COBB — Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course superintendent Billy Witt birdied the final hole Sunday to win the 39th annual Lake County Amateur Golf Championship at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain.
The Amateur is the longest running golf tournament of note in Lake County and has historically featured a top-notch field of the area’s best amateur golfers. It is one of the three major tournaments on the Lake County Amateur Circuit and the sole remaining two-day, 36-hole event.
Witt opened play Saturday by posting a 4-over-par 72, good for a one-stroke lead over current California State University San Bernardino golfer Matt Wotherspoon, who shot a 5-over-par 73. One shot further back was former Kelseyville High School All-Conference golfer Wyatt Ferrell with a 74.
However, Saturday’s spotlight was dominated by senior division golfer Mike Patterson of Buckingham with a 2-over-par 70. Patterson, who works on the grounds crew at Buckingham Golf and Country Club, said he played about as well as could be expected.
Sunday dawned and Patterson fell back with a front-nine score of 39 as did Ferrell. Meanwhile Wotherspoon picked up a stroke on Witt when he shot 1-under-par on the outward nine while Witt made the turn in even-par 34. As a portent of things to come, Witt birdied the par-4 ninth hole to stay within range while Wotherspoon bogeyed the hole.
Wotherspoon picked up two shots early on the back nine with three straight pars, but saw his lead cut to one when he bogeyed the par-3 13th hole. He got that stroke back when Witt bogeyed the par-4 Fleming 15th hole.
As the round continued, Witt made par on the downhill par-3 16th hole while Wotherspoon lost a shot to par. Both golfers made matching pars on the 17th hole. Wotherspoon stood on the final tee with a one-stroke lead. Witt hit the par-4 18th green in regulation while Wotherspoon was just short in two strokes and his chip shot stopped 5 feet short of the cup. Witt sank his birdie putt and it was all square. Needing to sink his par putt to force a tie and a playoff, Wotherspoon barely missed it, giving Witt a most dramatic victory,.
Witt shot 72-70 for a 142 total while Wotherspoon had143 after shooting 73-70
Fifth title
It was Witt’s fourth Amateur title in five years and his fifth overall. Wotherspoon won the 2020 edition of the tournament.
Witt had been trailing Juan Lopez of Finley in the season-long On the Links golfer of the year and senior golfer of the year races, but he now has the upper hand in both races with just two tournaments remaining on the local circuit’s schedule. Lopez missed this year’s Amateur as he was moving son Nathon into his dorm at Orange Community College.
Senior division
The 52-year-old Witt also won the senior division of the Lake County Amateur. First-round leader Patterson finished in solo second after posting scores of 70-80 for a 150 total. Next was Adams Springs club champion Jerry Pendleton. He started slow with an opening-round 80 but then came back on Sunday to shoot 73 for a 153 total. John Sherman of Hidden Valley Lake was fourth with rounds of 78-77 for a 155 aggregate. Rounding out the top five was Jesse Santana of Kelseyville with 160 (84-76).
Net flight
If the championship flight and the senior flight was all about Witt, then the net flight and the senior net flight for golfers with handicaps of 10 and greater was all about Kelseyville’s Tom Salie. The 79-year-old Salie had to work overtime to win the net flight although he ran away with the senior net division title.
A number of the contestants in the net flight were old enough to be Salie’s grandchildren as he is the oldest golfer in the 29-year history of the Lake County Circuit to win a division during a stroke play tournament.
Salie opened play Saturday to post a 3-under-par net score of 65. However, he found himself four strokes behind San Francisco’s Sean Mullins, who carded a 7-under-par 61. In third place was Mason Smith of Clear Lake Riviera with 66.
With the three net leaders paired together Sunday, Salie nibbled away at Mullins’ lead little by little. With one hole to go, Salie was one stroke behind Mullins, but a final-hole par resulted in a tie atop the leader board. Salie posted rounds of 65-66 for a 131 total during regulation play while Mullins matched him at 61-70.
In the ensuing sudden-death playoff, both golfers found themselves short of the first playoff hole, Adams Springs’ par-4 ninth hole, in two shots. Salie chipped to 20 feet while Mullins’ chip rolled out to 6 feet short of the cup. Salie rolled in a curling left-to-right par putt while Mullins barely missed his putt on the short side.
Salie also won the net flight of the Lake County Amateur last year.
Smith came in third with rounds of 66-73 for a 139 total. Jerimiah Valador of Lakeport carded scores of 74-72 for a 146 total, and Enrique Monsante of Clear Lake Riviera was one stroke further back at 147 (72-75).
Senior net flight
Salie eclipsed the senior net field for golfers with handicaps of 10 and greater who are age 50 and older. Richard Hoffman of Kelseyville finished solo second with 140 total (71-69), Todd Colbrandt of Middletown came in third with 142 (72-70), Ted Knowles of Kelseyville was fourth at 143 (74-69), and Adams Springs Golf Course owner Eddie Mullins rounded out the top five with rounds of 68-76 for 144.
Schedule
The Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit takes the month of September off and returns Oct. 15 with its ninth tournament of the season, the Lake County Two Person Alternate Shot Championship at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
