Scott R Chilcutt, Edmond, OK (August 22, 2012) On September 27, 2011, I was summoned to a dark and seedy skid row bar on the outskirts of La Quinta, CA for an interview. This interview, just hours after completing 14 days of duties at the 2011 National Championships at PGA West, was a face to face with some of the prominent Hill Country Tour muscle. To be sure that he left the tour with no future retribution and to ensure the newbie in town wouldn't infringe on the racket that was blossoming, Pat Cambpell arranged the meet. (Note - script enhanced for dramatic effect, the meeting was at a Mimis Cafe in Racho Mirage with concerned long time tour members).
We will never know whether it was the sleep deprived spiel I presented or the Mimi's Chicken Pot Pie, but all the players seemed to leave with skeptical confidence. In all seriousness, it was a group of guys that were concerned that any group of Okies coming to the tour could ensure a forward movement or at least not go backwards. For the year, we'd probably give ourselves a B grade. Many things stayed the same, many things changed, but overall we tried to move things forward. On behalf of Sara Carlin, Dave Kirby, Jerrell Neely and myself we appreciate the opportunity to organize and manage a great deal of your free time this year.
Hill Country Tour Statistics:
- 298 Players from 16 different tours across the country competed in 13 local events with one rainout.
- 172 Hill Country members (in good standing as of today) averaged 6.5 rounds on the year.
- 65 Hill Country members played in 8 or more events during the points year.
- 33 players from the Hill Country will attend the National and Senior National Champsionships
Players Per Event | Number of Rounds |
2011 | 2012 | % YOY | 2011 | 2012 | Margin | % Increase |
59 | 80 | 36% | 651 | 1042 | 391 | 60% |
Player of the Year Award Winners:
Order of Merit points winners from each flight receive a customized Bridgestone Staff Bag.
Championship Flight: Chris Daniluck transplanted from Fairfax, VA during the spring of 2011 made his home in Boerne, TX while making his mark on the Hill Country Tour. Daniluck won six events on the year to go with five 2010 wins in Virginia to help solidify a resurgence of the Championship Flight in the Hill Country. Chris will compete at the National Championships in September.
Senior Championship Flight: Waco, TX first year member Kyle Lewie lives between the Hill Country and Dallas Tours, but stayed true to his Texas A&M roots of going southeast. Lewie participated in twelve events on tour to bring home the customized Bridgestone golf bag.
Palmer Flight: Dave "Travelin" Davlin of San Antonio, TX backed up his win at the 2011 Texas Masters at TPC San Antonio with his Tour Championship @ TPC San Antonio victory to seal the player of the year award. Davlin qualified for the National Championship with two runner up finishes at the May Grand Cypress Challenge and the July Texas Masters at Barton Creek and will compete against 136 other Palmer players in Ponte Vedra, FL at the Nationals.
Senior Palmer Flight: Playing out of Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club, San Antonio, TX resident Frank Davis bypassed the Tour Championship with other obligations and nearly lost out on the award. College Station, TX first year member Scott Williams would bogey his final hole, while the eventual winner birdied his to fall just 30 points short. Davis who won two events on the year to go with nine from previous years will sit out the Nationals this year.
Hogan Flight: Derrick Matthews from Killeen, TX started the year with a large group of pundits in the Sarazen Flight, but quickly made those sentiments useless when he played himself into the Hogan Flight with the April 1st handicap revision. Winning three times on the year, Matthews also qualified for the National Championships on two top three major event finishes on the year at the Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay and the Emerald Coast Amateur at Sandestin . Look for Derrick or James or ... at TPC Sawgrass in September.
Senior Hogan Flight: In his last hoorah with the Senior Hogan Flight Paul Wuerdeman from San Antonio, TX commanded a four stroke win at the Tour Championship for his fifth win on the season. Wuerdeman finished 118 points over Boerne, TX member Steve Trickel for final year end awards and will have to bypass the Nationals this year.
Sarazen Flight: "Lil" Johnny Heintz of San Antonio, TX finished out the year in a BIG way. Heintz who qualified for the Nationals with a T-3 and a road trip to Northern Missouri at Lake of the Ozarks Classic in late April. Johnny then jumped to the top spot in the points after the Challenge at the Springs event in late July and finished out the year without any questions. Heintz will compete this year in Florida for the National Championship crown.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Kingsland, TX standout, Bob Tuttle was a little more than skeptical about his ability to compete with the Senior Sarazen flight after his promtion in late June, but his game answered all the questions. After a fourth and second place finish, Tuttle went to the July Texas Masters at Barton Creek and won in a playoff to seal the deal. Tuttle will hit the Senior National Championship in stride, never outside of the top five in 2012.
