Scott R Chilcutt, Austin, TX (June 8, 2014) It was fitting that the Hill Country Tour returned to the "Birthplace of the Senior PGA Tour", Onion Creek Club, on a weekend that the Champions Tour played the Big Cedar Lodge, Legends of Golf, presented by Bass Pro Shops.
While the Order of Merit points continue to shift standings around, the Summer Series hit its third event in the three weeks before a break for the San Antonio Open and finally the heat of the season brings out the ice towels.
Homer Turbeville, Sarazen and Charles Cox, Senior Jones, played a Srixon ball and made the best of the Srixon ball promotion. They will both receive a dozen of their choice, for winning their respective flights. Playing in Palmer Flight, Walter Manuet, takes home the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving, one stroke clear of playing partner Allan Collier.
RESULTS:
Championship Flight: Playing out of Castroville, TX, Reagan Rothe may have had some three putt woes, but in the end didn't stop him from picking up his second win on four attempts on the season. Rothe birdied the par 5 - 5th and played the back nine in +3 to finish two strokes clear of Tanner Spani of Del Rio, TX. Spani, possibly spending a little too much time on 6th Saturday night, finished three strokes clear of Austin, TX player Sean Skellenger, rounding out the top three.
Palmer Flight: In a combined Palmer / Senior Palmer flight, two Seniors fight it out for the title. Houston Tour member, Walter Menuet made an eagel on the par 5 - 12th hole that would ultimately be enough to force extra holes with Scott Williams of College Station, TX. Williams, in his third playoff of the year made his second in as many attempts count on the first sudden death hole for his second win of the season and fifth on tour. Austin, TX first year member, Ken Shapiro finished just two strokes back of the leaders finishing in the show position.
Hogan Flight: Bryan Wood of Leander, TX played the par three holes in -1, with birdies on two of them, picking up his first win on the season and fifteenth on tour. Two strokes back, Don Koether of LaGrange, TX and Killeen, TX resident, Derrick Matthews shared the runner up honors, but did it in different ways. With a lone birdie on the par 4 - 14th, Koether matched scores with Matthews that carded six birdies on the round, three on each side, with a very colorful scorecard.
Senior Hogan Flight: Georgetown, TX player, Darrell Wilson, matched the low front nine score in the flight with the help of a birdie on the par 4 - 9th and was able to squeak in for a one stroke advantage. It was Wilson's seventh win on tour and first since the 2012 The Legends of Golf Classic, played on the Original Course. Bob Tuttle of Kingsland, TX had his best finish of the season in the runner up spot with Houston Tour member and resident, Bruce Beakley rounding out the top three,
Sarazen Flight: Senior members prevail in another combined flight, when Homer Turbeville of Lakeway, TX shot a +4 on the back nine to edge out, Leander,TX player Joshua Douglas by a stroke. The win was Turbeville's second on the season and fifth on tour. Douglas, with birdies on the par 3 - 2nd and par 4 - 12th made it his second runner up finish on the year to go with his win at The Challenge @ River Place in April. Playing in his first event of the season, Jack Holt of Boerne, TX captured the third place spot.
Jones Flight: Nearly matching outfits, playing out of the same cart in a twosome seemed a little more than coincidental when Houston Tour Member, Patrick Richardson playing out of The Woodlands, TX and San Antonio, TX member Xavier Bardy finished with the same scores. That finish, three strokes clear of the third place spot, sent them back out in a Committee supervised playoff, where Bardy finished on top for his fifth win of the season. Artis Stewart of Houston, TX rounded out the top three.
Senior Jones Flight: In what became the third playoff of the day, Donald Bebout of Lakeway, TX had to make a quick turnaround from his departure to play an extra hole with Austin, TX member Charles Cox. Cox, already qualified for the National Championship with a T2 at the November Fall Classic at Tunica and playing in his first local event on the season, finished out with the sudden death win on the first playoff hole. Houston Tour member, Mark Boles of Sealy, TX making his third appearance on the Hill Country Tour in as many weeks took home the third place points.
