Longtime friends Randy Haag and Steve Sear win Northern California Senior Four-Ball
Randy Haag (left) and Steve Sear (NCGA Photo)
Story by Jerry Stewart of the NCGALongtime friends Steve Sear and Randy Haag capped a historic performance at the NCGA Senior Four-Ball Championship with yet another great round.
Sear and Haag, who first met as fellow competitors over four decades ago, carded a final round 5-under 66 in windy conditions to claim a seven-shot victory over the runner-up tandem of Robert Funk and Jason Bittick. Sear and Haag would finish the event with a tourney-record 54-hole score of 21-under 192. Their biggest move came in the first round, thanks to a sizzling 62.
"It's great having a partner like Randy," Sear said. "It frees you up. You're never out of a hole. He always hits it straight. So it takes the pressure off."
For Haag, the win marked his record fifth title in the event. The now 66-year-old Olympic Club member previously had three wins with Chip Lutz (2016, 2017, 2024) and one with Funk (2022). It was Haag's 12th NCGA Senior victory, moving just one behind all-time leader Jeff Burda.
"They are all different. To be able to play with Steve, we go way back. We played some best-balls when he was just a young, strapping buck," Haag said. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the AmateurGolf.com Super Senior Rankings and No. 7 in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings.
This past September, Haag and Sear dueled at the NCGA Senior Championship before Haag eventually won by two strokes. For Sear, who was the NCGA Player of the Year in 1988, it marked his first NCGA Senior crown. Haag had planned on again playing with Lutz, but Lutz could not compete due to recent hand surgery. So he called Sear to pair up.
"When Chip went down, I was very fortunate to assume my horse (Sear). It was a fabulous three days," Haag said.
Funk and Bittick made a charge in the second round with a Senior record round of 10-under 61. Still, they entered the final round six strokes behind Haag and Sear. A final round 67 brought them in with a total of 14-under 199.
Third place went to the team of Mike Rowley and Mark Morgan at 205 after a final round 66.
Super Senior Championship
David Ujihara came up clutch, lifting him and teammate Craig Calkins to the win in the Super Senior portion of the championship.
Ujihara sank a 13-foot putt for birdie on the 18th hole, leading to a one-shot win over the tandem of Joey Ferrari and Bob Niger. The two teams had come to the tee at 18 tied for the lead.
"You just try to do your best and get in the position to make a putt to win. And you get lucky and it goes in," Ujihara said.
The putt gave Ujihara and Calkins a final round score of 67 and a Super Senior record 54-hole total of 17-under 196. Ferrari and Niger, who had opened play with a tournament record-tying 10-under par 61, slipped backwards to a 71 and three-day total of 197.
The victory marked the first NCGA titles for both the 70-year-old Ujihara and Calkins, 69.
"We were actually trying to figure where we stand. Were we one back? You just always try to do your best," Calkins said.
Third place went to the team of brothers Jim and Doug Williams at 206 following a final round 73.
ABOUT THE
NCGA Senior Four-Ball
First played in 1999, the NCGA Senior Four-Ball
Championship is a two-person, better-ball scratch
event
for senior (age 55+) and super senior (65+) golfers.
The format is 54
holes
four-ball stroke play (18 holes per day) over three
days. After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low
30
teams and ties. Max handicap 9.4.
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