Net
Jim LiCausi, 66-67—133
Trevor Coss, 65-70—135
Robert Zoine, 72-64—136
Silver
Ron Harwood won an SNGA title for the second time in 2025, racing to a six-shot victory.
Harwood came out of the gate hot during the first day as he played a six-hole stretch in six-under-par early in the round–four birdies, an eagle and a par–en route to the victory.
He said the sizzling start certainly boosted his confidence.
“That opening stretch was really good,” Harwood said. “I made some really big putts and eagling the fourth hole really let my nerves settle a little.”
He added winning a major is a great feeling.
“I was in the Army for 7½ years and won two post championships and this ranks right up there for me,” he said. “It’s a great feeling knowing how prestigious these events are. With the talent of the players, winning an event like this is special.”
Harwood also said the golf course fit his game well.
“I’m left-handed…but I putt right-handed…and this course is perfect for me,” he said. “I hit a cut shot and this course sets up well for that and it helped me set up second shots.”
Harwood added that a two-hole stretch at the turn in the opening round was as big a boost as his earlier hot stretch.
“I chipped in for birdie on No. 18, our ninth hole,” he said. “Then on the next hole, No. 1, I rolled in a 30-footer for birdie. Those back-to-back holes really kept my confidence going.”
Silver
Ron Harwood, 67-66—133
Steven Fink, 72-67—139
Tobin Upshaw, 69-71—140
Silver Net
Jimmy Bradley had a net eagle and five net birdies in a first-round 65 as he won an SNGA title for the 16th time…and he’s now won all four majors.
Bradley said getting back in the SNGA winner’s circle, especially with the win being a major, will stand out in his memory.
“It’s a sweet feeling to know I have won all of the majors,” he said. “This one is really gratifying as I was second for three straight years. I finally got over that last hurdle. With this impressive of a field and the course playing a little longer, winning feels that much better.”
He said playing at Las Vegas Golf Club is also a great feeling.
“Like a lot of players, I grew up on Muni,” he said. “My mother used to drop me off at 8 a.m. and pick me up at 5 at night. It’s just a great course that a lot of players grew up on.”
He said his solid play this weekend wasn’t really expected.
“I’ve been playing so bad for awhile,” he said. “I went over and got some lessons at RoboGolf and that helped my game a lot. It’s amazing what a little help can do for your game and your confidence.”
He said his short game was the biggest beneficiary this week.
“It was stellar both days,” he said. “I got up and down a lot. I had just 28 putts the first day and 30 putts today so everything worked out well.”
Silver Net
Jimmy Bradley, 65-65—130
Rene Romua, 70-70—140
Barry Isaacs, 69-71—140
