Player Information/Pairings/Results
March 27, 2024
Golf Association of Philadelphia Hall of Famer Chip Lutz and NCGA Hall of Famer Randy Haag reunited to win a record-tying third NCGA Senior Four-Ball title.
Lutz and Haag, who originally met at the Coleman Invitational at Seminole back around 2003, posted a final-round 2-under 69 Wednesday at Poppy Hills to come in at 13-under 200, defeating co-runner-ups Mark Morgan and Mike Rowley and Bill Bunce and Darin Carlsen by two strokes.
Lutz, now 69, and Haag, 65, also won the title back-to-back in 2016 and 2017 at Bayonet/Black Horse GC in Seaside. Haag, who also won a title in 2022 with Robert Funk, is the first individual to win the event four times. Rob Thompson and Robert Berg won three titles in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
"Our games complement one another beautifully," Lutz said. "We do a great job of keeping the ball in play, and neither of us is ever out of a hole, so we can at times be aggressive."
"Playing golf with Chip is like a dream. Spending the week with Chip is super special for me," Haag said.
The two made their biggest move in the first round. They were stuck at even-par through 13 holes. But they'd go on a tear to close, carding a birdie on 14, 17 and an eagle on 18 to instantly put themselves in contention. A second round 65 would give them a two-shot cushion entering the final round.
"The finish to the first round. That really jump-started us," Lutz said. "Prior to that we weren't really doing much."
In each of the three rounds, Haag birdied the difficult par-4 1st hole. The first round was the first time that Lutz had ever played Poppy Hills. He'd card a 73 on his own ball.
Morgan and Rowley, who were looking to become three-time champions themselves, finished at 207 following a 67. They'd be stung in the second round when they played the par-5 ninth and 18 holes at 1-over par.
Bunce and Carlsen had the low round of the day, posting a 66 to move five spots up the leaderboard into a tie for second. They'd earn second place following a card-off win over Morgan and Rowley.
Super Senior Championship
Teammates Rich Petit and Todd Palmaer made a breathtaking charge over the final three holes of regulation to claim the Super Senior title.
Petit made a birdie on No.16, sank a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th and drained a 9-foot birdie on the 18th following a spectacular bunker shot to finish with a 4-under 67 to hold off the runner-up tandem of Terry Foreman and Chuck Richesin.
Coming to the 18th, there was the possibility of a three-way tie. Foreman and Richesin were in at 202 after a 67 and tied at a total of 11-under with Petit and Palmaer. Also in the running was the brothers tandem of Jim and Doug Williams, who were at 10-under.
The Williams brothers would settle for a par and a 69, landing them in third place at 203. Petit, meanwhile, hit a beautiful 35-yard shot out of the greenside bunker to 9 feet of the flagstick. He'd go on to make the putt to put him and Palmaer at 12-under. Their total of 201 set a 54-hole record for the Super Senior portion of the event.
"I knew when I hit it (bunker shot) that it was pretty good," said Petit, who now has two NCGA titles (2020 Senior Amateur Match Play).
Earlier on the 17th, Petit had sunk a curling 35-footer to tie Foreman and Richesin at a total of 11-under.
"Rich made two great shots to get us," Richesin said.
For Palmaer, a member at Monterey Peninsula CC, it was his first NCGA crown.
"I was just happy to ride in the cart with Rich," Palmaer quipped. "It feels great to finally get a win. It took me a few years."
Final Round Photo Gallery Here
March 26, 2024
Between the two of them, it's safe to say that Chip Lutz and Randy Haag have done some things.
Lutz won the British Senior Amateur in 2012, and in 2015 won the U.S. Senior Amateur. Haag, meanwhile, is an NCGA Hall of Famer.
Now, the two are on the brink of making history again.
On Tuesday, Lutz and Haag carded a second-round 6-under 65 at Poppy Hills to move to a two-day lead of 11-under 131 at this week's Senior Four-Ball Championship.
Should the two hold on to win Wednesday, they'll join Robert Berg and Rob Thompson (2005, 2007, 2008) as the only teams to win the Senior Four-Ball three times. Haag meanwhile will become the first individual to win the event four times. The Olympic Club member already has won twice with Lutz (2016, 2017) and once with Robert Funk (2022).
A day after opening with a 66, Lutz, an AmateurGolf.com member, and Haag posted six more birdies.
