SPARKS (Sept. 23, 2026)–Ed Fryatt (Senior), Tom Raso (Silver) and John Garrett (Gold) won titles in the 2026 Nevada State Senior Amateur. The three-day tournament was held Sept. 21-23, 2026 on the Lakes Course at Red Hawk Golf & Resort.–by Bill Bowman
Senior
Ed Fryatt, who won the 1992 Nevada State Amateur championship, adds the Senior version to his trophy case with a five-stroke victory.
“This is the only one I didn’t have,” Fryatt said of the Senior Am crown. “I had the State Am and two Mid-Ams and now this one. It’s a good feeling.”
Fryatt said a hole-out eagle late in the second round helped to right the ship.
“The ‘2’ was very unexpected to be honest,” he said. “You’re just trying to give yourself a good look at birdie. I blinked to try and see the shot and saw it on the way to the hole and then it just disappeared. I was thinking ‘did I just see what I think I saw?’ That got me back to even-par for the day and I picked up four shots on one hole so that was huge.”
For the tournament, Fryatt was over-par on the front nine each day (+1, +3, +1) but rallied and was under-par on each of the back nines (-3, -3, -3).
“The back nine is quite a bit easier than the front,” he said. “If you drive it well on the back nine, you should get seven good looks at it for birdies. I wanted to play the front nine at even-par and then go after it on the back nine.”
Fryatt said his confidence grew on the first tee of the final round.
“I feel like when I’m hitting the driver well, that’s always been a strength,” he said. “When I struggle, that’s when the trouble can creep in. Today, the first tee shot I hit on the first hole was the exact shot I wanted. I had a full L-wedge in and that hole gave me a big-time confidence boost. I knew if I handled the nerves, everything else would fall into place.”
Senior
Ed Fryatt, 70-72-70—212
Nick Wood, 74-69-74—217
Scott Roser, 70-74-75—219
Silver
Tom Raso had stretches of four birdies in a five-hole stretch in each of the first two rounds in winning the Silver title by six strokes.
Raso sealed the win with a four-birdie, two-bogey final round.
“I was very fortunate the first round in that the putter was definitely on,” Raso said. “It seems like everything was rolling well and finding the bottom of the cup.”
Raso said his first state title was surreal.
“This is the first tournament I’ve entered outside of the club I belong to other than back in high school,” he said. “So this is really amazing. I’ve got to sit back and pinch myself.”
He added his game is definitely on the rise.
“The last month and a half I’ve been playing really well,” he said. “I went from a 3.7 handicap to a .1 in a matter of about a month.”
And Raso was quick to point out the main reason for his improvement: His wife.
“(Stephenie) is the big reason for my success,” he said. “She’s allowed me to play 150 rounds a year.”
But, Raso also said he won’t get overconfident.
“I’ll just take what the golf gods give me because I know they can snatch it away at any time,” he said with a laugh.
Silver
Tom Raso, 70-76-70—216
Tim Bremer, 73-75-74—222
Steve McPherson, 74-74-74—222
Gold
John Garrett ran off six straight pars midway through the second round en route to his first state title.
Garrett started the final round with a 16-stroke lead but Alan Krogness cut the lead down to two before a triple bogey on the final hole stopped Krogness’ rally.
Garrett said his first two rounds were solid while the final round was, well…a struggle.
“I just got worn down,” Garrett said. “That’s why they have a 70-year-old division.”
Garrett said his game was solid the first and second rounds.
“I played well the first two days…especially the first day,” he said. “My chipping saved me. You’d be surprised I shot 76 from some of the places I hit it the first day.”
The second day also produced a 76 and the big lead.
“(Alan) played today like I did the first two days,” Garrett said. “I just couldn’t feel my swing. It wears on you more than you think.”
Garrett said the 17th hole was pivotal in the final round.
“On 17 I just told myself I needed to hit a good shot and put it on the green,” he said of the par-3. “And I hit it to about 15 feet and two-putted for par and he bogeyed so I had a little more cushion. Then he hit it in the hazard on 18 and I just played it conservative and played for bogey.”
Garrett said his first state title is nice, but he wishes he would have finished stronger.
“I used up just about all of my cushion,” he said. “I had two three-putts and a four-putt. My lag putting was bad. That’s where I struggled. I gave up 10 shots in lag putting over the three days.”
Gold
John Garrett, 76-76-85—237
Alan Krogness, 83-85-76—244
