Marco Sanchez, Jr. (left) and Marco Sanchez of Balboa Park GC won the 29th playing of the SCGA Four-Ball Net Championship at Robinson Ranch in Santa Clarita. Photos by Bob Thomas and Katie Denbo/SCGA.

BALBOA PARK FATHER-SON DUO WINS 29th SCGA FOUR-BALL NET CHAMPIONSHIP AT ROBINSON RANCH

By Robert D. Thomas
If you play with Marco Sanchez and his son, Marco Sanchez, Jr., they don’t seem like an ideal four-ball net team. They do, however, resemble a prototypical father and son.

The two, representing Balboa Park Golf Club, fired their second consecutive net 61 today and won the 29th SCGA Four-Ball Net Championship by one shot over the challenging Robinson Ranch Valley Course in Santa Clarita.

Sanchez, who lives in Paradise Hills, and his son, who resides in San Diego, finished at 22-under-par 122 in the four-ball net format, which uses the best net score of the partners on each hole as the team score. Westlake GC and Walteria Business Men’s Club each finished a shot back, with Westlake winning second on a matching of cards on today’s back nine. Finishing at net 125 were Eagle Glen GC and Mountain Meadows GC, with Eagle Glen winning the card-off for fourth place.

Sanchez, who is Balboa Park’s club president this year, shot a net 72 on his own ball today, while his son posted a net 68. As a team, they had seven net birdies and two net eagles. While Balboa Park was making net birdies on the two finishing holes, Walteria — which shot net 27 on its front nine — could manage only net pars on the last two holes. Westlake made net bogeys on the second and third hole, which ultimately cost them a shot at the title.

But it was how the Sanchez team got to the winner’s circle that was a major part of the story. “We battled, we fought with each other, we challenged each other throughout the two rounds,” said Sanchez, who will turn 51 on Tuesday. “We scrambled well both days; yesterday’s score could have easily been a 66. Best of all, we avoided three putts, which is a key to scoring successfully on this course.”

The two last played in the popular event seven years ago (again at Robinson Ranch) and the 28-year-old Sanchez, Jr. was emotional after today’s win. “We didn’t leave anything on the course,” he said. “This was absolutely the best we could have done today.”

For awhile, it appeared as if Tom Stevenson and Edwin Shiba of Walteria would rally to win the title, especially after their blazing start, which included five net birdies and two net eagles on the front nine. “We always play well together,” says Stevenson, who celebrated his 39th birthday yesterday, “but today on the front nine we really lit up.” Although they posted three net birdies and a net eagle to open the back nine, they cooled off and ultimately finished a shot back.

For complete, hole-by-hole scores, click HERE.

To view a photo gallery of the entire field, and to download high-resolution, print-quality photos, click HERE.