COBB — Cypress College golfer Matt Wotherspoon demonstrated why he is the best golfer in Lake County as he ran away with the 37th annual Lake County Amateur Golf Championship contested Saturday and Sunday at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain.
Wotherspoon, the former Kelseyville High School star who is currently taking online classes at Cypress College where he is a standout player, opened the tournament Saturday morning with a jaw-dropping 6-under-par 62 to jump out to an eight-stroke lead over the rest of a relatively strong field. He carded eight birdies and two bogeys during first-round play to shoot 31-31-62. His 62 matched the lowest score ever recorded in the 37-year history of the Amateur. Jonathan Carlson carded a 62 during second-round play in 2008.
Wotherspoon returned Sunday and shot an opening nine-hole score of 1-under-par 33 to build his lead to 12 strokes with just nine holes left. He played conservative golf during the final nine holes, shooting a 1-over-par 35, to finish the round at even par-68. His 36-hole aggregate total of 62-68 added up to a tournament-record 6-under-par 130 total. The previous record of 67-64-131 belonged to Carlson in 2007.
Championship flight
In second place was Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course superintendent Billy Witt, the two-time defending tournament champion. He shot a first-round 70 and added a second-round 74 to card a 36-hole total of 144, which would have been good enough to win the Amateur in most other years.
Juan Lopez of Finley came in third with scores of 78 and 71 for a 149 total. Mike Patterson of Kelseyville finished in fourth place after two days of solid play with scores of 78 and 76 for a 154 aggregate total. Dylan Harrison, the two-time reigning Adams Springs club champion, rounded out the top five with scores of 81 and 77 for a 158 total.
Senior flight
Lopez, who was third in the scratch flight, won the senior division of the Lake County Amateur for golfers ages 50 and older with his 36-hole total score of 149. Patterson was the runner-up at 154 while Rick Easter of Lakeport shot scores of 85 and 78 for a 163 aggregate and solo third place.
Rounding out the top five spots were Chip Bowlin of Buckingham and Norman Rentsch of Finley. Bowlin shot 81-83 for a 164 total while Rentsch matched his 164 score with rounds of 83 and 81.
Net flight
In the net flight for golfers with handicaps of 10 and higher, Sean Mullins of San Francisco prevailed in a tightly contested tournament, beating Brian Stork of Cobb. Mullins carded net scores of 67 and 65 for a 4-under-par 132 total. He made a crucial par putt on his final hole to eek out a one-stroke victory. Stork came in with scores of 70 and 63 to finish at 133.
Todd Colbrandt of Middletown finished in third place with 135 (69-66), Tim Brown of Lakeport had matching rounds of 71 and 71 for a 142 total and a fourth-place finish, and Kelseyville High School teacher Shane Boehlert was fifth after shooting rounds of 72 and 72 for a 144 total.
Other top finishers were Billy Shaul of Kelseyville at 147 (69-78) and Darren Hostetler of Cobb at 149 (77-72).
Senior net flight
Brian Stork’s 133 total in the senior net division was good enough to win his age bracket. Colbrandt finished two strokes back at 135, Eddie Mullins of Milbrae, the owner of Adams Springs Golf Course, finished in third place with 142, Armond Urbano of Middletown was in fourth place with 143, and Mel O’Meara of Upper Lake was fifth at 145.
Junior flight
Cory Holt of Kelseyville High School, the reigning Buckingham Summer Junior champion, was the low junior golfer in the Amateur field with scores of 84 and 87 for a 171 total. Nathon Lopez and Keara Alonso of Clear Lake High School also played in this year’s Amateur. Alonso won the overall girls Lake County Junior Championship last month at Adams Springs.
Circuit standings
Witt still leads Wotherspoon atop the championship flight point standings in the season-long race for the Amateur circuit divisional golf titles.
Awards
Following completion of play, the end-of-tournament awards ceremony was held and a large number of the flight winners donated their winnings back to the Adams Springs junior golf program. The Lake County Amateur has historically been a fundraiser for junior golf.
Schedule
Just two events remain on the 2020 calendar for the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit. Next up is the Lake County Alternate Shot on Oct. 17 at Buckingham Golf and Country Club, and the season-ending Lake County Tournament of Champions is Oct. 31 at Buckingham.
