An 18-foot putt, a fist pump and a smile capped off 54 holes and two days of golf Tuesday afternoon, as Corby Segal defeated the rest of the field to win the 2016 SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Brentwood CC. An SCGA tournament veteran, Segal's win was his first in the event, which began in 1984. He put together rounds of 70-72-72 for a total score of 2-under-par 214, besting runner-up Sean Birren by a stroke, and overcoming what was looking like a rough 18th hole to secure the win.
"I've joked around a lot about winning my first crystal from the SCGA, but it sure does feel good," said Segal. "I've worked my butt off for it."
Heading to the final hole of play nursing a 1-shot advantage, Segal had trouble with his approach shot on the 388-yard par 4, coming up short of the green. After his third shot found the green about nearly 20 feet past the hole, it seemed clear Birren would secure his par, meaning a bogey by Segal would send the tournament to extra holes. Relying on his putter and his caddie, Segal confidently stepped up to the putt and drained it, ending the Championship and giving himself his second SCGA title, having also won last year's SCGA Tournament of Club Champions. Segal, who caddied for PGA TOUR player Briny Baird for years and now works for Tom Hoge, knows how important the extra assistance can be, and turned to a local Brentwood CC caddie and friend for the tournament.
"Kelly really helped me out a lot," said Segal. "Even when I wasn't trusting the read, I knew I trusted Kelly and just went with it and it worked."
Segal and Birren were both part of a three-way tie atop the leaderboard to begin play Tuesday after being two of the only three men to survive Monday's 36-hole marathon affair under par. The third was Brentwood CC Club Champion Danny Wax, winner of the 2015 SCGA Four-Ball Championship and a clear crowd favorite amongst his fellow members. With a small gallery following the three-person final group all day, scores remained tight throughout the morning. Birren, however, would take his first outright lead of the tournament at the turn, with Segal struggling to a bogey and Birren earning one of three birdies on the day.
But the lead would not last long for the former SCGA Public Links Champion, as Birren struggled to a bogey on No. 10 and another one on No. 13. Simultaneously, Wax, who was one stroke off the lead, struggled with his putter, missing four-foot putts on holes 10 and 11 to fall away from the two top contenders.
Battling back and forth down the stretch, Birren would miss his best opportunity to tie Segal at the top of the leaderboard on the par-3 17th hole, where Segal struggled to a bogey but Birren failed to knock in his short par putt.
With the win, Segal earns an exemption into the 2016 California Amateur Championship. In addition, the Top 5 competitors all earn spots in this year's SCGA Amateur Championship, which will take place July 8-10 at Barona Creek GC. Wax would wind up tying Brian Edick for third place, with Ken Cruz of Fullerton coming in fifth.
In total, 465 competitors tried to earn a spot in the final 84-person field, that was determined after five qualifiers. The top 42 players and ties advanced on from Monday's two rounds to the third round of play.