Exber back on State Am summit

Brady Exber must have found the fountain of youth this week. Or at least something to soothe his sour stomach.

The 52-year-old Las Vegan first won the Nevada State Amateur championship in 1991. Seventeen years later, Exber overcame stomach flu, extreme heat and 46 other golfers Thursday to win the 54-hole tournament at Las Vegas Paiute Resort.

Exber closed with a par 72 for a three-day total of 5-over 221 to win by four shots.

"To me, it's very special," Exber said. "I'll never forget the first one in '91, and I'm sure I'll never forget this one. I've been sick since Monday, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through the week.

"I don't think people realize that when you turn 50 and you're trying to play golf at a higher level, it takes a lot more work. Believe me, this wasn't easy."

Exber's final-round scorecard was full of 4s -- he had 14 of them -- giving him enough cushion to beat runner-up Richard McIntosh, who also shot 72 and finished at 225.

"Strange. Very strange," Exber said, shaking his head over his scorecard.

Robert Futrell finished third at 226 after shooting 73.

Despite temperatures that hovered close to 110 degrees, the final day produced some low scores. Greg Wenzel, Jimmy Morris and Kelly Knievel all shot 2-under 70.

Exber struggled to go low on the 7,109 yard Wolf Course the entire tournament. But he never shot himself out of contention, posting a 75 Tuesday and a 74 Wednesday.

"I felt if you could shoot 75 or under, that was a good score," he said. "For me, the whole turning point was Wednesday. I had made double bogey at 15 (Exber started on No. 10), and just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I double-bogeyed 16. But after the second double, I changed my grip and I was able to drive the ball better. I got it back to 1 over and bogeyed my last hole. That kept me in contention for the last round."

Alex Lyon, who played with Exber in the final group Thursday, tried to make a run. He made a hole-in-one on the 192-yard fourth hole and was tied with Exber. But Lyon couldn't sustain his momentum and finished with a 76 to tie for fifth at 228.

Henderson's Rob Zoine won the net division by nine shots, posting a three-day total of 209 and closing strong with a 67, the best round of the tournament, net or gross. Zoine was the only golfer in the combined 95-player field to shoot under par twice.

Dean Collins and George Yocum tied for second in the net division, each finishing with a three-day total of 218.