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Jim Knoll fires 64 at Poppy Hills to take five-shot lead in CGA Senior Amateur Championship
By Scott Seward PEBBLE BEACH — Jim Knoll is on fire. The 55-year-old Sunnyvale resident, in his first year amateur senior competition, set a tournament record record by carding a seven-under-par 64 in the first round of the 17th CGA Senior Amateur Championship at Poppy Hills Golf Course. Douglas Johnson of Fresno and Larry Grant of Westminster are tied for second after both players posted 2-under 69s (Poppy Hills is playing to a par 71 for the event due to renovation work on the second hole). In the annual North-South Team Competition, held concurrently with the first two rounds of stroke play, the South has a two-shot lead after the first round. With the best three of four scores counting for the team total, the South totaled 221 to the North’s 223. Rich Tolly’s 70 paced the South team, which also included reigning SCGA Senior Amateur champion Clark Heath (75), reigning SCGA Senior Match Play champion Boyd Martin (76) and Warren Caves (79). Modesto’s Jeff Burda and Antioch’s Mark Miller paced the North squad with 74s, following by defending CGA Senior Amateur champion Gary Vanier and 2004 champion Rob Thompson with 75s. Knoll, a member at Rooster Run GC, came into this event on a hot streak. His last tournament round was last Tuesday’s final round at the NCGA Valley Championship where he turned in a 7-under 65 at Winchester CC to overcome a six-shot deficit and win the event by one stroke. “I’m driving the ball really well right now and leaving myself a lot of makeable putts,” Knoll said. The round could have gone even lower as the San Francisco City Senior champion carded two bogeys to go with seven birdies and and eagle. Knoll participated in the 2006 and 2007 U.S. Senior Opens, making the cut in the 07 event held at Whistling Straits. Vanier, seeking to become just the second person to win more than on CGA Senior Amateur, fired a four-over 75. Last year he became the first player in history to win both regular and senior State Amateur titles. One of the sub-plots of the event is the race for the NCGA Senior Player of the Year award. NCGA Senior champion Jeff Burda of Modesto grabbed the lead last week for the first time in 2008, taking over from 2007’s winner, Mark Miller of Antioch who had held the lead for close to two years. Both Burda and Miller fired 74s today. The championship continues with the second round tomorrow after which there will be a cut to the low 33 scores plus ties for Wednesday’s final round. For live, hole-by-hole scores, click HERE |
