STEVINSON, Calif. (May 5, 2012) -- The final three holes at Stevinson Ranch are sometimes referred to as "The Gauntlet" and Randy Haag's play on the first of those three holes, No. 16, can only be called an adventure.
"I should have made 9 there," joked Haag via text message.
Hitting into the day's strongest winds on the 230-yard par 3, Haag's ball was pushed right and the wind hoisted it over the water hazard that makes this tee shot the course's hardest.
Many players would have cut their losses and re-teed. Not Haag. He found his ball in the trees right of the hazard, launched a wedge into the wind, hit the green and made three.
The 17th (his last hole of the first day's shotgun start) wasn't as kind despite the day's longest drive (again right into the wind) that left him at the 150 marker. On this day, that turned an 8 or 9-iron shot into a 4 iron, which Haag hit over the green.
Haag, 53, is the two-time defending low amateur in the British Senior Open. He will start the final round 3 shots in front of Matt Cohn (also of San Francisco). A host of players are at 77 and 78. They will have to work hard to catch Haag, who captured the tournament last year and lost in a playoff in 2010.
Jim Knoll of Sunnyvale posted 74 to lead the Senior Division by three strokes, over Pebble Beach Caddie and two-time State Amateur champ Casey Boyns (77). The affable Terry Foreman of Antioch, making his senior debut, is within striking distance, another shot back at 78.
Scott Carelli and Korsen Yu (79, 80) are at the top of the Net Division leaderboard.
To view complete scores and pairings for Sunday, please click on the links below or the tournament name at the top of the story.
ABOUT THE
amateurgolf.com 2012 California Mid-Am Master & Sr.
PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE TO MAY 5-6
FOR 2012 EVENT
Tournament
Information: A 36-hole stroke
play
championship with three divisions.
Players aged 25-39 play in the Mid-Amateur
Division.
Players aged 40 to 54 play in the Master
Division
(they may still compete for 150 NCGA points
and the
overall mid-Amateur Championship with the
25+
year olds)
Players age 55 and over may compete in the
150
Point Senior Division. (not eligible for other
competitions, as a different set of tees will
be
utilized) NCGA Points and Senior Points
Event-
part
of the amateurgolf.com Tournament Series.
View Complete Tournament Information