Lorain, Bobroski, Martin, O’Brien Earn Short Game Wizard Status at Eagle Crest

Brandon Lorain (Championship), John Bobroski (Senior), Terry Martin (Silver) and Denis O’Brien (Net) won titles at the 2024 SNGA Tour Short Game Championship. The tournament was held April 11, 2024, at Eagle Crest Golf Club.–by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider

Championship

Brandon Lorain made it two straight Short Game Championship titles, birdieing the final hole for a one-stroke victory.

“It’s a fun test out here,” Lorain said. “The greens were smooth but not as fast as they have been but putts were definitely makeable. You just have to be in the right places and stay patient. There are holes out here you think you should birdie but actually par is a good score.”

And that includes his putt on the final hole.

“Greg (Horodesky) made a great run,” Lorain said. “We went to the final hole tied and I knew I had to make a putt. I had about a 15-footer and it’s one you don’t expect to make but I rolled it in and that was the winner.”

He said he did have a little bit of a struggle mid-round.

“I bogeyed 10 when I didn’t get up and down for par,” he said. “Then I hit it sketchy on 11 but then I played the next three holes perfectly and that gave me confidence. I just hung in there.”

Championship

Brandon Lorain, 60

Greg Horodesky, 61

Eric Bauman, 63

Senior

John Bobroski, who won last winter’s SNGA Tour Championship, got back in the winner’s circle with a one-stroke victory in the Senior Division.

Bobroski won without putting a birdie on the scorecard as he posted 13 pars on the day including his first seven holes.

“I was hitting the ball OK but I had 38 putts,” he said. “The greens were a little slow but I guess I did enough to win.”

He thought one hole sunk any chance he had.

“I was between a five-iron and a six-iron on the 15th,” he said. “I went with the five-iron because it would get me back to the hole. Unfortunately, I pulled it a little and caught the cart path. I hit a good chip but missed a 40-footer for par. I only had a foot-and-a-half left and lipped it out so I wound up with a double.”

He also bogeyed 17 and headed for the 18th hole thinking his chances were gone.

“I didn’t think six-over had a chance so I was going to hit driver off the tee,” he said. “Then I saw six-over was still in it so I hit three-wood and then a nine-iron to just off the green and two-putted for the par.”

Senior

John Bobroski, 66

Greg Hudson, 67

Marty Pena, 67

Robert Futrell, 67

Michael Andrews, 67

Silver

Terry Martin won an SNGA event for the first time in almost three years, putting a birdie and 14 pars on the scorecard in winning by two strokes.

Martin’s last win came in the 2021 Reflection Bay Amateur.

“It’s been a long time,” Martin said with a laugh.

Martin opened with his only birdie of the round and said that gave him confidence.

“It’s one of my first rounds back after tearing a calf muscle,” he said. “I went out and swung easy. I didn’t have any expectations but I hit it good and hit it where I wanted. It was just a solid round.”

He added the short game challenge lived up to its name.

“My short irons have been really good since I started swinging the club,” he said. “And my speed on the greens was really good. Most of the putts I hit either went in the hole or right around the hole.”

Silver

Terry Martin, 62

Chris Cookson, 64

Darwin Rogers, 67

Net

Denis O’Brien used two net eagles to go along with four net birdies to come away with a one-shot win in the Net Division.

It was O’Brien’s first SNGA victory.

“This was the first time I’ve played in an event,” O’Brien said. “On the first hole, I’ve never been that nervous.”

He said the net eagles, especially the first one on the ninth hole, gave him a boost.

“I wasn’t on the green with my third shot,” he said. “I used the putter and it still went in. It wasn’t ideal. On the scorecard it looks much better than it really was.”

The 43-year-old is still getting used to the sport.

“I didn’t pick up a club until I was 30,” he said. “I’m still relatively new but I’m getting to the point where I feel comfortable and can hit shots semi-consistently.”

He added this win was a very emotional time.

“I lost my dad in March so this was tough,” he said. “He was my golf buddy. He was definitely in the back of my mind. I could almost hear him yelling at me…it was good.”

Net

Denis O’Brien, 61

John Diclaro, 62

Dave Golder, 62

Bryan Carlon, 62

Jerry Algeo, 62

Tom Emlaw, 62