Hill Country Hosts 1st of 3 Major Championships in 2014 - Texas Open

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