BUCKINGHAM >> The cream rose to the top at Buckingham Golf and Country Club on Saturday as California State University San Bernardino golfer Matt Wotherspoon won the 29th edition of the Lake County Tournament of Champions by posting a 2-under-par 70 to win by five strokes.
Wotherspoon was on a brief hiatus from college golf and decided to come back home to Lake County to enter the TOC, an event he had previously won in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
This year’s TOC started out as a tightly contested battle in the championship flight as Wotherspoon opened up a two-stroke lead through nine holes. He birdied the fourth, eight and ninth holes with just one bogey to record a 2-under-par 34. Meanwhile Juan Lopez of Finley and Hidden Valley Lake superintendent Billy Witt were hovering just two strokes off the lead after posting even-par scores of 36.
Wotherspoon played par golf over the course of the inward nine while making birdies on holes 12, 13 and 16, and offsetting his round with three bogeys to finish up at 70. Lopez posted a back-nine score of 3-over-par 39 to finish his day with a 75 for solo second place. Witt struggled on the final nine, shooting a 5-over-par 41, and carded a 77 to finish up in third place.
Witt entered play as the TOC defending champion and has four previous wins in this tournament. Lopez is a six-time TOC champion.
Pete Wotherspoon of Buckingham shot 81 to finish in fourth place while Jeremiah Valador of Kelseyville turned in a score of 83 to round out the top five.
Senior flight
Lopez won the senior division of the TOC for golfers ages 50 and older with his 75. Witt was senior runner-up with his 77. Rick Easter of Lakeport came in third place with 81 while Manny Mendoza of Buckingham finished fourth with 82.
Net flight
In the net flight for golfers with handicaps of 10 and highers, Darren Hostetler of Fort Bragg shot an outstanding net score of 8-under-par 64 to run away with his division. Hostetler is a 13-handicap golfer who shot a career-best score of 77 on the Lake County Circuit, won by four strokes. Enrique Monstante of Kelseyville shot a net 68 to finish in second place while Dr. Bob Jolin of Lakeport came in third with 72. Mason Smith of Kelseyville recorded a 74.
Senior net flight
In the senior net flight for golfers age 50 and older with handicaps of 10 or higher, Joe Del Prete returned to the winner’s circle with a solid net total of 65 to win by three strokes. Easter was second with a 68 while Mendoza finished third with a 69.
Season ends
The Tournament of Champions marked the conclusion of the 29th season of the 11-tournament Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit. Billy Witt was recognized as the points leader in the races for the On the Links golfer of the year and senior golfer of the year for the second consecutive season. Smith finished atop the standings as the net golfer of the year while Easter won a second consecutive senior net golfer of the year title.
The four division winners will be recognized next March at Buckingham at the conclusion of the Lake County Two Person Scramble.
2023 schedule
The Lake County Circuit has already developed a preliminary schedule for 2023 and will begin its 30th campaign in February with the playing of the Lake County One Person Scramble.
