SPYGLASS HILL GC July 9-10, 2007
July 10, 2007
Boyns is Back
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| Champion Casey Boyns |
PEBBLE BEACH – One of Northern California’s elite amateurs re-entered the winner’s circle after an eight-year absence.
With a one-stroke win at the NCGA Master Division Championship 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. This result was as much of a surprise to the champion as anyone. “I’m always shaky, I never feel good,” the Pebble Beach caddie said. “I’m a scrapper.”
Indeed, the victory enhances Boyns’ glittering resume, which stretches back more than 25 years. Four NCGA Public Links Championships (’81, ’83, ’87, ’96), two San Joaquin Valley championships (’82, ’93), two Sacramento Valley championships (’90, ’96), two Four-Ball titles (’94, ’96), two NCGA Amateurs (’87, ’96), two State Amateurs (’89, ’93) and three NCGA Player-of-the-Year awards (’87, ’89, ’96) make Boyns perhaps the most decorated amateur in Northern California in recent times. The Master Division title is the sixth different NCGA championship captured by the Pacific Grove resident and the first NCGA title in 11 years.
“I was just starting to think that I couldn’t do it anymore,” Boyns said in reference to the years without a win that date back to the 1999 Nor Cal Open championship, his last significant win. But there were always moments – Boyns made a memorable run to the quarterfinals in this year’s State Amateur, where he lost to eventual champion Josh Anderson in extra holes. “My game always depends on who shows up that day, Jekyll or Hyde. During my dry spell, I felt like I was hitting it better, but my short game went away,” the champion commented.
But not today. Birdies on 14, 15 and 17 sealed the deal, leading to a closing nine-hole score of 34 and a 146 total on the par-72, 6,784-yard course.
Discovery Bay’s Steve Wilson took second, after birdieing the first playoff hole. The four-time qualifier for the U.S. Mid-Amateur finished regulation tied with first-round leader John Justus of Green Valley.
Boyns assumes the lead in the race for NCGA Player of the Year over Randy Haag of The Olympic Club with the Master Division victory. Haag, another three-time Player of the Year, was in contention, but faded in the final round with a 78.
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| Champion Casey Boyns, runner-up Steve Wilson and third-place finisher John Justus |
| Casey Boyns | Monterey Bay GC | 74-72–146 |
| Steve Wilson | Discovery Bay CC | 75-72–147 |
| John Justus | Green Valley CC | 70-77–147 |
| Darryl Donovan | eClub Monterey Bay | 75-73–148 |
| Conrad Nilmeier | San Joaquin CC | 71-77–148 |
| John Desantis | Corral de Tierra CC | 81-69–150 |
| Steve Pacheco | De Laveaga GC | 77-73–150 |
| Jim Wilson | Butte Creek CC | 75-75–150 |
| Jose Sanchez | Monterey Peninsula CC | 74-76–150 |
| Jamie Looper | Oakdale GCC | 75-76–151 |
| David Smith | Fort Washington GCC | 73-78–151 |
| Randy Haag | The Olympic Club | 74-78–152 |
| Jamie Edman | Green Valley CC | 81-72–153 |
| Brian Ruiz | De Laveaga GC | 79-74–153 |
| Michael Stieler | Riverbend GC | 78-75–153 |
| John Balfanz | Scratch Players GC | 81-73–154 |
| Rich Frieble | Riverview GCC | 80-74–154 |
| Michael Wiechers | Granite Bay GC | 77-77–154 |
| Greg Loosigian | Fort Washington GCC | 76-78–154 |
| Ben Whipple | Serrano CC | 75-79–154 |
| Robert Fulton | Las Positas GC | 75-79–154 |
| David Capel | Stevinson Ranch GC | 81-74–155 |
| John Turnacliff | Marin CC | 78-77–155 |
| Christopher Blair | San Luis Obispo CC | 77-78–155 |
