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SF City Championship: A Close Men's Championship Final
- Rolling his rock to victory
- 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.

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