Scott R Chilcutt, Horseshoe Bay, TX (March 9, 2014) 188 Players from over the country made the trek for the first of three Major Championships in the Hill Country in 2014.
The Texas Open, known for spring winds, let up this year to ease the scoring challenges of the past, where in 2013 only two rounds on the weekend made it into the 70's. 18 Players solidified National Championships and 18 more picked up Senior National Championship invites over the two day event in Marble Falls, TX.
RESULTS:
Championship Flight: Taking a three shot lead into the final round, Travis Nichols of Houston, TX kept his foot on the gas, finishing with low rounds on both days for a seven stroke victory. With the victory, Nichols recorded his tenth win on tour and second Major Championship. Bulverde, TX member, Mark Miller jumped over a pair in the second place spot after the Saturday round for the runner up finish, two strokes ahead of Jacob Morton of Fort Hood, TX securing the final National Championship invitation.
Senior Championship Flight: Two time former Texas Open Champion, Marshall Morgan of Odessa, TX knows his way around the Horseshoe Bay Resort, but those two wins haven't come without extra work. Winning in playoffs in 2011 and 2012, Marshall started the final round with a six stroke cushion over 2013 Champion, Lynn Cormier of Missouri City, TX, but made a mess of it quickly, when he started out with double bogies on four of his first nine. This go round, Morgan was set on staying out of a playoff with three birdies and a final nine -3 to wrap up his third championship with a nine stroke advantage. Michael Morgan of Shreveport, LA matched the low round +6 - 78 for the runner up finish, with Cormier grabbing the last Senior National Championship qualification.
Palmer Flight: Castle Rock, CO member, Adam Kuzinski led wire to wire for his first Major Championship and second win on tour. Playing with a one stroke advantage to start Sunday, playing alongside a 2013 Texas Open Champion Greg Hawkins, Kuzinski weathered the small greens on the Ram Rock layout to finish four strokes clear of Frank Wallace of Lufkin, TX. Wallace, a 2011 winner at Horseshoe Bay, held on to a two stroke advantage over Ludlow, KY player Mark Collett punching his ticket to the National Championships with the third place finish.
Senior Palmer Flight: Adding to two birdies on the first round, Robert Corbello of Vidor, TX started his final round one stroke back, went -2 after five holes and held on for a single stroke victory. It was Corbello's sixth win on tour and third win on the points season for his first Major Championship. One stroke back, San Antonio, TX resident Morgan Splichal, coming off his first win on tour the previous week, snatched the runner up spot, with Clayton Badger of Drumright, OK rounding out the top three.
Hogan Flight: Aaron Brougher of Spring, TX secured his National Championship qualifications two times in 2013 with third place finishes at the Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay and the Texas Masters at Barton Creek, but has not broken into the winners column on tour, until this weekend. In his second trip to HSB, Brougher shared the lead going into the final round with Derrick Matthews of Killeen, TX. Brougher started the day with a birdie and never looked back. Three strokes back, Matthews equaled his 2012 runner up finish at the Texas Open ahead of New Braunfels, TX member Michael Campbell rounding out the top three.
Senior Hogan Flight: The Houston Tour swept the flight with Vernon Wells of Bellaire, TX picking up his first Major Championship and third win on tour leading wire to wire. Flight low round on Saturday, Wells matched that feat on Sunday for a nine stroke victory over a pair tied up in the second spot. Daryl Epperson of Houston, already a two time winner this year, shot identical scores over the two days, while Orange, TX member Keith Grissom took six strokes off his day one total to share the runner up honors.
Sarazen Flight: Kyle Young of Bellaire, TX came from seven strokes back after the first round to defend his 2013 Jones Flight Championship at the Texas Open. Young played his front nine on Sunday +3 with the help of two birdies to finish three strokes ahead of first round leader David Holcomb from Parker, CO. Leander, TX player Joshua Douglas picked up the final National Championship invitation with the third place finish.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Trailing by four strokes, Houston, TX member Keith Gannon made up the deficit for the championship, three strokes over first round leader, Fred Hatfield of Chandler, AZ. Dallas, TX resident Rick Allaire made up a lot of ground with the low flight round (89) on Sunday to punch his ticket to the 2014 Senior National Championships.
