No matter what happened Sunday, Alexander Zannes knew he could live with the outcome.
“(It was) just like, ‘Hey, if I win, I win,’” he said. “Life is going to go on, and I’m happy to be out here and able to play in this kind of stuff still.”
He got a result to be plenty happy with, too.
Zannes won the 85th Annual Greater Albuquerque Men’s City Golf Championship by two strokes, carding a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish 11 under on the week.
The 38-year-old commercial real estate broker and Valley High School graduate climbed into contention on the strength of a blistering second-round 8-under 64 on Saturday at Ladera Golf Course, where he used to work as a cart boy in his youth. He finished the job Sunday at Los Altos with a front nine that saw him make five birdies and four bogeys before “holding it together” through a nerve-riddled back nine.
Even a two-stroke lead with one hole to go didn’t help much.
“I couldn’t feel my hands,” he laughed.
On Los Altos’ par-4 18th hole, Zannes ripped a 2-iron 150 yards off the tee, a shot that went “straight right” but stayed in bounds. He then hit “one of the best 8-irons of my life” within four feet of the hole before making par to clinch a win years in the making for the city championship veteran.
“This tournament’s been a foundational part of my youth and just growing up,” Zannes said. “I think it's so awesome that they still do it at the city courses every year, and you still get a great field. It’s a really cool tournament to win, especially because Albuquerque is so important to me.”
Born in New Jersey, Zannes grew up in Albuquerque and started golfing at the age of 8. He learned the game on city courses like Ladera, where he picked up pins and balls as a cart boy, and Los Altos, where he shot a 63 that helped him walk on to New Mexico’s golf team.
But at UNM, Zannes’ love for the game started to fade. In the wake of a personal tragedy, Zannes said he didn’t have the college career he wanted and stopped playing in 2010, forgoing long-held dreams of professional golf.
“My dad passed away when I was 18,” Zannes said. “He wasn’t around those four years and that was just so tough because he was such a rock for my golf game.”
It wasn’t until 2020 that Zannes decided to get out and play again. Living and working in Hawaii, he entered a tournament on a whim.
“I was just like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna start playing again,’” Zannes said.
“I shot like 81-84 in my first tournament back,” he added, “and I was like, ‘all right, maybe I should start practicing.’”
Like that, Zannes had the bug again. He went on to win a Hawaii state mid-amateur tournament and qualified for two U.S. Mid-Amateur tournaments before moving back to Albuquerque in 2021. It was an opportunity to reacquaint himself with the city courses he grew up on.
“It’s just so important to have these courses,” Zannes said. “Affordable golf is so important. Accessible golf is so important. Having these city courses and the crews that keep them running is so important.”
Entering the city championship, Zannes felt his game was trending in the right direction. He said his ball-striking has been in a good spot this summer. And his scores had been “uncharacteristically” low, even for an accomplished mid-amateur.
This weekend, it all came together.
“You always want to be in a position to win,” Zannes said. “But to do it and know that whatever the result is, it’s gonna be all right is a good place to be. I couldn’t have said that 10 years ago.”
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.