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1. Robert Gautney: Shah, Patel advance in US Open qualifying

   By Robert Gautney

   Tuesday, May 08 2012 04:19 PM

   Manav Shah and Bhavik Patel are moving on in qualifying for the 112th U.S. Open.

   Shah was co-medalist in local qualifying at Fort Washington Golf Course in Fresno on Monday with a 4-under-par 67, tying Fresno's Ryan Nelson.

   Patel was another shot back at 68 to finish third, while Doug Garwood of Stevenson Ranch and Rick Reinsburg from Lafayette were equal fourth at 69. There was a six-way playoff at 1-under 70 for the last of six spots that were up for grabs and Jay Myers from San Jose emerged from the playoff to gain that last spot.

   Shah, currently red-shirting his sophomore year at UCLA, recorded five birdies and a lone bogey on his third hole of the day in his round of 67.

   Patel, who is skipping his senior year at Fresno State, had two eagles and a birdie to go along with two bogeys. He is the reigning California State Amateur champion.

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2. Robert Gautney: Kern Women's Amateur canceled

   After 75 years of Women's Kern County Amateur golf, there will be no 76th tournament, at least perhaps for 2012 anyway.
3. 

   Former 'Gade Crawford looks to secure a spot on Cowboys

   IRVING, Texas -- Tyrone Crawford can't overstate the impact his two seasons at Bakersfield College had on his football career.

4. Robert Gautney: Frontier's Shain wins junior tourney at Catalina

   Frontier High senior Meghan Shain has added another title to her resume as the current Women's Kern County Amateur champion won the 45th Santa Catalina Island Championship April 14-15 at the Catalina Island golf course. Shain competed in the girls 15-18 age group.

5. Robert Gautney: Pavletich, Anderson earn another trip to NorCal 4-Ball Championships

   One more time for Mark Pavletich and Scott Anderson.

6. Robert Gautney: Mears starts strong, finishes 36th at Mid-Amateur Championship

   Nick Mears got off to a hot start in the SCGA's 28th Mid-Amateur Championship at the Rancho Sante Fe golf course this week.

7. Robert Gautney: Austin places 9th, Denesha 22nd in SCGA Amateur Net

   John Austin finished 9th and Doug Denesha finished 22nd in their respective flights in the 78th SCGA Amateur Net Championship at Industry Hills Golf Club this week.

9. Robert Gautney: Austin, Denesha set for SCGA Amateur Net Championship

   John Austin and Doug Denesha will carry the local torch into the finals of the SCGA Amateur Net Championship next Monday and Tuesday at Industry Hills Golf Course.

10. Robert Gautney: Campbell, Mears to play in SCGA mid-am

    Jeff Campbell will have some company.

11. Robert Gauntney: Campbell qualifies for SCGA tournament

    Bakersfield will at least have one player in the championship of an SCGA tournament in April as Jeff Campbell from Bakersfield Country Club secured one of 12 spots into the Mid-Amateur finals.
    
    Campbell shot a 2-over 74 in qualifying at Brookside GC in Pasadena on Wednesday and then survived a 4-way playoff for one of the last two spots to advance into the 28th Championship at Rancho Santa Fe GC April 16-17.
    
    Three other local players competed but did not qualify. Current KC Men’s Amateur Champion Scott LaBare shot 76 and tied for 23rd and Eric D’Amato and Jeff Acebedo shot 81s to finish equal 54th from a field of 80-plus players.
    
    The medalist was Anthony Melillo from Monrovia who shot 70.
    
    At Moreno Valley Ranch last week, D.J. Fernando finished equal 36th in Mid-Am qualifying and at Tijeras Creek GC in Rancho Santa Margarita, Bryan Lynn was 67th and Matt Page was 81st. Bakersfield had at least five players in Thursday’s Mid-Am qualifying at Rustic Canyon in Moorpark. Results will be in next week’s column.
    
    The last of the qualifying tournaments for the 78th SCGA Amateur Net Championship will take place at Griffith Park GC in LA this weekend. Four local players are on the list to compete and results will follow.
    
    Top 10 for Fernandez
    
    Pete Fernandez, former Stockdale High star, now at UC Irvine shot 72-77-71 for a 220 total (plus-4) to finish T-10th in The Farms Invitational played at the 6,729-yard, par-72 The Farms GC in Rancho Santa Fe last week. Fernandez’ UC Irvine team finished fourth overall. Former BC star Ruffie Fessler shot 247, the No.3 score for Fresno State.
    
