Dec. 2, 2025
It was an adventurous December day in Livermore Wine Country.
All three flights in the 12th NCGA Scramble Championship each ended in a sudden death playoff.
We will recap with the Big Sur Flight below
Big Sur Flight
Marc Engellenner had a day he will never forget in his life.
The Sacramento native who just recently relocated to Las Vegas won his second NCGA Scramble Title in five years with partner Russell Brackett.
Engellenner and Bracket made an eagle on the par-5 1st hole which served as the sudden death playoff hole to outlast multiple-time NCGA Champion Bobby Bucey and Jeff Lai.
Both teams went back and fourth with the lead all the day. The action picked up on the par-4 12th hole.
Engellenner hit his drive which rolled up 70 yards on the green into the bottom of the cup. It was his first albatross of his life. Engellenner and everyone in his group went into euphoria.
This was Marc's second ace at an NCGA event. He made one during the final round of the 2023 NCGA Mid-Am Four-Ball Championship at Poppy Hills.
Engellenner and Bracket would grab two more birdies after that. Bucey and Lai had an eagle and 11 birdies on their day.
Engellenner won this event in 2020 with partner Joshua Correra.
Finishing in third place was Chase Bird and Josh Bennett at 18 under par which was two shots out of the playoff. Bird made his fifth lifetime ace on the par-3 14th hole. The duo shot the lowest round of the championship with a 13-under 59.
Golden Gate Flight
Thomas Sims and Roger Semore did not even know they were going to play this week. They were the final team in the Scramble Championship after a team withdrew on Saturday.
The South Bay duo finished as the last team standing in the Golden Gate division.
They won with a birdie on the par-3 3rd hole which was the third hole of the playoff. Sims and Semore outlasted Anthony & Gregg Blair as both teams tied at 16 under par.
Finishing in third place was Mark Bagnola and Wade Barnett who just missed the playoff by one shot at 15 under. Bagnola and Barnett started the day three shots back.
Yosemite Flight
There will be another NCGA Scramble Championship in the Franceschetti household. Spencer Franceschetti and Travis Jackson won the Yosemite Flight title in six playoff holes.
They outlasted Chris and Spencer Johnson as both teams were tied at 16 under par. The Johnsons shot a stellar 10-under 62 to put themselves in the playoff.
Franceschetti and Jackson made birdie on the par-4 6th hole in the December twilight. Spencer's dad Robert won the Chardonnay Flight title in the inaugural Scramble Championship back in 2014.
Steve Jow and Glenn Houston finished in third place at 14 under par.
Holiday Bonanza
We saw two aces and an albatross in the final round!
First Round
The final NCGA championship of the calendar year is underway at Poppy Ridge in Livermore.
48 teams are looking to end 2025 with a trophy in the 12th NCGA Scramble Championship.
Big Sur Flight
A trio of teams are tied for the lead in the Big Sur Flight.
Marc Engellener/Russell Brackett, Richard Yai/Albert Conceicao, and Bobby Bucey/Jeff Lai all shot rounds of 8-under 64.
Engellener is looking to win his second NCGA Scramble Title. He won the Big Sur Flight with Joshua Correa in 2020.
Chris Fahey and John Ott are sitting one shot back at 7-under par 65.
Golden Gate Division
Just like the Big Sur Flight, a trio of teams share the 18-hole lead.
The tandems of Kyle Hagen/Kyle Navarro, Jeremy and Fred Hernandez, Thomas Sims and Roger Simone all posted rounds of 6-under 66.
There are four teams that are right behind them at 5-under par which is good for a tie for a fourth place.
Yosemite Division
Travis Jackson and Spencer Franceschetti lead the way with a splendid round of 9-under 63.
The duo had three eagles on the front nine. They currently have a one shot lead over Penny and Tom Walch.
The Walch duo had a pair of eagles on the par-5 1st hole and the par-5 7th hole.