Stephen Hale of Bakersfield captured the 38th annual Southern California Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship by outlasting Torey Edwards of Long Beach and Tim Hogarth of Northridge in a three-hole aggregate playoff at the Victoria Club in Riverside.
After all three players recorded pars on the first two playoff holes, Hale sank a 35-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the third extra hole and was the winner when Edwards missed his birdie attempt from 15 feet. Hogarth made a bogey on the hole.
“It feels good to finally get my first one,” Hale, who played college golf at Cal, said of his first SCGA individual title. “It was a long time coming and I’m ecstatic. I won a few times in college, but not much since and I’ve been part of the SCGA for a long time.
“Any time you can beat Torey and Tim it means something, because they are so good. You have to be a little lucky to make that long of a putt, but I just saw the line and it was time to step up.
“I just feels good to come out on top.”
Hale, who won the 2019 SCGA Four-Ball title with teammate Corby Segal, posted a score of 68-71-66—205, 8-under-par, while defending champion Edwards finished at 73-67-65—205, and Hogarth, who has claimed this title a record five times, wound up at 67-70-68—205.
Cullen Brasfield of La Quinta was fourth at 67-72-70—209, followed by Mark Warman of San Clemente at 73-69-69—211, while Satch Hermann of Los Angeles shot 72-73-69—214, to tie for sixth with Ryan Wilkins of San Diego, who totaled 71-71-72—214, and Robert Funk of Canyon Lake, who came in at 70-71-73—214.
Connor Campbell of Orange Lake finished at 74-72-69—215 to tie for ninth with Nick Geyer of San Diego, who wound up at 68-74-73—215.
Other former winners to the SCGA Mid-Amateur include Sandy Galbraith, Mark Johnson, Mitch Voges, Craig Steinberg, John Pate, Scott McGihon, Robert Funk, Jeff Wilson and Segal.
For complete results, visit https://scga-2021scgamidamateurchampionship.golfgenius.com/pages/2769202
