Our first Championship of the year, and our first event since the St. Patrick’s Day Four-Ball, the Twentieth Playing of The Annual Championships of Mayacama Golf Club was indeed an historic Championship. Following the lead of the season’s first Major Championship, The PGA played at San Francisco’s Harding Park, the Club conducted the Championship safely and responsibly with all of the necessary COVID-19 precautions in place.

53 players took to the course to compete for the coveted Championship Medal in 54 holes of stroke play. And while battling record heat earlier in the week, and smoky conditions due to the Wallbridge fire, Golf Course Superintendent Dale Engman and his Green Keeping Staff prepared a course that challenged the players with Championship conditions.

John Hamm – Mayacama Champion Golfer of the Year

The title says it all…Mayacama Champion Golfer of the Year! John Hamm has been close, finishing runner-up in this Championship several times. But to persevere, one must battle not only the golf course but a talented field of players as well. This year was no different.

Hamm led wire to wire, but not without his challengers, and some challenges of his own in the final round. He opened with a steady first-round 73, three strokes ahead of Chris Qvale and six in front of the trio of Paul Balatti, Stephen Ensley and last year’s Champion Mark Mance. “Hammbone” followed that up with another solid round, overcoming a triple-bogey 6 at the third for an impressive +2 round of 74, and a two-day total of +3,147. Trailing by two was Qvale at +5, Mance at +7 after an even par round of 72, with Ensley 5 back at +8. Things got a little tighter in Sunday’s final round. Mance and Qvale were paired with Hamm in the final game and began their pursuit. Ensley, playing in the game ahead finished with a round of 76 and was the leader in the Clubhouse with 228. With three holes to go, Hamm’s drive at the 16th found the dense foliage, and decided to take an unplayable lie. Electing to return to the teeing area, he found the fairway but his approach left him 40+ feet from the hole putting for bogey…and he made it! On to the 18th, where Hamm’s drive again went left and found the trees. After a pitch-out and lay-up, Hamm wedged it to within four feet, which he then holed for a saving par and "in" at 228 and although unbeknownst to him, tied with Ensley. Mance, needing a birdie to win two-putted for par and finished tied at 228. Qvale needed a birdie to join the playoff, but missed left and finished one back at 229.

On the first extra hole, all three players hit the fairway with their tee shots. Ensley’s approach found the penalty area left of the green, Mance’s was just over the green and inches into the rough, and Hamm was safely on the green in two. Ensley found his ball in the penalty area and pitched near the green, but finished with a bogey. Mance had to play his third a bit left of the hole because of sprinkler heads on his line of play and when his par attempt missed, Hamm a three-time Senior Club Champion, safely tapped in for par and his first Club Championship win.

O’Keeffe Wins Play-Off For Back-To-Back Championships

The first round pairing of Lisa O’Hurley, Lisa French and Defending Champion Emily O’Keeffe proved to be a good one! All three players would card similar scores for the first two rounds that kept them together for all three rounds in the Women’s Championship Flight. But playing in her first Championship and knocking on the door all week was Jocelyn Neff.

After Friday’s opening round, the 2017 Mayacama Flight Champion Lisa French led by two over O’Hurley and O’Keeffe, with Neff sitting quietly, just three back. After round two rounds, O’Hurley took the lead by three over French at 177, and by four over O’Keeffe at 178. But lurking in the background and still within reach was Neff…trailing now by just six.

French couldn’t match her first round prowess and fell out of contention after a rough start on Sunday. And O’Hurley’s double bogey at the last left her one behind O’Keeffe. Yet Neff was still out there. Paired in the final game of the day and chasing the Mayacama Flight title, Neff never lost sight of her pursuit of the Championship Flight. And her par at the last put her tied with O’Keeffe, both in the Championship Flight and the Mayacama Flight. There would be no loser in this playoff!

On the first playoff hole, both players found the fairway after long tee shots with fairway metals. O’Keeffe’s approach finished short of the green and Neff’s approach was on the green but well right of the hole. O’Keeffe pitched up to within 12 feet of the hole, and Neff’s tricky putt left her with a four-footer for par. O’Keeffe made her clutch par putt and Neff matched her par to send the playoff to the second. Both players hit driver off the tee and O’Keeffe smartly played her layup to 105 yards from the hole. Neff’s drive left her 155 from the hole but in the right rough. Never giving it a second thought, Neff went for it … flying the green with a 6-iron, but leaving her with a difficult downhill pitch out of the greenside rough. That pitch didn’t make the green and left her with another slippery pitch. When her par attempt slid by, O’Keeffe tapped in for a par and back-to-back Championship wins, leaving Neff with her first Mayacama title, the Women’s Mayacama Flight Championship!

del Rio Leads Wire to Wire for First Championship Win

It is often said that if you finish 54 holes of stroke play at Mayacama in red numbers, you will usually win the Championship. That adage held true for Ignacio del Rio in the Twentieth Playing of the Annual Championship of Mayacama Golf Club. The only player to finish in the red, del Rio led the field in The Mayacama Flight throughout the Championship.

After an opening round 67, del Rio enjoyed a five-stroke lead over Richard Schram and Dylan Hadfield-Menell, who both finished with even par rounds of 72. Mike Feeney and Pat O’Keeffe were 7 back after opening rounds of two over par 74. On day two, del Rio went further into the red by firing another under-par round of 69, good for a two-round total of eight under par 136 and a 10-stroke lead over Schram, who stayed within striking distance with a second round 74 for a two-round total of 146. Ted Simpkins played his way into the final game on Sunday with an impressive Saturday round of four under par 68, for a two-round total of 149. Playing in Sunday’s penultimate group was Pat O’Keeffe at 152, Jim Silveira at 153 and Rick Herbert at 156.

Entering the final round, Delrio’s cushion seemed insurmountable, and indeed it was. While Herbert and Feeney both fired final round 69’s, del rio’s 75 on Sunday was good enough for an impressive five under par total of 211 and an eight-stroke victory over 2017 Champion Mike Feeney!

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