Poplar Creek Golf Course — San Mateo, California Saturday, May 30, 2026 There are formats that reward one great player. There are formats that reward depth. And then there are formats like Saturday’s A-B-C-D rotating best-ball event at Poplar Creek — the kind of format that slowly tightens its grip on every player in the group until, by the end, there is nowhere to hide. On a bright, sunlit Saturday in San Mateo, with Poplar Creek playing under clear skies and a cool Peninsula edge in the air, nine four-man teams stepped onto the tee knowing the math would not stay simple for long. Hole 1 asked for only one score. Hole 2 demanded two. Hole 3 took three. Then the rotation continued: one score, two scores, three scores — all the way through the course’s familiar turns, until the eighteenth hole arrived with the full weight of the format on it. There, at the finish, all four scores counted. That was the genius and the cruelty of the day. One player could rescue a team for a hole. Two players could carry a stretch. Three could build momentum. But eventually, all four names on the card had to matter. And when the final cards were turned in, one team had mastered the pressure better than the rest. **Brian Cresta, Daniel Murray, Paul Karson and Sid Shimabuku** finished at **129, twelve under par**, winning by three shots after a round that blended steadiness, timely scoring, and enough late discipline to withstand a serious charge from the rest of the field. Behind them, **Shawn Fox, Randy Gubert, Andy Kishore and LLamelo Marcelino** finished second at **132, nine under**, after lighting up the front nine and threatening to turn the tournament into a shootout. **Frank Parcell, Art Klein, Ken Gerstle and Bill Capote** took third at **133, eight under**, grinding out one of the more balanced team performances of the day. And just behind them, **John Edmondson, Joe Ghio, Skip Sanzeri and Joel Spielman** posted **134, seven under**, after a blistering front nine put them squarely in the hunt before the back nine extracted its price. It was a day of surges. A day of swings. A day where one hole could change everything. And in the end, it was a day won by the team that understood the rotation best. ## The Format: A Slow-Building Pressure Test The A-B-C-D best-ball rotation sounded friendly enough at the start. On the opening hole, the lowest net score on the team counted. That gave every group a little breathing room. One good swing, one good approach, one good putt could handle the entire assignment. But Hole 2 changed the tone immediately. Now two scores counted. By Hole 3, three scores were needed. Then the cycle reset, only to build again and again. That rhythm created a very particular kind of pressure. Players could not simply wait for their best teammate to bail them out. A big number might disappear on a one-score hole, but on a three-score hole it could bleed directly into the team total. And on the final hole, with every player’s score counting, the format became brutally democratic. Everyone had to finish. That made Saturday’s leaderboard especially revealing. This was not just about who had the lowest individual gross. It was about who contributed at the right moment, who avoided disaster when the team needed depth, and who could keep playing when the count increased. The winning team did all of that. ## The Champions: Cresta, Murray, Karson and Shimabuku Finish at -12 The final number says plenty: **129, twelve under par**. But the shape of the winning round tells the better story. Cresta, Murray, Karson and Shimabuku went out in **63**, seven under on the front nine. They did not ease into the round. They attacked early, built position, and forced the rest of the field to chase. Their front nine was not one isolated explosion. It was a sustained pattern of good team golf. They were under par on five of the first nine holes and avoided any serious damage. In this format, that is exactly how a team creates separation: not by winning one hole dramatically, but by refusing to give shots back when the rotation demands two and three usable scores. The decisive early blow came at the seventh, where the team posted a two-under result. On a day when multiple teams found scoring chances there, the eventual champions did not merely keep pace — they gained. From there, they finished the front nine with back-to-back red numbers, making the turn at **-7** and looking like the most complete team in the field. Individually, the group had the right mix. **Daniel Murray** was one of the engines of the team. His net **66** was tied for the best individual net score in the entire event, and his card had exactly the kind of shape this format rewards: enough gross quality to stabilize the group and enough handicap value to deliver when the team needed a counting number. **Paul Karson** added a net **70**, giving the champions another strong pillar. Karson’s round was critical because formats like this punish teams that are top-heavy. One great player can carry a hole. Two steady players can carry a nine. But a team that wants to win across eighteen rotating demands needs repeated contributions from the middle of the lineup. Karson gave them that. **Brian Cresta** posted a gross **77**, net **75**, and his role was just as important. Cresta’s lower handicap meant his scores carried a different kind of value. He gave the team structure, especially on holes where raw ball-striking and control mattered. In A-B-C-D scoring, the lower-handicap player often becomes the stabilizer — the player who keeps the floor from collapsing while the higher-handicap players create net scoring chances. **Sid Shimabuku** added a net **77**, but the number alone does not tell the story. In this format, a fourth player is not judged only by total score. The question is whether he shows up on the holes where his score counts. Shimabuku’s presence mattered because the team survived the full rotation. On the eighteenth, where all four scores counted, the champions closed with a two-under team result — the best possible statement in a format designed to expose weak links. That final hole was the exclamation point. While several teams staggered home at eighteen, the champions found one more surge. With all four players now fully exposed to the scorecard, Cresta, Murray, Karson and Shimabuku did not simply protect the lead. They widened it. That is how a team wins by three. ## The Fastest Start: Fox, Gubert, Kishore and Marcelino Nearly Blow the Field Open If the champions delivered the best full-round performance, the most electric opening nine belonged to **Shawn Fox, Randy Gubert, Andy Kishore and LLamelo Marcelino**. Their front nine **62** was the lowest outward half of the tournament. They made the turn at **eight under par**, one shot better than the eventual winners, and for a while they looked like the team everyone else would have to catch. The start was ferocious. They went one under at the first, then erupted at holes two and three with back-to-back three-under team results. In this format, that is a serious early statement. Hole 2 requires two scores. Hole 3 requires three. To go three under on both is not luck; it means multiple players were contributing immediately. **Shawn Fox** played a terrific round, posting **71 gross, 67 net**, one of the best individual performances in the field. His front-nine 34 gave the team a major anchor. Fox was not just participating in the scoring — he was setting the pace. **LLamelo Marcelino** matched that energy with a gross **75**, net **69**. That gave the team a second player consistently capable of producing usable numbers. Marcelino’s value was especially clear because he paired well with Fox: one player steadying the low end, another providing repeated scoring depth. **Andy Kishore** and **Randy Gubert**, both playing off higher numbers, gave the team its net-score punch. Kishore finished net **71** and Gubert net **70**, meaning this was not a two-man performance with two passengers. It was a genuine four-man attack. For nine holes, they were the team of the day. But Poplar Creek’s back nine changed the rhythm. The second-place team came home in **70**, one under. That was still good golf, but in relation to the front-nine fireworks, it felt like the course had managed to slow them down. The birdie train became more of a grind. They made a few solid moves, including red numbers at ten, eleven and sixteen, but the momentum had cooled. The crucial difference came late. While the winners closed the back nine at five under, Fox, Gubert, Kishore and Marcelino could only find one under coming home. Their excellent start carried them to solo second, but not to the trophy. They were brilliant early. The champions were better late. ## The Grittiest Podium Finish: Parcell, Klein, Gerstle and Capote Take Third At **133, eight under**, the team of **Frank Parcell, Art Klein, Ken Gerstle and Bill Capote** turned in one of the day’s strongest grind-it-out performances. They did not have the flashiest front nine. They did not have the winning team’s final-hole flourish. But they were remarkably resilient, especially in a format where the three-score holes and all-count finish can punish even one lapse. Their round was built on persistence. They went out in **65**, five under, and came home in **68**, three under. That balance was enough to finish third, one shot behind second and one shot ahead of fourth. **Bill Capote** was the clear individual star of the group. His gross **82**, net **68**, was one of the strongest net rounds in the field. Capote provided scoring value throughout the day and gave the team a reliable weapon when the rotation demanded more than one counting score. **Art Klein** added a steady net **73**, giving the team another solid contributor. Klein’s round helped keep the team from drifting backward during the more demanding parts of the format. **Ken Gerstle**, playing with the highest handicap in the group, produced a net **76**. In these events, a player like Gerstle can be dangerous because net scoring opportunities appear in the right places. The key is surviving the holes where the team needs three or four scores. Gerstle helped the team do enough of that to remain in contention. **Frank Parcell** finished net **80**, but again, the final number only tells part of the story. On a team card, the value of a player often appears in selected moments rather than in the total. The Parcell-Klein-Gerstle-Capote group found enough of those moments to stay in the top three. Their best stretch came on the front, where they were under par on six of the first eight holes. That gave them a platform. Even when the eleventh hole hurt them on the back, they recovered with red numbers at fourteen, fifteen and seventeen. They never disappeared from the tournament. That is the mark of a podium team. ## The Front-Nine Charge That Almost Held: Edmondson, Ghio, Sanzeri and Spielman Finish Fourth Few teams had a more dramatic arc than **John Edmondson, Joe Ghio, Samuel Sanzeri and Joel Spielman**. They finished fourth at **134, seven under**, but after nine holes they were right in the heart of the fight. Their front nine **62** matched the best outward score of the day. At the turn, they were **eight under**, tied with the Fox-Gubert-Kishore-Marcelino team and one clear of the eventual champions. For nine holes, they looked like potential winners. The start was controlled, then explosive. They opened with a par result, then went two under at the second and two under again at the third. From holes two through seven, they played the team format beautifully, stacking contributions and avoiding the kind of mistakes that ruin a rotating-card event. **Skip Sanzeri** delivered the team’s standout individual round: **81 gross, net 66**, tied for the best net score of the day. His card was a major reason the team was able to generate such a powerful front nine. In a format where the score requirement keeps changing, a net 66 is a weapon. Sanzeri gave the group exactly what it needed: repeated chances to post red numbers. **Joe Ghio** added a gross **80**, net **75**, serving as the team’s lower-handicap stabilizer. Ghio’s role was similar to Cresta’s on the winning team: keep the team organized, avoid unnecessary damage, and provide a reliable score when the format demanded order. **John Edmondson** posted gross **82**, net **73**, giving the group another strong counting option. Edmondson’s front nine was especially useful, as his team surged into contention. **Joel Spielman**, with a net **81**, had the difficult role of navigating the format’s heavier demands. The danger for any team in this structure is that one player can be protected early but exposed late. Spielman’s presence was part of the team’s early success, but the back nine became more difficult for the entire group. The turning point came after the turn. The team’s back nine was **72**, one over par. They still found highlights — a two-under result at the eleventh, a red number at fourteen, another at sixteen — but the twelfth, thirteenth and eighteenth damaged the card. The eighteenth was especially painful. With all four scores counting, they posted a two-over result, a tough closing number after such a strong opening half. The fourth-place finish was still excellent. But it carried the feeling of a round that had briefly looked like something even bigger. They had the front nine to win. The back nine had the final word. ## Forsaith, Thaute, Shaw and Brosnan: A Solid Fifth at -4 The team of **Kevin Forsaith, Bradley Thaute, Larry Shaw and Michael Brosnan** finished fifth at **137, four under**, and their round had a steady, respectable shape. They went out in **66**, four under, then played the back nine in **71**, even par. That made them one of the teams that did most of their scoring early and then held position. Their best moment came at the fourth, where they posted a two-under team result. That kind of hole is valuable because it arrives on a one-score portion of the rotation, meaning one excellent contribution can move the entire group. They also added red numbers at two, three, seven and eight, making the front nine productive. **Larry Shaw** was the team’s best net scorer, finishing at **72**. His consistency gave the group important support across the rotation. **Michael Brosnan** added a net **73**, another strong contribution. Brosnan’s gross **89** gave the team a steady second scoring line and helped keep them inside the top five. **Bradley Thaute** and **Kevin Forsaith** both finished net **78**. Their scores were not enough to push the team into the top tier, but they helped the group survive enough counting situations to remain under par for the day. The back nine was a missed opportunity. They made red numbers at eleven, thirteen, fifteen and seventeen, but gave shots back at twelve, sixteen and eighteen. Like several teams, they were hurt by the final hole, where all four scores counted and any loose finish became expensive. Still, four under in this format is a good day. It just was not enough on a leaderboard where the top four teams all reached seven under or better. ## Canepa, Herd, Liedtke and Trapani: Sixth at -2 After a Battling Round **Joseph Canepa, Jason Herd, Robert Liedtke and Marc Trapani** finished sixth at **139, two under**, after a round that showed both resilience and volatility. They opened well, going two under at the first, then one under at the second. That kind of start can settle a team down. But the third hole hit back hard with a two-over result, reminding everyone that three-score holes can change the mood quickly. The team went out in **68**, two under, and came home in **71**, even par. The result was a respectable under-par finish, but the card had too many swings to threaten the leaders. Their best stretch on the back nine came at the thirteenth and fourteenth, where they went one under and two under. That was the moment when they looked capable of climbing. But the fifteenth cost them two shots, and the eighteenth took two more. **Joseph