Jason Anthony of Fairfield scrambled for a birdie on the final hole to win the 17th Northern California Valley Amateur by one stroke over Garret Wagner of Brentwood at Schaffer’s Mill Club in Truckee.
Anthony, who also claimed the title in 2017 and is the reigning NCGA Player of the Year after winning the NCGA Mid-Amateur and Alameda Commuters last year, hit a 20-yard chip shot over a greenside bunker and sank the winning putt from four feet at No. 18.
“It was the best chip shot I’ve ever hit,” Anthony, who recently became a father for the first time, told AmateurGolf.com. “I can’t tell you how amazing it felt to get my first win as a dad with my little son there and my wife as well.
“Today was a struggle. It was hard to get any momentum positively. I made two or three really dumb mental errors because I haven’t been playing much because I just had a baby that’s four months old.
“It’s pretty cool to be back out here competing. I missed the guys and the competition. It felt amazing to be back out there under the gun. To perform on the last hole like that was special. It’s something I’ll always remember.”
Anthony, who played at Fresno State, finished with a score of 67-21—138, 4-under-par, followed by Wagner at 71-68—139, while Jacob Westberg was third at 66-75—142.
Matt Cohn of San Francisco posted at score of 77-65—142 to tie for fourth with Jon Peterson of Granite Bay, who finished at 73-69—142, while Wes Payne of Menlo Park shot 73-69—142, Costa Tzikas of Sacramento, who totaled 71-72—143, and Jason Herrera of Rio Linda, who wound up at 68-75—143.
Brent Booth of Los Altos carded a score for 72-72—144 to tie for ninth with Domingo Jojola of San Francisco, who finished at 69-75—144, and Nick Moore of Seaside, who came in at 67-77—144.
Jeff Wilson of Fairfield birdied four of the last six holes to capture the Senior Division with a score of 72-66—138, winning by one shot over Mark Morgan of Shingle Springs, who won the title the last two years, and finished at 71-68—139.
Chris Miller of Brentwood posted a score of 72-70—142 to tie for third with Scott Anderson Sr. of Bakersfield, who also finished at 72-70—140, while Larry Salk of Fairfield was fifth at 73-71—144, and Jeff Burda of Modesto shot 74-71—145 to tie for sixth with Mike Staskus of Los Altos, who wound up and 70-75—145.
Tony Padilla of Sacramento totaled 68-78—146 to tie for eighth with Terry Scott of Pleasanton, who finished at 70-76—146, and Jim Knoll of Sunnyvale, who also came in at 70-76—146.
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