Snead Flight: Art Henry of Victoria, TX, one of many playing out of the Houston Tour to join us on the day, took six strokes off the front nine on the back, to finish one stroke clear of Fischer, TX player Rickie Franklin for his first win on tour. One stroke back of Franklin, D Nair of Austin, TX shot his best score on tour and matched his best finish, a T3 at the Round Rock Open - Forest Creek.
SKINS:
Giant Skins: 1 -- Walter Menuet, Houston, TX; Demetrio Young, Killeen, TX; Rick Houchins, Houston, TX; Xavier Bardy, San Antonio, TX; Mark Boles, Sealy, TX.
Championship / Palmer: 1 -- Nash Armstrong, Killeen, TX; Allan Collier, Sugar Land, TX; Walter Menuet, Houston, TX; Ken Shapiro, Austin, TX; Kody Cundy, San Antonio, TX.
Hogan / Senior Hogan: 5 -- Derrick Matthews, Killeen, TX. 1 -- Don Koether, La Grange, TX; Jerry Smith, Salado, TX; Darrell Wilson, Georgetown, TX; Bob Tuttle, Kingsland, TX.
Jones / Senior Jones: 3 -- Aaron Seafous, Austin, TX. 1 -- Xavier Bardy, San Antonio, TX; Artis Stewart, Houston, TX; Mark Boles, Sealy, TX.
Sarazen: 3 -- Joshua Douglas, Leander, TX. 1 -- Kristopher Bixby, Katy, TX; Rick Houchins, Houston, TX; Homer Turbeville, Austin, TX.
Snead: 3 -- Art Henry, Victoria, TX. 2 -- Larry Atchley, Kyle, TX; D Nair, Austin Tx. 1 -- Dwain Smith, Round Rock, TX; Larry Harper, San Antonio, TX; Javier Quintero, Houston, TX.
NEXT UP:
Scott R Chilcutt, Lakeway, TX (May 31, 2014) In the middle of a three event in three week swing on the Hill Country Tour, The Austin - Nicklaus Open was played outside of Austin. Lakeway, TX a resort area on the south shore of Lake Travis, 25 miles west of downtown Austin began as a retirement and second-home community. Flintrock Falls Golf Club is one of four courses at The Hills at Lakeway complex, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II.
Playing the course as it was marked, instead of our occasional, native area, lateral hazard rules, didn't effect the pace of play but certainly had some effects on the scoring. Two players, Mark Boles and Gene Rampy, made the best of the Srixon ball promotion and will receive a dozen of their choice, for winning their respective flights. Gene Rampy, went on to win the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving.
RESULTS:
Championship Flight: Cedar Park, TX member, Mike Harkins started out with a double and rebounded with two birdies on the front nine, playing the next fourteen holes in +1 to pick up his first win on tour. Harkins, a Senior National Championship qualifier with a third place finish at the Kingsmill Classic Major in April, finished one stroke clear of Chris Daniluck of Boerne, TX. Six strokes back of Daniluck, San Antonio, TX resident, Texas Harper carded a couple of birdies to finish out the top three.
Palmer Flight: First year San Antonio, TX player , Jeff Bankard went to extra holes for the second time in two weeks. Leading the field after the front nine, Patricio Gonzalez struggled with a couple of early holes on the back, regained the lead after Bankard bogied the par 4 - 14th, but gave it right back with a bogey on the par 3 - 17th and finished tied after regulation. On the first hole of the playoff Bankard prevailed for his second win on tour and the runner up was Gonzalez best finish since the 2013 Las Vegas event, The Bump & Run To Angel Park. Jacob Morton of Fort Hood, TX finished in third for the second time in as many attempts.
