Johnson, Randolph, English, Stout Win Coyote Springs SNGA Tour Titles

Daren Johnson (Championship), Byron Randolph (Senior), Jeffrey English (Silver) and Glenn Stout (Net) won titles in the 2022 SNGA Tour Stableford at Coyote Springs. The tournament was held Sept. 22, 2022.–By Bill Bowman, www.LasVegasGolfInsider.com

The tournament format was modified Stableford scoring and awarded points for double eagles (8 points), eagles (5 points), birdies (3 points) and pars (1 point). Bogeys gave players zero points while double bogeys or worse cost players two points.

Championship

Daren Johnson birdied four of five holes early in the round but had to par the final hole for a one-point victory in the Championship Division.

Johnson added two more birdies on the back nine in winning for the first time in 2022. The last win came when he teamed up with Jason Cordon to win the SNGA Tour Four-Ball event in early 2021.

“It has been awhile,” he said with a laugh. “But it was a nice win and great to play solid golf.”

He said the key was simple.

“I’ve been working on my irons and controlling flighting them better,” he said. “That allowed me to hit them close enough to take advantage of a couple of holes early.”

He said he had a front-row seat in how Kamden Ganir, who finished second a point back, was playing.

“He was playing in front of us and it looked like he was pretty close to the hole (on 18),” he said. “I had a feeling I needed at least a par to have a chance to win.”

Now he’s looking to add to his win total.

“It definitely feels good to win,” he said. “At this point of the season it would be nice to have multiple wins but hopefully mine are coming a little late but it’s better late than never so I’ll take it.”

Championship

Daren Johnson, 26 points

Kamden Ganir, 25

Scott Lytle, 21

Senior

Byron Randolph birdied two of three holes on the back nine as he won the Senior Division for his second win in the last month.

Randolph wound up with 17 points and a two-point victory.

He was steady through the first 13 holes as he picked up eight points before he birdied two holes in a three-hole stretch to hit high gear.

After his first victory he said he couldn’t wait for the next event because he was playing well. That good play kept up with his back-to-back win streak.

“I’m still playing well,” he said. “The ball is flying good and the ball is rolling good. I’m really happy with my game right now.”

He said the course is always a challenge for him.

“Coyote Springs’ greens are always tough,” he said. “I was happy to get a couple of shots close on the back nine and make birdies.”

He said his goal with the format was simple: Consistency.

“I just played steady all day,” he said. “I didn’t try to do too much…just make a bunch of pars and maybe a birdie or two and see what happens.”

Senior

Byron Randolph, 17 points

John Ellsworth, 15

Robert Futrell, 14

Silver

Jeffrey English overcame a sluggish start to put 20 points on the board in winning the Silver Division title by one point.

English bogeyed the first three holes for zero points but then recorded 20 points over the final 15 holes including three birdies in that stretch.

It was English’s fourth SNGA win of 2022.

“I made some changes in my game last December and I’ve just been playing pretty steady golf,” English said. “It definitely helps in tournaments.”

He added he knew it would come down to the wire.

“I got off to a slow start but settled down after the opening three bogeys and played well the rest of the way,” he said. “I knew it would be neck-and-neck with Bruce Swanson and I just kept plugging away.”

He said he still wants to work on his putting.

“I didn’t have any three putts and that’s good because there were some tough pin placements,” he said. “But I’m still not putting that great. I’m hitting the ball well enough that I’m hitting it close enough to the hole. I made the putts I needed to make but there’s still work to do.”

Silver

Jeffrey English, 20 points

Bruce Swanson, 19

Bob Godfrey, 17

Net

Glenn Stout had two net eagles–including one on the final hole–as he posted 25 points en route to a three-point victory in the Net Division.

It was Stout’s first SNGA win.

He said the eagle on the final hole was an unexpected surprise.

“I got really lucky,” he said. “I hit a 5-wood off the tee but hit it in the bunker. I hit it to about four-feet for a birdie (net eagle). It was a shot that worked out really well but it was lucky.”

He said the key to his win was his mindset.

“I played a lot more conservative this year,” he said. “This was only my second time playing Coyote Springs and last year I played really dumb. I tried to make great shots. This year I teed off a lot of times with my 5-wood to keep it in play. I didn’t hit the desert once. I did hit it in the bunkers four times but that’s the way the ball bounces sometimes.”

Net

Glenn Stout, 25 points

Scott Flanigan, 22

Adam Pion, 19