March 26, 2016
Champions were crowned as the 2016 NCGA Mixed Team Spring Championship wrapped up Saturday at par-71 Poppy Hills Golf Course.
Big Sur Flight (9 Handicap Index-below)
Big Sur Flight winners John and Angie Friedrich, runner-ups Mark Miller and Kathy Karste and third place finishers Steve and Dorothy Donnelly (left to right)
John and Angie Friedrich grabbed their second title in three years, posting a final round 4-under 67 to finish at 136. Team Friedrich, winners of the title in 2014, were rock steady. They’d have six birdies to go with two bogeys in the final round.
The team of Mark Miller and Kathy Karste and the tandem of Steve and Dorothy Donnelly both finished tied for second at 140 after final rounds of 71 and 73, respectively. Miller and Karste were awarded second place in a card-off. Team Donnelly, who led after the first round, were the defending champions.
Golden Gate Flight (Handicap Index 10-17)
Golden Gate Flight winners Janice and Bryce Yoshimoto, runner-ups Michelle and Tashi Sherpa and third place finishers Bonnie and Thomas Shewchuk (left to right)
The mother-son duo of Janice and Bryce Yoshimoto got it done. The Yoshimoto’s put up their second straight 65 to come in at 130, defeating the runner-up team of Tashi and Michelle Sherpa by two strokes. Team Yoshimoto had nine birdies and just three bogeys in the finale. Team Sherpa, who took the first round lead with a 61, had a final round 71. Third place went to Thomas and Bonnie Shewchuk at 135 following a 68. Anna Irvin had the shot of the tournament, carding an ace on the par-3 17th on Saturday. The championship was Irvin’s debut in a competitive tournament.
Yosemite Flight (18 Handicap Index-Above)
Yosemite Flight winners Simon Tao and Melynda Li, runner-ups Mike Winkenbach and Cindie Young and third place finishers Mark Reynolds and Melanie Kakalec (left to right)
Simon Tao and partner Melynda Li shot their second straight 66, finishing at 132 and running away with a seven stroke victory. Tao and Li posted two eagles and seven birdies to go against six bogeys in the finale.
Winkenbach and Young shot 69 to come in at 139. Reynolds and Kakalec shot 70 to finish at 141.
Photo Gallery
March 25, 2016
The race for titles got underway Friday as the 4th NCGA Mixed Team Spring Championship teed off at par-71 Poppy Hills Golf Course. The event, which features a format where both players tee off, then play their partners’ ball and move on to alternate shot, has three flights and concludes Saturday.
Big Sur Flight (9 handicap index-below)
Defending champions Steve and Dorothy Donnelly picked up where they left off, posting a solid 4-under 67 to take a two shot lead over three teams. Team Donnelly, who won last year’s title with a score of 140, penciled in three eagle and three birdies to go against three bogeys and a double-bogey.
Chasing the two after opening with 69 are the tandems of Mark Miller/Kathy Karste, John and Angie Friedrich and Terry Levis/Joel Jessel. Team Friedrich won the title in 2014.
Golden Gate Flight (Handicap Index 10-17)
Tashi and Michelle Sherpa grabbed the early lead, thanks to a sizzling 10-under 61. Team Sherpa, who captured the Zinfandel title in 2013, had two eagles and nine birdies to go against a bogey and a double-bogey.
Their nearest pursuers are Bryce and Janice Yoshimoto, who came in with a 69. Also in the immediate mix is the tandem of Iain Farquharson and Denise Kam, who came in at 66.
Yosemite Flight (18 handicap index-above)
Over in the Yosemite Flight, the team of Simon Tao and Melynda Li are the ones to chase after the duo opened with a 5-under 66. The two put together a round that featured four eagles and four birdies to go against four bogeys and a triple-bogey.
On their heels are defending champions Jim and Sasa Puchbauer, who started out with a 67. Only two strokes behind the leaders, meanwhile, is the tandem of Stan Robbins/Lynne Houghton.