Senior Palmer: In the second playoff of the day, Scott Williams of College Station, TX and Copperas Cove, TX resident, Robert Lippert matched front and back nine scores to require a sudden death. After early issues on the tenth hole by Lippert, Williams finished out the first playoff hole for his first win of the season and third on tour. Dallas Tour member, Myles Gallemore of Irving, TX with a birdie on the par 4 - 5th had him in the mix on the front nine, backed up two tough holes on the back with birdies at 12 and 16 to finish two strokes out of the lead.
Hogan Flight: While Doug Collins of Iraan, TX played the par three's in +4, he made a move early, playing the front nine in +3 - 39 to set the pace for his first win on tour. Three strokes back, Killeen, TX player Brian Cox matched Collins on the back, but took with him the three stroke deficit to the tenth hole. Darrell Wilson of Georgetown, TX backed up his T2 at the early May Spring Branch Classic @ River Crossing with a third place finish just one stroke back of Cox.
Sarazen Flight: Back to the local tour after a fourth place finish at the Florida Masters, Ronnie Davis of Converse, TX extended his Order of Merit points lead with his first win on the year and thirteenth championship on tour. Two strokes back, Austin, TX member Daniel Mcgrath birdied the par 5 - 8th for a runner up finish, his best on the year. Eight strokes back of Mcgrath, the trio of Les Costales of Cedar Park, TX, split the third place honors with San Anonio, TX residents, C.D. Dunem and Carlos Cruz.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Gene Rampy of Bastrop, TX birdied his first hole of the day and never looked back. The win, his second on tour, with his other championship coming at the November, 2011 - SilverHorn Season Opener put him in the top spot on the Tournament Champion Trophy, his first. Six strokes back, Charles Sagray of San Antonio, TX and local Lakeway, TX player Homer Turbeville shared the second place honors.
Jones Flight: Playing alongside Aaron Seafous of Austin, TX, Houston Tour member, Mark Boles of Sealy, TX took a two stroke deficit with him to the back nine, but was able to make up the difference coming to the club house. It was Boles, second win on the season, with his Major Championship at the Bayou Classic at Lake Charles and fourth on tour. Birdie on the par 3 - 15th for Seafous was her one stroke advantage over third place finisher, Ray Bednar of Houston.
Snead Flight: Mark Colwell of Selma, TX recorded his second local tour win in as many attempts to go along with his Championship at the Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay Major earlier in the season. In what would have been the winning score, Dwain Smith of Round Rock, TX got caught up in a group two stroke penalty on #9 that left him one stroke back in the runner up spot. Larry Harper of San Antonio rounded out the top three.
SKINS:
Giant Skins: 2 -- Myles Gallemore, Irving, TX. 1 -- Texas Harper, San Antonio, TX; Sean Skellenger, Austin, TX; Burnie Rodgers, Haslet, TX; Aaron Seafous, Austin, TX.
Championship / Palmer/ Senior Palmer: 2 -- Sean Skellenger, Austin, TX; Myles Gallemore, Irving, TX. 1 -- Texas Harper, San Antonio, TX; Mike Harkins, Cedar Park, TX; Ken Shapiro, Austin, TX.
Hogan: 2 -- Derrick Matthews, Killeen, TX. 1 -- Doug Collins, Iraan, TX; Chris Sellers, Austin, TX; Bob Tuttle, Kingsland, TX; Brian Cox, Killeen, TX; Darrell Wilson, Georgetown, TX; John Hilgers, Wimberley, TX.
Sarazen: 2 -- Carlos Cruz, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Devin Brown, San Antonio, TX; Daniel Mcgrath, Austin, TX; C.D. Dunem, San Antonio, TX.
Senior Sarazen: 2 -- Gene Rampy, Bastrop, TX. 1 -- Phil Lewis, San Antonio, TX; Burnie Rodgers, Haslet, TX; Homer Turbeville, Austin, TX.
Jones / Snead: 3 -- Aaron Seafous, Austin, TX. 2 -- Richard Schram, Bryan, TX. 1 -- Dwain Smith, Round Rock, TX.
