Classic Day At La Cantera - Palmer Course

Hill Country Tour Splits With Houston At The Return to La Cantera -Five of Ten Trophies Leave For The Gulf Coast

Ace Blackwood Lives Up To His Namesake

Scott R Chilcutt, San Antonio, TX (July 14, 2012)  The stage was set with the scenic vistas over San Antonio and the Hill Country for a "Classic Battle of Tours".  Visiting Tour players from Buffalo and New York City, NY, along with Oklahoma, Dallas and Houston converged on the property bordering Six Flags Fiesta Texas.  After a year hiatus from the tour schedule, The Westin, La Cantera Hill Country welcomed players and The Palmer Course showed them who was boss. With thunderstorms churning to the west, cloudy skies and light winds kept the mid July round comfortable and the staff at The Palmer Course, La Cantera solidified why this should be a yearly stop on tour.   



Brack Blackwood - Hole in One Par 3 - 7th

 When Dallas Tour member Brack Blackwood from Grandbury, TX was asked, "how did you shoot a 90"? He responded with "I had a hole in one".  Blackwood, paired with Ron Finnerty, Tony Eno and Martin Nealey in the Palmer Flight holed out his tee shot on the par three, seventh hole with a 24 degree hybird from 181 yards for his second hole in one and first on tour.  Derrick Matthews from Killeen, TX was the recipient of the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Labor Finders by two strokes over Damian Shipley of Corpus Christi, TX.



RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  In the first of a Husband / Wife combination to take home Championships, Lynn Cormier of Missouri City, TX grabbed his third win of the year and second on the Hill Country Tour.  Cormier and Boerne, TX player Chris Daniluck went to the 18th knotted up but Daniluk doubled the final hole to finish in the runner up spot by a single stroke.  Mark Miller from Bulverde, TX started out hot with back to back birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes going out in one over par but came to the club house two strokes back to round out the third place finish.

Palmer Flight:  Ron Finnerty from Laredo, TX picked up his first win on tour since the 2011 May Day Challenge,  Three over after the front nine, Finnerty added a birdie at the par 4 -15th to finish two strokes ahead of Dave Davlin from San Antonio, TX.  Davlin carded his best finish since the runner up spot at the Grand Cypress Challenge Major in May with a two stroke cushion over Houston Tour traveler Martin Nealey from The Woodlands, TX.

Hogan Flight:  Killeen, TX member Derrick Matthews recorded his second win since his promotion to the Hogan Flight and third on the year. With a birdie on the 2nd, Matthews finished two strokes in front of Dallas Tour member Jeff Blackwood of Midland, TX.  Four strokes back New York, NY visitor Philip Mahony shared the third place finish with Houston Tour Director Jeff Zemencsik. 

Senior Hogan Flight:  George Carlisle from Houston, TX made it two for his last two after winning the June 11th Woodlands Panther Trail event. A single stroke back, Boerne, TX resident Steve Trickel, a winner on the Houston Tour at the May 26th HOU - Wilderness tied up the second place finish with Dallas Tour two time 2012 winner Gregory Stairs from Mansfield, TX.

Sarazen Flight:  Salt Lake City, UT native and NBA standout Devin Brown of San Antonio commanded his second win in his last three tries by two strokes over William Dunem from New Braunfels, TX. With his second place finish Dunem vaulted to the first place spot in the Sarazen Flight points and finished four strokes clear of Houston Tour member Jeff Greenwood of Spring, TX and San Antonio, TX member "Lil" John Heintz.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Homer Turbeville of Austin, TX is making a habit of winning.  Turbeville won in a playoff in his last outing, didn't need any extra holes to finish eight strokes ahead of San Antonio, TX player Richard Huyck. Huyck, tied with Turbeville through the fourteenth hole, ran out of gas on the final four holes but, finished six strokes clear of Joe Abreo from Bulverde, TX and Bastrop, TX player Gerald Cato knotted up in the show position.

Jones Flight:  Corpus Christi, TX resident and Hill Country Tour Member Damian Shipley made his debut on the Hill Country Tour count.  Picking up his second win on Tour, Shipley played his first five events on the Am Tour on the Houston Tour. Killeen, TX member Josue Duprey recorded his third runner up spot to go with four wins on tour this year two strokes back.  Dallas Tour member Greg Preissinger from Granbury, TX rounded out the top three just a single stroke back of Duprey.

Senior Jones Flight:  The better half of the Husband / Wife Championship winners, Houston Tour member Lu Cormier from Missouri City, TX took advantage of the Hill Country men for her second win on the year. Cormier birdied the par 5 - 3rd hole in route to a four stroke advantage over Thomas West from Giddings, TX.  West stayed clear of the pair of Mike Jones from Midland, TX and Kerrville, TX member John Merritt by two strokes.

Snead Flight:  Houston Tour member Javier Quintero nearly lapped the field with an eight stroke advantage for his ninth win on tour and first on the year over second place finisher Francisco Vazquez of Waco, TX.  Five strokes back of Vazquez, San Antonio, TX player and National Championship Qualifier with a 2nd place finish at the Red River Shootout at WinStar Resort  Major Carlos Cruz and Kingsville, TX newcomer Michael Tredway tied up for the third place honors. 

Senior Snead Flight:  Alan Brumley from Humble, TX finished the Houston Tour sweep of the Snead Flight for his first win on the year by another eight stroke advantage over Dwain Smith of Cedar Park, TX.  With the runner up finish, Smith jumped to the Hill Country Summer Series Points lead in the Senior Snead Flight. Soon to be relocated to the Atlantic Coast, Dan OShea of  Copperas Cove, TX matched his 2012 best third place finish from the The Legends of Golf Classic in April.

SKINS: 

Championship /Palmer:  2 -- Brack Blackwood, Granbury, TX; Ron Finnerty, Laredo, TX. 1 -- Chris Daniluck, Boerne, TX; Michael Campbell, New Braunfels, TX; Mark Miller, Bulverde, TX; Scott Williams, College Station, TX; Dave Davlin, San Antonio, TX.

Hogan / Senior Hogan:  1 -- Jeff Blackwood, Midland, TX; Derrick Matthews, Killeen, TX; Philip Mahony, New York, NY; Ariel Donato, Porter, TX; Gregory Stairs, Mansfield, TX.

Sarazen / Senior Sarazen:  2 -- Michael Esquivel, Austin, TX. 1 -- John Wilkie, San Antonio, TX; Homer Turbeville, Austin, TX; Michael Hirsch, Giddings, TX; Richard Huyck, San Antonio, TX.

Jones / Senior Jones:  2 -- Greg Preissinger, Granbury, TX; Lu Cormier, Missouri City, TX. 1 -- Damian Shipley, Corpus Christi, TX; Artis Stewart, Houston, TX; Mike Jones, Midland,TX.

Snead / Senior Snead:  2 -- Alan Brumley, Humble, TX; Dwain Smith, Cedar Park, TX. 1 -- Carlos Cruz, San Antonio, TX; Dan OShea, Copperas Cove, TX.

Next Up:  Hill Country Tour resumes play at the Challenge at the Springs on July 21st and then a break for the Texas Master at Barton Creek.  The Tour then finishes the year at the Tour Championship at TPC San Antonio for a double points event and last chance for National Championship Qualification on August 11th.

For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt
Tour Director
Dallas / Hill Country / Oklahoma Tours
405.513.1467
schilcutt@gcamtour.com