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AT&T Pebble; Face of Change benefit tourney; Moe on DVD

Golf notes

The sun was shining and there was no sight of “Crosby Weather” at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am, and fans were treated to a fantastic performance by Brandt Snedeker, who, after finishing runner-up the past two weeks to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, respectively, took home the top spot with a great final round 65. 

Snedeker, who won last year’s Tour Championship and FedEx Cup, has rocketed to No. 4 in the world and was far and away playing the best golf of his career.

The feel good story for the week was James Hahn, the Alameda resident who played golf at Cal and, before playing in the final group at Pebble, was more famous for his “Gangnam Style” dance on the 16th green at TPC Scottsdale during the Phoenix Open.

Hahn, who did everything from selling real estate to selling ladies shoes, carded a solid 66 at Spyglass during Saturday’s third round and found himself alongside Snedeker, tied for the lead going into Sunday.

Starting strong, Hahn made birdies on two of his first four holes, but lost ground to the hot-handed Snedeker, who eagled the second hole before matching Hahn’s birdie on No. 4.

When the round was finished, Snedeker had added five more birdies to go along with one bogey, while Hahn only managed to have one birdie to go along with his lone bogey. 

Still, the tie for third was his best finish on tour and bodes well for a strong year for the local player. 

In a surprise announcement, Snedeker withdrew from the Accenture Match-Play Championship next week citing injured ribs. Rather than try to play through the pain, Snedeker will take three weeks off in preparation for early April and the Masters.

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Monday, April 8, is not just the start of Masters week, it’s also the first charity event of the 2013 season. 

The ninth annual Face of Change Golf Tournament will once again be played at Sonoma Golf Club and benefit the El Verano Elementary School, with the field limited to the first 140 participants, and the entry fee for the event is $175 a player, which includes golf and a cart, lunch and a reception and dinner.

There’s also a raffle including excellent prizes, highlighted by a round for four at the Sonoma Golf Club and stays at Fairmont hotels in San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and our own Sonoma Mission Inn, as well as dinners and spa treatments. Those looking to just attend the dinner portion of the event can do so for $50.

The tournament gets underway at 10 a.m. when the driving range opens, with the tourney’s shotgun start set for noon, followed by the reception and raffle at 4:30, with dinner and awards beginning at 6 p.m.

For more information, or to sign up, contact Maite Iturri at El Verano Elementary School, 935-6050.

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If you’ve been watching golf on the Golf Channel the last few weeks, do not adjust your set, that was, in fact, Sonoma’s Kris Moe featured on an advertisement for Frogger’s new Arc Angel Putting Trainer. 

Moe, who runs the Kris Moe Golf Schools, one of which has its home at Napa’s Chardonnay Golf Club, is featured prominently in the ad and the package for sale includes a “free” Kris Moe instructional DVD. 

In a recent call with Moe, he recounted how the owner of the Frogger company, mainly known for their impressive golf towels, reached out to him and asked his opinion on the putting trainer; Kris was impressed and within a short timeframe, a camera crew was out at Chardonnay filming the commercial. Moe has been shocked at the reception the commercial has gotten and said more than anything, he’s been able to connect with old friends that he hasn’t heard from in a long time. 

After failing to get through Champions Tour qualifying school last year, Moe has refocused his time on teaching again, as well as some interests outside of golf.