BUCKINGHAM — A trio of 10-handicap golfers shocked the Lake County world of competitive golf for the second time in three years on Saturday as Peter Wotherspoon, Darren Hostetler and Max Huff teamed up to beat a strong scratch field to capture the 25th annual Lake County Three Person Golf Championship at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
The Three Man is contested under a scramble format with the team’s best shot used by the threesome. The advantage to the scramble format is that teammates can continue to improve upon the previous shot or can ignore a poor shot for a better one.
Wotherspoon, Hostetler and Huff are double-digit handicap golfers who normally compete in the net flight. However, this time around they decided to enter the championship flight as well alongside golfers of note who carry single-digit handicaps and historically play par golf. Wotherspoon, Hostetler and Huff shot a 13-under-par 59 to win by two strokes.
Huff consistently hit huge tee shots, most notably his 380-yard drive on the par-4, 400-yard eighth hole. Hostetler chipped in for an eagle-three on the watery par-5 17th hole and it vaulted his threesome to the top the leader board. A final birdie on the difficult par-4 18th hole finalized their victory.
On four different occasions Wotherspoon made par putts of length to keep their trio from avoiding bogeys. The Wotherspoon, Hostetler and Huff threesome did something similar in 2019 when they won the overall Three Man Championship in rainy and cold conditions.
Two strokes back in second place was the team of Billy Witt, Gene Manning and Dan Leiva with an 11-under-par 61. Witt is the reigning Lake County On the Links Golfer of the Year, Manning is a top-notch senior golfer, and the 70-year-old Leiva won the Lake County Amateur some two decades ago in 2001. In third place was the team of Wyatt Ferrell, Ashley Mayhew and Dillon Hawley with a 10-under-par 62.
Juan Lopez, Jesse Santana and Mike Patterson carded an 8-under-par 64 to finish in fourth place while the team of Enrique Monsante, Mason Smith and Clear Lake High School All-Conference golfer Nathon Lopez shot a 5-under-par 67 to place fifth.
Net flight
In the net flight for golfers with handicaps of 10 and higher, another upset-minded trio jumped to the top of the leader board as Mel O’Meara, Jim Wright and Matt Wright carded a net 48 to win their division by one stroke. The Wotherspoon, Hostetler and Huff threesome finished in second with 49, Dr. Keith Long, Dr. Hank Long and Brennen Bethel carded a 55 for third place, and the team of Tim Brown, Kelseyville High School assistant golf coach Shane Boehlert and KHS varsity baseball coach Billy Shaul posted a 56 for fourth place.
Senior flight
Witt, Manning and Levia ran away with the senior flight for golfers ages 50 and older with their score of 61. Juan Lopez, Santana and Patterson tied for second place with a 64 alongside the threesome of Rick Easter, Todd Colbrandt and Jerry Pangle. The fourth-place senior team with a score of 65 featured Dr. Bob Jolin, Manny Mendoza and Jay Greb.
Senior net
The Easter, Colbrandt and Pangle team tied atop the senior net leader board with the trio of Jolin, Mendoza and Greb. In the ensuing sudden-death playoff,Mendoza sunk a 15-foot birdie putt on the second extra playoff hole to lift his team to victory.
Overview
The Three Man is nothing short of a birdie and eagle fest and a large number of the field entered multiple flights with a large degree of success as evidenced by the Wotherspoon, Hostetler and Huff championship flight victory. Because of the scramble nature of the tournament, you simply need to have one person on your team overachieve from shot to shot. Most contestants see the Three Man as a format that relieves the intense pressure of a typical stroke-play tournament.
Schedule
The next event on the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit is the Lake County Senior Amateur Championship on June 5. The next open tournament for area amateur golfers is the Lake County Partners Championship, a better ball tournament, on June 26. Both tourneys are scheduled to be contested at Buckingham and entry information can be received from the pro shop by calling 279-4923.
