That old adage was on full display at Harding Park today, as 32 players who qualified for the bracket were whittled down to 16 at the San Francisco City Championship. There were a few blowouts, and a couple of matches that required extra holes. 

But the match of the day was definitely the one that featured Kevin Kobalter -- a Marin County doctor who has been playing in this tournament for decades -- versus George Renz, a realtor from Aromas, on the Monterey Peninsula.

Playing behind a group that fell seriously behind, Kobalter found his patience tried, and his golf game likely suffering from the slow pace. When Renz posted 37 on the front nine, Kobalter was 4-down; when Renz birdied the par-4 13th, the deficit increased to dormie five. At that point, like a football team down two touchdowns inside the two-minute warning, Kobalter had no choice but to execute golf shots. 

He won the tourgh 14th with a bogey, No. 15 with a par, and Collin Morikawa's favorite hole -- No. 16 -- with a birdie. A par on No 17 got Kobalter to where he needed to be on the 18th hole, 1-down with the momentum in his favor. He parred the dogleg left, breathing a sigh of relief towards Lake Merced as the match headed to sudden-death, where another par kept Kobalter's "City Dream" alive.

Jeff Knobel of Pacifica tested medalist and defending champ Randy Haag (Orinda). Knobel fired 36 on the front and took a 2-up lead, but Haag came back with an even par back nine and closed out the match on No. 18, 1-up.

Another match that required extra holes resulted in a 19th hole victory by Bob McCallister over Dan Ellis.

"Oh great," said Ellis while looking at the bracket. "I get to play Haag next. He usually gets me, but he's always nice about it."

Remember that opening line. Anything can happen in match play. The next round takes place Saturday at Harding Park.

QUALIFYING STORY FROM MARCH 12

Qualifying for match play in the San Francisco City Senior Championship was held today at TPC Harding Park, with 70 players vying for the 32 spots available in match play, which starts tomorrow. 

Defending champion Randy Haag (Orinda)  sent a message to the rest of the field, firing a 2-under 70 to earn medalist honors by a stroke over Larry Salk of Fairfax. Haag, the 13th-ranked player in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings, is taking time away from his busy national schedule to try and win a fourth San Francisco City.

Haag won the Men’s Championship title in 1999 and claimed the Senior Championship in 2016, 2018, and 2023.

You can’t win the tournament during qualifying, but you must get in under the cut line to have a shot. That number fell at 8-over 80, where 8 players were subject to the USGA tie-breaking procedure determining the final two positions in the bracket.

The players that advanced were Bryan Waters and Jeff Knobel.

The players that were “this close” shook their heads and talked about the putt they missed or the shot that got stuck in one of TPC Harding’s nest-like trees (seriously, you would have to be a bird to love them.)

One player, however, could drive home thinking of the bladed 7-iron on No. 13 that line-drove its way into the flagstick for an eagle two. That was John Rotteveel of Dixon, who shot 79 thanks to that hole-out. One of his playing partners described the shot this way.

“He was trying to pick the ball off a very muddy lie and got all ball.”

There are no pictures on the scorecard.