29th NCGA Master Divsion Championship | Spyglass Hill & Poppy Hills | July 5-6, 2010
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.
The champagne bucket trophy was donated by two-time California State Amateur champion Ernie Pieper.
Qualifying Information
Qualifying for the 2010 Master Division Championship takes place May 20 at the following courses:
Coyote Creek | Darkhorse | Hiddenbrooke | Shadow Lakes | Stevinson Ranch
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 Championship Exemptions.
Tournament Recaps
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 GC | 73-74-147 | |
| 1991 | Pat McDonald at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 70-71-141 | |
| 1992 | Bob Blomberg at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 75-70-145 | |
| 1993 | Lucio Alvarez at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 74-68-142 | |
| 1994 | Pat McDonald at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 70-66-136 | |
| 1995 | Dennis Younglove at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 73-70-143 | |
| 1996 | Jeff Burda at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 69-72-141 | |
| 1997 | Jeff Burda at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 71-70-141 | |
| 1998 | Gary Vanier at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 69-69-138 | |
| 1999 | Randy Haag at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 65-73-138 | |
| 2000 | Dan Bieber at Lake Tahoe GC and Edgewood Tahoe GC | 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 |
About Spyglass Hill
Ranked number five on “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” list by Golf Digest for 2003-2004.
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
About Poppy Hills
Poppy Hills is a challenging golf course that weaves through the Del Monte Forest. The venue plays host to many prominent tournaments including the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, in early February.
A 2007 Zagat Survey ranked Poppy Hills the 12th “Most Popular Course” in the U.S, and the layout was named “National Course of the Year” in 2006 by the National Golf Course Owners Association.
The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design opened in 1986 and is the home course for the NCGA. It was the first course in the United States to be owned and operated by an amateur golf association. The par-72 layout measures 6,857 yards from the black tees with a slope rating of 74.3/144. Matt Gogel holds the course record of 62. There are four teeing areas on each hole, making Poppy Hills enjoyable for all levels of play.