Boulder City, N.V (April 20, 2025)–Mark Alvarez (Championship), Greg Hudson (Senior) and Patrick Carlin (Silver) won gross titles in the 2025 Boulder City Amateur. Chris Price (Net), Joel Panning (Senior) and John Steele (Silver) won net titles at the tournament which was held April 19-20, 2025, at Boulder City Golf Course.–by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider staff
Championship
Mark Alvarez birdied six of his first 10 holes in the final round in winning the Championship Division for his first SNGA title.
Alvarez, who is a state-wide liquor salesman for Heaven Hills brands, said his putter saved the day.
“I hit some bad shots today but made a lot of great putts that got me going,” he said.
He added his birdie putts were anything but gimmies.
“Everything was outside of five feet,” he said. “They put the pins in some fun and challenging spots and the putter just worked great for me today.”
As an example, he pointed to the par-4 11th hole.
“That was a highlight hole,” he said. “I airmailed my second shot and shortsided myself. I hit a flop shot that ran 30 feet past the hole. I rammed the putt in for par. It’s always nice when you start rolling the rock really well. As far as these kids hit it I’ve got to beat them somehow and today it was with the putter.”
He added his outlook on golf is something that keeps him grounded.
“I don’t take myself too seriously,” he said. “It’s always a battle between myself and the course and the elements.”
Championship
Mark Alvarez, 72-67—139
Matt Mitchell, 73-67—140
Rashon Williams, 70-71—141
Net
Chris Price opened the second day with an eagle and rallied to win the Net title by three strokes.
It was Price’s second SNGA crown with his previous coming at Primm in 2022.
“It’s been awhile, that’s for sure,” Price said. “But I’m kind of an anomaly playing in the Net Division as a one-or-two handicap. If I shoot in the mid-70s it puts me in the middle of the pack so I’ve got to play really well to have a chance to win.”
Price said the opening-hole eagle–a chip-in from 52 yards–put him in an aggressive frame of mind.
“It was a great jumpstart,” he said. “I left the course yesterday mentally fatigued after just grinding it out. To chip in for an eagle to start today let me think that maybe today is the day.”
His thinking proved to be correct.
“It’s nice to know if I play a good round of golf I can be rewarded,” he said. “One thing about playing out here is it’s tough. There are a lot of very good players so it’s nice to finally get another win.”
Net
Chris Price, 76-71—147
Aron Suci, 72-78—150
Daniel Robledo, 75-76—151
Senior
Greg Hudson posted a sizzling four-under-par 32 on the back nine during the first round en route to a three-shot victory in the Senior Division.
It was Hudson’s second SNGA title.
“After limping around the front nine (the first day), I kicked myself and said let’s go get it,” he said. “I came back with four-under and my head was in a good place.”
He said picking up his second SNGA title boosted his confidence.
“I’m starting to feel like I belong and can play with the boys,” he said. “It’s been a long journey, but overall, it’s good for the mental game.”
He added his putting was key.
“Believe it or not, putting is something I’ve been working on very hard for a long time,” he said. “I never want to say I’m not a good putter but yesterday, on the back nine, I came out with just 11 putts so that helped the confidence.”
He said he came into the weekend with a simple goal: “You’ve just got to put the ball in play,” he said. “I didn’t have many wayward shots and when I did have one, I was able to scramble pretty well.”
Senior
Greg Hudson, 70-74—144
Ray Nomura, 77-70—147
Rick Sepp, 76-72—148
Senior Net
Joel Panning’s scorecard ran the gamut over the two days–everything from a net eagle to a double bogey–as he posted his first SNGA win.
Panning said it was certainly a wild ride.
“I played pretty well (Saturday) but really struggled today,” he said. “But I was only one-over on the back nine so that was good. I really grinded it out today.”
He said the toughest part came when he missed fairways.
“Boulder City is a pretty tough course being tree-lined,” Panning said. “But I hit a lot of good recovery shots after punching out and getting chances to save par. I had shots that you don’t practice very much.”
He’s now looking forward to more tournament action.
“This was just my fourth tournament,” he said. “I’m not used to playing a lot of tournaments but I’m thankful for the SNGA putting on the events and letting us better ourselves by playing.”
Senior Net
Joel Panning, 70-73—143
Gordon Schiring, 71-74—145
John Turk, 75-73—148
Silver
John Steele saved the best for last as he birdied two of his final three holes on Sunday to win the Silver Division.
It was Steele’s first win since 2023 when he won three times.
Steele was in a five-way tie for the lead after the first day before breaking out of the pack for a one-stroke victory.
“This was my first two-day win,” he said. “I’ve never held it together for two rounds.”
He said his morning church services helped him throughout the day.
“My saviour was with me today,” he said. “I just prayed the whole day and I was calm and relaxed. It was the most amazing feeling.”
Steele said his work on the greens helped him get back in the winner’s circle.
“My putting today was very good,” he said. “In the first four holes I had already racked up about 30-feet of putts. I missed one three-footer…otherwise I was making every five-footer. It was just a solid putting round.”
He said his birdies on 16 and 17 along with a par on 18 were set up with solid play.
“I hit perfect drives, perfect irons and perfect putts over the last three holes,” he said. “I left an eagle putt on 16 one inch short and made birdie and then I hit it to about six inches on 17 for another birdie.”
Silver
John Steele, 76-70—146
Chris Cookson, 76-71—147
Gary Carpendale, 76-74—150
Silver Net
Patrick Carlin posted five net birdies on the second round to rally for the victory in the Silver Net, beating William Day in a scorecard playoff.
It was Carlin’s third SNGA victory but first since 2020.
“I haven’t gotten to play a lot and this was my first win in awhile,” he said. “It is definitely good to win again.”
He said his game wasn’t solid and he did get a few breaks.
“I got away with some bad shots that could have been really bad,” he said. “The golf course played tough for everyone and the trees can make for some tough shots. I stayed out of the trees a little more today and that really helped.”
He said one club stood out for him over the weekend.
“My shorter irons, especially my seven-iron, helped me a lot,” he said. “I had a few shorter shots into the greens and my shorter clubs got me on a few more greens and I made a few more two-putts for pars.”
Silver Net
x-Patrick Carlin, 76-71—147
William Day, 73-74—147
Loren Little, 76-72—148
x-won in a scorecard playoff
