Bryce Alderton
Brian Lindley joined Newport Beach Country Club in April, but it
didn't take too long for him to add his name to the club's history
books.
Lindley, a Corona del Mar resident, carded a 2-over-par 286 for
four rounds on the par-71 layout to win his first men's club
championship at the course, completed June 12 -- in wire-to-wire
fashion.
Lindley (68-70-76-72 -- 286) burst to a sizable lead at the
outset, shooting 4-under in the first two rounds to build an
advantage too great for other golfers to overcome.
The Estancia High product grew up playing Mesa Verde Country Club
in Costa Mesa -- he won his other men's club championship there in
1980 -- but hadn't played Newport Beach Country Club since 1982
before joining in April.
"I practiced five or six full rounds [leading up to the
championship] and got to know the greens a bit," said Lindley, 48, a
database manager for an investment firm. "I walked around the course
a few years during the Toshiba [Senior Classic], so I knew what it
was like. That was a really big bonus."
Lindley, runner-up in the 1981 United States Amateur, shot 74 in a
local qualifying round for this year's U.S. Open at Newport Beach
Country Club.
Defending champion Jeff Wright finished second (80-75-71-73 --
299) followed by Steve Rausch (75-73-79-74 -- 301), John Robison (80-74-76-75 -- 305), Chad Embry (76-73-79-81 -- 309), John Rapillo
(75-75-81-82 -- 313) and Haesung Lee (82-75-78-80 -- 315).
Rausch won the senior flight, for golfers 55 and older, with his
first two rounds (75-73 -- 148). Bob Kraft (152 total) placed second,
but won the super senior (65 and older) flight over Jim Keane (75-82
-- 157).
Lindley, along with Newport Beach residents Don DuBois, Michael
Walker and Steve Conway, and Charles Kavanaugh of Shady Canyon Golf
Club, all competed Monday and Tuesday at the California Golf
Association Amateur championship at Poppy Hills Golf Course on the
Monterey Peninsula.
DuBois, a member at Big Canyon Country Club, was the only one of
the Newport-Mesa quartet who reached the beginning of match play
today at historic Pebble Beach Golf Links. DuBois, the 2003
stroke-play medalist at this event, shot 71-74 at par-72 Poppy Hills
before carding a 2-under 70 Wednesday at Pebble Beach to finish the
54-hole stroke-play portion at 1-under 215 and tied for fourth.
Jordan Cox, 17, earned medalist honors with a 4-under 212.
The original field of 156 golfers was trimmed to 60 following the
first two rounds and was cut to 32 after play Wednesday.
