Regional, national success highlight achievements by desert golfers in 2022
Each December is a chance to look back on the previous 12 months and count the accomplishments of your life or the people in your life.
Of course you could look back over 12 months in May or July or September, too, but December at the turning of the calendar seems to make the most sense for most people. And so it is in golf, especially in the Coachella Valley where so many people are involved in the game beyond playing just recreationally.
Each year players and other people of influence in golf in the Coachella Valley have big accomplishments. Some have national impact, others are regional at best. But they all have meaning to the people involved.
Here’s a look at some of the top performers and performances from the desert in 2022:
Charlie Reiter
The former Palm Desert High School star had quite a summer in his last year of amateur golf. He won the California State Amateur title in June, a title he lost in the finals in 2020. Reiter worked his way through both local and sectional qualifying to reach his first U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. Reiter missed the Open cut despite some decent play. But the Open appearance gave Reiter a berth in the U.S. Amateur, where he missed a playoff for the match-play bracket by a single shot. It was a summer of big tournaments and experience for Reiter as he ventures into a pro career.
More:For Charlie Reiter, California Amateur title a big boost in important summer of golf
Barney Adams
The long-time desert resident, who splits his time with Colorado and Texas, was named the newest member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame this year. Adams founded Adams Golf and invented the Tight Lies utility club, which helped to revolutionize the game. In addition to the Tight Lies, which changed the game for mid- to high-handicappers, Adams has pushed his “Tee It Forward” concept to get golfers to play better-suited tees for their game, and is chairman of Breakthrough Golf Technologies, which produces the successful Stability Shaft putter shafts.
Lisa DePaulo
The long-time desert resident and former LPGA touring pro had a strong week at the LPGA Senior Championship. DePaulo led the first round at Salina Country Club in Kansas with a 65 and eventually finished fourth in the tournament, though 10 shots behind winner Karrie Webb, who routed the field. It was a reminder that good players can play well in any competition.
Palm Desert boys golf team
The ending might have been disappointing, with the team being disqualified from a CIF-Southern Section regional title for violating a practice rule the day before the event. But the Aztecs did win the Division I title at Western Hills Golf Club before being disqualified, and that shows promise for 2023. With only two seniors graduating from the top six, Palm Desert should be a threat for more titles this coming season.
Lucas Myers
A senior on a Palm Desert team loaded with underclassmen, Myers earned the Desert Empire League title with a 3-under 69 at Indian Canyons Golf Resort, then continued to play well in postseason to reach the CIF-SCGA tournament as an individual after the Aztecs were disqualified from team competition. It was a strong finish to his high school career.
Jeff Burda
Another strong year for Burda, a La Quinta resident who is a fixture in senior amateur events. In June, Burda won the SCGA Senior Match Play title in Temecula for his eighth overall SCGA title. In July, Burda finished second in the 54-hole SCGA Senior Championship, and while he was 13 shots back of the winner, it was another fine performance for the top amateur.
Caryn Wilson
The former LPGA member and amateur player from Rancho Mirage continues to play well, reaching the match-play bracket for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur this summer.
Lehua Wise
Wise, the golf professional at the Hideaway Golf Club in La Quinta, continues to shine as one of the top women players in Southern California. She was second in the SCPGA women’s section championionship and second in the section women’s match-play championship, while also winning a women’s division stroke-play championship event and finishing in the top five of a handful of other section and chapter events.
Ron Naus, Kaitlyn Ellis, Mike Mitchell, Arno Voip
In awards based purely on how they play and how much money they earn in SCPGA Section and Desert Chapter tournaments, these four golfers won player of the year honors in the chapter in their divisions for 2022.
Joanna Bushnell Crist
The freshman at La Quinta High School became the first freshman to win the Desert Empire League girls individual title in 10 years with consistent play through the season. It was the Palm Desert Aztecs who won the girls team title, but Crist showed what the next few years in the league could be with her play.
Demi Preece
The College of the Desert golfer played her way into the Women’s State Championship for the California Community College Athletic Association and finished 31st in the 36-hole event at Morro Bay. The Roadrunners team didn’t make the state tournament, but did have another strong year, finishing sixth in the Southern California regional.
There are other golfers and teams that had excellent 2022 seasons, too many to list here. But they are all likely already looking forward to a bigger and better 2023.
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Another strong year for Burda, a La Quinta resident who is a fixture in senior amateur events. In June, Burda won the SCGA Senior Match Play title in Temecula for his eighth overall SCGA title. In July, Burda finished second in the 54-hole SCGA Senior Championship, and while he was 13 shots back of the winner, it was another fine performance for the top amateur.
Caryn Wilson
The former LPGA member and amateur player from Rancho Mirage continues to play well, reaching the match-play bracket for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur this summer.
Lehua Wise
Wise, the golf professional at the Hideaway Golf Club in La Quinta, continues to shine as one of the top women players in Southern California. She was second in the SCPGA women’s section championionship and second in the section women’s match-play championship, while also winning a women’s division stroke-play championship event and finishing in the top five of a handful of other section and chapter events.
Ron Naus, Kaitlyn Ellis, Mike Mitchell, Arno Voip
In awards based purely on how they play and how much money they earn in SCPGA Section and Desert Chapter tournaments, these four golfers won player of the year honors in the chapter in their divisions for 2022.
Joanna Bushnell Crist
The freshman at La Quinta High School became the first freshman to win the Desert Empire League girls individual title in 10 years with consistent play through the season. It was the Palm Desert Aztecs who won the girls team title, but Crist showed what the next few years in the league could be with her play.
Demi Preece
The College of the Desert golfer played her way into the Women’s State Championship for the California Community College Athletic Association and finished 31st in the 36-hole event at Morro Bay. The Roadrunners team didn’t make the state tournament, but did have another strong year, finishing sixth in the Southern California regional.
There are other golfers and teams that had excellent 2022 seasons, too many to list here. But they are all likely already looking forward to a bigger and better 2023.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Charlie Reiter, Barney Adams among top desert golf personalities in 2022