Canepa** posted net **73**, the best individual net on the team. He gave the group a strong central score and helped hold the round together. **Robert Liedtke** and **Jason Herd** each finished net **74**, giving the team admirable balance. **Marc Trapani** added net **75**, meaning all four players were within two shots of each other in net scoring. That kind of balance is usually valuable in this format. The issue was not one player. It was timing. The team’s mistakes arrived on holes where the format magnified them. They fought hard, stayed under par, and finished ahead of three teams. But the leaderboard demanded more red numbers than they could find. ## Baltor, Hansen, Toth and Whitaker: Seventh at -1 The team of **Joshua Baltor, Kirk Hansen, Jim Toth and Bob Whitaker** finished seventh at **140, one under**, a result that reflected a round built more on survival than attack. They went out in **69**, one under, and came home in **71**, even. Their best moment came at the third, where they posted a two-under result on a three-score hole. That was one of the more impressive single-hole team numbers of their round, because three players had to contribute to create it. But they struggled to stack momentum. After the third hole, the front nine flattened out. The fifth and sixth cost them shots, and although they avoided a major collapse, they did not produce enough birdie-equivalent team results to move up. On the back nine, they made a nice move at fourteen with a two-under result and added red numbers at eleven and sixteen. But again, the pattern was stop-start. Every time the team seemed ready to climb, another hole pulled them back. **Jim Toth** led the group individually with a net **75**. **Kirk Hansen** followed at **76**, **Joshua Baltor** at **77**, and **Bob Whitaker** at **80**. The group deserves credit for staying in red figures. In this format, under par is never automatic. But on a day when the winning number reached twelve under, one under left them in the middle of the pack. ## Butzman, Evans, Hartfield and Maso: The Round That Turned at Eighteen The most dramatic late collapse on the scorecard belonged to **David Butzman, Bret Evans, Earl Hartfield and Andy Maso**. For seventeen holes, their round had a very different shape. They were three under on the front nine, posting a **67**. They added more good work early on the back, including red numbers at ten, eleven, thirteen and fourteen. Standing on the fifteenth tee, they were still positioned for a respectable finish. Then the closing stretch arrived. They gave three shots back at fifteen. They steadied themselves at sixteen and seventeen. Then came eighteen — the all-four-scores-count hole — and the card turned severe. The team posted an eight-over result on the final hole, finishing the back nine in **78** and the tournament at **145, four over**. That single closing hole changed the entire story of their day. **Bret Evans** had the team’s best individual round, shooting gross **83**, net **71**. He played well enough to help the group contend for a much better finish. **David Butzman** posted net **75**, another solid score. **Andy Maso** finished net **77**, and **Earl Hartfield** net **80**. For most of the round, there was enough there. The team had scoring. It had stretches of control. It had a strong front nine. But the eighteenth hole is why this format is different. It waits. It lets teams believe they have survived. Then it asks for all four scores at once. For Butzman, Evans, Hartfield and Maso, the final hole was the story. ## Cole, Koons, Saleem and Alvarez: A Difficult Day, But Not Without Fight The team of **Tim Cole, Dave Koons, Saad Saleem and Alex Alvarez** finished ninth at **148, seven over**, after a round that never quite found the scoring pace needed to keep up. They went out in **72**, two over, and came home in **76**, five over. The sixth and fifteenth holes were especially damaging, each costing the team three shots. In a format where the leaders were taking advantage of nearly every scoring opportunity, those holes were hard to overcome. There were still positives. They found red numbers at the fifth, eighth, eleventh and thirteenth. Those holes showed that the team had moments where the format worked in their favor. But the round lacked the sustained run needed to climb. **Tim Cole** led the team individually with a net **76**. **Dave Koons** finished net **83**, **Alex Alvarez** net **83**, and **Saad Saleem** net **84**. It was a tough day, but every team in this format earns its finish honestly. There is no hiding from the rotation. By the end, the scorecard always tells the truth. ## The Tournament Within the Tournament: Best Individual Net Rounds Although the day belonged to team scoring, several individual performances shaped the leaderboard. **Daniel Murray** and **Skip Sanzeri** each posted net **66**, the lowest individual net scores of the event. Murray’s performance helped power the winning team to the title, while Sanzeri’s round drove the Edmondson-Ghio-Sanzeri-Spielman group into contention with a front-nine charge. **Shawn Fox** finished net **67**, pairing excellent gross play with major team value. His gross **71** was the lowest gross score of the day and one of the cleanest ball-striking rounds in the field. **Bill Capote** added a net **68**, leading the third-place