AGA NEWS
POY HONORS
years and always enjoyed it, so I was very happy when I got here to see how strong the AGA is,” New said. “They do a great job of setting up and running tournaments and there is certainly plenty of good competition.” New, 60, held his own against
that competition in 2016 and, as a result, earned the Player of the Year award in the Senior Division. The highlight was winning his division of the Senior Match Play. He also tied for third in the Players Cup and finished 15th
USGA events over the past 10 years, tied for 10th
New, who has played in five in qualifying for both
the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Senior Amateur in 2016. He tied for eighth
2016
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DE N S H DIVIS DAVID RASLEY
e doesn’t think of it as “old hat,” but AGA Player of the Year awards are getting to be something of
a habit for David Rasley, whose 2016 award was his fourth in six years. He also received the Senior
Division award in 2011 and the Legends honor in 2013 and ’14. “Is it any different? I guess the
older you get, the harder it gets to compete and the more surprising it is that you can play well enough to win an award,” he said. “For most of us, you don’t get any better as you get older.” Although he struggled with his
putting late in the season, Rasley got off to a strong start, winning Legends titles in the Arizona Four-ball and Stroke Play and the Southern Amateur. He also tied for sixth in his division
www.azgolf.org
of the Arizona Senior Match Play. His best golf, Rasley said, might
have come at his home course of Chaparral Pines in Payson, where he lost in a playoff after shooting 69 from the tips in the final round. Rasley, 69, said it was “a refreshing
change” not to deal with persistent back pain that has plagued his golf game in recent years, and hopes to continue competing in AGA events. “My health is great and that is a
nice feeling because it’s not holding me back, so I’m optimistic about (2017),” he said. “I’ve been competing for so long that it’s hard to just go out and play for fun and I’ve never been happy with finishing as an also-ran. “My goal is always to be competitive,
win some tournaments, and Player of the Year obviously is a nice goal.” n
PREVIEW 2017 | AZ GOLF Insider | 29
FREE 30 Minute Demo Session
Schedule One Today
Call
480.361.4339
www.boccierigolf.com
in Arizona Amateur qualifying and was eliminated in the second round. The retired investment manager,
who played collegiately at Rice, won the Trans Mississippi Senior Championship in his home state of Texas in 2015, but said the highlight of his career was “having the opportunity to meet Ben Hogan, who was my boyhood idol when I was attending Rice.” As for 2016, he said, “There were
in the Arizona Publinks.
ups and downs, just like most years. I had a real hot streak in July and August and then tapered off a little bit, but that’s golf. I played in 11 AGA events and any time you can win a major event, like the Senior Match Play, and put up some other good finishes, you have to feel good about that season.” n
with our Robotic Swing Trainer
Feel & Repeat Your On-Plane Golf Swing
L
OIN GE
AGA PHOTO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46