Hot start for Scott Raber at the AG Christmas Classic
Scott Raber has the first round lead at the Christmas Classic
On a tough day for scoring at Del Monte Golf Course,
Scott Raber made it look easy. He blistered his opening nine to card 31 en route to a 4-under 68 and a one-shot lead at the AmateurGolf.com Christmas Classic presented by Callaway.
Raber, a native of Davis, Calif., birdied five of his first six holes on the back nine and was primed to set the pace for the remainder of an overcast Saturday morning. Maybe seeing an unexpected putt drop was all he needed to kick-start things.
“I stole one on the first hole,” Raber admitted. “I made a 30-ish footer.”
His round was one of just three across all divisions to finish at par or better, with second and third place in the Championship flight rounding out the trio of top scores. Post-round discussions amongst many contestants involved a common theme to make sense of the difficult scoring.
“That’s big out here. It’s their main defense,” Raber said of Saturday’s pin placements on Del Monte’s notoriously small, challenging greens.
University of California-Berkeley freshman
Simon Kwon trails Raber by one while Cooper Hunt sits four back after an even-par 72.
In the Senior Division,
Cory Synnestvedt of Napa holed out for eagle on 18 to join
Corey West atop the leaderboard at one-over 73. Super Senior leader
Casey Boyns, the 2007 Championship and 2014 Senior winner at the Christmas Classic, is just a shot back in third at 74.
Marc Sanders and Scott Henrikson share the Net Division lead at 73 with Sylvia Chu trailing by one in third place.
by Conner Penfold, Special to AmateurGolf.com
ABOUT THE
AGC Christmas Classic
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The Christmas Classic was
founded by 2-time
California State Amateur Champion Casey
Boyns over 20 years ago and it always
attracts
a great field. This is our most popular event,
and year in and year out it sells out. Field
limited to 104 players; Championship, Senior,
and Net divisions.
Your entry fee includes two rounds of
golf
(cart at players expense), $4500 in
Callaway Golf certificate prizes,
$20 lunch certificate,
and a
great
weekend at one of the Monterey Peninsula's
wonderful classic courses, "Old" Del Monte.
DIVISIONS
CHAMPIONSHIP
For players aged 16 and over who have a USGA or
equivalent index of less than 5.5
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
For players age 50 and over (as of the tournament
date) with a handicap index of less than 8.0. Note:
Must be 55 and over for NCGA Senior Points.
NET
For players 16 and over with handicap between 5.5
and 18.0.
MID-AM (subdivision of Championship)
For players age
25-49. Compete alongside the younger players in the
Championship Division, (same tees, same prize
opportunities) and if there are at least six Mid-Ams,
a
separate prize and trophy will be awarded.
SUPER SENIORS (subdivision of Senior)
For players age
65+. Compete alongside the younger senior players
in
the
Senior Division, (same tees, same prize
opportunities) and if there are at least six players 65
or
over, a
separate prize and trophy will be awarded for low
super senior.
WOMEN (subdivision of Championship)
Will play in the Championship
Division but from a shorter tee; if there are at least
six women in
the field, a separate prize and trophy will be
awarded. Net players will
play in the Net Division but from a shorter tee.
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