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Notre Dame commit Miguel Delgado wins Alameda Commuters
Miguel Delgado (NCGA Photo)
Miguel Delgado (NCGA Photo)

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Miguel Delgado, a senior in high-school from Novato, Calif., broke away from a four-way tie atop the leaderboard entering Sunday's final round to win the Alameda Commuters Tournament by three strokes. Delgado, who has committed to play for Notre Dame next fall, shot 11-under 273, including a final-round 68, to win the event's 88th annual running.

Delgado was gridlocked at the top of the leaderboard with second-round leader and Santa Clara sophomore Carlos Briones, as well as Jonathan Keane of San Mateo and Finigan Tilly of Redwood City. But of the four, Delgado was the only player to break par on Sunday at Chuck Corica Golf Complex's Earl Fry course.

“This is my first big amateur win,” Delgado told the NCGA. “Hopefully, it jump-starts my collegiate career.”

Briones posted 73 and finished in a tie for third alongside recent San Francisco City medalist Jason Anthony while Keane and Tilly shot 74 and 75, respectively.

Anthony, the 2014 NCGA Player-of-the-Year runner-up from Fairfield, started the tournament slowly with rounds of 72 on the first weekend before carding a 66 and 68 in the third and fourth rounds to jump into the top-three. Keane, a former Santa Clara golfer originally from Oregon, tied for fifth along with defending champion Jonathan De Los Reyes.

De Los Reyes, of St. Mary's College, rebounded nicely from an opening-round 75 with three straight rounds in the 60s, including a 66 in Saturday's third round. The junior from Antioch was one of eight Gaels, as well as the team's coach Scott Hardy, to make the cut at this year's Commuters.

Second-place finisher Steven Chung of Sacramento fired 66 on Sunday — a nine-shot difference from his 75 a day earlier. Chung was low amateur at the 2014 Northern California Open, placing eighth at Almaden Country Club last September.

Players were met with a unique challenge at this year's event. With the Jack Clark course being closed due to complete renovation, the tournament was played completely on one course.

“Not since 1955 has the Commuters been contested on one course," PGA professional Jack Cummings said.

Because of the tight squeeze, with 208 players in the Championship Flight on the first weekend, players were sent out in two separate waves, beginning with early morning tee times and concluding with afternoon tee times.

KNOLL WINS SENIOR DIVISION

Jim Knoll captured the senior title with his final- round score of 67, which, as the lowest score of the tournament for the division, proved to be the winning formula for the recent NCGA Senior Amateur champion. First-round leader Dale Bouguennec struggled to a 77 on Sunday after firing a 68 in the first round.

The win was Knoll's fourth at the Commuters — a tournament record. The Sunnyvale native just returned from the desert where he took fourth at the Senior Masters Tournament, hosted by the Society of Seniors at Indian Wells Resort. Knoll is the four-time defending NCGA Senior Player-of-the-Year, and is looking to make it five.

Gary Vanier, who was fresh off his win at the San Francisco Senior City, finished in the runner-up spot for the second straight year, shooting 71-70 to be the only player besides Knoll to finish the 36-hole event under par.

Terry Foreman took third at even-par 142, including a nice 69 on Sunday.

BLANCHARD LENDS A HELPING HAND

Patrick Burda, who finished tied for 13th at three-under par, was heading toward Chuck Corica on Sunday morning of the second round and made a wrong turn. Burda told AmateurGolf.com that he hit a pothole in West Oakland, resulting in a flat tire. He then decided to leave his car and deal with fixing the vehicle until after the round.

After his round, in which the Modesto native shot 76, Burda arrived at his car and realized his car didn't have a spare tire, forcing him to wait in, what Burda referred to as a "sketchy" neighborhood for nearly five hours until a tow truck could pick him up.

Thankfully, there was help on the way.

"I was able to reach the man, the myth, the legend Bob Blanchard, who, after spending all day on the golf course as a marshal, was more than happy to get in his car and come pick me up," Burda said. "Bob took me to McGee's, a great watering hole in Alameda, to kill some time until the tow showed up."

Burda went on to fire back-to-back 69s on weekend number two, finishing inside the top- 15.

Results: Alameda Commuters
1CAMiguel DelgadoNovato, CA18068-70-67-68=273
2CASteven ChungSacramento, CA12068-67-75-66=276
T3CAJason AnthonyFairfield, CA6072-72-66-68=278
T3CACarlos BrionesSan Lorenzo, CA6068-66-71-73=278
T5CAJonathan De Los ReyesAntioch, CA6075-69-69-66=279

View full results for Alameda Commuters

ABOUT THE Alameda Commuters

What's in a name? In the case of the Alameda Commuters Championship, the logo of the almost 100 year old tournament would be a dead giveaway. It's a steam ferry, which was the only way to "commute" to San Francisco from the East Bay before the Bay Bridge was built. Started as an informal event -- the original first prize was a bag of nails -- the tournament has grown into one of the top independent events in California.

A dedicated tournament committee prides itself on running the competition as if it were a PGA Tour event. Two of the best public courses at the city-owned Chuck Corica Golf Complex are prepared with care. Slick greens, Sunday pins, and even that rarity in amateur golf – spectators are all part of the fun. The roped-off scoreboard is a particular area of pride for the "green jackets" who were wearing dark green blazers before they were made popular by another tournament you might be aware of in Augusta Georgia. The 250 player championship division is cut to 50 and ties for the second weekend, at which time the 36-hole senior division tees off to join them.

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