Indian Wells Golf Resort

A day before Super Bowl 50 took place in San Francisco between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, golf professional Brad Hopfinger had a super mo- ment of his own at Indian Wells Golf Resort. The Web.com Tour player who hails from Mission Viejo fired a 7-under 65 on the Players Course on Feb. 6, en route to victory in the 2nd Indian Wells Pro-Am Invitational. Hopfinger tied former San Diego State player Brian Miller, who also shot 65, but pulled out the win on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. "A big key was how I played the first six holes on the front nine," Hopfinger said. "I made birdies on holes 1, 4, and 6, and made an eagle on 3, which really jump- started my round." Hopfinger picked up $3,000 with the victory and Miller pocketed $1,800. Third-place finisher Bryan New- man of Bermuda Dunes shot 66 and took home $1,500. In the Amateur Team Division, the group of Eric Vil- lalobes, Scott Winant, Craig Crawford, Mike Tebbetts, and Tom Burley seized first place and a trip to Whistler BC with a score of 116. The second- and third-place teams won trips to TPC Sawgrass and TPC Scottsdale, respectively. CLICK HERE for the complete scoreboard. In addition to golf, participants enjoyed a prime rib dinner and awards ceremony, live music, activities, and an evening mixer and reception the day before the event, which also raised $2,000 for The First Tee of the Coachella Valley. "It was a first-class event and everyone at the golf re- sort did a great job running the tournament," Hopfinger said. "The course is always in fantastic shape and they had the greens rolling really fast." GOOD TO THE LAST DROP Two-hole playoff decides 2nd annual Indian Wells Pro-Am Invitational Q & A HOPFINGER TURNS HOT FRONT 9 INTO VICTORY A fter making three birdies and an eagle on the front nine of the Players Course, Brad hopfinger was well on his way to winning the Indian Wells Pro Am Invitational. We caught up with the 2016 winner after the event: Best shot of the tournament? My best shot was my drive on three. The third hole is a great drivable par 4 and I hit a drive in there to 10 feet which put me in great position to make an eagle. Plans for playing this year? I have conditional status on the Web.com Tour so right now my plan is to try to Monday qualify into some events and play well. That way I can reshuffle back into some more events. I will also be playing the Web.com Tour event in Chicago in June. Best golf tip you ever received? Tough ques- tion to answer. Ive been fortunate to receive a lot of good tips from instructors over the years. Favorite club in your bag? I like them all. Favorite golf movie? Tin Cup. Ultimate foursome? My whole family loves to golf. So anyone in my family who felt like golf- ing that day is my ultimate foursome.

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