BUCKINGHAM >> The team of Juan Lopez of Finley and Brad Pendleton of Lakeport won the 24th annual Lake County Partners Golf Championship, an event on the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit, on Saturday at Buckingham Golf and Country Club. The Partners was contested under the format of better ball, meaning the low score on a hole counts as the team score among the partners.
Lopez and Pendleton jumped to an early lead over the team of Lake County Junior champ Matt Wotherspoon and Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course superintendent Billy Witt by carding a 2-under-par 34 on the front nine. Wotherspoon and Witt had a one bogey for a 37. However, Wotherspoon and Witt were able to nibble away at the leaders and got to 3-under-par on their back nine. With just two holes left to play, there was a tie atop the leader board. Lopez and Pendleton regained the lead with a birdie putt on the watery par-5 17th hole, made an up-and-down par on the 18th hole, and turned in a score of 3-under-par 69, good enough for a one stroke victory. Wotherspoon and Witt finished at 2-under-par 70.
Net division
In the net division for golfers with handicaps of 10 and higher, Rick Easter of Lower Lake and Todd Colbrandt of Middletown played brilliantly on the front nine and cruised to a three-stroke victory. Easter and Colbrandt produced eight net birdies on their front nine for a 28, but came back down to earth on the final nine by shooting net 35 for a winning round of 63. Dylan Harrison and Tim Brown, both Cobb residents, shot 66 to finish in second place. John Flynn of Cobb and Armond Urbano of Middletown came in at 67 while Kelseyville residents Jesse Santana and Joe Del Prete finished fourth at 69.
Senior division
In the senior division for golfers ages 50 and older, Kelseyville High School golf coach John Berry and Jerry Pangle of Lakeport carded a 4-over-par 76 to capture the Senior Partners. Berry and Pangle shot a front-nine 37 before an erratic back nine score of 39 that included one double-bogey, three bogeys, and birdies on holes 12 and 17. Pangle won the Lake County Senior Amateur earlier this month while Berry was competing in his first stroke-play tournament since undergoing knee replacement surgery six months ago.
Senior net
Manny Mendoza of Buckingham and Rick Tracy of Kelseyville won the senior net division in a runaway after shooting an 11-under-par 61. They built a big lead after a strong front nine and cruised to victory. Colin Ross of Buckingham and Mike Menasco of Clear Lake Riviera were next with a 66 while Scot Lamanuzzi of Buckingham and Dr. Bob Jolin of Lakeport finished at 69.
Schedule
The Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit is hosting a pair of junior golf tournaments in early August with the playing of the Buckingham Junior on Aug. 1 and the Lake County Junior at Adams Springs on Aug. 2. Both tournaments are open to boys and girls ages 17 and younger.
The adult portion of the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit takes the summer off and resumes in early October with the Lake County Amateur on Cobb Mountain.
