Playoff winners Russell Humphrey (left)
and Kevin Wentworth
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (Feb. 20, 2011) -- The
weather cleared up on Sunday, temperatures
rose, and best-ball scores dropped to the
levels expected from another strong
amateurgolf.com field at the Monterey County
Four Ball.
Winners Russell Humphrey and Kevin
Wentworth shot the round of the tournament
on Sunday, a 10-under 60.
The sun may have found its way back to the
Monterey Peninsula and winds may have
calmed from Saturday, but the course still
requires precision shotmaking on several tight
tee shots and the long par-3's on the front
nine. These two really lit it up.
Humphrey, of Lodi and Kevin Wentworth
posted 13-under 127 after their 60 moved
them past a slew of teams to tie with the
formidable four ball team of Randy Haag of San
Francisco's Olympic Club and Darryl Donovan of
Cordevalle. (Haag and Donovan won the 2010
NCGA Four Ball at Spyglass and Haag is the
reigning NCGA Player of the Year.)
Starting on the 16th hole, a downhill par-4
that heads towards some of the best ocean
views on the back nine, Humphrey and
Wentworth played approach shots from the
right rough and made birdie. Haag and
Donovan, while longer and straighter off the
tee, left themselves tricky 40 yard pitches to a
back-right pin and failed to get up and down.
This wasn't the first time Humphrey has mixed
it up with Haag and Donovan; at the 2010
NCGA Four Ball he holed a big putt to get he
and partner James Watt into a playoff that
Donovan and Haag won.
The Senior Division was also decided by a
playoff between Michael Harding/Mark Miller
and Chuck Richesin/Herb Jensen. They started
on the toughest 105 yard par three around,
No. 10.
Harding and Jensen both hit the green, both
hit good putts, Harding from 25 feet Jensen
from 15. But no birdie. On the 11th, Jensen
made a 12 foot birdie putt while Miller missed
from just a foot shorter and on almost the
same line. Sometimes the hardest putt to hit is
on a similar line to one you just watched.
With San Francisco City Senior qualifying
coming up on Wednesday and Jensen
defending his title, there is no doubt this group
where "everybody knows everybody" will have
a chance to compete against each other soon.
The Net Division required no playoff, as Darian
"Dad" Houde and Jim Peterson of Pacific Grove
edged Todd Knapp of Salinas and John
Cavanaugh of Pebble Beach by two shots. The
teams entered the final round tied after
posting solid best ball 62's using 80 percent of
handicap.
Check out all the event photos on our
Facebook
page.
ABOUT THE
amateurgolf.com Monterey Cty Four-Ball
Don't hesitate to register for this annually sold-
out
event at the wonderful Pacific Grove Golf Links.
Your
entry fee includes two rounds of golf, lunch both
days, generous prize fund, and more. Carts are
not
included on this easy-walking course.
View Complete Tournament Information