Kerrville Championship - Comanche Trace

Scott R Chilcutt, Kerrville, TX (February 16, 2013)  Comanche Trace Golf Community sits just southwest of the Kerrville Lake Dam on the Guadalupe River and is home of the Kerrville Championship.  Scheduled as the early Feburary opener for the Hill Country Tour, the event was contested on the Rye grass over seeded Comanche Trace Golf Club on the Tom Kite designed Hills/Valley courses.

Friday practice rounds found cold winds and cloudy skies that may have tempted some players to pack up, but were greeted to light winds, sunny and warm skies for the best weather in the events history.  Overnight frost moisture may have left some of the greens soft early in the morning, but they quickly dried out and made for perfect, but challenging greens to go with some tough pin placements.      


RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  35 year old Chris Daniluck of Boerne, TX commanded a six stroke advantage over San Antonio newcomer Richard Perez finishing in the runner up spot.  Daniluck birdied the 5th and added another at the tough pin position par 4-10th for his twelfth win on tour.  Visiting Sapulpa, OK player Curt Howard finished three strokes back of Perez for the third place finish.   

Palmer Flight:  Austin, TX player Mark Greene won his first event on tour, the May 2012 Dallas / Hill Country Clash @ Twin Rivers, but has been on the outside looking in until today.  Greene cruised around the front side +3, birdied the par 5-13th to finish the back at +1 for a three stroke advantage over Ron Finnerty of San Antonio.  Finnerty was only one back of Greene on the front, added birdies at 13 and 15, got into a mess at 16, but still stayed a stroke clear of hard charging Todd VanDerSchaegen.  VanderSchaegen of San Antonio played the final 6 holes -2 on two birdies.

Hogan Flight:  New tour member Ronnie Draper of Oklahoma City, OK birdied his first hole in his first event.  Draper, starting on the 10th hole, finished the back nine at even par.  Then he made the turn, went triple, double, bogey on the first three holes, thought to be in trouble he bounced back with another two birdies for his first win.  One stroke back Steven Turner of San Antonio, TX finished with a bogey on his final hole to claim the runner up spot for his best finish on tour.  Dallas Tour member Paul Burleson of Argyle, TX and Shertz, TX player Terry Dennis knotted up the third place finish.

Sarazen Flight:  Devin Brown from San Antonio, TX had a score card with peaks and valleys similar to the surrounding Hill Country landscape.  Two birdies and only one par through eleven holes, Brown found some consistent golf over the final seven holes to record his fourth win on tour, three strokes clear of Converse, TX member Ronnie Davis.  The runner up spot gave Davis his best finish since the 2011 season by two strokes over John Cox of Austin.  Cox struggled on the front side, but came into the club house +6 to round out the top three.  Rene Realme made a three at the par 5 - 13th for one of the skins in the group.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  With over a century and a half of collective wisdom, it took the pair of 75 year old players, Gerald Cato of Bastrop, TX and Clive, IA traveler Mike Murray a playoff to settle the championship.  Cato, birdied his first hole of the day, but had to finish out with pars on his final two holes to get to the overtime.  On the first hole of the playoff, Murray dropped a birdie chip from the fringe to win his twelfth event on tour. A Bogey on his final hole of the day left Austin, TX player Gregg Smith just outside of the playoff one stroke back to finish in the third spot.  

Jones Flight:  Locked out of the Houston event this weekend due to a sellout, James Price of Corpus Christi, TX became the first of three Houston player wins on the day. Price went to the final hole with a six stroke lead on nine pars over Katy, TX member Kris Bixby.  Trying to give the win away, Price took an almost disastrous 11, but hung on for a one stroke win.  Bixby stayed seven strokes clear of the trio of Gary Chrisman of Yukon, OK, Dripping Springs, TX member Eric King and Aaron Seafous of Austin. Todd Burns of Austin eageled the par 5 - 13th for one of the skins. 

Senior Jones Flight:  Another Houston refuge, Michael Bell of Pearland, TX became a five time winner on tour.  Bell made the turn with three straight pars to win by two strokes over a pair in the second spot. Local Kerrville, TX member John Merritt and Mark Boles from Sealy, TX shared the runner up spot six strokes clear of the fourth spot. 

Snead Flight:   Robert Viator of Vidor, TX made it two in a row after winning the late January HOU - Moody Gardens Kickoff Classic.  Viator's four pars on the day were enough to keep the four stroke advantage over San Antonio member Carlos Cruz.  Cruz made a string of pars late in his round to edge out Ramon Colen of San Antonio to round out the top three.

Senior Snead Flight:  Cedar Park, TX resident Dwain Smith outpaced the field for a seven stroke advantage and his third win on tour.  In his first time back to the tour since 2011, Myron Brown of Somerville, TX birdied the par 3 -12th and finished five strokes clear of a pair in the third place spot. Leonard Linkes  of San Antonio and Pflugerville, TX member Thomas Kerwin shared the final podium spot.    

SKINS:

Championship /Palmer:  1 -- Chris Daniluck, Boerne, TX; Richard Perez, San Antonio, TX; Steve Trickel, Boerne, TX.

Hogan:  3 -- Ronnie Draper, Oklahoma City, OK. 2 -- Gene Rampy, Bastrop, TX. 1 -- Aaron Brougher, Spring, TX; Jerry Smith, Salado, TX; Darrell Wilson, Georgetown, TX.

Sarazen:  2 -- Scott Thompson, Helotes, TX. 1 -- Devin Brown, San Antonio, TX; Kirby Rogers, Muldrow, OK; John Cox, Austin, TX; Rene Realme, San Antonio, TX; Ronnie Davis, Converse, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  2 -- Gerald Cato, Bastrop, TX; Richard Huyck, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Joe Abreo, Bulverde, TX; Kevin Cox, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX; Homer Turbeville, Austin, TX; Alfredo Garcia, San Antonio, TX.

Jones / Senior Jones:  1 -- Mark Boles, Sealy, TX; Mike Jones, Midland, TX; Todd Burns, Austin, TX.

Snead / Senior Snead:  1 -- Myron Brown, Somerville, TX; Leonard Linkes, San Antonio, TX; Charles Mielak, San Antonio, TX; Ramon Colen, San Antonio, TX.

Next Up: The Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay, sold out after less than two weeks on the schedule, will be held on March 2nd/3rd in the heart of the Hill Country. The Hill Country Tour is back for the Round Rock Open @ Teravista on March 24th. The Dallas Tour resumes action at the Grand Prairie Classic on February 23rd and the Oklahoma Tour will await warmer conditions for the March 16th Kickingbird Challenge.


For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt

Tour Director

Dallas / Fort Worth Tour - Hill Country Tour - Oklahoma Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467 - 972.302.9478
schilcutt@gcamtour.com