Less than a year and a half into his professional golf career,
Live Oak High and Gavilan College product John Ellis has taken
another important step toward his dream of competing on the PGA
Tour. On Friday, Ellis won the $250,000 A.G. Spanos California Open
golf tournament at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton. It was
the biggest victory in the 25-year-old golfer
’s pro career so far. “This is probably the biggest purse on
this (A.G. Spanos) tour and with a 155-person field, and a good
field, I definitely think this is right up there with my biggest
wins,” Ellis said. Ellis earned the $45,000 first-place check, his
biggest payday as a pro, by shooting
a stellar 13-under 275 in the four-day, 72-hole event. He
outlasted Dave Stockton Jr. and Berry Henson, who finished tied for
second at 6-under 282.
Less than a year and a half into his professional golf career, Live Oak High and Gavilan College product John Ellis has taken another important step toward his dream of competing on the PGA Tour.
On Friday, Ellis won the $250,000 A.G. Spanos California Open golf tournament at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton.
It was the biggest victory in the 25-year-old golfer’s pro career so far.
“This is probably the biggest purse on this (A.G. Spanos) tour and with a 155-person field, and a good field, I definitely think this is right up there with my biggest wins,” Ellis said.
Ellis earned the $45,000 first-place check, his biggest payday as a pro, by shooting a stellar 13-under 275 in the four-day, 72-hole event. He outlasted Dave Stockton Jr. and Berry Henson, who finished tied for second at 6-under 282.
Ellis said he incorporated a few alterations to his game in preparation for the Cal Open and they paid off.
“I haven’t played my best golf – I’ve played some good golf, but I’ve been inconsistent – and so I tried to make a few changes and find some consistency,” he said. “It definitely worked last week.”
Paired with Stockton Jr. in Friday’s final pairing, Ellis held a four-stroke lead going into the final five holes.
After Stockton Jr. bogeyed Nos. 14 and 15, Ellis clinched the title with a fine play on the par-5 16th hole.
With Stockton Jr. looking on, Ellis chipped his third shot to within a foot of the flag on the 535-yard hole and sank his putt for birdie.
Stockton Jr. responded with bogies on Nos. 17 and 18, and Ellis won going away.
His father, Dave Ellis, said the media exposure that came with the Cal Open victory, which included coverage by the Stockton-area Fox channel and on KNBR-680, was invaluable experience for his son.
And, of course, winning a tourney of the Cal Open’s magnitude is an accomplishment in itself, the elder Ellis said.
“When your dream is to go on the PGA Tour, this is huge,” he said.
Ellis, who has won a few mini-events on the Pepsi Tour and has been competing regularly on the Canadian Tour, also earned an automatic berth into the Spanos Tour Championship. The event will be held Sept. 21-24 at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton.
Next up for Ellis is a three-day Spanos Tour mini-event in Turlock, which is slated to begin today.
After that, the local product is headed back to the Canadian Tour.
Ellis, a 1998 LO grad who was a standout collegiate golfer for the University of Oregon, turned pro early in 2004.
And, he made a big splash right off the bat by qualifying for the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach in his first pro attempt.
Last fall, Ellis competed at a PGA Tour Qualifying School first stage event at San Juan Oaks in Hollister, and finished in the Top 10 but missed advancing to the second stage.
Despite the setback, Ellis said he used the experience to his advantage.
“Missing the second stage of Q-school was disappointing but I looked at it as a great learning experience,” he said. “I feel like I can play at the highest level and it’s just a matter of making the most out of my opportunity.”
