Phonsavanh, Bobroski, Foggia, Haas Win SNGA Tour Aliante Titles
Arpepanya Phonsavanh (Championship), John Bobroski (Senior), David Foggia (Silver) and Michael Haas (Net) won titles at the 2023 SNGA Tour Series stop at Aliante Golf Club. The one-day event was held May 25, 2023.–by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider
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Championship
Arpepanya Phonsavanh posted four birdies and a bogey in picking up his first SNGA Tour victory, a one-shot win.
Phonsavanh bogeyed his second hole but then played the final 16 holes in four-under.
Phonsavanh, a civil engineer, graduated from Clark High School in 2017. He then played for College of the Canyons college in California from 2017 to 2019 before transferring to UNLV to finish his degree in civil engineering. He didn’t play college golf at UNLV.
He said his putting has been the strong part of his game…usually.
“Today was a grind-it-out kind of day,” he said. “On the eighth hole, I sliced my drive out of bounds by about a foot. I reloaded and made an eagle with that ball but it was actually a par after the OB.”
He said he has to give his bosses a little credit for his win.
“This win definitely makes me want to play more,” he said. “And my boss is a big golfer and lets me play golf so I’m grateful for that.”
He added, like most golfers, there’s still work to be done with his game.
“I’m going to go with the stock answer,” he said with a laugh. “I can always improve a little on everything.”
Championship
Arpepanya Phonsavanh, 69
Garret Kieffer, 70
Conor Morley, 70
Senior
John Bobroski’s hot streak continues as he won the Senior championship in a scorecard playoff.
It was his fourth victory of 2023 and third straight tournament title.
Bobroski overcame a triple bogey on his second hole and played the final 16 holes even-par.
He said the triple bogey had a little of everything go wrong.
“I flared a drive out to the right,” he said. “Then I went for the green with a four-iron and wound up just off the green. I hit a poor chip and had a 45-footer.”
He said the pain was far from over on the hole.
“I blasted that putt about 15 feet past the hole,” he said with a laugh. “Then I blasted the next putt six feet past the hole. I didn’t make that six-footer but I did tap in the next one for a four-putt.”
Despite the bad hole, his confidence never wavered.
“Everything is good,” he said of his game. “My irons were very good. I don’t miss greens with my irons. If I can put it in the fairway, hit greens and make some putts…that’s always my goal.”
Ah, yes, the putting.
“I had 38 putts and that’s never good,” he said.
Bobroski added it wasn’t a win he was expecting…especially with the way the round ended.
“Jeff (Coppens) played very well,” he said. “He three-putted the last hole or he would have won. This time I came out on the winning side of the scorecard playoff.”
Senior
x-John Bobroski, 75
Jeff Coppens, 75
Robert Futrell, 78
x-won scorecard playoff
Silver
David Foggia had three birdies on the front nine as he won for the second time in 2023 on the SNGA Tour, posting a two-stroke victory.
“I played better today than I have in other events,” he said. “I bogeyed my first hole with a three-putt but then had three birdies and shot 34 on the front.”
He said getting off the tee was the key.
“I drove the ball well,” he said. “I was right down the middle and pretty long.”
He added it was his first time on the course.
“I hadn’t played here before and I avoided the hazards and hung on,” he said. “I’ve been playing pretty well. I’m looking forward to the two-day majors and hoping to play well.”
Silver
David Foggia, 72
Bruce Chamberlain, 74
John Garrett, 77
Net
Michael Haas had three net birdies and a net eagle in his first seven holes en route to a two-stroke victory in the Net Division.
It was the first victory of the year for Haas who won the 2022 Player of the Year honor in the Net Division despite not winning an individual event.
“I got a win and that’s great,” said Haas who finished second three times in 2022. “In fact, I was second in this event last year so that’s a step in the right direction.”
He said the win also boosts his confidence going forward.
“I’m really looking forward to this season,” he said. “With this win, it gets me back in the mix to maybe win back-to-back Player of the Year titles.”
He added his day was consistent…if not exciting.
“My putting was good,” he said. “I made a couple of long putts and that certainly helped. My drives were in the fairway, I hit greens and had a lot of two putts and moved on. It was pretty boring but it paid off.”
Net
Michael Haas, 69
Trevor Coss, 71
Samuel Frey, 71