team and keeping them in the podium fight. **LLamelo Marcelino** finished net **69**, while **Paul Karson** and **Randy Gubert** each finished net **70**. Those numbers mattered. They were the kinds of rounds that turned good teams into contenders. But the winning team had the right combination: Murray at 66, Karson at 70, Cresta providing a low-handicap anchor, and Shimabuku contributing inside the team structure. It was not just one great card. It was a complete team profile. ## The Back Nine Decides It At the turn, the tournament was wide open. Fox, Gubert, Kishore and Marcelino were eight under. Edmondson, Ghio, Sanzeri and Spielman were eight under. Cresta, Murray, Karson and Shimabuku were seven under. Parcell, Klein, Gerstle and Capote were five under. Four teams had a real path. Then the back nine began separating them. The champions played the inward half in **66**, five under. That was the best back nine of any team in the top group. It was not just enough to catch the leaders; it was enough to pass them and pull away. Fox’s team came home in **70**. Sanzeri’s team came home in **72**. Capote’s team came home in **68**. Good numbers, but not championship numbers. The winning margin was built after the turn. That is often how Poplar Creek plays. The front nine can invite scoring. The back nine asks whether the round has structure. And on Saturday, when the afternoon sun started to soften and the Peninsula air cooled, the course demanded patience. The leaders had to keep making decisions. They had to know when to attack and when to avoid the number that would poison the team card. Cresta, Murray, Karson and Shimabuku did that best. ## Eighteen: The Final Examination The eighteenth hole was more than a closing hole. It was the final exam. By rule of the rotation, all four scores counted. That meant every player had to complete the assignment. No one could be picked up mentally. No one could be carried. The lowest-handicap anchor mattered. The high-handicap scoring chances mattered. The players who had been quiet still mattered. The champions closed at two under on eighteen. That is a champion’s finish. By contrast, several teams absorbed real damage at the last. Edmondson, Ghio, Sanzeri and Spielman gave back two. Forsaith, Thaute, Shaw and Brosnan gave back two. Canepa, Herd, Liedtke and Trapani gave back two. Butzman, Evans, Hartfield and Maso suffered the day’s most painful final-hole swing. The eighteenth did exactly what it was supposed to do. It clarified the standings. When all four scores counted, the winners were still winning. ## Final Standings **1st — Brian Cresta / Daniel Murray / Paul Karson / Sid Shimabuku: 129, -12** A complete team performance. Seven under on the front, five under on the back, and a closing two-under result on the all-count eighteenth. **2nd — Shawn Fox / Randy Gubert / Andy Kishore / LLamelo Marcelino: 132, -9** The fastest-starting team in the field. Their front-nine 62 set the early pace, but the back nine slowed the charge. **3rd — Frank Parcell / Art Klein / Ken Gerstle / Bill Capote: 133, -8** A gritty, balanced podium finish powered by Capote’s net 68 and enough timely team scoring to stay in contention all day. **4th — John Edmondson / Joe Ghio / Skip Sanzeri / Joel Spielman: 134, -7** A brilliant front nine put them in position to win. Sanzeri’s net 66 was one of the rounds of the day, but the back nine proved costly. **5th — Kevin Forsaith / Bradley Thaute / Larry Shaw / Michael Brosnan: 137, -4** A solid under-par team score with most of the damage done on the front nine. **6th — Joseph Canepa / Jason Herd / Robert Liedtke / Marc Trapani: 139, -2** A balanced team effort with all four players within two net shots of each other, but not enough sustained scoring to pressure the leaders. **7th — Joshua Baltor / Kirk Hansen / Jim Toth / Bob Whitaker: 140, -1** A steady round that stayed under par, highlighted by a strong team result on the third and a two-under move at fourteen. **8th — David Butzman / Bret Evans / Earl Hartfield / Andy Maso: 145, +4** A promising round undone by the closing hole, where the all-count format delivered its harshest punishment. **9th — Tim Cole / Dave Koons / Saad Saleem / Alex Alvarez: 148, +7** A difficult day, but one with flashes of scoring and a full test under a demanding format. ## A Day Worth Remembering Saturday at Poplar Creek had everything a team event should have: early fireworks, changing leads, pressure from the format, individual brilliance, and a finish that demanded all four players stand up at once. The weather gave the day its stage — sunny, clean, and unmistakably Peninsula, with the kind of afternoon light that makes Poplar Creek feel both inviting and dangerous. The course gave the players chances, but not forgiveness. The format gave everyone hope, then slowly removed the safety net. By the final green, the leaderboard had been sorted not by one hero, but by four-man completeness. Cresta, Murray, Karson and Shimabuku were not simply the lowest team on the card. They were the team that handled every version of the day: the one-score holes, the two-score holes, the three-score holes, the front-nine race, the back-nine pressure, and finally the eighteenth, where every player’s number mattered. That is why they won. On a day built to test the entire roster, they were the deepest team