Rich Tolly of Laguna Hills won a four-man, three-hole aggregate playoff by two shots to capture the 30th SCGA Senior Amateur Championship. (photo: Robert D. Thomas)

By Robert D. Thomas
LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA, Sept. 18 – Rich Tolly of Laguna Hills gave himself an early birthday present at Hacienda Golf Club today.  One day before his 57th birthday, Tolly won a four-man, three-hole aggregate playoff by two shots to capture the 30th Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) Senior Amateur Championship.

One of those he defeated, first-round leader Robert Carver of Fullerton, captured the SCGA Super Senior Amateur Championship (for golfers age 65 and older) by 10 shots over Robert Wernick of Rancho Mirage.

The 72-year-old Carver, the Hacienda GC club champion, was bidding to become the first person ever to win both events and the oldest to win a SCGA individual title, but ultimately a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 seventh hole and a double-bogey 7 on the 10th hole left the door open for his challengers.  After shooting 1-under-par 70 yesterday, Carver shot 77 today for a 147 total, 5 over par for the two rounds.  “It just wasn’t meant to be,” he said after the playoff.

Tolly, a member at El Niguel CC, also finished at 147 (74-73) and when he signed his scorecard assumed he was out of championship fray.  “I didn’t think I could win,” he said later, ”because there were too many good players in front of me.  So, when I found out I was in a playoff, I was stunned.”

That a playoff was needed at all was courtesy of two-time champion Steve Bogan of Placentia, who came to the 416-yard, par-4 finishing hole with a two-shot lead.  Bogan left his approach shot short of the green, but still need only to make bogey to secure his third title.  “The last thing I told myself was not to leave it short,” said Bogan later.  He didn’t, powering the chip through the green and into a greenside bunker, then failing to get up and down.

That left Bogan, Carver, Tolly and Jim Seymour of Bakersfield, who also shot 74-73, to battle it out in a three-hole, total-score playoff.  Tolly and Seymour both made par 4s on the first playoff hole (the 387-yard ninth), while Bogan and Carver posted bogey 5s.  Tolly, Seymour and Bogan all made par 5s on the 17th hole, but Carver’s bogey 6 left him two shots behind.

On the 18th hole, Tolly nailed a six iron-shot 157 yards into the wind, stopping 12 feet from the flagstick.  Seymour’s approach shot landed in a greenside bunker and when he flew his explosion shot into a bunker behind the green, the door was open for Tolly, who two-putted for the victory.

“I’m absolutely speechless,” said Tolly afterwards.  “I’ve never won anything in my life and to win this event against this quality field is unbelievable.  I hit every shot really solid in the playoff and it turned out to be enough.”

Tolly’s 25-year-old son, Ryan, was caddieing and proved to be a critical asset on the 429-yard 14th hole.  “I had about a 15-foot birdie putt,” said Rich Tolly later, “and I read to break right.  Ryan said, ‘No way, dad; it’s going to break a ball to the left.’  Good thing I listened to him because it rolled right in the hole.”  That was his only birdie on the day; he also had three bogeys and 17 pars (including the playoff holes).

View Complete Championship Scores HERE.

View Final Round Photo Gallery HERE.