Tour Report: Taylor, Roberts, Parrish, Kinsler, Madsen, Ladner Win
Scott Taylor overcame a horrendous start and rallied to win the Championship Division of the one-day 2018 SNGA Tour event held at Coyote Springs on Sept. 28, 2018. Todd Roberts won the Senior Division while Kevin Parrish came away with the Silver Division crown. The Net Division winners were: Jeff Kinsler (Net), Bill Madsen (Senior) and Gregory Ladner (Silver).– By Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider staff.
Championship
Taylor’s victory, his first on the SNGA Tour, was unexpected after he opened the 18-hole event with two bogeys and a quad in his first four holes and stood on the fifth tee at six-over-par.
“Oh, yeah…it was a fun start,” Taylor said with a laugh. “At that point I was just hoping to break 90. I just couldn’t putt. I had two three putts and a four putt. That’s never a good way to start.”
He got it turned around quickly as he birdied the next three holes (a two-foot birdie putt followed by two birdies from just four feet each) to right the ship and eventually got his score back to two-over with a bogey on the finishing hole.
“I wasn’t hitting the ball bad,” he said. “The putter just kind of let me down. Once I made a few putts, the score turned around.”
He said his turnaround definitely helped his confidence. “It just shows that I can play good golf and compete with these good players,” he said.
Championship
Scott Taylor, 74
Andrew Yeh, 75
Kamden Ganir, 75
Net
Another first-time winner was crowned as Kinsler posted a victory in his first SNGA Tour event.
“I was really nervous,” he said. “I’ve never had my name announced before. I hit a great drive and that really settled me down.
He added that first drive was the sign of things to come. “I hit the driver better than I ever have,” he said. “I kept it in play and that was key. I don’t know what got into me.”
He said he battled the nerves well.
“I just tried to slow down,” he said. “I had a couple of blowup holes, but otherwise I played pretty well and got lucky. I wish there was something else I could say.
Net
Jeff Kinsler, 76
Charles Roy, 78
Hendra Wijaya, 80
Senior
Roberts won for the fifth time in 2018 and the second event in a row as he beat Frank Acker in a scorecard playoff. He’s now 2-0 in scorecard playoffs with Acker in 2018 and 3-0 overall.
“I drove it really well and hit the short irons pretty good but I didn’t putt that great…I just hung in there,” Roberts said.
He had a sense of humor when it came to the fact he’s now beaten Acker three times in scorecard playoffs. “Winning in a scorecard playoff is better than shooting a 65 and beating him by 10,” Roberts said with a laugh
Roberts said his main goal is to play as many events as possible and put himself in position for a victory. “It’s always fun to win, even if you don’t post a great score,” he said. “It came down to the last hole. I hit two really good shots and made a par. Frank made a bogey and it worked out in my favor.
Senior
Todd Roberts, 76
Frank Acker, 76
David Koch, 82
Senior Net
Madsen’s victory in the Senior Net Division was his first on the SNGA Tour in just his second time teeing it up.
In fact, he didn’t know he had won until he was driving back to Las Vegas. “I had no idea,” he said. “Everybody was struggling on different holes and I was just trying to stay patient and make par putts. I didn’t have a birdie, but I also just had one double bogey so I was very satisfied with the way I played.”
Three of his pars came on long-distance putts late in the round. “I played my best on the last five holes,” he said. “I made a 15-footer for par on 15, a 20-footer for par on 16 and about a 12-footer for par on 17. It’s always a great feeling to see those drop.
Senior Net
Bill Madsen, 75
Brian McShane, 76
Donald Blanton, 77
Silver
Parrish won for the third time in 2018, beating Frank Abbott in a scorecard playoff. Both shot two-over-par 74s.
Parrish was three-over at the turn and bogeyed the 12th before finishing with a pair of birdies over the final six holes.
Silver
Kevin Parrish, 74
Frank Abbott, 74
Kenneth Olesen, 75
Silver Net
Ladner also made his way into the winner’s circle for the first time in 2018. In fact, Ladner hasn’t won in about 10 years and hasn’t played in SNGA events for about two years.
But, he’s back to give the SNGA another go. “I like the way the people are running it now,” he said. “It’s a lot more fun. Plus I love this course (Coyote Springs). It’s one of the best in or out of town.”
Ladner added his scrambling was crucial. “My score could have been better and it certainly could have been worse,” he said. “I saved myself with a lot of ups and downs and recovered well. I made a couple of birdies and just got lucky.”
He said his game is a lot like most other golfers-erratic. “I rolled the putter real well,” he said. “And I made a couple of good sand shots but I had to recover a few times from bad drives.”
Silver Net
Gregory Ladner, 66
Peter Eghoian, 67
Loren Little, 72
