COBB — Billy Witt won the 38th annual Lake County Amateur Golf Championship this weekend at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain. Witt carded rounds of 1-under-par 67 on Saturday and 1-over-par 69 on Sunday for a 36-hole aggregate score of even-par 136.
It was the fourth Lake County Amateur title for the 50-year-old Witt, who is the longtime superintendent of Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course. Witt previously won the Amateur in 2004, 2018, and 2019.
Scratch flight
Witt’s victory was nothing short of a runaway as he took a six-shot lead after round one and then built upon it Sunday to extend his margin of victory to 13 strokes. Witt is currently atop the standings in the On the Links Lake County Golfer of the Year Race after eight tournaments, holding a rock-solid 270 player performance points lead over Juan Lopez of Finley. With just two events remaining on the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit this year, it appears as if Witt will end up capturing golfer of the year honors for the fourth consecutive year and the for the sixth time overall.
In second place in the championship flight was Dylan Harrison of Mount Hannah, a three-time club champion at Adams Springs. Harrison shot 73 and 76 for a 149 total. Lopez finished in solo third place with scores of 80 and 74 for a 154 aggregate. Lopez is a three-time past champion of the Amateur.
Mike Patterson of Buckingham finished in fourth place with a 155 total following scores of 77 and 79, and reigning Adams Springs club champion Jerry Pendleton rounded out the top five with scores of 77 and 79 for a 156 total.
Defending champion Matt Wotherspoon did not enter this year’s Lake County Amateur. Wotherspoon is enrolled at California State University San Bernardino and will be playing on the golf team there. He has already started the 2021-22 academic year.
Senior flight
The senior flight for golfers age 50 and older was vaguely reminiscent of the championship flight at this year’s Amateur. Witt won the senior division by an even larger margin of victory, finishing 18 strokes ahead of the 52-year-old Lopez. Patterson was one stroke back of Lopez in third place with Pendleton fourth. Jim DeCristofaro, the superintendent of Adams Springs, rounded out the senior flight’s top five.
Net division
In the net division for golfers with handicaps of 10 and higher, 77-year-old Tom Salie of Kelseyville played steady golf for two days to win by two strokes. Salie carded scores of 71 and 72 for a 143 total.
In second place and 50 years younger than Salie was Mason Smith of Kelseyville. Smith turned in scores of 71 and 74 for a two-day score of net 145. Pete Wotherspoon of Buckingham came in third place with scores of 73 and 74 for a 147 total while Brett Whitaker of Clear Lake Riviera finished in fourth place with an aggregate total of 149 following rounds of 79 and 70. Darren Hostetler of Cobb rounded out the top five following scores of 79 and 71 for a 150 total.
Senior net
In the senior net division for golfers age 50 and older while holding golfing handicaps of 10 and higher, Brian Stork of Cobb recorded scores of 74 and 66 for a 140 total to successfully defend his Lake County Amateur senior net title from 2020.
Sid Wagner of Cobb shot 142 following rounds of 72 and 70. Mel O’Meara of Upper Lake made a nice recovery Sunday, shooting a 68, to finish with a 147 total. Steve Roe of Nice had a 36-hole score of 148 after posting scores of 70 and 78.
Field/schedule
A total of 32 golfers entered this year’s Lake County Amateur, the longest-running tournament of note in our region. Next up is the Alternate Shot Tournament scheduled for Oct. 16 at Buckingham Golf and Country Club. The season-ending Lake County Tournament of Champions takes place Oct. 30 at Buckingham.
