TournamentCentral 53rd Annual
NCGA Senior Championship Spyglass Hill | April 28-29
A stellar opening-round 1-under 71 at a firm and
fast Spyglass Hill gave reigning three-time NCGA Senior Player of the Year Jim Knoll a three-stroke lead going into the final round. Knoll gave that lead back quickly with bogeys on his first four holes in the final round, but held on to post a 5-over 77 and secure a two-stroke win for his second NCGA Senior title. “For all intents and purposes, I probably won it the
first day,” said Knoll, who finished the 36-hole event with a score of 4-over 148. “I knew I was in good shape coming into the final round.”
Lynne Cowan
36th Annual California Senior Women’s Amateur Championship Poppy Hills | May 19-20
The California Senior Women’s Amateur christened
Poppy Hills for its maiden tournament voyage, and the new course was anything but smooth sailing. Lynne Cowan compared the first tournament rounds
at the new Poppy Hills to playing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. But the 51-year-old Cowan was up for the chal-
lenge, opening with a 4-over 76 to tie for the lead before her closing 79 was enough to pull away with a five-stroke win. “It’s a challenge,” said Cowan, who has played in
five U.S. Women’s Ams. “It’s still new and the greens are firm. It’s like a U.S. Amateur course. You have to be very strategic to score.” The win was Cowan’s third title, as she also cap-
tured the championship in 2006 and 2007. While those tournaments were also played at Poppy Hills, Cowan won playing a very different course this year. “I think that without the rough, you have to be
more precise on wedge shots going into the greens,” Cowan said. “You have to hit it just right to either get it on or get it to run up to the green.” The championship was played from a combination of the 1 and 2 Poppy tees. It was played as a par 72 from 5,452 yards, with No. 16 converting to a par 5.
Jim Knoll
Knoll held off four-time NCGA Player of the Year Casey Boyns, who followed his opening 77 with a 73, the best score of the final round, and Steve Wilson, who posted two straight 75s. Defending cham-
pion Gary Vanier also closed with a 73 to finish alone in fourth, three shots back. Knoll, 61, came into the final round leading Douglas Wil- liams, who shot 74- 78 to finish alone in fifth. Williams briefly took a one-shot lead four holes into the final round. “I was thinking
that they all were very capable of win- ning it, and some had won it,” Knoll said.
“But this course is relentless. Once you’re over par it’s hard to get those shots back.”
68 /
NCGA.ORG / SUMMER 2018
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