LAS VEGAS (June 18, 2026)–Matt Mitchell (Championship), Todd Roberts (Senior), Bill Day (Silver) and John Gassaway (Net) won titles in 2026 Southern Region Tour Series-Arroyo event. The tournament was held June 18, 2026, at Arroyo Golf Club.–by Bill Bowman
Championship
Matt Mitchell posted six birdies and an eagle on his scorecard in winning for the third time in 2026.
Mitchell was the medalist in the 2026 U.S. Open First Stage Qualifier-Southern Nevada but didn’t make it through the final qualifying stage and into this week’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills GC in Southampton, NY.
“I’m leaving tomorrow for the California Amateur so this was a nice tournament round for me to work on a few things,” said Mitchell, who played four years of baseball for UNLV and is now working in the Las Vegas gaming industry. “Today I tried to be a little extra aggressive on a few shots that I normally wouldn’t do and made a couple of mistakes. But I also hit a lot of good shots as well.”
He said one of the things on his to-do list is to get his driver dialed in.
“The driver is always a little bit of a battle for me,” he said. “But when the driver is good, I score pretty well. I’d like it to be good a little more often.”
Mitchell added a double bogey and bogey to his scorecard but said those shots are all part of the process.
“I hit one right on No. 2 into a bush and then on the really long par-3 (No. 12), I hit the cart path and went into a bush,” he said. “It was just those two shots but everything else was pretty solid.”
He said as the temperature is heating up, so are the tournaments he plans to enter.
“There are some fun tournaments coming up, like the Nevada State Am, that I’m looking forward to,” he said. “Now’s the time to get hot and start playing good.”
Championship
Matt Mitchell, 68
Greg Horodesky, 69
Matthew Rapp, 71
Senior
Todd Roberts won for the first time in 2026, posting an even-par round to win by three strokes.
Roberts had two birdies and two bogeys on his scorecard.
“It’s getting tougher to win out here,” Roberts said. “All these guys are getting younger and I’m getting older.”
Roberts added his game is heading in the right direction.
“It’s been rounding into form,” he said. “It’s just taken me a little longer to kind of find my game. Today I only made two putts but I was never in any danger. It was just a solid round.”
He pointed out the competition is also ramping up.
“I felt like I had a good chance to win today as long as Ed Fryatt wasn’t in the field,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve finished second to him in two tournaments so there’s still work to be done.”
And he’s already hard at work.
“I made a swing change that has me hitting it a little longer and my iron game has been pretty good,” he said. “I’m definitely ready to win two-day events and we have two majors left. And I certainly like winning rather than finishing second.”
He realizes it’s not going to get any easier going forward.
“There’s a lot of good players now so it’s a lot tougher,” he said. “It’s the hardest competition I’ve seen in the 10 years I’ve been playing senior golf. I just have to play my game and hope they don’t shoot lights out.”
Senior
Todd Roberts, 72
Robert Eustice, 75
Keith Hunter, 75
Silver
Bill Day posted four birdies on the back nine–including on two of the final three holes–in winning the Silver Division.
“I played out here yesterday and shot 84 so I went into today with no expectations at all,” Day said. “And in the end I think that helped a lot. I was swinging the club easier and played better. I got a couple of good bounces and it all worked out well.”
Day said his approach shots were key to the win.
“My irons coming in on the back nine were very good,” he said. “I gave myself shots at birdies and even made a couple of them.”
That included an unlikely birdie on the finishing hole.
“That one was pretty lucky,” he said. “It was about 18 feet but it was over a hill with a break to the right. I was putting defensively and trying not to run it too far past and it went in. Sometimes you see the break and sometimes you don’t. On that one, I saw the break but I wasn’t expecting it to go in.”
He said his back also dictates his play.
“One day my back feels good and I can play well,” he said. “Then there are days where it acts up. I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of how I hold up physically. Today it held up well. I was just hoping to finish well. I had no idea I was near the top.”
Silver
William Day, 73
Melvin White, 75
Marty Pena, 75
Net
John Gassaway had birdies on five of his first six holes (one natural and four net) in winning a title for the first time.
“I didn’t expect to start out that well,” Gassaway said. “I was just hitting the ball in the center of the clubface and it was going where I wanted. It was just the best start.”
He said his game improvement has centered around the swing…as well as before the swing.
“My approach shots and putting have really improved,” he said. “I’m hitting my approach shots closer and getting the ball to the hole on putts. I’ve also been doing a lot of breathing and clearing my mind before shots and that’s helped me focus.”
Gassaway said he’s surprised, but also impressed, with his improvement.
“I’ve been playing halfway decent,” he said. “I’m playing three or four strokes better than at the end of last year and the start of this year. It’s nice to see everything working out.”
Gassaway is looking to keep the momentum going.
“I just want to stay consistent,” he said. “I’m feeling confident right now and just want to stay in the zone.
Net
John Gassaway, 69
Brian Freymueller, 71
Eyal Saad, 73
