Two of Sun Country Section’s Longest Hitters Face Off in the Wind at Santa Ana
Carlton Blewitt Defeats Bill Harvey for Senior Title
It was a case of youth winning out over experience as 36-year-old David Muttitt of Los Altos Golf Course beat 47-year-old Steve Manning in the final of the Sun Country PGA Section’s Mazek match-play championship.
Steve Manning tees off at the Sun Country PGA Mazek Matches Championship Final.
“Let’s just say the result was that David shot 5-under,” is how Manning, an assistant at Santa Ana Golf Club, put it after he was closed out 7-6 on his home course Wednesday afternoon.
In gusty conditions with sustained winds of 20 miles an hour, Manning was down three after six holes on the Tamaya front nine. He scrambled for a one-putt par to halve No. 7, but went down four when his approach to No. 8 found the bunker. As Manning blasted out from a difficult stance, Muttitt sized up a birdie putt that lay about five feet from the hole.
The end was clearly in sight when Manning fell to five down as the two players walked off the 9th green. Manning’s tee shot on the 301-yard par 4 swam with the fishes while Muttitt’s drive lay safely on the back fringe.
David Muttitt
Muttitt made the Sun Country PGA Section’s Mazek match-play championship final by defeating Patrick Murphy of Santa Ana 2-up. Manning earned his spot by winning 2-and-1 over Scott Leiberwirth, UTEP golf coach and winner of the 2018 Sun Country PGA Section’s Mazek match-play championship. In the consolation bracket, J. Chavez defeated R. Pernell 3-and-2.
Steve Manning watches as David Muttitt drives the 301-yard par 4 9th hole at Santa Ana Golf Club.
Senior Championship
In the senior bracket of the Sun Country PGA Section’s Mazek match-play championship, Carlton Blewitt, general manager at the Nancy Lopez Golf Course at Spring River in Roswell, defeated Ladera Golf Course Director of Golf Bill Harvey in a match that went 20 holes.
Blewitt got into the final after Daniel Nunez of the Inn of the mountain Gods in Mescalero, N.M., conceded his match. Harvey earned his spot by defeating Santa Ana Head Professional Dave Brown 3-and-2.
In the senior consolation bracket Sun Country PGA Section’s Mazek match-play championship, Javier Delgadillo of El Paso beat Mike Ciolek of Albuquerque 5-and-3.
“There really weren’t any surprises,” said Dana Lehner, executive director of the Sun Country Section. The top finishers in both the championship and senior brackets were at the top of the money list for the season, he said.
Muttitt took home $1,600 and Blewitt took home $1,200. Manning took home $1,200 and Harvey took home $800.
Dan Vukelich, editor of New Mexico Golf News, is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America. Reach him at dan@newmexicogolfnews.com
