by Scott Seward, for amateurgolf.com
CARMEL, Calif. (October 30, 2011) - It's no
surprise that the longevity and success of
Randy Haag's amateur golf career is best
measured by numbers. The San Franciscan has
captured low amateur honors at the British
Senior Open the last two years, has won six
Northern California Golf Association player-of-
the-year awards, and on Sunday became the
first three-time champion of the prestigious
Stocker Cup Invitational.
More numbers? How about finishing
at nine under par for an eight-stroke win over
a talented field chasing
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World Rankings
points, or being the only player to post four
consecutive under-par rounds in a wire-to-wire
win at the devilish and expansive Tom Fazio-
designed Preserve GC?
"I thought time might have passed
me by for this event," the champion said.
"The field gets younger every year, and
some great players come from all over the
country. It's very meaningful for me to win
this. You always want to compete against the
best." Though his third overall win of the
event, it was the first for Haag at the
Preserve, where the event moved in 2000 after
being contested at other Monterey Peninsula
courses.
Haag's only enemy is perhaps fatigue. The
52-year-old concluded a seven-day stretch of
competitive golf with the final round of the
Stocker Cup, and is primed for a month away
from the game in November. Haag's ball striking
suffered at times over the weekend, but a hot
putter allowed the Olympic Club member to
post low scores. "My putter really bailed
me out the last couple of days." Haag
has putted side saddle since 1997, a technique
that rejuvenated his game. "It's very
different and hard to learn, but well worth it
for me," he said.
It wouldn't have been the final round of
the Stocker Cup without a charge from two-
time defending champion Kevin Marsh of
Henderson, Nevada. The 2005 U.S. Mid-
Amateur champion started the day six strokes
behind Haag (he was four behind the lead in
2010). But by the middle of the round the lead
had been sliced in half, harkening to Marsh's
Stocker Cup titles in 2009 and 2010, when he
came from behind in the final round. But a
costly bogey on 15, where he came up short
to the treacherous front hole location, coupled
with a Haag birdie on the 13th ended the
defending champion's hopes of a three-peat.
Haag posted a one-over 37 on the front nine -
his worst performance on that nine by three
strokes - and added a bogey on the 10th, but
was able to close with three birdies in the last
eight holes to slam the door on his pursuers.
Haag had a one-stroke lead after the first
round, and added to that lead after each
round of the event.
Marsh would tie for second with Jerry
Ledzinski of Carmel, Dan Sullivan of Pasadena
(who had the low round of the day at two-
under 70) and Billy Mitchell of Atlanta. Through
a card-off, Ledzinski earned second place
followed by Mitchell, Sullivan and Marsh.
The battle for the Tatum Trophy, for
golfers aged 55 and older, was claimed by
Brady Exber of Las Vegas, who claimed a share
of the lead after the second round and never
let go. The Southern Nevada Golf hall-of-famer
cruised to a five-stroke win over Doug Pool,
also of Las Vegas.
Tournament Notes
-
The 15th at the Preserve, an uphill 443-
yard par 4, is well-known as the most difficult
hole on the course. When combined with a
front hole location on the severe back-to-front
sloping green, the hole becomes a beast. Of
the 22 players who took on the hole in the
final round, there were eight bogeys, one
double bogey, a quadruple bogey and even the
dreaded "other," in this case a 9.
Shots routinely backed up off the green
leaving a difficult chip. Any shot holding the
back of the green left a lightning-fast putt
that was all but impossible to stop.
-
Haag has played in 18 Stocker Cups in
his career, and now has three wins to go with
six second-place finishes, an astonishing
record given the strong field the event
attracts.
Final
Round Photo Gallery>
ABOUT THE
Stocker Cup
The Stocker Cup was founded in 1991 to
honor
the
memory of Peter Stocker. Peter and his
partners Bill
Harlan and John Montgomery founded San
Francisco's
Pacific Union Company, a highly successful
real
estate
development company. The firm initiated the
development of The Santa Lucia Preserve, a
20,000
acre residential and golf community located
above
Carmel. Meandering through the winding road
to
The
Preserve's centerpiece -- the top-100 rated
golf
course -- has been described as "driving
through a California postcard." The Stocker
Cup
was played from 1991 to 1999 at Pebble
Beach
and
its
surrounding golf courses, before moving to
the
Tom
Fazio and Sandy Tatum designed Preserve
G.C.
In
the
words of former USGA President Tatum:
"Peter
Stocker was the quintessential amateur golfer.
He
loved golf with a passion. He would have
loved
this
tournament."
FORMAT:
54-hole individual
competition
with
a
simultaneous best-ball event, similar to the
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Invited Mid-
Amateur
players are either paired with a single digit
amateur
or
can propose their own partner to be
introduced
and
invited by the Committee.
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