Jones Flight: Starting the final round with four players in the way, Frenchman, Xavier Bardy now residing in San Antonio, TX, picked up his first Major Championship and second win on the season. Woody Casasent of Katy, TX started the Sunday in a three way tie for second place and finished in that spot, one stroke clear of third place finisher, Trecia Wood of Frisco, TX.
Senior Jones Flight: David Sipe of Atascocita, TX shot the final day low round to jump four spots for his second win on tour and first Major Championship. Playing out of Houston, TX Rick Halprin, the 2013 Texas Open Champion jumped into the runner up finish with Larry Tolson of Fairview, TX one stroke back for the final Senior National Championship spot.
Snead Flight: Hill Country Tour member and Selma, TX resident Mark Colwell grabbed his fifth win on tour and first Major Championship, leading from start to finish. Three strokes back, James Easley of Albuquerque, NM shot the final day low round and jumped into the runner up finish with Larry Atchley of Kyle, TX securing his National Championship invitation in the third place finish.
Senior Snead Flight: Doyle Fleming of Haslet, TX commanded his thirteenth win on tour and third Major Championship with eleven strokes to spare. Brookshire, TX player Marcy Glidden, a three time Major Champion, finished knotted in the second place finish with Cathay McGee of Houston, TX for the final qualifications to the Senior National Championships.
NEXT UP: Hill Country Tour members look to Lake Charles, LA for the Bayou Classic at Lake Charles on April 5th and 6th. Local tour schedule gets back in action for a special event on Monday, April 14th for the San Antonio Masters at The Dominion Country Club.
For More Information:
Scott R Chilcutt
Tour Director
Dallas / Hill Country / Oklahoma Tours
405.513.1467schilcutt@gcamtour.com
Scott R Chilcutt, Round Rock, TX (March 1, 2013) Tuning up for the first major of the spring in the areas at Horseshoe Bay, 72 players hit the links for the Round Rock Open. The season opening event in the Austin area, typically held up the hill at Teravista Golf Club, was moved off that hill in an attempt to reduce the spring winds.
Forest Creek Golf Club, just around the corner from the Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express, off the tour since 2009 proved worthy of a spot on the schedule. Despite the tight fairways, where out of bounds comes into play on all 18 holes, course staff cooperation of the limited field with threesomes and split tees guaranteed an excellent pace of play.
Cathay McGee shot a career low round to command the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving.
RESULTS:
Championship Flight: Al Smith of Midland, TX got off to a slow start, but played the final twelve holes in one over par with the help of two birdies to take his seventh win on tour and first of the year. One stroke back, nineteen year old San Antonio, TX player Texas Harper, with three birdies of his own, was one stroke back after the front nine and couldn't make it up on the back. Kyle Lewie of Waco, TX rounded out the top three.
Palmer Flight: After coming off of two runner up finishes in his last two outings and four of his first six events, Nash Armstrong of Killeen, TX broke through for his first win on tour. Armstrong played the front nine in +3, birdied the par 5 - 12th en route to a three stroke win over a pair of players in second. Back after taking the 2013 season off, Scott Williams of College Station, TX tied up first time player Kody Cundy of San Antonio, TX for the runner up finish.
Hogan Flight: Local Round Rock, TX player Jorge Rodriguez broke the winning drought for his ninth win on tour and first since the 2012 Texas Masters at Barton Creek. Starting on the back nine, Rodriguez, played his front nine in +3, with birdies on the par 5 - 12th, added one on the par 4 -2nd to hold off Houston Tour member Jeff Burke by a stroke. Burke, with consecutive birdies on the par 5 - 16th and par 3 - 17th held enough of a front nine lead to fend off a pair of players one stroke back. Derrick Matthews of Killeen, TX and San Antonio, TX player Kevin Curfman shared the third place honors.
