Hausdorf wins the Higgins

Randy Hanson won the Tim Higgins Memorial Tournament 29 years ago.

On Thursday, April 25, his daughter, C.J. Hanson, looked like she was going to win the same tournament, one of the highlights of the season for West Sound high school golfers.

Hanson was 4-under-par through 12 holes, playing the round of her life.

“And then I showed up,” said Randy.

“No, that’s not what happened,” said Hanson, who played the final six holes at the Kitsap Golf & Country Club 4-over to finish with a 73.

That’s par for the women’s course, but it left her a stroke back of teammate John Hausdorf’s winning score of 1-over-par 72.

Hausdorf, like Hanson, had always wanted to win the Higgins.

“It was a goal of mine,” Hausdorf said. “I wanted to win it my senior year.”

Hausdorf called it his best round of the year.

“For 18 holes, yeah, that’s as good as I’ve played,” he said. “It’s probably the best I’ve played out here in a couple of years.”

He called his “ball-striking” the best part of his round.

“I hit it pretty good,” he said, noting the score could have been better. “I missed five birdie putts and an eagle putt (a 25-footer on No. 5).

Hausdorf, who’s talked to the Washington State University coaches and plans to walk-on with the Cougars next fall, recovered from a three-put bogey on No. 12 with a birdie on No. 13. He was solid the rest of the way. Playing in the first group, which finished the round in less than four hours, Hausdorf had to wait more than an hour for Hanson to finish

Hanson’s struggles started on No. 13, which she bogied, but she lost the title on No. 16, a relatively easy par-4. Hanson, who can drive the hole, left her tee shot short and to the right of the green, which is bordered by a sand trap. Hanson knocked her second shot in the bunker and needed two shots to get out of the sand.

“That’s how golf is,” said Hanson, who signed a national letter of intent to play golf at Idaho in the fall. “I don’t know how I chunked that shot. Sixteen is what really killed me.”

Hanson’s 73 equaled her best score at Kitsap, her home course. She had three straight birdies (No. 10, 11 and 12) and only needed 12 putts on the back nine after using 17 on the front side. She missed two eagle putts, one on 10 and another on No. 5.

“I’m starting to get my game back together,” said Hanson, who shot a career-best 72 two weeks ago in a Junior Tour event at Indian Summer in Olympia. “I expected to shoot a good score today.”

So did defending champion Brady Sharp of South Kitsap. But Sharp wasn’t sharp, finishing with a 79 after setting a tournament record with a 69 a year ago.

After a bogey at the first hole, Sharp four-putted on No. 2 after knocking a shot into the sand.

“That kind of set the whole day off,” said the long-hitting Sharp. “I just couldn’t get it going.”

Sharp’s Wolves did manage to defend their team title, beating Port Angeles in a two-hole playoff. Both teams tied at 318 after regulation.

Central finished third (322). Olympic and North Kitsap, both at 324, tied for fourth.

CK coach Paul Stinson said it was nice to see Hausdorf and Hanson playing so well at this time of the season.

“It’s going to be tough to qualify for state,” Stinson said. “We’ve got 15 teams in our league (Bridge and Bay Division combined) and there’s only 14 spots available.”

The Narrows League Tournament will be held May 8-10 at Lake Spanaway Golf Course. The girls play Wednesday and Friday with the boys going Thursday and Friday. The fields will be trimmed to the low 28 plus ties after the first round.

Stinson thanked Joe and Katie Higgins for putting on the annual tournament, which is played in the memory of their son, a former golfer at West Bremerton High.

“The people who organize this do a wonderful job,” Stinson said. “And the course is absolutely in the best shape I’ve ever seen it. It was a beautiful day. It really was.”

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