Anthony won by enduring long weekend
Jason Anthony, a 34-yearold from Fairfield, was entirely familiar with his challenge over the weekend at Harding Park. Anthony also reached the quarterfinals of last year’s San Francisco City Championship — and then, like now, his opponents mostly were teenagers.
He knew they didn’t worry about endurance the way he did. And, sure enough, he began to wear down midway through Sunday’s title match against Menlo School senior Max Ting.
“My body is not too happy with me right now,” Anthony said Monday. “This was probably the hardest I ever had to work for a win. On the 8th tee in the afternoon round, my body basically said, ‘I’m done playing golf.’
“My swing left me and I had to do whatever I could to stay in the match. I won it with my short game and putting, which are usually not my strengths. So that was pretty cool.”
Anthony outlasted Ting in the 36-hole match, earning a 3-and-1 victory to join the long list of golfers who have won “the City.” That capped a long weekend for Anthony, who played 69 holes in all — 34 in Saturday’s quarterfinals and semifinals combined, then 35 more Sunday.
Simar Singh, a senior at Los Altos High, won the women’s championship. Singh, who will play at Oregon in the fall, took a 4-and-3 victory over Aman Sangha, a sophomore at Cañada College in Redwood City. Sangha is committed to play at Portland State.
Singh’s triumph also placed her on an impressive list. Women’s winners of the City include Juli Inkster, Sally Voss/Krueger, Patricia Cornett and Dorothy Delasin.
As for Anthony, he now can say he has something in common with major champions Ken Venturi and George Archer and acclaimed amateur Harvie Ward — all of whom won the City.
Anthony grew up in Fairfield, spent three years at Napa Valley College and played one year at Fresno State. Then he turned pro, a four-year odyssey that included three seasons on the Canadian Tour.
Anthony didn’t play especially well, didn’t enjoy all the practice and became homesick. So he returned to Northern California, joined the family business — his grandfather founded 7 Flags Car Wash, which includes 12 locations in Solano County — and took a long break from golf.
Now he’s balancing his livelihood with amateur tournaments. Anthony earned Northern California Golf Association Player of the Year honors in 2016-17, and Sunday’s triumph represented another satisfying step.
“I’m just honored to be part of the tournament and its history,” he said of the City. “I was medalist three years ago and reached the quarterfinals last year, so I felt like I was due . ... The best word I’d use is validation.”
Randy Haag won the senior championship, beating Scott Anderson 4-and-3. This is Haag’s third City title; he won the men’s championship in 1999 and won the senior title in 2016.