- Rolling his rock to victory
SAN FRANCISCO, CA –March 5, 2006 -
by Matt Foley
Will Johnson is the champion in the 90th playing of the San Francisco City Golf Championship. Johnson earned the cup in a 2&1 victory over Garett Wagner in the famous event that has been played every year since 1917. He can now take his well earned rest after 4 grueling weekends of golf which included 36 holes of stroke play to qualify, and 136 holes of match play to win it.
Johnson, of San Francisco, had advanced to Sunday’s 36 hole final by defeating 1999 champion Randy Haag of Burlingame 3&2. Wagner’s ticket to the finals came thanks to a 7&6 win over Kevin Kobalter of San Rafael. Saturday had provided a respite from the stormy weather that had hit the bay area hard the previous several days. The break in the storm even kept the competitors dry on Sunday for the first 18 holes. But the skies eventually opened up with blistering winds and rain that chilled the golfers to the bone, offering exactly the kind of weather in which the SF City is supposed to be won.
The conditions were especially brutal for the final 9 holes, with wind and sideways freezing rain that made club selection vital. “I’m not the kind of guy who hits the ball well all day long. Today I played better in the morning than in the afternoon,” Johnson said. “In these conditions it’s all about picking the right club and being able to hit a variety of shots.”
Johnson took a 3 up lead after the first 18 holes. His lead shrunk to just 1 after losing holes #2 and #4. But his eagle on the par 5 9th again put him 2 up. Wagner, though, would battle his way back to even, winning the 12th and 14th holes.
The best drama unfolded as the two moved to the 15th all square. Johnson was in the fairway with his 3 wood off the tee, while Wagner took out his driver and missed the fairway well right. He watched as Johnson put his approach shot in the middle of the green. Wagner hit the only shot he could, narrowly avoiding the trees and putting the ball 10 yards off the green to the left. He then chipped to within 10 feet, and when Johnson missed his birdie putt, Wagner had his par putt to save par and halve the hole. It was good from the moment it left his putter, and the two continued on to 16 all square.
What the competitors may not have known is that the pin placements on every hole were identical to those of the World Golf Championship won by Tiger Woods in late 2005. Johnson, though, hinted that he might have been aware that the 16th pin was the same. Both golfers were looking at short putts for par, but Wagner conceded to Johnson, who was only about a half foot closer to the hole than Johnson. Johnson, though, did not concede Wagner’s putt, which was eerily similar to the putt that John Daly missed in the infamous WGC final round. Wagner’s putt lipped out, much to the enjoyment of the sizeable gallery following Johnson. Johnson, who spends most of his time on the course as a caddie at San Francisco Golf Club, was well supported by many of his co-workers. A few muffled cheers went up at the joy of seeing him go 1-up with two holes left.
Wagner, though, almost got his sweet revenge on No. 17. His tee shot to the gusty par-3 was pin high, with Johnson facing an uphill putt from about 20 feet. Johnson hit a low 8-iron on the downwind hole, and with the soft conditions was able to stop the ball on the front of the green. As Wagner stood over his 25 foot putt for birdie, Johnson still felt confident. “I thought I would have a putt to win it.” But as Wagner’s putt rolled toward the hole, Johnson put his head down. “I thought it was in,” Johnson smiled. It was agony for Wagner, who must have thought for a moment that he had surely won the hole, and would go to 18 all square. His joy was short lived, as the putt astonishingly missed an inch to the right, leaving Johnson with a birdie putt to win the match.
What a way to win it! Johnson coolly rolled home the birdie putt, and sending the gallery into an uproar. Some of his friends ran to the green to hug him and carry him off on their shoulders. Johnson expressed his joy of winning the match on seventeen, avoiding the always treacherous and uncertain 18th hole. ”I was glad I did not have to go to eighteen, big time. I had only made par on it once the entire tournament,” Johnson quipped.
