MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA (December 4, 2005) -- Del Monte golf course doesn't have length, water hazards, or many other modern fear-factor characteristics. But regardless of clocking in at only 6357 yards, Del Monte -- known for being the oldest course west of the Mississippi -- has stood up amazingly well as a test of golf. Del Monte may no longer host USGA events as it did in the 1920's, but still sees a wonderful tournament schedule each year with the season-ending (or beginning, depending on how you look at it) amateurgolf.com Christmas Classic being the largest 'amateur-only' event.

A solid contingency of California amateurs make the pilgrimage to Monterey each year in a tradition that goes back to when it was only referred to as 'Casey's' (after tournament founder Casey Boyns).

In Saturday's first round, Danny Buell of San Carlos started with a bogey, then didn't make another mistake (but did make four birdies) for the rest of the day. He called his round "solid," and knew there was a lot of work to be done, with 16 players within 6 strokes of the lead. Dave Nelson, who won the Christmas Classic in 2002, was one of those players, in at 71 and paired in the final group.

Nelson, 49, has been a top Nevada amateur for some time, having racked up four Nevada State Amateurs and one Nevada Mid-Am. In 1982, Nelson competed in the US Open at Pebble Beach. He plays in the Christmas Classic every year, and is well aware that Del Monte rewards experience.

On Sunday, Nelson plugged away on the front nine, keeping leader Danny Buell in sight but not gaining much until the 9th hole, where a birdie, against Buell's bogey, resulted in a two stroke swing and a 1-shot margin for Buell heading into the back nine. Both players birdied No. 10, the short par four, then matched pars at No. 11. Buell bogeyed the Ocean Honda Hole-in-One hole, No. 12, and the tournament was tied. But Del Monte giveth, and Del Monte taketh away - Nelson found that out with a double bogey - bogey stretch on Nos. 13 and 14 that put the tournament back to square.

The hole that probably typifies Del Monte the most, No. 15, is a 350-yard par-4 that doglegs to the left with trees narrowing in to only 20 yards wide inside of the 150 yard marker. And you don't even want to try to hit out of the left trees (the last time I was in there I did notice a sign about an endangered species of bats, however). The occasional heat-sinking missile off a driver can find the front of the green, and that's what Buell tried to pull off on Sunday, but he overcooked it left. One fortuitous bounce later, his ball was in the middle of the fairway just 80 yards out. Nelson played an iron to 150 yards, then smartly kept his approach shot under the hole and made birdie. Buell wedged to 20 feet above the hole and three-putted for bogey. But he still had the lead, and he made a clutch putt of 10 feet on No. 16 to keep it, by one.

The pin on the par-5 17th was so close to the front edge that many players were left shaking their heads. One even 5-putted (he didn't blame the pin placement, to his credit). Matt Marshall, Eric Restrepo. Arvo Voip, Geoff Gonzales, and Brian Thompson all posted birdie fours on the hole, so it couldn't have been that bad. Nelson and Buell both landed wedge shots well beyond the pin, but spun their balls off the green. When Buell, who was farther away, failed to save par, the tournament was tied on the 18th tee. Nelson didn't have a leaderboard to glance at, but this is far from his first golf tournament.

"I knew, of course, that I had to at least catch Danny if I was going to have a chance to win, and I had done that," said Nelson.

Buell's tee shot was left, and blocked by the large oak that stands guard there. He pondered his escape-route while waiting for the green to clear, then boldly attempted to go up and over the limbs but after a loud 'crack' he watched in dismay as the ball bounded straight back and farther from the hole. With it still being his turn to play, Buell pitched out to the middle of the fairway, fifty yards short of the green. Nelson wedged to 30 feet, but still had lots of work to do for par, with an extreme-back pin placement that caused at least one player on the front of the green to chip over the fringe to get there. Nelson had a clear path, and he putted nicely to 2 feet short of the hole, then finished for par. Buell's wedge had skipped past the pin to the back rough, and he hit a deft pitch from there that saved Bogey, and a share of second place with Geoff Gonzalez and Brian Thompson at 145.

But the tournament belonged to Nelson, whose par at 18 resulted in an even-par 72 in the final round and 1-under par score of 143 for the tournament. Not quite as low as the blistering 9-under-par total of 135 he shot in winning the event in 2002, but 2 strokes ahead of anyone else in the extremely competitive scratch and senior scratch divisions of almost 100 players.

SENIOR DIVISION:
In the Senior Division, Herb Jensen played steady golf for two days and 73-75 = 148 for a narrow one stroke victory over a trio of top players - Mark Miller of Antioch; Bob Rowland of Danville (the first round leader at 71); and NCGA 2005 Senior player-of-the-year Rob Thompson of Merced. Jensen, a dentist during the workweek, was left gritting his teeth walking off the 18th green after Saturday's first round, where a double-bogey finish stained a near-perfect round. On Sunday, however, his walk to the scoreboard was a lot nicer, as the satisfaction of winning over a quality senior field set in.

NET DIVISION:
Todd Knapp of Salinas dominated the net division. As round two scores for most players had nobody screaming 'sandbagger,' Knapp managed his way around Del Monte nicely by firing the low net round of the tournament (a 68) which allowed him to be the only player under par net and win by 6 strokes over Mike Burgess of Rohnert Park and Terry Won of Milpitas.

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Final results from the 21st Annual amateurgolf.com Christmas Classic, played at the par-72, 6357 yard Del Monte Golf Course: