The team of Billy Witt of Kelseyville and John Dunn of Hidden Valley Lake captured the 17th annual Lake County Partners Two Man Scramble this past weekend at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
Played during a steady rain throughout Saturday”s opening round and with brisk temperatures on Sunday, including snow covering the mountains above, the Partners was all about the weather during the first 27 holes and all about the golf during the final stretch of holes.
Witt and Dunn opened with a 6-under-par 66 Saturday, good for third place, four shots off the torrid pace set by the father-and-son team of Hipolito Perez Sr. of Kelseyville and Jose Perez of Sacramento. The Perez duo blistered the field with a 10-under-par 62. Two strokes back in second place was the pairing of Juan Lopez of Finley and Brels Solomon of Upper Lake. Lopez and Solomon won the Two Man in 1997 and 1999.
On Sunday morning, the Perez team shot an even-par 36 on the front nine, the Lopez-Solomon duo posted a 2-under 34, and Witt-Dunn carded a 4-under 32 to create a three-way logjam atop the leaderboard. The Witt-Dunn team birdied the 13th hole to remain tied for the lead and then birdied the 16th hole to take a one-stroke lead. All three teams matched birdies on the watery par-5 17th hole, and when Witt-Dunn matched pars with their closest pursuers on the 18th hole, they secured the Two Man title with a one-stroke margin of victory.
Witt and Dunn shot a second-day round of 7-under 65 for a 131 winning total. Lopez and Solomon finished at 132 (64-68) to tie the Perez team, also at 132 (62-70). One shot farther back in fourth place was the father-and-son team of Jerry Pendleton and Brad Pendleton, both Lakeport residents. Rounding out the top five was the Lakeport twosome of Norm Rentsch and Carl Knipping at 142 (69-73).
Witt and Dunn attributed their victory to the fact that they were bogey free during the entire 36 holes of competition. The weather was a major factor all weekend and Witt and Dunn”s 13-under 131 turned out to be the highest winning total in the event”s 17-year history.
Senior division
The senior division for golfers age 50 and older was just as tightly contested in both the senior scratch and senior net divisions. The Lakeport team of defending champions Craig Kinser and Alan Mathews posted a 1-over-par 73 Saturday to tie for the first-round lead with Jerry Pangle of Kelseyville and his partner, Kelseyville High School golf coach John Berry.
On Sunday morning, the Kinser-Mathews team matched the Pangle-Berry team with even-par scores of 36 over the front nine. Berry was the only golfer to hit the 11th green in regulation and his team”s par gave them a one-shot lead. Pangle made a birdie putt on the 13th hole to increased the team”s lead to two strokes. Pangle-Berry quickly gave up their lead with back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes. On the par-5 16th, Berry rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt and Kinser matched him with a 10-foot birdie putt that dropped in on the final roll. Both teams parred the water 17th hole.
On the 18th hole, Kinser-Mathews reached the long 450-yard par-4 in two shots and proceeded to two-putt from 50 feet for par. Pangle-Berry had to lay up short of the green and their third shot came up 25 feet left of the flagstick. Pangle calmly rolled in the 25-footer for par to maintain the tie.
After 36 holes of regulation play, both teams shot matching scores of 73-72 for a 1-over-par 145 total. On the first sudden-death playoff hole, neither team reached the 430-yard par-4 first hole in regulation. Both teams hit matching 35-yard wedge shots to the green. Kinser and Mathews two-putted from 25 feet for bogey. Berry drained an 8-foot par putt to seal his team”s overtime victory.
Senior net flight
In the senior net flight, the brother duo of Tom Jolin and Dr. Bob Jolin, both of Lakeport, came from two shots off the pace during the course of the final nine holes to eke out a one-stroke victory over the twosome of Colin Ross of Buckingham and Todd Colbrandt of Middletown. Ross and Colbrandt opened play Saturday with a net 62 to lead the Jolin brothers by one shot. The Jolins roared back with a net 58 Sunday to post a net total of 121 (63-58). Ross and Colbrandt improved upon their Saturday total by shooting a second-round net 60, but it wasn”t enough to hold off the Jolins, who shot a gross score of 71 on their own ball Sunday. Ross and Colbrandt carded totals of 62-60 for a 122 total.
Net flight
There was little drama in the net flight for golfers with handicaps of 10 and higher as the father-and-son team of Jack Lucich of Clearlake and Jon Lucich of Pacifica lapped the rest of the field, shooting insurmountable net scores of 51 Saturday and 50 Sunday for a 43-under-par net score of 101. The Lucich duo putted extremely well all weekend long, led by eight strokes after round one Saturday, and continuously built upon their lead all day Sunday.
Tied for a distant second place with 121 were the teams of Joe Del Prete of Kelseyville and Ted Knowles, and the Garberville team of Mike Miller and James Pogue. Tim Sherrell and Pat Chambers of Kelseyville finished at 123, while Javier Castaneda and Jason Laveglia of Kelseyville ended up at 124. John Flynn of Cobb and Jim DeCristofaro of Pacifica had 128.
The On the Links Golfers of the Year awards were presented at the conclusion of play on Sunday. Brad Pendleton of Lakeport was the 2011 golfer of the year, Alan Mathews of Lakeport was the senior golfer of the year, Javier Castaneda of Kelseyville was the net golfer of the year for the second consecutive season, and Dr. Bob Jolin was recognized as the senior net golfer of the year in 2011.
The next event on the Lake county Amateur Golf Circuit is the 21st annual Lake County Open Golf Championship, a 36-hole stroke play event, scheduled for April 21-22 at Buckingham Golf and Country Club. Konocti Vista Casino is the co-sponsor of the Lake County Open along with Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