As he accepted his trophy from the venerable Sandy Tatum, Johnson expressed his gratitude. “I feel really honored to be the champion of the SF City, I know the history of this event, and I am honored to have my name on the trophy,” said a smiling Johnson. “It was an honor to play in front of all of you and all my friends.”
The 90th playing of the San Francisco City Championship was summed up well by Tatum as one of the “most important amateur golf events in all of the world.” The pride that all the competitors took in their performances was a joy to watch. There is no doubt that the amateur golf landscape in Northern California is as strong as ever.
ABOUT THE
San Francisco City Men's Championship
>> The weekend qualifier is now closed, except for exempt players. Please email Info@SFGolfChampionship.com to register as an exempt player. Or, you may enter the Pre-Qualifier by clicking the link below>>
PRE-QUALIFIER REGISTRATION
TOUR
PORTAL (coming soon)
*An NCGA Points Tournament*
**
Entry Procedure:
Registration opens for all players on
October 1. There will be 50 spots held for
exempt
players under the following
categories:
* The past 10 years of the San Francisco City
Golf
Champions
* 2024 San Francisco City Men’s
Championship
Match Play Qualifiers
* Top 20 men’s 2023-2024 NCGA Points
Lists
* 2024 NCGA Champions (Amateur, Mid-
Amateur,
Junior)
* The top 3 finishers in each of the 6
AmateurGolf.com Winter
Tour
events (Dec 2024-Feb 2025)
Registration for exempt players, and for non-
exempt
players with a handicap index
of
6.4 or lower as of the date of
entry, opens on October 1 and will
remain
open until the field limit (120 players including
spots
reserved for exempt players)
is reached. When the field limit is reached, all
additional registrants will be entered in
the
pre-qualifier at Lincoln Park on Friday,
March 7,
2025.
Once entries close, if there are any unfilled
spots in
the Men's Championship (due to
fewer than 50 exempt players registering
or withdrawals), they will be filled by Pre-
Qualifier
registrants in the order in which
they registered.
Players entering pre-qualifying will pay an
entry fee
of $165 for the pre-qualifier, and
those
advancing from the pre-qualifier will pay the
remainder of the entry fee (must be paid
prior to playing).
The 36-hole match play qualifier will be held
March
8-9, 2025, with
18 holes played at TPC Harding Park and 18
holes at Lincoln Park for a combined 36-hole qualifying
score.
There will be 156 players in the qualifying
round with
64 players advancing to match play. When all
qualifying has been completed, the Men’s
Championship Flight will consist of 64
contestants.
In the event of a playoff to qualify for
match
play, a
player must be present in order to retain his
right
to participate in the playoff.
Match play will begin on March 15, 2025. All
match play for the Championship Flight (Mar
15-16,
22-23) will be held
at TPC Harding Park.
A schedule of all dates of
play can be found on the tournament website
sfgolfchampionship.com.
WITHDRAWALS AND REFUND
POLICY
Players needing to withdraw should do so by
filling
out the form at
sfgolfchampionship.com/contact/. Players withdrawing
before
the entry deadline of
February 18
will
receive a
refund of their entry fee minus
$50.
There will be no refunds after the
entry
deadline.
CART POLICY
The use of carts is prohibited for players and
caddies
in the Men’s Championship Flight (Appendix I
– Local
Rule
Applies)
SPECIAL OFFER TO SF CITY PLAYERS:
SF City
players get 50% off Strackaline Yardage
Books! CLICK HERE for
details
ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO CITY
CHAMPIONSHIP
The oldest municipal tournament in the USA.
Match
play event with scratch men's, senior men’s,
women's, senior women’s, and open flight
divisions.
Past champions include Ken Venturi, Harvie
Ward,
Juli Inkster, Bob Rosburg, George Archer, and
Dorothy Delasin. Some of the “non winners”
include
Tom Watson and Johnny Miller. Click the
“history” tab
for more about this wonderful event.
View Complete Tournament Information