October 3, 2023
The Santa Cruz connection of AJ Collishaw and John Stembridge came through at the annual MId-Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Poppy Hills.
Collishaw, 25, and Stembridge, 33, carded a final round 7-under 64 to come in at a championship record-tying 18-under, good enough for a four-shot win over the runner-up tandem of Kyle Gentry and Stephen Sparolini.
In the first round, Collishaw and Stembridge got to 8-under through 12 before finally cooling off. They'd finish with a 60, one shot shy of the NCGA Four-Ball record of 59, posted by 2022 champs Brett Viboch and Bobby Bucey.
"It was just a lot of fun," Collishaw said.
"AJ made some great putts to get us off to a good start in the first round," Stembridge said. "Over both days, we picked each other up if the other was in trouble."
Collishaw and Stembridge kept it going in the final round, carding another seven birdies.
The two, who met at Pasatiempo GC about a year and a half ago, were making their debut as a team in an NCGA event.
"We'd been looking forward to playing together in this for a long time," Collishaw said. "This is the most fun format."
Looking ahead, it may have been the last time the two pair up in an NCGA event. Stembridge, who won the NCGA Amateur Stroke Play Championship in the summer, plans to turn pro soon. His targets are Q-School and possible spots on the Asian Tour or All Thailand Golf Tour.
"I'm going out in a grand way," said Stembridge of his two NCGA victories this year. "AJ was such a great partner."
Gentry and Sparolini, whose pasts include playing for nearby Stevenson High in Pebble Beach, had back-to-back rounds of 64.
Third place went to Bucey and Viboch at 129 following a card-off win (lower second round score) over Garett Wagner and Rick Reinsberg.
October 2, 2023
Teammates AJ Collishaw and John Stembridge literally almost got off to a record start at this week's NCGA Mid-Amateur Four-Ball at Poppy Hills.
The two posted an opening score of 11-under 60, just one off the championship and NCGA record of 59, shot by 2022 champions Bobby Bucey and Brett Viboch.
Collishaw and Stembridge opened with a 31. After making the turn, they went on to a 59 watch, as they'd open with three straight birdies to get to 8-under through 12 holes. They'd cool off with three straight pars before reeling off another three birdies to close out their round.
In at 63, three shots behind the leaders are three teams--Chris Marin and Jerry Ledzinski, Garett Wagner and Rick Reinsberg and Jake Vigil and Vernon McCalla.
Bucey and Viboch, the event's two-time defending champions, are T-7 after an opening 65.