    Augusta Trivia
    
    With the Masters in a few weeks, this tidbit was in the April edition of Golf Digest. I guess last year, one of the 61 trees that line Magnolia Lane entering the club was lost in a storm. Augusta National chose not to replace it as expected costs would have been around $60k. Had it been an integral part of a hole on the course I’m sure the club would have replaced it just like Pebble Beach did a few years ago when they replaced the 100-year-old plus pine tree that guarded the picturesque par-5 finishing hole. A cypress tree from the 1st hole was chosen to replace the pine and it took two days to move it at a cost of a tidy $300k!
    
    SNAG Golf
    
    The two day Spring Break SNAG Golf Camp will be April 4-5 at Foss-Kern River. SNAG Golf is for kids ages 7-11 and is taught in a modified form that allows students to learn easier and see results fast! The program is taught by KR pro Jacque Servadio and she says that the kids will not only learn how to play but have lots of fun while doing it.
    
    The sessions run from 2-3:30 or 4-5:30 each day and each session is limited to 8 per session. Cost is $40 for both days. Contact Servadio at 301-5944 or checkout the website at serviceyourswing.com/snag.
    
    Kia Classic
    
    The Kia Classic is this week at the La Costa Spa and Resort in Carlsbad and current No.1 player Yani Tseng will headline a stellar field of LPGA players. Nine of the top 10 ranked players including Americans Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Brittany Lincicome.
    
    Also in the field are Morgan Pressell, Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie and defending champion Sandra Gal of Germany.
    
    Daily tickets can be obtained for $25 online at www.kiaclassic.com or by calling the tournament office at 1-888-SEE-LPGA.
    
    Grueling Q-School is history
    
    There will be no more of the old stages of qualifying for the PGA Tour as Commissioner Tim Finchem announced this week the current system to qualify for the PGA Tour will be scrapped starting in 2013.
    
    The current system, which has been in place for almost a half century, incorporated stages of qualifying to reach the grueling 108-hole Q-School finals which had been held in Palm Springs for many years. The top 25 received exempt status, the next 25 non-exempt status and so on down to exemptions onto the Nationwide Tour, the minor league of golf.
    
    Now, after the Fed-Ex Cup season ends, the players ranked No.126-200 on the PGA Tour money list (the top 125 retain their card) along with the top 75 from the Nationwide Tour money list will play in three tournaments which are currently part of the Fall Series. The top 50 after those three events will earn their PGA Tour cards for the following year.
    
    The reason behind the change is to put more emphasis on the Nationwide Tour and make the Fall Series events more attractive to sponsors. The Q-School process will still be in effect for this year.
    
    Frontier girls to CSUB
    
    Frontier High seniors Lexi Keeter and Michelle Martel have announced that they will be playing for the CSUB Women’s golf team next fall. The two will sign national letters of intent on April 11.
    
    They are the second and third players from this year’s team to be moving onto college golf, joining Meghan Shain who signed with Santa Clara earlier this year.
    
    Chip Shots
    
    ·         The 3rd Roger Gunning Memorial golf tournament will be June 22 at BCC. Entry is $150 and includes golf, cart, lunch, awards dinner, raffle, auction and much more including a chance at a $10,000 hole-in-one. It’s a 12:30 shotgun start and proceeds benefit the Light Brigade which helps youth baseball in Kern County. Call George Culver at 706-3775, Bob French at 428-6843 or Teri Gunning-Graf at 205-3830.
    
    ·         BC Men’s Golf Update: Jack Henneberry and Carlos Fernandez each shot 155 to help the renegades to a 4th place finish in the North-South Cup at Hunter Ranch in Paso Robles. Also competing were Travis Millwee, Neil Bautista and Kevin Antongiovanni.
    
    ·         Stockdale, Centennial and Liberty continued their 3-team battle for the SWYL title this week as Centennial won with a 390 score at Haggerty-North Kern. Stockdale shot 392 and Liberty shot 399. Stockdale leads the standings with 26 points while Centennial and Liberty both have 24.
    
    Tee to Green appears weekly at Bakersfield.com/sports. You can reach Gautney at gautney@att.net.

12. Robert Gautney: Amazing hole-in-one for Stuebbe

    Jan Stuebbe, former Athletic Director at Bakersfield College, was having one of his worst rounds of his retirement last week at Stockdale CC.

13. Robert Gautney: SCGA qualifying events start this month

    The SCGA's tournament season is about to get underway full swing as two of the more popular events will be conducting qualifying this month, with finals scheduled for April.

14. Robert Gautney: Change of scenery for longtime pro Kiger

    For 32 years, Jim Kiger awoke five or six days a week and went to his job as a golf professional. Although Kiger is still a golf pro, where he is now applying his trade all changed back in December.