It was a long time coming for Long Beach State product Torey Edwards. The perennial front-runner had been searching for his first SCGA victory since the 2017 Tournament of Club Champions, and he found it at Mission Viejo CC with the Mid-Amateur Championship crown.
Edwards opened the championship with rounds of 4-under 68 and 1-under 71 during the 36-hole marathon first round and found himself holding a one-shot lead over La Quinta’s Cullen Brasfield.
But right from the start, Edwards didn’t have his A-game, and a pack of savvy veterans smelled blood in the water. 2016 SCGA Mid-Am Champion Corby Segal came charging out of the gates with birdies on the first two holes to put himself in a tie for the lead.
Meanwhile, 2017 SCGA Mid-Am Champion Dan Sullivan was cooking up something special a few groups in front of the leaders. The SCGA stalwart opened the championship with 70-76 and found himself seven strokes behind Edwards to start the day. However, when the final round began, Sullivan started to drain every putt he looked at and ended up posting a championship-low 6-under 66 which earned him a tie for the lead in the clubhouse.
Down the stretch, Edwards, Segal and last year’s runner-up Ryan Wilkins were chasing Sullivan’s hot round. Segal and Wilkins suffered a few setbacks, clearing the way for Edwards who seemingly found his groove on the back-nine.
After a birdie on No. 14, Edwards was tied for the lead with five holes left to play. He stepped to the No. 17 tee and smoked a drive down broadway on the short par-5, setting himself up for a go in two. Edwards left his iron shot a few feet off the fridge, but was able to get up-and-down for the birdie and a one-shot lead. Needing par for the championship, Edwards found the left rough on the final fairway, but left himself a great angle into the back right hole location. The lefty hit a baby draw towards the center of the green, leaving himself a 20-footer. He brushed the uphill putt towards the hole and left himself four feet for the victory, which he converted.
