For 21-year-old Las Vegan David Tottori, it was his version of summer school, golf-style. Tottori, a senior who plays golf on the St. Francis College (N.Y.) team, fired a four-under-par 68 to win the championship division of the 2017 SNGA Tour event at Arroyo. Frank Abbott won for the seventh time this season in the Silver division. –By Bill Bowman.
The one-day event was held Aug. 16, 2017.
Tottori birdied the first four holes and was off to the races. He won by six strokes over Jason Cordon
“I had a really strong start with the four birdies,” he said. “I dropped a couple of long putts, two of them over 25 feet, and just tried to stay focused after that.”
For the round, Tottori, who will red-shirt this season, made seven birdies.
“I didn’t make any bad mistakes but I still tried to stay patient and go with my game plan,” he said. “I really wanted to play smart.”
His driver was the key to Wednesday’s win. “I played at Cascata (last weekend’s SNGA event) and the big issue for me was not being able to keep the ball in play off the tee,” he said of his sixth place finish. “But when I get the ball in play off the tee, like today, it really picks up the rest of my game.”
Championship
+ David Tottori, 68
+ Jason Cordon, 74
+ Jason Wuerz, 77
Senior Gross
Sam Myers also used a strong driving performance to win as he fired a 68 to win the Senior Division. “I was able to put the driver in the fairway and give myself good looks at the pin with good yardages,” he said.
The driver had been acting up a little in recent days. “I played at Cascata and my driver was going left and right,” he said. “I’ve worked with Rusty Postlewait (at Boulder City Golf Course) for 20 years and he got me going the right way and it showed today.”
He said the round was solid from start to finish–with just a hiccup or two.
“I actually had a pretty solid day,” he said. “I shot 33 on the front and had three birdies and two bogeys on the back. I could have gotten it going pretty deep, but I kind of got a little cute with a couple of wedge shots that hurt.”
Senior Gross
+ Sam Myers, 68
+ Walter Sabati, 93
Net/Senior Combined Results
Duangmanee Phimphon’s 71 was good enough for a one-stroke victory over Jeff Gilliame in the Net/Senior combined class.
It was Phimphon’s first SNGA victory.
“I think I played pretty good,” Phimphon said. “I chipped good and it feels good to win.”
Net/Senior Combined Results
+ Duangmanee Phimphon, 71
+ Jeff Gilliame, 73
+ Darin Rogers, 74
Silver Gross
Frank Abbott fired a 68 to win the Silver Division title by six strokes. It was his seventh SNGA crown in 2017.
“It was a little erratic in the beginning,” he said. “I had four birdies, three bogeys and two pars on the front. Overall, I had seven birdies and three bogeys.”
Abbott said the course fit his game well. “I made a couple of nice putts,” he said. “I hadn’t played the course in a long time, but the greens are relatively flat and good and that’s key. With greens like these, you can really take advantage of opportunities.”
Silver Gross
+ Frank Abbott, 68
+ Bruce Swanson, 74
+ Jim Cail, 82
Silver Net
Al Kueker edged Mike Manthey by a stroke to win the Silver Net title. Kueker carded a 68 while Manthey came in at 69.
“I played real good golf except I hit my driver in the junk a few times,” he said. “Three times I had to just chip out of the desert.”
But there were plenty of bright spots.
“I had six birdies and just 27 putts,” he said. “And I hit my irons well and chipped really good. I also got up and down three or four times.”
It was Kueker’s second net win of the season and he also has a victory in the gross division.
Silver Net Results
+ Al Kueker, 68
+ Mike Manthey, 69
