BUCKINGHAM >> Youth was served Saturday during the 32nd annual Lake County Open Golf Championship as Matt Wotherspoon shot a 1-under-par 71 to outlast Corey Huber and his round of 73.
A collegiate golfer at California State University San Bernardino, Wotherspoon achieved All-Conference status during his playing day at Kelseyville High School. He birdied the third, fifth and seventh holes on the front nine at Buckingham Golf and Country Club for a 1-under-par 35 to jump out to a four-stroke lead over Huber.
Wotherspoon carded an even-par 36 on the back nine with a birdie on the 12th hole to secure a two-stroke margin of victory. It was his second Lake County Open win, his first title coming in 2020. He attributed his win to a game plan that focused on playing safe and smart golf. He also said his short game was solid throughout his round.
Also an All-Conference golfer while attending Kelseyville High School some six years earlier than Wotherspoon, Huber played collegiately at Napa Valley College and then served as a PGA professional in Napa and in Hawaii. Now living locally and working in the tech industry, Huber is a reinstated amateur golfer. After shooting a front-nine 39, he made a late charge on the inward nine by recording birdies on the 16th and 18th holes, finishing with a back nine of 2-under-par 34. His overall 1-over-par 73 was simply a matter of too little too late.
Pete Wotherspoon of Buckingham, the older brother of Matt as well as a former Kelseyville High School golfer, was the only other person in the field to break 80 as he carded a 79 to finish in third place.
Senior flight
In the senior flight for golfers age 50 and older, Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course superintendent Billy Witt added a senior division Lake County Open title to his impressive Lake County Circuit resume by beating Rick Easter of Lakeport in a one-hole playoff. Witt and Easter shot 9-over-par 81 in regulation. Witt parred the playoff hole to secure his victory.
Clear Lake High School golf coach Juan Lopez finished one stroke out of the playoff to finish in third place with 82. Mike Patterson of Kelseyville came in fourth with 83.
Net flight
While he couldn’t secure the win in the senior flight, all wasn’t lost as Easter captured the net flight for golfers with handicaps of 10 and higher. Easter, who sports a 13 handicap, fired a net 4-under-par 68. He finished one stroke ahead of Soda Bay’s Nik Lub, who came in at 69.
Dr. Bob Jolin of Lakeport was next at 71 while Todd Colbrandt of Middletown and Rob O’Hara of Buckingham tied with even-par72.
History
The Lake County Open is the second-oldest tournament on the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit’s calendar, having first been contested over the Thanksgiving weekend back in 1992. During the storied history of the Open, Lopez has won the championship division title six times while Witt has a trio of victories.
The oldest contestant in this year’s field was 81-year-old Ken Ribardo of Sparks, Nevada. A former Lake County resident, Ribardo was the Lake County Circuit’s senior net golfer of the year on four occasions during the 1990s.
Ceremony
Following completion of play, Buckingham’s PGA professionals Mark Wotherspoon and Ted Matilla hosted a ceremony honoring the inaugural class of the newly formed Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit Hall of Fame. The inaugural class of 2023 featured Juan Lopez, Billy Witt, Craig Kinser, Rick Easter, Todd Colbrandt, Dr. Bob Jolin and John Berry.
