With a 5-foot playoff putt and a spirited hug, San Diego’s Scotland Schmidt and Eli Poppers became first-time SCGA champions Tuesday afternoon.
The duo, which shot 2-under 142, made par on the first playoff hole at Santa Ana CC to capture the 16th Annual Foursomes Championship.
Schmidt and Poppers carded a 73-69 and made a strong push up the leaderboard to force an extra hole in Santa Ana. And when Schmidt calmly tapped in the par putt to clinch the victory, he and teammate Poppers shared a celebratory hug near the hole.
Jordan Nasser (Irvine) and Nico Bollini (Laguna Beach) fired a blistering 5-under 67 (the low round of the tournament) and held a two-shot clubhouse lead following Monday’s opening round, but settled for a runner-up finish after shooting 75 on Tuesday.
The pairing of Corby Segal (Santa Clarita) and Tim Hogarth (Northridge) was the only other twosome in the field to finish under par. They shot 1-under 143 to finish third.
Defending Foursomes champions John Pate and Jeff Wilson, both of Santa Barbara shot 12-over 156 and tied for 20th with three other teams.