June 9, 2024
Back in 2018, when Jack Barber took a swing it was with a tennis racquet. At the time, Barber, now 27, was a member of the No.2 ranked Stanford men's tennis team.
Flash forward just six years later, and Barber isn't just an accomplished golfer, he's an NCGA champion.
A member at Peninsula Golf and Country Club, Barber carded a final round 2-under 69 Sunday at Poppy Hills to win the annual Mid-Amateur Championship by two strokes over Jeremy Gearhart. For Barber, it was his first victory since the 2022 Napa City.
"I am absolutely thrilled," said Barber, who finished with a championship record low 36-hole score of 10-under 132, two shots lower than 2019 winner Jason Anthony's previous mark of 134. "Playing golf with the lead is a lot different than playing with a lead in tennis."
Following his days at Stanford, Barber still wanted to compete at something. So he turned in his racquets for a set of clubs.
The results have been impressive. At last year's prestigious Stocker Cup at the Preserve, one of the bigger amateur events in the nation, he placed third. He also competed in last year's U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills.
The NCGA Mid-Am was only his second event of the season.
"I just want to keep improving," said Barber, who plays a limited schedule due to work obligations (he recently started a software company).
Fueling Barber was an NCGA record 8-under 63 in the first round. The 63 is the lowest score ever posted in an NCGA event at Poppy Hills. The previous mark was 65, held by Nick Randazzo and Jonathan De Los Reyes.
According to Barber even at 63, he "left a few shots out there." "It was just clean golf," he said.
In the final round, Gearhart, winner of last year's NCGA Public Links Championship, tried to make a charge. A front-nine 33 got him within two shots of Barber. But Barber later birdied holes No.13 and No.15 to maintain a cushion. On the par-3 15th, both Gearhart and Barber were in the greenside bunker. Gearhart got up-and-down for par, while Barber holed out his bunker shot.
"I wanted to make him sweat, but it was hard," said Gearhart, who never was able to get closer than two shots.
"I think at Poppy Hills you have to keep the ball in the fairway. Jeremy played amazingly. I was just trying to keep up with him," Barber said.
Gearhart finished at 135. Anthony and Matt Heitel finished T-3 at 139 after final rounds of 68 and 72.
June 8, 2024
Peninsula Golf and Country Club member Jack Barber fell just short at the recent Memorial Amateur, finishing in a tie for fifth.
He may just rebound with a victory at the annual NCGA Mid-Amateur Championship.
On Saturday at Poppy Hills, Barber was a buzzsaw, posting eight birdies with zero bogeys to come in with a stellar 8-under 63. The 63, which featured a 29 on Poppy's back-nine, was two shots shy of the Poppy Hills record of 61, held by Peter Kuest and set at the collegiate 2018 St. Mary's Invitational. The 63 did set a record for NCGA low 18-hole score at Poppy Hills, including prior to the 2014 renovation. The previous low was a 65 by a few players including Jonathan De Los Reyes.
Barber's hot round will give him a four-shot lead over Domingo Jojola, Matt Heitel and Jeremy Gearhart entering Sunday's final round. Jojola, who finished T-10 last year, had seven birdies but also three bogeys. Gearhart is a previous NCGA champion, having won the 2023 Public Links at Poppy Hills. Heitel, who played at San Jose State, posted six birdies and two bogeys.
Scotland Schmidt, who won last year's San Diego Amateur, is alone in fifth place at 68.
Defending champion Daniel Connolly is at T-9 after an opening 70.