As for catching Lutz and Haag, anything is still possible. The closest competitors are the team of first-round leaders Ron Ewing and Tom Clark. A day after a 65 of their on, Ewing and Clark shot 68 to come in at 133, leaving them just two shots behind the leaders.
Also in the immediate mix at 134 are the tandems of Rob Campbell and Dick Engel (67) and Jeff Wilson and Todd Barsotti (68).
Defending champions Mark Morgan and Mike Rowley mustered a 68 and are four back at 135. Should Morgan and Rowley come back, they'd join Berg and Thompson as the only teams to win the title three times.
Super Senior Championship
The Super Senior title looks like it's going to come down to a slew of NCGA champions.
Entering Wednesday's final round, the teams of brothers Jim and Doug Williams and Todd Palmaer will be tied for the lead at 8-under 134.
The Wiliiams brothers had the round of the day, posting an 8-under 63 that featured nine birdies and a bogey. On the back-nine, the two got hot, carding a 30. Jim Williams won the Super Senior title in 2022 playing with then-partner John Watson.
Palmaer and Petit again were solid, shooting their second straight 67. The two could've gone lower but penciled in bogeys on holes Nos. 2 and 15.
Just a shot behind the two co-leaders is the team of Terry Foreman and Chuck Richesin. Foreman and Richesin, a two-time winner of the NCGA Super Senior Championship and a co-winner of the 2017 Super Senior Four-Ball, carded a 66.
Second Round Photo Gallery
March 25, 2024
The tandem of Tom Clark and Ron Ewing grabbed the first-round lead, but there's a bevy of veterans right on their tail.
Clark and Ewing posted a bogey-free 6-under par 65 on a cool Monday, carding birdies on holes Nos. 5, 6 and 9 on the front-nine and another three birdies on holes Nos. 10, 11 and 18 on the back.
As for those in pursuit, three teams are at 66--Steve Hoyt and Neil Robinson, Jeff Wilson and Todd Barsotti and Randy Haag and Chip Lutz.
Wilson, the 2018 NCGA Senior Player of the Year, had six birdies on his own ball. Haag, who's coming off a victory at this past weekend's San Francisco City Senior Championship, and Lutz won back-to-back NCGA Senior Four-Ball crowns in 2016 and 2017. An NCGA Hall of Famer, Haag also won the title in 2022 with then-partner Robert Funk.
Just two shots back is another trio of teams including the tandem of defending champions Mark Rowley and Mark Morgan. Rowley, the CEO of Straight Down Clothing, and Morgan have won the title two of the last three years.
Tony Ralph had the shot of the day, acing the par-3 11th hole.
Following Tuesday's second round, a cut will be made with the low 22 teams (and ties) advancing to Wednesday's final round.
Super Seniors Championship
Things are tight in the Super Senior (age 65-plus) division as well.
There, two teams--David Ujihara and Craig Calkins and Todd Palmaer and Rich Petit are tied atop the leaderboard after round one with matching scores of 4-under 67. Petit won the NCGA Senior Amateur Match Play title in 2020.
Just a shot back at 68 is the tandem of Ray Kong and David Larson. Kong entered the event having finished as runner-up at the San Francisco City Super Senior Championship.
First Round Photo Gallery Here
First played in 1999, the NCGA Senior Four-Ball Championship is a two-person, better-ball scratch event for senior golfers. The tournament expanded from two rounds to three rounds in 2006. Joe Dudley and Bob Pipkin won the inaugural event, while the team of Robert Berg and Rob Thompson have the most titles, three, winning in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Mark Miller has won the event three different times with three different partners: Herb Jensen (2006), Casey Boyns (2012) and Gary Vanier (2013). Randy Haag is also a three-time winner: With Chip Lutz (2016-2017) and with Robert Funk (2022).
Miller and Jensen hold the record for lowest 54-hole score, 196, set in 2006. Miller and Vanier hold the 36-hole record with a score of 128 at Silverado Resort in 2013. 2014 winners Frank Pieper and Mike Staskus hold the record for lowest round, a 10-under 62 the pair shot at Saddle Creek. In 2018, Mark Hill and James Hay tied that mark with a 62 at Poppy Hills.
In 2015, a Super Senior Four-Ball Division was added to the event.