Senior Hogan Flight: Portland, TX first year member, Tim VanLandingham picked up his first win on tour, in his second attempt. Tim, birdied the par 3 -14th to finish his first nine in +6 holding a three stroke advantage that would hold up on the back over John Hilgers of Wimberly, TX. James McKee from Abilene, TX and Salado, TX member Jerry Smith split the show position finish four strokes back of Hilgers.
Sarazen Flight: Washington, DC traveler Rick Houchins has been taking advantage of the business trips to Houston over the winter, picking up his second win in as many attempts. Houchins, a winner at the December Cinco Ranch Holiday Classic, played the front nine clean before struggling on the back, but outlasted a pair tied in the second place finish. Houston Tour member, Greg Smith of Cypress, TX carded three birdies on the day to tie up Helotes, TX player Scott Thompson, with two birdies of his own, splitting the runner up finish.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Charles Sagray of San Antonio, TX overcame a double on the first hole, playing the final seventeen in +5 for a three stroke win, his third on tour. Winner in his last two outings, Austin, TX player Michael Brewer picked up birdies on the par 4 - 2nd and par 4 - 11th before running into trouble on the par 4 - 15th for the runner up finish. Jerry Gallemore of Fort Stockton, TX, back after limited play in 2013 rounded out the top three.
Jones Flight: San Antonio, TX player Xavier Bardy birdied his ninth hole of the day to take a one stroke lead over Aaron Seafous of Austin, TX. Both players matched each other on the back nine, for Bardy's fifth win on tour. Seafous, with two birdies on the day including the par 5 - 4th recorded her third runner up finish in the 2014 points season. Taking a break over the winter with a new addition to the family, Mark Rivera of San Antonio, TX, the 2013 Jones Flight points champion, finished third.
Snead Flight: After outlasting two players for a playoff win at the Kerrville Championship, Cathay McGee of Houston, TX made it two for two. McGee, with a +11 - 83 nearly lapped the field, with the nearest competitor, Paul Harper of San Antonio, fifteen strokes back. First year member, D Nair of Austin, TX and Selma, TX player Mark Colwell split the third place honors.
SKINS:
Giant Skins: 1 -- Paul Wuerdeman, San Antonio, TX; Jorge Rodriguez, Round Rock, TX; Xavier Bardy, San Antonio, TX.
Championship / Palmer: 2 -- Al Smith, Midland, TX; Paul Wuerdeman, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Texas Harper, San Antonio, TX; Rodolfo Gonzalez, San Pedro Garza Garcia, TX; Gary Grizzle, Boerne, TX.
Hogan / Senior Hogan: 2 -- Jeff Burke, Alexandria, VA; Jorge Rodriguez, Round Rock, TX. 1 -- Gary Lee, Tyler, TX; Demetrio Young, Killeen, TX; James McKee, Abilene, TX; Jerry Smith, Salado, TX.
Sarazen / Senior Sarazen: 1 -- Les Costales, Cedar Park, TX; Scott Thompson, Helotes, TX; Richard Huyck, Live Oak, TX; Joe Abreo, Bulverde, TX; Gene Rampy, Bastrop, TX.
Jones: 2 -- Aaron Seafous, Austin, TX; Mark Rivera, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Xavier Bardy, San Antonio, TX; John Merritt, Kerrville, TX; Artis Stewart, Houston, TX.
Snead: 2 -- Larry Atchley, Kyle, TX; D Nair, Austin Tx; John Thomas, Victoria, TX. 1 -- Leonard Linkes, San Antonio, TX; Mark Colwell, Selma, TX; Peter Trotter, Cedar Hill, TX.
NEXT UP:
Two Majors of the calendar year in the region take place on Saturday and Sunday, March 8th and 9th at the Texas Open @ Horeshoe Bay Major and then to Lake Charles, LA for the Bayou Classic at Lake Charles on April 5th and 6th. The Hill Country gets back in action for a special event on Monday, April 14th for the San Antonio Masters at The Dominion Country Club.
For More Information:
Scott R Chilcutt
Tour Director
Dallas / Hill Country / Oklahoma Tours
405.513.1467
schilcutt@gcamtour.com
