ATTENTION: There were some real-life heroics at this year’s Amateur Net Championship. To read more about how an SCGA member and an SCGA employee saved a life during the championship, click here.
If you’re reading this, you belong in the SCGA Amateur Net Championship. Why? Because quite literally everyone does. If you’re an SCGA member, that means you have a Handicap Index number. And if you have a Handicap Index number, then the SCGA has a flight for you in the Am Net. Remember, this event is affectionately and accurately referred to as “The People’s Championship.” It’s for every golfer of every skill level. We hope to see you at a qualifying event in 2024.
The 2023 SCGA Amateur Net was played at the GC at Terra Lago over two days. The Coachella Valley showed its teeth during Monday’s opening round with winds blowing up to 30mph. But the 156 players who qualified from over 1,000 entrants hung tough and were treated to much milder conditions on Tuesday.
The field is divided into four flights based on Handicap Index numbers. The lowest handicap in the championship was +2.8 and the highest was 38.5.
Arroyo Flight
Shad McFadden won the Arroyo Flight after sleeping on a share of the overnight lead. He fired a net-74 and a net-73 to clear the field by one stroke.
Mission Flight
Matt Hodgen won the Mission Flight and finished as the only player in the entire field to post a total net score under par. He took a five-shot lead into the final round and didn’t give up a single stroke to his chasers, finishing as the champion by the extra same margin.
Pacific Flight
Thomas Abrego won the Pacific Flight and did so after earning a spot in Tuesday’s final group. He finished tied for the lead but was declared the champion per the USGA’s-suggested method of matching scorecards on holes 10 through 18.
San Andreas Flight
Jason Bader won the San Andreas Flight after starting the final round in the penultimate group and four shots off the lead. His net-70 on Tuesday was nine strokes better than his previous day’s efforts and he cleared the field by three shots to claim the championship.