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NCGA Master Division Championship

32nd NCGA Master Division Championship  |  Bayonet GC & Spyglass Hill  |  June 10-11, 2013

2012 Champion: Jim Knoll

The NCGA Master Division Championship began in 1982 as a competitive opportunity for players aged 40-54 who were not yet eligible for senior tournaments. The event is open to all players aged 40 and over, with no upper age restriction.

The 36-hole stroke play championship was held for 11 consecutive years at Lake Tahoe and Edgewood Tahoe golf courses and is now hosted jointly by Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills golf courses.

Pat McDonald holds the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record with a seven-under-par 136 in 1994 at Lake Tahoe and Edgewood Tahoe GCs.  The single round record of six-under-par 66 set in 1998 by Pat McDonald was tied in 1999 by three-time champion Randy Haag, who posted a 65 at the par-71 Lake Tahoe GC.  The only player to win back-to-back titles is Jeff Burda, who claimed the championship three times, in 1996, 1997 and 2005. Jim Knoll became the oldest player to win the championship at 59, in 2012.

The champagne bucket trophy was donated by two-time California State Amateur champion Ernie Pieper.

Online Registration – Paper Registration

Qualifying Information

ENTRIES CLOSE: April 19, 2013

Qualifying for the 2013 Master Division Championship takes place May 16 at the following courses:

Chardonnay | Darkhorse | Riverbend | Roddy Ranch | San Juan Oaks

Format: 18 holes qualifying. 100 players plus ties (including exempts) will advance to the championship.

All players must qualify except the following: All past champions prior to 2004 (beginning in 2004, this is a 10-year exemption) and the top 10 and ties from the preceding year.  The following current NCGA champions are exempt if they meet age elegibility requirements: Public Links, Valley Amateur, Amateur Stroke Play, Senior, CGA Senior and Amateur Match Play.  Each exempt player is required to submit an entry prior to the closing date.  Master Division Exemptions.

Tournament Recaps

For the past 20 years the NCGA Master Division Championship has eluded Jim Knoll’s grasp. Having finished runner-up four times in the event, Knoll finally broke through and captured his first win firing a 36-hole total of 141, three-under par. His total was good enough to take a four-shot victory over the nearest competition as Nick Ushijima and Gary Vanier tied for second at one-over par, 145…Read Full 2012 Recap | View 2012 Photo Gallery

Darin Lake epitomizes golf’s mid-amateur.  Lake’s consistent and methodical74-73 proved the difference, the five-over-par 147 total good for a two-stroke win over Steve Wilson of Roddy Ranch.  Mike Stieler of Riverbend and defending champion Daniel Sullivan tied for third, three back of the champion…Read Full 2011 Recap | View 2011 Photo Gallery

As the NCGA Master Division Championship demonstrated, fortunes in a golf tournament can literally change in the blink of an eye. Or in the case of champion Daniel Sullivan of Pasadena, by realizing the rarest achievement in golf, a double eagle, on the tournament’s final hole. Sullivan’s holed 3-wood from 225 yards on Poppy Hills’ 18th hole propelled him from three strokes back to a tie for the lead shared by defending champion Randy Haag of Burlingame in the event for competitors aged 40 or older…Read Full 2010 Recap | View 2010 Photo Gallery

Randy Haag might want to consider moving to Monterey if he keeps up his current streak.  After capturing the NCGA Master Division Championship at Spyglass Hill on the heels of winning the Monterey City at Del Monte GC Sunday, the 50-year-old Olympic Club member concluded a hot weekend.  “If someone had told me I would shoot nine-under over the last five days I would have said, ‘No chance,’” the champion said.  After posting a two-over 74 to fall four strokes behind first-round leader Brian Swenson… Read Full 2009 Recap | View 2009 Photo Gallery

Jamie Looper thought he might have blown his chances when he missed a one-foot tap-in putt on the 13th hole at Spyglass Hill.  But the reigning Master Division Four-Ball Champion walked off the 18th green with a smile on his face, an even-par 72 on his scorecard and the 2008 Master Division Championship to his name… Read Full 2008 Recap | View 2008 Photo Gallery

