30th California Senior Amateur Championship | Hillcrest CC | November 8-10, 2021
2020 champion Robert Funk
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.
ENTRIES CLOSE: September 26, 2021
ENTRY FEE: All players will pay $150. There is no additional championship fee.
REFUND POLICY: Refund less $10.00 processing fee if requested prior to closing date. 50% refund after the closing date and 48 hours prior to the event. No refunds will be honored within 48 hours of the event.
ELIGIBILITY: Players must have reached their 55th birthday by November 8, 2021, and have a numeric handicap index of 7.4 or less on their club’s Master Report at the time of registration. Eligible players may attempt to qualify for both the California Amateur and California Senior Amateur Championships. ONLY ONE ENTRY FOR THE SAME EVENT MAY BE FILED PER PLAYER, even if the player belongs to clubs in both Northern California and Southern California.
FORMAT: Qualifying – 18 holes. 84 players, including exempts, will advance to the championship proper. Championship – 54 holes of stroke play (18 holes per day). After 36 holes are completed, the field is cut to the low 33 players and ties for the final 18 holes.
Northern California qualifying sites: Baylands GL (October 13) | Reserve at Spanos Park (October 19) |
Southern California qualifying sites: Oak Valley GC (October 5) | Soule Park GC (October 18) | El Camino CC (October 25)
EXEMPTIONS: All exempt players must still meet eligibility requirements and register online for the championship prior to the entry closing date. 2021 CALIFORNIA SENIOR AMATEUR EXEMPTIONS
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Tournament Recaps
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 22nd 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 21st 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 |
| 2019 | Robert Funk at Poppy Hills | 70-69-72 – 211 | NCGA |