Jones Flight: The best French player on the Am Tour, Xavier Bardy now residing in San Antonio, TX managed the handicap for only half of the season when the inevitable finally happened, PROMOTION. Seriously, Bardy will make the trip to the Nationals by qualifying four different ways: promotion, top in points, three wins and a T-3 at the March Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay.
Senior Jones Flight: Thomas West from Giddings, TX came to the Tour Championship, third in points, 65 shy of the top spot. After playing the last three (cart path only) holes in even par, West forced a hot and late playoff with second place points player Mike Jones from Midland, TX. After the extra hole battle, West finished with his first and biggest win on his career to solidify the points win. West will sit out the Senior National Championship in 2012.
Snead Flight: Dallas area transplant, Carlos Cruz now from San Antonio, TX has spent his last two years on the edge. Ten top threes in 2012 to go with eight top fives in 2011, it was just a matter of time. The 37 year old Cruz got his first win in a large way at the July Texas Masters at Barton Creek and looks forward to finishing on a solid note in Ponte Vedra.
Senior Snead Flight: Seven time tour winner Thomas Kerwin from Pflugerville, TX battled the heat along with the back nine cart path only holes at the Tour Championship @ TPC San Antonio to capture the Player of the Year award in the Senior Snead Flight. Look for a strong finish from Kerwin against the 70 players at TPC Sawgrass.
Next Up: After a fall break for the Senior National Championship and National Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, FL the tour will resume play in early October in the Hill Country. Look for details on the fall schedule soon.
For More Information:
Scott R Chilcutt
Tour Director
Dallas / Hill Country / Oklahoma Tours
405.513.1467
schilcutt@gcamtour.com
Scott R Chilcutt, San Antonio, TX (August 11, 2012) The AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio was the setting for the 2012 Hill Country Tour Championship. Overlooking the Texas Hill Country the private resort is normally only accessible to the club members and guests of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. The facility with two courses: The AT&T Oaks Course designed by Greg Norman with Sergio Garcia is the home of the Valero Texas Open on the PGA tour and boasts the record for the worst par-4 score in PGA history. The Pete Dye designed AT&T Canyons Course plays host to the AT&T Championship on the PGA Champions Tour.
After a scheduling conflict with the Golf Channel Am Tour and its Major events stop at the facility it seemed only fitting to round out the Hill Country Tour season on the Oaks Course. Miserably hot weather to go with cart paths only on the back nine made for a long test of golf and patience. Thick Bermuda rough complicated things even more and in the end 11 Tour Champions fought through all the elements to become 2012 Tour Championship winners.
RESULTS:
Championship Flight: Fairfax, VA native Chris Daniluck now from Boerne, TX paced the field for his sixth win on tour this year. Daniluck, with birdies on the sixth and seventeenth holes overcame a rocky (literally) finish on the par-5 eighteenth to take the championship by four strokes over four players locked in the second spot. The Houston Tour pair of Lynn Cormier and Travis Nichols along with Oklahoma Tour member Curt Howard from Sapulpa, OK matched up with Bulverde, TX member Mark Miller for the four way tie for second.
Palmer Flight: Dave Davlin from San Antonio, TX matched his first round score +6-78 at the 2011 Texas Masters at TPC San Antonio on the AT&T Oaks Course to win his eighth event on tour and first since the June 2011 Texas Masters. Three strokes back the trio of Jacob Morton from FT. Hood, TX along with Fort Worth, TX member Tony Eno and Houston Tour member Martin Nealey from The Woodlands, TX split the second through fourth place points.
Senior Palmer Flight: Heading into the final event Scott Williams from College Station, TX was shooting for the win to overtake Frank Davis for player of the year points while Davis took the weekend off. Enter Sean Fenton from Fort Worth. After Williams carded a Bogey five on the 18th, Fenton birdied the same for a two shot swing and Fenton's fourth win on the season. Williams finished with a two stroke cushion over third place finisher Gary Grizzle from San Antonio, TX.
Hogan Flight: After a previous best seventh place finish on tour, Brandon Schielack from La Grange, TX picked up his first win on tour by a single stroke over Killeen, TX player Derrick Matthews. With a birdie wedged between triple bogie's on the front nine, Schielack would finish the round with four pars to stay out front. One stroke back of Matthews, Dallas Tour member Myles Gallemore of Irving, TX rounded out the top three after leading the field to the 18th tee, but gave it back to the pair with a triple on the tough par-5 final hole.