One of Northern California’s elite amateurs re-entered the winner’s circle after an eight-year absence.  With a one-stroke win at Spyglass Hill, Casey Boyns re-established himself at the top of the list of the NCGA’s best players. The 51-year-old captured the championship, for competitors aged 40-54, utilizing a steady short game that produced a final-round, even-par 72 despite his missing eight greens… Read Full 2007 Recap | View 2007 Photo Gallery

Past Champions

1982 Gary Vandeweghe at Spyglass Hill GC 74-77-151
1983 John Brodie at Sharon Heights GCC 70-74-144
1984 Gary Conti at Sharon Heights GCC 77-72-149
1985 Dean Prince at Pasatiempo GC 73-73-146
1986 Marshall Gleason at Green Hills CC 74-76-150
1987 Bill Paulson at Lake Tahoe GC 70-76-146
1988 Bob Foster at The Meadow Club 75-69-144
1989 Cliff Davis at Butte Creek CC 71-76-147
1990 Tom Culligan at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 73-74-147
1991 Pat McDonald at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 70-71-141
1992 Bob Blomberg at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 75-70-145
1993 Lucio Alvarez at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 74-68-142
1994 Pat McDonald at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 70-66-136
1995 Dennis Younglove at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 73-70-143
1996 Jeff Burda at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 69-72-141
1997 Jeff Burda at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 71-70-141
1998 Gary Vanier at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 69-69-138
1999 Randy Haag at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 65-73-138
2000 Dan Bieber at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe 74-69-143
2001 Dan Condie at Lake Tahoe GC 74-69-143
2002 Randy Haag at Winchester CC 71-70-141
2003 James Hay at Resort at Squaw Creek 73-70-143
2004 Mark Gardner at Resort at Squaw Creek 74-70-144
2005 Jeff Burda at Spyglass Hill GC 68-74-142
2006 Bob Niger at Spyglass Hill GC 72-73-145
2007 Casey Boyns at Spyglass Hill GC 74-72-146
2008 Jamie Looper at Spyglass Hill GC 74-72-146
2009 Randy Haag at Spyglass Hill GC 74-70-144
2010 Daniel Sullivan at Spyglass Hill/Poppy Hills 73-67-140
2011 Darin Lake at Poppy Hills/Spyglass Hill 74-73-147
2012 Jim Knoll at Spyglass Hill/Poppy Hills 70-71-141

About Bayonet GC

Bay #18

Bayonet No. 18

Named after the Army’s 7th Infantry Division – the first major unit to occupy Fort Ord, as well as the last. The famed Light Fighters (nicknamed the “Bayonet Division”) marched for the last time during inactivation ceremonies in 1993 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC).

With 7,104 yards of oak and cypress-lined fairways, Bayonet Golf Course was designed in 1954 by General Robert McClure, the Commanding Officer of the post at that time. Gen. McClure, a left-handed golfer with a severe slice, designed the course to fit his game. This is evidenced by holes #11-15, a series of sharp doglegs, widely known as “Combat Corner.” Notoriously known for its magnificently manicured, long, and narrow fairways, Bayonet is one tough, but rewarding 18-hole adventure. With four sets of tees, the course is a par 72, with a slope of 141 and a rating of 74.8.

Course Tour | Get driving directions

 

About Spyglass Hill GC

Spyglass Hill No. 14

Ranked number 11 on “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” list by Golf Digest for 2011-2012. Spyglass Hill was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., as a part of the master plan for the Pebble Beach ocean front between Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. Opened in 1966, the design features two distinctly different kinds of terrain that influence the way the holes look and play.

The first five holes roll through sandy seaside dunes challenging the golfer to carefully pick the safest path. The following 13 holes are cut through pine trees with elevated greens and strategically placed bunkers and lakes to grab the errant shot.

Spyglass Hill is rated one of the toughest courses in the world from the Championship tees, boasting a course rating of 75.5 and a slope rating of 147. The PGA Tour consistently lists Spyglass Hill’s holes 6, 8 and 16 among the toughest on the tour, and during the 1999 United States Amateur, the stroke average of the field during medal play was in excess of 79.

Spyglass Hill Course Tour | Get driving directions