9th Valley Amateur Championship Danny Paniccia & Jeff Burda | Riverbend | September 17-18
Spending the majority of his days at River- bend GC over the past five years, Danny Paniccia found it refreshing to hold the NCGA Valley Amateur Cham- pionship crystal trophy at his place of
work. After two solid days, Paniccia won the Valley Amateur Championship by a four-stroke margin. A golf shop attendant at River- bend GC, the champion followed a three-under-par 69 in the first round with an even-par 72 to distance himself from runners-up Ryan Forst, Daniel Butcher and Steve Wilson.
Jeff Burda captured the senior division after starting
the final round four strokes off lead. The Modesto resident followed a first-round 73 with a two-under-par 70 for the two-shot win. Burda, a two-time NCGA Senior champi- on and a three-time CGA State Senior champion, had yet to win a Senior Valley, although he’d come close before losing in a playoff in 2010 at Morgan Creek GCC.
Quick Facts FIELD AND FORMAT: 105 total players, 36-hole stroke play; senior division for players 55 and over
FIRST ROUND LEADERS: Regular Division: Paniccia, Ryan Frost and Mike Stieler; Senior Division: Doug Johnson
PREVIOUS CHAMPIONS: Logan Goulding and Jim Knoll TOURNAMENT TRIVIA: Played for the first time in 2004 as a replacement for the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valley championships, the NCGA Valley Amateur has always played a large role in determining Player of the Year awards.
STAT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Course knowledge was a big factor in the first round as two of the three leaders of the championship flight were Riverbend GC employees, and the leader of the senior division was the men’s club’s first president.
WORDS OF A CHAMPION: “It’s nice to win [an NCGA major]. I have been close and had some chances, but it’s nice to finally come through,” said Paniccia. UNTIL NEXT TIME: September 16-17, 2013, at Riverbend
Junior Players Championship Andrew Bonner (86) & Anna Zhou (76) Stableford Scoring | Rancho Canada | July 4-5
Andrew Bonner Age: 17
School: Central Catholic (Ripon)
Favorite professional golfer: Gary Woodland
Career aspirations:
PGA Tour professional Who inspires you: My father What does it mean to win: It means a lot. I played in this last year and didn’t do so hot but it’s nice to win. I birdied the last five holes, so that’s how I got the W.
Anna Zhou Age: 14
School: Gunn HS (Palo Alto) Favorite professional golfer: Annika Sorenstam
Career aspirations: Lawyer; dream is to be LPGA pro Who inspires you: My dad What does it mean to win: It means a lot to me and my family. As one of the 12-14 group, I didn’t
really expect to win the whole thing.
14th Senior Four-Ball Net Championship Dale Yoakum and Larry Krepelka | Net 59-62–119 Poppy Ridge | September 17-18
Dale Yoakum NCGA member club:
Boulder Creek GC
Years as an NCGA member:
16 years
One word to describe your partner: Awesome
Who would fill out your dream foursome? Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell