Harrison closes deal this time, wins SNGA Championship
Joseph Harrison wasn't going to let this one get away.
After squandering the lead in last month's Las Vegas City Amateur, Harrison, a Boulder City resident and former player at the University of San Diego, stayed in front all the way at the Southern Nevada Golf Association Championship. Harrison took the final SNGA major of 2011 in impressive fashion, shooting 5-under-par 67 for a 12-under 132 total and a 12-shot victory over J.T. Mohlman at Boulder Creek Golf Club.
Harrison, 22, had a two-shot lead going into the final round. And when he played the front nine in 4 under, he put enough distance between himself and Mohlman, who shot 77 to finish at even-par 144.
"I needed a good start," Harrison said. "J.T.'s a really good player, and he can make a lot of birdies. And I was thinking about the City (Amateur) and how I started slowly. I didn't want that to happen again."
Harrison has been working on his short game, and the results were evident as he cruised to victory. His lone miscues came at Nos. 9 and 18, both of which he three-putted.
"I've been working on my chipping and putting, which is probably the weakest part of my game," Harrison said. "But I gave myself a chance on a lot of the holes and made a lot of putts. I didn't make a lot of mistakes other than at 9 and 18."
The win was Harrison's third SNGA major. He was the Southern Nevada Amateur champ in 2009 and 2010. But he has his eye on a professional career. He is taking time off from college to concentrate on golf and will play a full amateur schedule in 2012 with hopes of earning his card at the PGA Tour's Qualifying School next fall.
"If I'm going to do it, now is the time," Harrison said. "I'm 22. I want to give it my best shot. So I'm going to play a lot of SNGA events and a lot of national tournaments to get my ranking up."
In the Net Division, Keith Hogge shot 2-under 70 to win with a two-day total of 142, five shots ahead of runner-up Joe Rada.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.
