Greg Hetzer of San Pedro, Calif. also won his first SCGA title Wednesday, ending an impressive three days of play with a 2 & 1 victory over Jim Knoll of Sunnyvale in the SCGA Senior Match Play Championship. Hetzer beat Jeff Burda, the state's best senior golfer, Tuesday in the semifinals before knocking out the No. 2-seed Knoll in the finals.
"It's been a long time since I've won a tournament, and it feels great," said Hetzer. "The SCGA is a great organization and to win one of these tournaments with the guys in the field, it's really a treat."
Like Platt, Hetzer took a 1 up lead after the first hole and never gave it up, leading by as many as three at one point during the match. Knoll did cut the lead to one after winning holes 14 and 15, but a great approach shot on 17 sealed the deal for Hetzer.
"All I cared about was playing my game. I wasn't too aware of what was happening with my opponents games, I was just playing Greg Hetzer golf."
The SCGA Match Play Championships began in 2008 as a means of bringing new credence and incentive to the SCGA points program. The SCGA points program awards points to golfers who give strong performances in SCGA, USGA and CGA tournaments. In 2008, specially created Match Play and Senior Match Play Points lists were developed. The top 32 players on the Match Play Points List and the top 16 players on the Senior Match Play Points list earn invitations to compete in this elite SCGA championship.