Greg Sato of South Pasadena came from three strokes behind by shooting three-under-par 69 in the final round to capture the fifth Ojai Senior Cup by one stroke over four other golfers at Soule Park Golf Club in Ojai.
Sato (pictured left) made a birdie putt on the par-five finishing hole to pull out the victory.
“As the week began, I felt my game was trending in the right direction,” said Sato, who finished first in U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifiers each of the last two years. “It was nothing spectacular, just noticeable consistency. I drove the ball reasonably well, hit decent approaches and, of course, was fortunate enough to make some crucial putts.
“It was really a process-driven mindset. I definitely felt like I was within striking distance, but at the same time, I didn’t want to focus on anything beyond my control. I didn’t know seven-under would be the winning number, but I knew I was close to the lead, and I absolutely knew a birdie on (No.) 18 would help the cause.
“It’s been a wonderful week.”
Sato, who played college golf at UC Irvine, posted a winning score of 69-71-69—209, seven-under-par, while 2020 champion Dan Sullivan, who led going into the final round, finished at 68-69-73—210 to tie for second with 2019 winner Tim Hogarth of Northridge, who totaled 67-74-69—210, Robert Funk of Canyon Lake, who shot 69-73-68—210, and John Derrick of Waco, Texas, who wound up at 73-69-68—210.
Cory Dishman of Oxnard carded a score of 69-69-74—212 to tie for sixth with Neal Barfield of Dallas, Texas, who finished at 65-74-73—212, while Mark Sanchez of Kentfield shot 72-73-68—213 to tie for eighth with John Adams of San Clemente, who totaled 72-73-68—213, and Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield, Colo., who wound up at 71-73-69—213.
Defending champion Craig Steinberg of Agoura Hills finished in a tie for 12th at 75-66-75—216.
Doug Williams (pictured right) of Los Angeles claimed the Super Senior Championship with a score of 71-72-72—215, followed by Craig Calkins of Manhattan Beach at 72-77-78—217, Casey Boyns of Monterey at 73-72-73—218, Steve Lass of Santa Barbara at 73-73-74—220 and David Ujihara of Brea at 75-76-73—224.
John Milleville of Ventura was sixth at 77-70-79—226, followed by Curtis Worley of Coronado at 72-73-82—227, Mark Freie of Camarillo at 74-78-77—229, Frank Manzano of Santa Paula at 81-72-78—231 and Dan Kras of Palm Desert at 78-77-77—232.
For complete results, visit: https://2023ojaiseniorcup.golfgenius.com/pages/4032223
