BUCKINGHAM — Juan Lopez of Finley and Brels Solomon of Upper Lake prevailed over a strong local field to win the 20th annual NCGA Lake County Partners Better Ball Championship the weekend of June 23-24 at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
Player under colder-than-usual conditions coupled with blustery winds and a difficult course setup, the tournament belonged to Lopez and Solomon from the beginning, regardless of how often the wind changed directions or how hard it was to get the ball close to the super fast greens in the better ball event (better score of twosome).
Lopez and Solomon, who paired up to win the Lake County Partners Scramble in 1997 and 1999, shot rounds of 67 and 70 for a 7-under-par total and an aggregate of 137 to capture the Partners as well as collect Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) player performance points. They surged to an early first-round lead by shooting 34 on their front nine on June 23 and followed it up with a back-nine score of 33. Their 5-under-par 67 in round one was good enough for a five-shot lead over the father-son duo of Jerry and Brad Pendleton of Lakeport, Kelseyville residents Richard Knight and Hipolito Perez Jr., and three-time defending Partners champions Billy Witt of Kelseyville and Shawn Auten of Cobb. The Pendletons, Knight-Perez Jr., and Witt-Auten all shot even-par rounds of 72. One shot farther back was the team of Adam Giusti of Santa Rosa and Jose Perez of Sacramento, former teammates on the Kelseyville High School golf team.
Round-two weather conditions were just as cool and just as windy as during round one, and Lopez and Solomon played safe golf throughout their final round, shooting a 2-under-par 70 to win by two shots. The Pendletons made a charge during the early stages of the back nine although they were derailed in their comeback efforts when they made a bogey-six on the watery par-5 17th hole. The Pendletons ended up shooting the low round of the day, a 5-under-par 67, but their efforts were too little, too late as they came in with 139.
In third place was the Knight-Perez Jr. team following rounds of 72-74 for a 146 total. Witt and Auten shot a second-round 76 for a 148 total and a solo fourth-place finish. Giusti and Perez also shot a second-round 76 to finish at 149 and lock up their spot in the top five.
The victory in this year”s NCGA Partners marked the third time Lopez has won the event, having finished atop the tournament leaderboard in 2002 and 2004 alongside partner John Seed of Sea Ranch. Through five events on the 2012 Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit, Lopez leads the On The Links race for Golfer of the Year, with Witt and Brad Pendleton in close pursuit.
Net division
In the net division for golfers with handicaps of 10 and higher, Jack Lucich of Clearlake and Jim DeCristofaro of Pacifica emerged from a packed leaderboard to win their division. Lucich and DeCristofaro carded net scores of 67-63 for a net total of 14-under-par 130.
Jason Laveglia and Javier Castaneda, both Kelseyville residents, matched Lucich and DeCristofaro on the net scoreboard with scores of 64-66 for a 130 total. Laveglia and Castaneda shot regular scores of 78 and 79 to win the low gross prize in the net flight.
Pat Chambers and Jack Buell, also from Kelseyville, were next with a 135 total after carding scores of 71-64 for a 135 total. One shot farther back was another all-Kelseyville team featuring Joe Del Prete and Jesse Santana. They had rounds of 67 and 69 for a net total of 136.
Senior division
In the senior division for golfers ages 50 and older, Jerry Pangle of Lakeport and Kelseyville High School golf coach John Berry captured their flight with scores of 72 and 78 for a 150 total and a three-shot margin of victory. Pangle and Berry jumped out to an early overall tournament lead in round one as Pangle birdied the second, seventh, and ninth holes while Berry threw in an additional birdie on the fifth hole for a 4-under-par 32. From that point onward, Pangle and Berry played just like everyone else, but their early exploits on the opening nine were more than enough to sustain their lead and take home the senior crown.
Pangle and Berry also teamed up to win the Lake County Two Man Scramble in March.
In second place was the duo of Leonard Lea of Clear Lake Riviera and Tom Jolin of Lakeport. Lea and Jolin shot 75 in round one and nibbled away at the Pangle-Berry lead during various points on the front nine in round two.
However, every time they made a move, such as Lea”s chip-in for birdie on the 15th hole, it was countered by the leaders as Pangle hit the par-5 16th hole in two shots and two-putted for a birdie. Lea-Jolin carded a second-round 78 for a 153 total.
Hipolito Perez Sr. of Kelseyville and Alan Mathews of Lakeport finished third with 157 (81-76).
Senior net division
In the senior net division, Dr. Bob Jolin and Manny Mendoza of Buckingham prevailed with net scores of 67 and 64 for a 13-under-par 131 total. Colin Ross of Buckingham and Todd Colbrandt of Middletown came in second following net scores of 67-69 for a 136 total. Tied with Ross and Colbrandt was the duo of Jerry Mohl of Lakeport and Andy Chantri of Finley with 136 (64-72).
The Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit takes the month of July off to accommodate club events and vacation schedules. The next two events on the local golf circuit are both junior-oriented, namely the Buckingham Summer Junior Classic on Aug. 7 at Buckingham and the Lake County Junior Golf Championship on Aug. 8 at Adams Springs. These tournaments are open to boys and girls between the ages of 10-17. The next open event on the Lake County Circuit is the Alternate Shot Tournament contested at Buckingham on Aug. 25-26.
