Robert Funk of Canyon Lake turned back Jeff Wilson of Fairfield with a par on the first playoff hole to win the 59th Northern California Golf Association Senior Championship at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.
Wilson was unable to get up-and-down for a par on the extra hole after his approach shot rolled on the 10th hole rolled off the green and down onto the tee of the adjacent 11th hole.
“I told (my wife) I’m coming home a winner, or I’m not coming home,” said Funk, who is a cousin of former PGA Tour star Fred Funk. “I’m very excited to win. I haven’t had any major wins in the last two years. It’s validation for me.
“I knew I just had to keep making birdies. Jeff is such a great player. I was just trying to not blow up. I didn’t make a lot of putts today. Compared to the first two rounds, I wasn’t hitting the ball as well nor putting as well.”
Funk, who won the 2006 Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship and is a two-time winner of the Southern California Mid-Amateur Championship, led after two rounds but struggled in the last day to finish with a score of 69-68-75—212, 1-under-par.
Wilson, the 2018 California Senior Amateur champion and a three-time SCGA Mid-Amateur champion who recently won NCGA Senior Valley Amateur, came from behind to catch Funk at 70-71-71—212.
“I hung in there about as well as I could today,” said Wilson, who made up a four-stroke deficit in the final round. “Robert deserved to win. He played better than I did. If I would’ve won today, it would’ve been a robbery.”
Mark Morgan of Shingle Springs, the 2017 California Senior Amateur champion, carded a score of 75-69-76—220 to tie for third with John Pate of Santa Barbara, who finished at 71-74-75—220, and Jeff Britton of Carmel, who wound up at 74-69-77—220.
Morgan’s finish strengthened his lead in the NCGA Senior Player of the Year point standings.
Ron Collet of Fresno shot 75-76-71—222 to tie for sixth with Chris Miller of Brentwood, who totaled 74-71-77—222.
Three-time NCGA Senior champion Jeff Burda of Modesto totaled 76-75-72—223 to tie for eighth with 2017 winner Tony Padilla of Sacramento 2017, who finished at 76-72-75—213, and two-time winner Casey Boyns of Monterey, who came in at 73-73-77—223.
Defending champion Mike Rowley of San Luis Obispo tied for 11th at 76-76-72—224.
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