Kurtis Rodriguez runs away with Monterey City Amateur
Kurtis Rodriguez (UNO Athletics Photo)
At the 74th Annual Monterey City Championship at Del Monte Golf Course in Monterey, California, the tournament came down to the wire.
Kurtis Rodriguez, a native of Red Bluff, California, and a rising senior at California Baptist University, entered the final round trailing by two strokes. Sitting at 4-under after rounds of 72 and 68, Rodriguez needed a low round on Sunday to have a chance at victory.
He delivered.
Starting steadily with three pars on his first three holes, Rodriguez kickstarted his round with a birdie on the par-3 4th hole and finished his front nine with a birdie on the par-5 9th, making the turn just two strokes off the lead.
A birdie on the par-4 10th hole and an eagle on the par-4 11th brought Rodriguez level with George McNeely of Carmel, California at 9-under-par for the tournament. McNeely, a former North Carolina Tarheel, responded with an eagle on the par-5 13th hole. Rodriguez matched McNeely with a birdie and remained one shot back with five holes to play.
The pair exchanged pars on holes 14, 15, and 16. Then, Rodriguez delivered a decisive blow with an eagle on the par-5 17th hole. McNeely made par, turning his one-shot lead into a one-shot deficit. On the 18th hole, McNeely bogeyed while Rodriguez closed with a par, finishing with a bogey-free 64 (-8) and securing a two-shot victory.
Rodriguez made 10 birdies and 2 eagles over 54 holes while recording the fewest bogeys (4).
Bobby Barajas of Shell Beach, California, entered the final round tied for the lead and posted a final round 70 (-2) to finish in solo third. Jay Gould-Healy, an Irishman and rising junior at the University of Oregon, finished solo fourth at 7-under, five strokes off the lead. Gould-Healy made a 9 on the first hole of the tournament, a par-5, but recovered with 6 birdies and an eagle to shoot a first-round 69 (-3). A.J. Fitzgerald, a Salinas, California native and the 2023 Monterey City Champion, shared the lead heading into the final round but shot 73 (+1) to round out the top five.
ABOUT THE Monterey City Amateur
Stroke play championship with the following
divisions:
Championship- 54-hole stroke-play competition,
36-hole cut to low half of field and ties
Net Flight- 54-hole stroke-play competition,
36-hole cut to low half of field and ties
Senior Flight- 36-hole competition,
NO CUT (Played on the first two days)
Super Senior Flight- 36-hole competition,
NO CUT (Played on the first two days).
Championship flight is limited to players with
a USGA index of 3.0 or better. All players that have a
higher
index must compete in the Net division. Players ages
50+
with a handicap index of 6.8 or lower are eligible for
the
Senior division. Super Senior division is ages 65+
with the
same index restrictions.
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