SNGA Championship 2020 Winners: Minkoff, Pool, Turk ; Haddock, Martin, Liggett
Jonathan Minkoff (Championship), Doug Pool (Senior) and John Turk (Silver) won gross titles at the 2020 SNGA Championship held March 7-8, 2020, at Golf Summerlin. David Haddock (Net), Terry Martin (Senior) and Steve Liggett (Silver) were the net champions. More than 140 golfers vied over the two courses, Palm Valley and Highlands, to determine the champions. –by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider staff.
The two-day event was played at Highland Falls Golf Club and Palm Valley Golf Club.
Championship
Jonathan Minkoff used two eagles during the final round to rally for a one-stroke victory in the Championship Division. It was Minkoff’s first SNGA win in his first SNGA tournament.
He trailed by four shots heading into the second round but the two eagles along with three birdies helped him overcome the deficit.
“It was pretty windy both days but I knew if I put up a good round (Sunday) I thought I’d be in the hunt,” he said.
Minkoff, who works in finance in Los Angeles, said he made the trip to Vegas just to tee it up.
“This is my second home,” he said. “I lived out here for five years when I ran a nightclub. I just love the courses out here.”
He said he will be back.
“I love Vegas…there’s always something to do,” he said. “I’m going to play in the mid-am, the state am and other (SNGA) events. My brother (Bobby) lives here so it’s easy and convenient to play here.”
What’s not convenient is finding time to play. “Work and two kids keep me pretty busy,” he said. “I certainly don’t get to play as much as I’d like but it was nice to play two pretty good rounds.”
This weekend he battled the courses and the conditions. “I just tried to stay patient,” he said. “”I putted really well (Sunday) but I also made some bad bogeys. But I did enough to win.”
Championship
Jonathan Minkoff, 75-70—145
Grant McKay, 73-73—146
J.J. Gresco, 71-77—148
Net
Dave Haddock got off to a red-hot start and held on for the Net Division title, his first solo SNGA victory. Dave and his dad, David, did team up to win the SNGA Parent/Child event last year.
Haddock, in his third year of SNGA tournament play, fired a first-round 65 to grab an early lead he would not relinquish.
“This is the first time I’ve won anything on my own,” he said. “The Palms is my home course so I know it really well. I hit drivers down the fairways and two-putted all day. Put those together and it worked out well.”
It worked out well enough that he shot a personal best three-over-par 75.
“It’s the lowest score I’ve ever shot,” he said. “I kind of assassinated my handicap. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve ever shot my handicap so that was great.”
But he also had moments of terror.
“(Sunday) I was just trying to hold the lead,” he said. “It was getting kind of tense coming into the last few holes. I was giving up strokes but held on. It was the first time I’ve won so that was pretty cool.”
Net
David Haddock, 65-76—141
Robert Golden, 71-73—144
Donald Blanton, 71-75—146
Senior
Doug Pool, a member of the Class of 2015 Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame, is back in the SNGA winner’s circle.
Pool has made a habit of winning this event, claiming four titles. He first won it in 1996 in the Championship Division and repeated in the Championship Division in 2009. He then won the tournament’s Senior Division title in 2017 and has now added this year’s Senior Division title to his list of accomplishments.
Pool played consistent golf over the two days, posting three birdies, four bogeys and 29 pars in the 36-hole event, to post a four-shot victory over Frank Acker.
“I hit the ball real well…short and straight,” he said with a laugh. “Over the last four years I’ve got to the point I can curve the ball both ways so I can play a little better.”
He said that was the key this week.
“These courses require you to control the ball well and hit it both ways,” he said. “I managed to do that very well. I hit virtually every green in regulation and hit it and chipped it close enough so there was not much of a chance for three-putts.”
He said he doesn’t play a lot of SNGA event, but there’s a reason. “Everyone else is getting a lot better and I’m getting worse,” he said with another laugh.
Senior
Doug Pool, 73-72—145
Frank Acker, 76-73-149
James Corey, 78-74—152
Senior Net
Terry Martin rallied to win the Senior Net title. He trailed by five strokes heading into the final round but a 74 helped him win by a stroke over David Golder.
Senior Net
Terry Martin, 73-74—147
David Golder, 68-80—148
Freddie Sarno, 79-71—150
Silver
Welcome to the John Turk roller coaster extravaganza. Hang on.
Turk won the Silver gross division by two strokes over Gary Carpendale but it was anything but easy.
Turk carded a 77 on the first day that included two birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys.
“It was terrible,” Turk said of his first-day putting. “I had four three-putts. I just couldn’t get a handle on the greens.”
But Turk rebounded the second day as he opened with three straight birdies and closed with birdies on 17 and 18 to post his first victory of 2020.
“Once I saw how smooth the greens were (the second day), my mind was right,” Turk said. “And I had seven birdies so that didn’t hurt. I had the right speed, the right breaks and rolled them nicely.”
Despite his rocky first day, he still had a positive attitude.
“As bad as I putted, I was only one shot back,” he said. “And when I made three birdies to start the round, it put me in a good frame of mind.”
Silver
John Turk, 77-68—145
Gary Carpendale, 76-71—147
Patrick Woerner, 79-74—153
Silver Net
Steve Liggett is also in the SNGA winner’s circle for the first time, posting a three-stroke victory in the Silver Net division.
Winning didn’t cross his mind…even after the round.
“I played well (Saturday) but struggled a little today,” he said. “I dug down and played good on the back nine. I was surprised it was good enough to win.”
Liggett, who travels from the Palm Desert area in California to play SNGA events, said Vegas is close to his heart.
“My wife and I come over four or five times a year and I play in the two-day SNGA events,” he said.
Liggett, who retired from a business he was in with three other guys that help small footwear brands control their own business, lived in Vegas for about a year during his work. After retiring the couple moved to California but he still loves to play golf in Las Vegas.
“We love coming back here,” he said. “I like meeting up with the guys and playing golf. It’s a great place to play golf.”
He said the key to his victory was his attitude after a rough front nine on Sunday. “I got just annoyed enough with myself to stay focused,” he said after making the turn at eight-over. “I was upset and said I just needed to bear down and just take it one shot at a time.”
He was just one-over on the final nine.
“I was happy with the way I was able to handle the early struggle,” he said.
Silver Net
Steve Liggett, 72-75—147
Jim Burger, 73-77—150
Bruce Chamberlain, 74-78—152
