- NCGA photo
The wins still keep coming for NCGA Hall of Famer Casey Boyns.
Boyns, who’ll turn 64 in early December, won his second Senior major title of the year Wednesday with a comeback victory at the annual California Senior Amateur Championship at par-71 Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. The longtime Pebble Beach Golf Links caddie, who was inducted into the NCGA Hall of Fame in 2017 and won this year’s NCGA Senior Amateur Match Play Championship, carded a final round 1-under par 70 to come in with a three-day total of 2-over 215, good enough to beat co-runners-up Craig Davis and Don Dubois by a stroke.
The victory was Boyns’ ninth career NCGA Senior major, putting him just one behind all-time leader Gary Vanier. It also marked his second Cal Senior Am title. He won his first in 2012.
“It feels real good. The older you get, the wins are further and few between,” Boyns said. “It’s nice to come down to the Southland and get a win. I’d never won down here before.”
In what turned out to be a neck-and-neck race to the finish line, Boyns would hold on for the win by making three straight clutch pars to close out his round. Davis, of Chula Vista, had been tied with Boyns but bogeyed the 18th. Dubois had fallen a shot back after bogeying the par-4 12th. Helping Boyns along was a key par save on 17 after being in the greenside bunker. Over the first two rounds, the 17th had been a thorn in his side. He’d played the hole 3-over with a double-bogey and bogey.
“I’d been having trouble with that hole,” said Boyns, who converted the par after sinking a 7-foot putt. “In my mind, I had a one-lead at that point. I figured if I could make pars on the last few holes, I’d be good.”
Boyns was the only player to break par over the last two rounds. In Tuesday’s second round he posted a solid 69 with four birdies and just two bogeys. In the final round, he quickly asserted himself by making an eagle on the par-5 2nd hole.
“I made some putts and that was the difference,” Boyns said. “I sank some bombs.”
Fourth place went to Scott Anderson of Bakersfield at 218 after a final round 73.
ABOUT THE
California Senior Amateur
The California Senior Amateur Championship began
in the fall of 1992, and is the state championship for
players age 55 and over. The first two tournaments
were played at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. In 1994,
the event was moved to Poppy Hills Golf Course in
Pebble Beach, and in 1995, a simultaneous NCGA vs.
SCGA team portion of the championship was added.
In 2010, this 54-hole stroke play
championship started rotating to selected courses
throughout the state. Players must have an index of
7.4 or less and may attempt to qualify at any
location in the state.
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