Nick Moore (NCGA photo)
PEBBLE BEACH, CA (April 23, 2018) - We already know that Monterey resident Nick Moore has a knack for winning the annual NCGA Public Links Championship in years ending with an odd number. Along with winning last year, the three-time champion also took the title in 2013 and 2015.
Despite it being an even-year, Moore is in a familiar spot. The 2015 NCGA Player of the Year, Moore grabbed a share of the lead in this year’s championship, carding an opening round 3-under 68 Monday at par-71 Poppy Hills Golf Course.
Also posting a 68 was Ancil Hoffman GC member Keith Okasaki.
Okasaki, a former standout at UC San Diego, had four birdies to go with just one bogey. Moore penciled in three birdies with zero bogeys.
In third place at 70 are both Ben Peters, who played on the 2017 NCGA Hanna-Wehrman Cup squad, and E-Club East Bay member Garrett Wagner.
With a win, Moore will tie NCGA Hall of Famer Casey Boyns for the most Public Links titles, with four.
Golden Gate Flight
Andy Nordhoff of Bushwood CC is the person to chase after the opening round, as he’d card a 6-under 65 featuring nine birdies, a double-bogey and a bogey.
In second place at 67 is Harding Park GC member Kieran Clifford. Dave Cresson, playing out of Half Moon Bay GL, is alone in third at 69.
Yosemite Flight
Josh Torres of Eagle Ridge Rewards Club took the first round lead, carding a 5-under 66 featuring eight birdies to go against three bogeys. Torres caught fire on the front-nine, carding four straight birdies from holes No.5 through No.8.
In second place at 69 is Dave Burghardt of Dry Creek Men’s Club. In third place is Steve Zercoe of Diablo Grande GC at 70.
ABOUT THE
NCGA PubLinks
The NCGA Public Links Championship began in 1966
at Spyglass Hill and is the premier event for the
public-course
player. The tournament has always included a
championship flight for players with handicap
indexes of 5.4 or less and
two handicap divisions for players with no handicap
limit. Contestants
must be bona fide public
course players
who do not hold playing privileges in any course
from which the general public is excluded.
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