Bay Regional: Viboch, Haag claim titles at Berkeley, California's Tilden Park G.C.
Bay Regional Champion Brett Viboch
Brett Viboch, 40, has some history with the Bay Regional. A couple of decades ago, he finished second three years in a row. Shortly thereafter, the tournament was off the calendar altogether, only to be resurrected in 2022. After 2022 Champion Marc Engellener, a friend of Viboch, recommended he play the refreshed event, Viboch figured it was time to finally get that title he has so closely contended for.
“Marc told me it was a well-run event, and I should work it into my schedule,” Viboch noted. Viboch is in the Top 25 in the 2024 NCGA points standing and is no stranger to playing with the best.
Viboch, from Lafayette, took a comfortable four-stroke lead over Hermosa Beach’s Aiden Oliver and was eight up on regular Bay Regional contender Garret Wagner. But Oliver, in particular, put up a great challenge in the final holes Sunday.
Viboch, an outside sales specialist, shot rounds of 69-66-71-206, 4-under par, to take the crown. On Sunday, second-place finisher Oliver made it very close with a birdie putt on 18 to tie that barely missed.
Travis Miller from San Leandro shot up the leaderboard Sunday with a closing 65 to finish 3rd at 209, 3 strokes back. Wagner fired an excellent round of 69 to finish fourth at 212 with Bryant Li finishing fifth at 215 and John McCord and Max Taylor tying for sixth at 216.
HOLE NO. 12 TAKES CENTER STAGE AGAIN ON SUNDAY
Tilden’s par-4 12th is one of its prized holes and the favorite hole of Steve Harker, the General Manager for years at Tilden and now CEO of Touchstone Golf that operates Tilden. “It just has all the elements of a great hole, I love it,” said Harker.
The hole was set up on Sunday as it was the year before, with an approximate 270-yard length. Recent tree work to the right made the risk-reward proposition even more enticing.
“Of the 31 players who made the cut for Sunday, seven chose to lay up. The other 24 took a shot at the green, and of that group, only two wound up in the penalty area and had to take relief,” said Doug Harker, Tournament Director.
HAAG THREE PEATS, WINS THIRD-STRAIGHT SENIOR CROWN
Randy Haag had plenty of quality competition on Saturday for the Senior Division at the Bay Regional, but he felt pretty comfortable owning a three-stroke lead over Jeff Duncan of Carson City, Nevada, as they teed off on the par-3 7th hole.
“I was between 6 and 7 iron and decided to muscle the 7,” said Haag. “It was a bad choice and I tugged it into the penalty area left. Then Jeff dropped a birdie and I struggled to double bogey and we were tied.”
An eagle on the par-4 14th put Haag back to a comfortable lead, but Duncan’s charge with a score of 31 on the back 9 kept him in contention. Duncan finished with a 68 and 136 total for second place, three behind Haag’s 36-hole total of 133. Tony Ralph from Sunnyvale was third at 144.
-- Thanks to Doug Harker of Touchstone Golf Management for providing this report
ABOUT THE
Bay Regional
54 holes stroke play championship, with a 36-hole
cut for the Men’s Division
only to the top 30 scores plus ties. Senior
divisions will play 36 holes
with no cut. Total entries are limited to 120 players
and the following divisions
will be conducted:
- Men’s Championship (54 Holes Stroke Play, max
handicap 6.4)
- Senior Men’s Championship (Age 55 or older as of
the first day of the
tournament – 36 Holes Stroke Play, max handicap
9.4)
View Complete Tournament Information