Kelseyville High School golf coach John Berry sank a curling downhill nine-foot putt on the final green to scratch out a one-stroke victory over Jack Streeter of Hidden Valley Lake during the 15th annual Lake County Senior Amateur Golf Championship on Saturday at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
Played under ever-changing windy conditions coupled with firm and fast greens that were difficult to hold, scores were higher than usual for the field of 20 golfers, all age 50 and older.
Berry shot a lackluster 6-over-par 42 on the front nine and didn”t fare much better on the inward nine as he carded a 41 for an 11-over-par 83. Berry”s round was consistent to say the least as his scorecard featured seven pars and 11 bogeys. Streeter had an up-and-down round, making three birdies while also carding a couple of big numbers on the scorecard. A power player who has won two overall club championships as well as three senior titles at Hidden Valley Lake, Streeter stayed close to Berry throughout much of the round but failed to chase him down at the end.
A good example of Streeter”s day on the links was Buckingham”s fifth hole where he hit his tee shot out of bounds, hit his next shot up the middle, and holed out a 70-yard wedge shot for a par-4. Streeter ended up carding an 84 for his runner-up effort. For Berry, it was his third Senior Amateur victory, having won previously in 2004 and 2006.
Alan Mathews of Lakeport, Dr. Bob Jolin of Lakeport and Don Joseph of Kelseyville tied for third with 87. Leonard Lea, who was in the hunt for the overall title with Berry and Streeter throughout 16 holes, finished in solo sixth place with a score of 89. He had water problems on the 17th and 18th holes and fell out of contention.
Net division
Joseph took home the Senior Amateur net title as his 87 coupled with his 16 handicap was good enough for a 1-under-par net 71 and a one-stroke victory. Of all the golfers in the field, Joseph was the only one to record a net score that was under par. Jolin was second net with an even-par 72. Jerry Tilton of Clear Lake Riviera finished in third place with 74. Mathews and Mike Menasco of Clear Lake Riviera tied for fourth with 75. Angelo Casini of Citrus Heights carded a 77 and John Flynn of Cobb finished with 79.
Weather played a heavy role in the high scores at this year”s Senior Amateur as 10 golfers in the field recorded scores of 100 or more and eight golfers came in with net scores that were at 80 and above. Golfers had difficulty controlling their ball flight as the winds gusted from all four directions throughout the day. The next tournament on the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit is the 21st annual Lake County Partners Championship, a better ball of the twosome format. It is scheduled for June 29-30 at Buckingham. Call the pro shop at 279-4863 for more information.
