LAKE COUNTY— Hidden Valley Lake superintendent Billy Witt carded a -2 under par 70 to win the 27th annual Lake County Senior Amateur Golf Championship last Saturday at Buckingham Golf and Country Club. Witt won a close back and forth battle with Clear Lake High School golf coach Juan Lopez who finished two strokes behind Witt by carding an even par 72. Witt and Lopez are the two most long-term success stories in the 31-year history of the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit and both men are inaugural members of Lake County's Golf Hall of Fame.
Witt shot a +1 over par 37 on the front nine Saturday morning. Lopez made back to back eagles on the par five 9th hole and the par four 10th hole to take the early lead but Witt persisted by playing under par golf over the course of the remaining seven holes. Standing on the 18th tee, both Witt and Lopez were tied at -2 under par. Lopez pushed his tee shot on the 18th hole slightly to the right and it bounded out of bounds. He made a double bogey six. Witt pulled his tee shot to the left, but it cleared Jake's Lake and was in play in the left rough. He completed his round with a par four on 18, shot 33 on the back nine, and was alone atop the leader board with a 70. Witt attributed his win to his ability to stay mentally tough all day long, especially when he fell behind Lopez 10 holes into the tournament. It was Witt's second Senior Amateur victory, having won the title in 2022. Lopez is a 3-time past champion of the Senior Amateur.
The other golfer in the field to shoot in the 70s was Todd Colbrandt of Middletown. Another member of the County Golf Hall of Fame, Colbrandt is a 15-handicap golfer who won the net flight of the Senior Amateur with his net score of 62. A very steady ball-striker, Colbrandt was part of the Witt-Lopez pairing and played a rock solid round of golf throughout the day. Ted Knowles of Kelseyville finished second in the net flight with a score of 66. Manny Mendoza of Buckingham came in third place after carding a net score of 67. Kelseyville's Joe Del Prete came in fourth place with a net score of 69 while Mel O'Meara of Upper Lake rounded out the top five with a net 71. Rob O'Hara of Kelseyville, Dr. Bob Jolin of Lakeport, and Terry Norwood posted even par net scores of 72.
The Senior Amateur is open to golfers who are age 50 and above. The next event on the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit is the 32nd annual Lake County Partners Championship, a better ball tournament scheduled for Saturday, June 29 at Buckingham.
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