Exber’s new swing nets fourth City Am title

Twenty-five years after he won his first Las Vegas City Amateur golf tournament, Brady Exber was at it again Sunday.

Now 55 and old enough to be the grandfather of a couple of his playing partners, Exber used his reliable short game and trusted his new swing to defeat Joseph Harrison by two strokes with a two-day total of 12-under-par 132 at Las Vegas Golf Club.

"For me, the first one is always the best one," said Exber, who won the City Am for the fourth time. "But this one may have been the most satisfying because of everything I've been through."

Exber took nearly 3 ½ months off from competitive golf late last year and into early 2011 while suffering from tendinitis in his hips. When he returned to playing in March, he struggled. That led to a visit with renowned coach Butch Harmon in June, and Harmon reconstructed Exber's swing.

It took a while for Exber to get comfortable with his new swing. But despite some miserable outings, he stayed with Harmon's advice, and it paid off Sunday.

"At times, it was so frustrating," Exber said. "But I finally got comfortable with everything, and now I love how I'm swinging the club."

Exber began Sunday's second round one shot behind Harrison, a junior at the University of San Diego. But a 5-under 31 on the front nine allowed Exber to leapfrog Harrison, who didn't get going until late in the round.

As Exber and Harrison headed to the par-5 18th, Exber had a two-shot lead. However, he thought the advantage was just one stroke. And when he hit his drive into a fairway bunker on the left side, Exber feared he might have given the tournament away.

But he hadn't. Not with the two-shot cushion he actually had, and not after Harrison's second shot flew over the green and went out of bounds. Both wound up making par, and Exber had his fourth City Am title to go along with wins in 1986, 2000 and 2005.

"I was driving it well on the front side both days," Exber said. "(Sunday), I was able to get it close to the hole and made some putts.

"It was a good thing that I miscounted when we played 18, because it forced me to keep my foot on the pedal. And even though I drove it into the bunker, I played it smart the rest of the way and it worked out fine."

In the Net Division, Keith Hogge won by three shots over Mike Kearns with a 9-under 135. Gary Carpendale won the Senior City Amateur with an 8-under 136, and Scott Godino took the Senior Net Division with a 7-under 137. James Miller won the Super Seniors (age 60 and over) Scratch Division with a 2-over 146, and William Harvey won the Super Seniors Net with a 12-under 132.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.