31st California Senior Amateur Championship | Pasatiempo | November 14-16, 2022

 

First played in 1992, the California Senior Amateur Championship is the state’s premier event for players aged 55 and over. For most of the event’s history, Poppy Hills was the host venue (1994-2009), although the initial contests were held at Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. In 2010 the tournament began a rotation between north and south courses, with north courses hosting in even years and south courses hosting in odd years. Jim McMurtey, Jeff Burda and John Pate are the only multiple winners of the event. McMurtrey and Burda both having won three times each: McMurtrey (’94, ’95 and ’98); Burda (’08-’10) and Pate twice (2014, 2016). Burda also holds the record for lowest 54-hole score, posting a 209 (seven-under par) in 2008, which included a final round 65. Mark Harding, who won in 2015, matched Burda’s 54-hole record with a winning score of 209. In 2007 Gary Vanier made history by becoming the only player to win both the Cal Amateur title and Cal Senior title in a career, until Casey Boyns matched the feat in 2012.
The championship also includes a team event during the first two rounds comprising four selected golfers from the NCGA and SCGA. The NCGA leads 15-7 in the series, which began in 1995.

 

 

 

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Tournament Recaps

NCGA Hall of Famer Randy Haag already had plenty to stand on. A record six NCGA Player of the Year titles. A co-record 16 NCGA championships. Medalist honors in eight USGA qualifiers. One thing that had always been missing, however, is a California Amateur title–until now. 2021 Recap

Canyon Lake resident Robert Funk may want to start playing in as many events at Poppy Hills Golf Course as possible .In what’s been a year of resurgence, just two months after winning the NCGA Senior Championship at Poppy Hills the 57-year-old Bear Creek Golf Club member added a major title to his belt, capturing the 29th California Senior Amateur on the NCGA’s home course via a sudden-death playoff victory over runner-up Greg Cesario. 2020 Recap

The wins still keep coming for NCGA Hall of Famer Casey Boyns. Boyns, who’ll turn 64 in early December, won his second Senior major title of the year Wednesday with a comeback victory at the annual California Senior Amateur Championship at par-71 Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. The longtime Pebble Beach Golf Links caddie, who was inducted into the NCGA Hall of Fame in 2017 and won this year’s NCGA Senior Amateur Match Play Championship, carded a final round 1-under par 70 to come in with a three-day total of 2-over 215, good enough to beat co-runners-up Craig Davis and Don Dubois by a stroke. 2019 Recap

It was a great finish to what’s been a career season for Green Valley Country Club member Jeff Wilson. For Olympic Club member Randy Haag, it was another kick to the stomach. Wilson shot a final round 2-under 70 Wednesday at par-72 The Preserve Golf Club in Carmel thanks in part to a late surge that included a Tiger Woods-esque slow motion birdie on the 18th hole to win the annual California Senior Amateur Championship by two shots over Haag. The 55-year-old Wilson, who finally got the USGA monkey off his back with a win at this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur, was making his first California Senior Amateur debut. 2018 Recap

A Northern California player with a Southern California background ended up stealing the show at the annual California Senior Amateur Championship. Mark Morgan, a member at Serrano CC and a USC alumnus, had a day to remember in Wednesday’s final round, posting a final round 2-under 69 to come from two strokes back to capture the title at par-71 Pauma Valley Country Club. 2017 Recap

It wasn’t the way Santa Barbara resident John Pate wanted to finish, but it got the job done. Pate shot a final round 4-over 76 and survived a late charge by Randy Haag, claiming his second California Senior Amateur title in three years by three shots on a cold and blustery Wednesday at par-72 Lake Merced Golf Club…2016 Recap

Mark Harding held on to win the 24th annual CGA Senior Amateur Championship at par-71 Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa. Harding, who hails from Hermosa Beach, shot a final round 69, his second straight round under par, to finish at 4-under 209, defeating runner-up Don DuBois of Newport Beach by a stroke. Coming off a 68 that gave him a share of the second round lead with Craig Calkins, it appeared that Harding would make it a runaway after opening with a 3-under front-nine 33…2015 Recap

