It wasn't necessarily how he'd draw it up, but David Delich won the 7th SCGA Senior Match Play title, escaping the regulation 18 holes in the final match by inches before putting away the Championship on the third playoff hole.
Delich, a member of Pauma Valley CC, and opponent James Camaione entered the 18th hole of the finals All Square, when Delich left himself with a 10-foot uphill putt for par and Camaione was staring at about a two-footer also for par. Delich putted first, just narrowly missing the left edge of the hole and giving his opponent the chance for the win. With a consoling pat on his back from his caddie, Delich looked up just in time to see the nerves sink in for Camaione, who missed the putt, sending the match to extra holes.
"James gave me a break there," said Delich. "We had both played so well just to get to the finals that in this last match neither one of us played our best. We each gave each other a few holes, and definitely started seeing more bogeys than birdies."
Camaione was again in the driver's seat on the first playoff hole though, easily collecting a par. Delich was left with another 10-footer, which this time he made to extend the match.
"I wasn't hitting the ball well, even in the extra holes, but my putter caught fire and that really saved me,” said Delich.
Delich made another do-or-die putt of eight feet on the second playoff hole before finally claiming the Championship with a par on hole No. 21. The win is Delich's second SCGA title, having won the 2012 SCGA Senior Amateur Championship, also in extra holes.
"It means a lot to win both the stroke play and match play senior championships," said Delich. "The SCGA runs such great events, it means a lot to win them."
