State Amateur Golf Championship : Parsons Gets the Jump on Haag and Wins Title, 5 and 4

Don Parsons of Goleta took a big lead and coasted to a 5-and-4 victory over Randy Haag of Danville Saturday at Pebble Beach to win the 77th California Amateur golf championship.

“The difference was I was making putts and I got a lot of good kicks,” said Parsons, 22, a UC Santa Barbara senior, who needed just 24 putts when he shot a 2-under-par 70 in the morning round.

“After the first day when I had an 83 at Spyglass Hill during the qualifying, I didn’t think I had a prayer of winning the championship. But I started hitting the ball better and I’ve been making putts since then.”

After the first day, Parsons had qualifying scores of 73 at Cypress Point and 71 at Pebble Beach.

Haag, a stockbroker and a former San Diego State player, said he was tired after playing 157 holes during the week. But he credited Parsons with playing like a champion. “Every time I made a charge, he would come back with a fantastic putt or a good shot,” Haag said. Parsons got off to a fast start in the morning round, collecting birdies on four of the first six holes to go ahead by three strokes. Leading by as many as six after 13 holes, Parsons finished the round with five birdies and three bogeys for a 70 and a four-stroke advantage.

In the afternoon, Parsons once again birdied four of the first six holes to improve his lead to seven shots. Haag rallied to win three of four holes but time eventually ran out on him, and Parsons won it on the 32nd hole with a par.