NCGA Alum Matt Bettencourt Eager to Play New Poppy Hills
A
mong those who counted down the days to the unveiling of the new Poppy Hills Golf Course was
PGA Tour member Matt Bettencourt. “Everyone should be really excited.
I’ve always had a fond feeling for Poppy Hills,” Bettencourt said. The Alameda native, who won the 2010 Reno-Tahoe Open, took a sneak peek of the course during February’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro- Am, when he stayed in a house just down Lopez Road. He couldn’t resist taking a look, so he ended up walking the front nine during some off time. “It’s incredible to see the changes,”
he said. “It looks like it’s going to be challenging for great players and also forgiving for new players. It’s got the length, and at the same time it’ll be a position course. I can’t wait to get a crack at it.” Back full-time on the tour after
fi nishing 16th on the 2013
Web.com Tour money list, Bettencourt is no stranger to Poppy Hills. He fi rst played the course during its
original opening week in 1986 with his father’s golf group. At the time, he was 11 years old. “I remember back then it was
like, ‘Wow, I’m playing golf in Pebble Beach,’” Bettencourt said. “It was great.” Years later, Bettencourt would
hone his skills competing in NCGA tournaments. In 2001, he won the NCGA Amateur Championship and the fi rst of two straight NCGA Player of the Year titles. It was after his 2001 win at
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Spyglass Hill that Bettencourt started thinking about turning pro. But he also wanted to be sure of himself. Among those he competed against were fellow NCGA great Spencer Levin (now on the PGA Tour), Bay Area amateur great Randy Haag and Gilroy’s Darryl Donovan. At the same time, Bettencourt received mentoring from Jon DeChambeau and Derrell Biddy. “I fi gured I needed a year or so
of competing in top amateur golf to see where I was headed,” he said. “After that win at Spyglass, I felt my game was as good as ever.” The fi nal confi dence booster for Bettencourt was a friendly round with PGA Tour member Scott McCarron at Montreux Golf and Country Club outside Reno. “I played with Scott and some other pros and realized that I could hit the same shots they were hitting,” said Bettencourt, who turned pro in 2002. Now in his sixth season on
the PGA Tour, Bettencourt says his NCGA playing days still benefi t him. “Even now, several times when
I’m playing, I’ll think back to positive shots or moments that I had while playing on the NCGA circuit,” he said. “I’d encourage all amateurs to play in NCGA events. The NCGA was everything to me in regards to helping me to develop my golf and helping me compete at a higher level. It was a platform.” –Jerry Stewart
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Two-time NCGA player of the year Matt Bettencourt
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