Santa Barbara resident John Pate can finally call himself a State champion. In what was his championship debut, Pate carded a final round 2-over 73 and held off a throng of challengers Wednesday, including three-time champion Jeff Burda, to win the annual California State Senior Amateur Championship at the new par-71 Poppy Hills Golf Course by two strokes.At the 1995 California State Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pate, who just recently turned 55,  lost the title 1-up when opponent Jeff Sanday sank a 20-foot putt on the 36th hole…2014 Recap

Jim Knoll completed his journey for a wire-to-wire victory at the 22^nd Annual CGA Amateur Championship on Wednesday, but it was no easy task. Coming into the final round with a seven-stroke advantage, the Sunnyvale resident won by a margin of two strokes finishing with a 54-hole score of 212, 1-under-par at San Gabriel CC. After two under-par rounds on Monday and Tuesday with a 70 and 66, the 61-year-old wasn’t quite the same player posting a final round 76. Things looked to be right on track for another under-par round after opening with a birdie on No. 2, but six bogeys over the final 16 holes (Nos. 3, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 15) made Knoll sweat it out a little more than he likely wanted…2013 Recap

For the third straight day, a different name found the top of the 21^st Annual CGA Senior Amateur Championship leaderboard at Del Rio GCC. But unlike the previous two days, Wednesday was the day where it mattered most.  In the end, Casey Boyns came back from four shots down to win the title and be crowned the top senior amateur in the state of California…2012 Recap

 

Past Champions & Team Winners

 

1992	Chuck Weil at Ojai Valley Inn	71-71– 142	N/A
1993	Paul Ladin at Ojai Valley Inn	73-69 –142	N/A
1994	Jim McMurtrey at Poppy Hills GC	71-75-72 – 218	N/A
1995	Jim McMurtrey at Poppy Hills GC	72-74-73 – 219	NCGA
1996	Paul Spengler at Poppy Hills GC	74-75-75 – 224	NCGA
1997	Cliff Davis at Poppy Hills GC	77-70-71 – 218	NCGA
1998	Jim McMurtrey at Poppy Hills GC	71-74-74 – 219	NCGA
1999	Tom Eastlack at Poppy Hills GC	74-75-71 – 220	SCGA
2000	Mike Riley at Poppy Hills GC	73-76-72 – 221	NCGA
2001	Roly Lamontagne at Poppy Hills	69-75-70 – 214	SCGA
2002	Ted Lyford at Poppy Hills GC	72-67-72 – 211	SCGA
2003	Joe Dudley at Poppy Hills GC	73-72-75 – 220	SCGA
2004	Rob Thompson at Poppy Hills GC	74-73-71 – 218	NCGA
2005	Bob Olds at Poppy Hills GC	73-71-75 – 219	SCGA
2006	Steve Bogan at Poppy Hills GC	75-74-75 – 224	NCGA
2007	Gary Vanier at Poppy Hills GC	73-75-73 – 221	SCGA
2008	Jeff Burda at Poppy Hills GC	74-70-65 – 209	NCGA
2009	Jeff Burda at Poppy Hills GC	66-77-68 – 211	NCGA
2010	Jeff Burda at Ft. Washington CC	68-73-70 – 211	NCGA
2011	Mark Nickeas at Saticoy CC	69-74-78 – 221	NCGA
2012	Casey Boyns at Del Rio CC	75-73-71 – 219	NCGA
2013	Jim Knoll at San Gabriel CC	70-66-76 – 212	NCGA
2014	John Pate at Poppy Hills GC	72-69-73 – 214	NCGA
2015	Mark Harding at Mesa Verde CC	72-68-69 – 209	SCGA
2016	John Pate at Lake Merced GC	71-69-76 – 216	NCGA
2017	Mark Morgan at Pauma Valley CC	73-70-69 – 212	SCGA
2018	Jeff Wilson at The Preserve GC	69-73-70 – 212	NCGA
2019	Casey Boyns at Wilshire CC	76-69-70 – 215	SCGA
2020	Robert Funk at Poppy Hills	70-69-72 – 211	NCGA
2021	Randy Haag at Hillcrest CC	70-70-70 – 210	NCGA