Ken Wasmann, Steve Kissen and Alex Jianas...

Ken Wasmann, Steve Kissen and Alex Jianas of Newport Beach Country

Club took first place by one stroke in the members’ division of the

club’s Senior-Junior Pro Am Dec. 1.

Wasmann, Kissen and Jianas shot 127 as a team -- taking the two

best balls among five golfers, finishing just ahead of Ken Ricamore,

Stan Crandon and Tony Brown (128) on the par-71 layout. Joe Stafford,

John Stuart and Chuck Crookall placed third with 130.

The tournament featured fivesomes composed of three Newport Beach

Country Club members paired with a senior (older than 50) and junior

(younger than 50) professional from clubs and courses across Southern

California.

Champions were also awarded in junior, senior (50 and older) and

senior pro (60 and older) flights along with a senior/junior better

ball division.

Santa Ana Country Club’s Director of Golf Mike Reehl shot 73 and

finished in a tie for third in the senior pro flight. Rick Hunter won

the division by two shots after shooting 70.

Newport Beach Country Club’s Bruce Hooper carded a 75 to place

seventh in the junior pro flight, just five shots off the pace of

champion Paul Holtby (70).

*

Newport Beach resident Chris Veitch added to his trophy case of

Santa Ana Country Club golf titles, but he had to wade through wind

and water to do it.

Spurts of heavy rain and large gusts greeted golfers competing in

Santa Ana Country Club’s senior stroke-play championship Dec. 5, but

the elements added mere formalities for Veitch, who claimed the

overall title by six shots with a 3-under-par 69 in his first

attempt.

Boyd Martin (73-75 -- 148), last year’s winner, placed second

while Rick Herrera (73-78 -- 151) finished third.

A shining moment for Veitch, who turned 51 on Dec. 16, came on the

par-5 ninth hole. The winner of four Santa Ana Country Club men’s

club championships holed a 60-yard sand wedge for an eagle 3 to

finish the front nine at 2-under 34 and take a three-shot lead into

the back nine.

The lead increased to five strokes with the help of birdies on the

par-3 11th and par-4 12th.

Other age flight winners included Maury DeWald (75-86 -- 161) in

the 60-69 category and Bud Clark (82-83 -- 155) in the 70 and older

division. Both successfully defended their titles.

The victory makes Veitch eligible for next summer’s Jones Cup,

which pairs the men’s, women’s and senior club champion from each of

the four private clubs in Newport-Mesa (Big Canyon Country Club, Mesa

Verde Country Club, Santa Ana Country Club and Newport Beach Country

Club) in a best-ball competition.

*

Par at Newport Beach Country Club is currently 70, one stroke less

than normal, thanks to construction on two tee boxes.

Crews began repositioning tee areas on holes 7 and 10 beginning

Dec. 15.

The tee boxes will be enlarged and slightly repositioned to make

the holes more playable and aesthetically-pleasing, said Paul Hahn,

the club’s head professional.

No. 10, usually a par 4, is playing as a par 3 while the seventh,

normally 350 yards from the white tees, currently measures close to

300 yards.

Work is scheduled to take eight weeks, Hahn said.