Senior Hogan Flight: Paul Wuerdeman of San Antonio, TX and Boerne, TX player Steve Trickel swapped the lead in the final six holes where Wuerdeman would finish out two under par over the last four holes to win his fifth event on the year and third in his last three tries. Trickle, with his lone win at the May HOU - Wilderness recorded his sixth runner up finish on the season by one stroke over Maurice Mintken from Round Rock, TX.
Sarazen Flight: San Antonio, TX player John Heintz capped off his season with his third win on the year two strokes clear of Michael Esquivel from Austin, TX. After a tough front nine, Esquivel brought it back to within three strokes with a birdie on the 17th, but could only get one more back on the final hole. Devin Brown from San Antonio, TX finished in the third spot for the third time in a row.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Freed up at the last minute from a schedule conflict, Kevin Cox from Fair Oaks Ranch, TX made the best of his change in plans. Cox edged out a pair in the second spot for his third win on tour and first since the December 2010 Olympia Hills event. A winner at the recent Texas Masters at Barton Creek, Bob Tuttle from Kingsland, TX took the lead after a birdie on the seventeenth, but troubles on the last hole knotted him up with Houston Tour member Bruce Beakley for the runner up spot.
Jones Flight: Fresh off a trip to his homeland, Xavier Bardy a native of France now residing in San Antonio, TX captured his third win on the season and first since his promotion from the Snead Flight. Narrowing the gap to one stroke after a Bardy double on the seventeenth hole, Coy Dayton of Austin, TX matched the eighteenth to finish one stroke back for his best finish on the season. San Antonio, TX newcomer Mark Rivera rounded out the top three.
Senior Jones Flight: Thomas West from Giddings, TX went even par over the last three holes to force a playoff with Midland, TX member Mike Jones. Exhausted from the heat, the pair only took one hole to crown the champion when West won in sudden death. Lu Cormier from Missouri City, TX and San Antonio, TX member David Castillo shared the third place finish, three strokes back.
Snead Flight: Overcoming a disastrous eleven on the par-3 third hole, Ramon Colen of San Antonio, TX recorded his fourth win on tour and second of the season. Two strokes back, San Antonio player Mark Colwell picked up his second runner up finish on the year eight strokes ahead of three players tied for the third spot. Richard Schram of Bryan, TX, Midlothian, TX resident Joe Torrez and Carlos Cruz from San Antonio shared the third place honors.
Senior Snead Flight: In his last event before a transfer to the east coast, Copperas Cove, TX stalwart, Dan OShea commanded his twelfth win on tour and first of the year by eight strokes. With a birdie on the par-3 thirteenth, first year player Dwain Smith of Cedar Park, TX finished in the second spot with Thomas Kerwin of Pflugerville, TX finishing in the show position.
SKINS:
Championship /Palmer: 1 -- Lynn Cormier, Missouri City, TX; Lincoln Talbert, Boerne, TX; Chris Daniluck, Boerne, TX; Kyle Lewie, Waco, TX; Jacob Morton, Ft. Hood, TX.
Senior Palmer: 2 -- Gary Grizzle, San Antonio, TX; Scott Williams, College Station, TX; Mark Ratliff, Bulverde, TX; Sean Fenton, Fort Worth, Texas. 1 -- Allan Collier, Sugar Land, TX; Danny Nicholls, Mansfield, TX.
Hogan / Senior Hogan: 2 -- Paul Wuerdeman, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Brandon Schielack, La Grange, TX; Barrett Tharp, Georgetown, TX; Derrick Matthews, Killeen, TX.
Sarazen: 2 -- John Heintz, San Antonio, TX; Michael Esquivel, Austin, TX. 1 -- Devin Brown, San Antonio, TX; Scott Thompson, Helotes, TX.
Senior Sarazen: 2 -- Joe Abreo, Bulverde, TX; Gerald Cato, Bastrop, TX. 1 -- Charles Cox, Austin, TX; Richard Huyck, San Antonio, TX; Bruce Beakley, Houston, TX.
Jones / Senior Jones: 2 -- Xavier Bardy, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- David Castillo, San Antonio, TX.
Snead / Senior Snead: 2 -- Charles Mielak, San Antonio, TX; Ramon Colen, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Thomas Payne, Houston, TX; Thomas Kerwin, Pflugerville, TX; Dwain Smith, Cedar Park, TX; Leonard Linkes, San Antonio, TX; Larry Rucker, Universal City, TX; Dan OShea, Copperas Cove, TX.
Next Up: After a fall break for the Senior National Championship and National Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, FL the tour will resume play in early October in the Hill Country. Look for details on the fall schedule soon.
For More Information:
Scott R Chilcutt
Tour Director
Dallas / Hill Country / Oklahoma Tours
405.513.1467
schilcutt@gcamtour.com