| Bob Burnett | Sequoyah CC | 79-77–156 |
| Robert Levin | Wildhawk GC | 78-78–156 |
| Gregory Isom | Napa GC at Kennedy Park | 78-78–156 |
| Clayton Davis | Atascadero GC at Chalk Mountain | 77-79–156 |
| Dan Bieber | Green Valley CC | 73-83–156 |
| Brad Bulcock | Gleneagles International GC | 80-77–157 |
| Kevin Kobalter | Meadow Club | 80-77–157 |
| Anthony Gray | Transit Hackers GC | 84-73–157 |
| Ron Collet | Madera GCC | 82-76–158 |
| Rich Rowley | Almaden CC | 80-78–158 |
| Jim Williams | Orinda CC | 79-79–158 |
| Steve Plescia | Sunnyside CC | 78-80–158 |
| Robert Goodwin | San Francisco GC | 83-76–159 |
| Michael Granelli | Oakhurst CC | 79-80–159 |
| Scot Lance | Stonetree GC | 75-84–159 |
| Richard Ramsay | Windsor GC | 82-78–160 |
| Charles McDonald | Shoreline GL | 81-80–161 |
| Mark Van Deusen | Cameron Park CC | 83-78–161 |
| Dean Prince | The Olympic Club | 81-80–161 |
| Brady Myers | Colusa GCC | 78-83–161 |
| Gary Wing | Atascadero GC at Chalk Mountain | 81-81–162 |
| David Ujihara | Atascadero GC at Chalk Mountain | 82-80–162 |
| Bob Miroyan | La Rinconada CC | 81-81–162 |
| Ken Noonan | The Castlewood CC | 83-79–162 |
| David Yip | Oakland Chinese GC | 84-78–162 |
| Mark Gardner | Scratch Players GC | 79-83–162 |
| Dennis Dachtler | Rancho Murieta CC | 79-83–162 |
| Paul Moore | Ukiah GC | 82-81–163 |
| Adam Fink | Palo Alto GC | 79-84–163 |
| Gary Conklin | Alameda County GC | 84-79–163 |
| George Erbez | Oakhurst CC | 85-78–163 |
| Scott Terry | Callippe Preserve GC | 82-82–164 |
| Philip Yim | Dead Straight GC | 81-83–164 |
| David Sand | Dairy Creek GC | 83-81–164 |
| Luis Gandara | Golflinkster | 81-83–164 |
| David Rebman | Poppy Ridge GC | 83-81–164 |
| Joel Goldsmith | Eagle Ridge GC | 88-76–164 |
| John Silvester | Ed’s Mudville Grill GC | 82-83–165 |
| Charles Duty | Ancil Hoffman GC | 82-83–165 |
| Paul Rice | Scratch Players GC | 80-85–165 |
| Patrick Pernice | amateurgolf.com | 84-81–165 |
| Gene Van Puymbroeck | Shoreline GL | 80-86–166 |
| Greg Glunt | Rancho Murieta CC | 86-80–166 |
| Ken Webb | Turlock GCC | 87-79–166 |
| Craig Gandy | Catta Verdera CC | 86-80–166 |
| Steve Duffy | Los Lagos GC | 82-85–167 |
| Joseph Zanassi | Antioch GC | 84-83–167 |
| Mark Hemenez | Willow Park GC | 82-86–168 |
| Steve Halsey | Sawtooth on St Johns at Woodlake Ranch GC | 84-84–168 |
| Glenn Hessler | Pacific Grove GL | 88-80–168 |
| Kyle Lowery | Lockeford Springs GC | 83-86–169 |
| Bud Garmany | Eagle Ridge GC | 84-85–169 |
| Brian Rugne | Whitney Oaks GC | 89-80–169 |
| Craig Johns | Granite Bay GC | 84-86–170 |
| Michael O’Shaughnessy | Sunset Whitney CC | 84-86–170 |
| Andrew Overton | Brookside CC | 85-85–170 |
| Pradeep Bakshi | Indo American GA | 87-83–170 |
| Lawrence Lopez | Sunnyvale GC | 85-86–171 |
| Paul Herrfeldt | Bennett Valley GC | 85-86–171 |
| Bob Maas | Apple Mountain Golf Resort | 89-82–171 |
| Les Mitsuoka | Foxtail GC | 85-88–173 |
| Ray Kong | Santa Teresa GC | 86-87–173 |
| Robert Williams | Tracy GCC | 86-88–174 |
| James Ramon | San Jose Muni Egolf Clubhouse | 88-86–174 |
| Ron Siskey | Links Course at Vista del Hombre (The) | 92-83–175 |
| John Murray | Lake Tahoe GC | 91-84–175 |
| Jon Kowalski | Tierra Oaks | 89-89–178 |
| Rick Hicklin | Teal Bend GC | 91-87–178 |
| Hardy Saffold | North Ridge CC | 91-87–178 |
| Paul Loui | Walnut Creek GC | 95-85–180 |
| Garth Keehan | Concord GC | 98-82–180 |
| Keith Schwartz | Space Systems GC | 92-89–181 |
| Eric Fischer | Harding Park GC | 94-87–181 |
| Haig Shahinian | Ancil Hoffman GC | 89-95–184 |
| Jerry Davisson | Tulare GC | 89-98–187 |