Underneath cloudy skies and brisk temperatures, a heated battle warmed the greater Long Beach area during the 36th playing of the SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Virginia CC. A jammed leaderboard throughout the 54-hole competition left much in doubt, but in the end, it was a first-time SCGA champion Damon Krause who birdied the 18th hole for the prestigious title.
Krause opened the Mid-Am with a blistering 1-under 69, one of only four rounds under par in the entire championship, and held a one-stroke advantage heading into the final day.
“Yesterday I hit the ball beautifully,” said Krause. “But then today, I just chose the wrong club on every shot and I had to scramble. My short game came through, which really hasn’t been that much of a strength in the past.”
On that final day, Krause’s eventual triumph was anything but certain. A who’s who of SCGA stalwarts littered the leaderboard throughout the championship’s final day but it became a three-way battle down the stretch.
Playing two groups in front of the leaders, Jonathan Minkoff continued his week-long birdie barrage, posting two straight on No. 11 and 12 to vault himself into the lead at 4-over. Minkoff pared No. 18 to post 1-under 69 and waited as the leader in the clubhouse.
While Minkoff watched the leaderboard, Krause was in a rock fight with playing partner Ryan Wilkins. The burly, bearded San Diegan was a monster off the tee all day, ripping the big stick with reckless abandon. After his birdie on No. 12, and a bogey from Krause, Wilkins took the lead down the home stretch. But after a wayward drive and a tough uphill recovery shot into the par-4 17th, Wilkins was unable to get up-and-down for par and lost a share of the lead.
The scene was set – Krause knew he needed to birdie the par-5 18th to capture the championship. A lasered drive left Krause with an iron into the blind kidney-shaped green, but he brushed it short into a gully about 15 yards before the green. Krause was staring at a tricky uphill chip onto a plateaued flagstick location.
“I had a fluffy lie at the bottom of the hill,” said Krause. “In my mind I was just thinking don’t chunk it and have it roll back to my feet.”
Well, he didn’t. His chip landed perfectly and rolled up to a couple feet, securing his Mid-Amateur Championship title.
The top 10 finishers in this year’s Mid-Am Championship are exempt for next year’s Mid-Amateur tournament. Additionally, the top five will earn a spot into the SCGA Amateur Championship, which is scheduled for July 11-14 at Lakeside GC.