Houston Tour Retains Cup - South Texas Winter Championship

Scott R Chilcutt, New Ulm, TX (December 6, 2015)  Concluding the second of two one day events, The Hill Country Tour hosted the Sunday South Texas Winter Championship finals at The Falls Resort and Golf Club in New Ulm, TX.  

With very similar conditions, you might think that course familiarity would reduce scores on Sunday.  The course actually played almost a 1/2 stroke harder on average.   While course handicaps on the holes held pretty true to form, with the hardest hole, the short par 4 - #7 remaining tough it took some hole positions to change things around.  The Par 3 - #12 played the easiest hole on Saturday and jumped to the eighth hardest on Sunday, with #14 swapping spots. 

Team Championship bragging rights were still in play, with players from each tour pitted against each other based upon Saturday finishes to determine The South Texas Team Championship.   In similar form to the 2014 version, the Houston Tour came out on top for another plate on the traveling trophy.

Mark Miller (Championship Flight), Will Whitley (Senior Hogan Flight) and Kristopher Bixby (Sarazen Flight) were "Up for the Srixon Challenge", winning their prospective flights playing a Srixon ball and will get a dozen sent to them for the win. Carl Eaton won a scorecard playoff over Art Henry for the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving.  

RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  The first of three follow up winners on the weekend, this flight had virtually the same finishes as Saturday.  With a notable birdie on the top three finishers scores cards, they all came on different holes.  Mark Miller of Spring Branch, TX, took one stroke off his Saturday finish to pick up his 23rd win on tour, while Sapulpa, OK traveler, Curt Howard took two off his first round to finish one stroke back.  Rounding out the top three, Damon Garcia of Fannett, TX, dropped a couple of strokes, but still finished in the same spot.

Palmer Flight:  The biggest shake up of the weekend came in the Palmer Flight where the winning score on Saturday would have been a T5 on Sunday.  James Sheppeard, of Tomball, TX, bettered his Sunday round by ten strokes to take home his 22nd win on tour.  Three strokes back, Killeen, TX, member Derrick Matthews, lowered his score by seven to take the runner up finish, while Chris Wadle of Coupland, TX grabbed the third place spot.

Hogan Flight:  Granbury, TX, member Brack Blackwood made the turn both days with a birdie on the first hole of the back, to capture the weekend flight trophies. Brack lost three strokes to the field on Sunday, but it was still plenty to win by two strokes over a pair of players tied in the runner up finish.  Bobby Duty of Midland, TX, with his best finish on tour jumped from the 14th place finish on Saturday and Orange, TX player Matt Purgahn, with a birdie on the par 3 - 8th, came from T6 to T2.

Senior Hogan Flight:  While, Will Whitley of Cypress, TX, took a four stroke hit on his final round, he was still able to muster the sixth win on tour.  With a birdie on the par 5 - 15th, Whitley, finished two strokes clear of a pair of Houston Tour members knotted in the second place finish.  Wharton, TX, first year member Jimmie Chambers started the day with a birdie on the par 5 - 1st and finished as he had on Saturday with a runner up spot, this time sharing the honors with George Smith of Magnolia.

Sarazen Flight:  Kristopher Bixby of Katy, TX, was able to stay with the field on his front nine, got into some trouble on the back, but was able to force a playoff with Kevin Montague of Spring, TX.  With Montague, not available for an on course playoff, Bixby notched his eleventh win on tour.  Houston, TX, player Massimo Passini, the winner on Saturday, carded a birdie, only the second of the weekend on the par 4 - 7th to round out the top three.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Taking nine strokes off his Saturday score, Spring, TX, player Chris Neelley, jumped into the winners circle for the fourth time of his career and first on the points season.  Meanwhile, Rodney Wren of Dallas, TX, and Bridge City, TX, resident, Mark Kirby held true to the Saturday finishes, with a second and third place showing respectively.

Jones Flight:  Traveling Hill Country partners, from the Corpus Christi, TX area, William Speck and James Price couldn't finalize the deal in regulation.  Back to the tough hole position on #10, Price would pick up his sixth win on tour and second of the points season.  For Speck it was his best finish since a promotion from the Snead Flight.  First year player, Richard Lagrone of Spring, TX and Montgomery, TX, member Jeff Gregory, shared the third place finish.

Senior Jones Flight:  The Sunday shake up of finishers continued with the Senior Jones Flight with only one player making the top three both days.  Houston, TX, member Rick Halprin, reduced his score from Saturday by five strokes, just enough for his ninth win on tour.  David Sipe, also from Houston, took four strokes off, with the help of a birdie on the par 3 -16th for the runner up finish with a pair of players two strokes back.  Saturdays winner, Larry Tolson of Fariview, TX, and Huntsville, TX, resident Neil Macdonald, shared the show position finish.

Snead Flight:   Carl Eaton of Conroe, TX, had one of the biggest turn arounds after his Saturday finish.  Taking eleven strokes off his first round, Eaton grabbed his sixth win on tour and second of the season by four strokes.  Victoria, TX, player Art Henry, took ten strokes off his Saturday round to command a four stroke advantage over first year player Michael Pierce of Montgomery, TX, who bettered his round by seven strokes to round out the top three.


TEAM RESULTS:

Houston Tour 13 1/2 - Hill Country - 8 1/2


Roger Masek, HOU v. Oscar Gonzalez, HC - R. Masek Won 1 up

James Sheppeard, HOU v. Chris Wadle, HC - J. Sheppeard Won 2 and 1

Derrick Matthews, HC v. Todd McLane, HOU - D. Matthews Won 3 and 1

Kyle Young, HOU v. John Heintz, HC - K. Young Won 2 and 1

Charlie Dial, HC v. HOU - C. Dial Won 10 and 8

Matt Purgahn, HOU v. Brian Cox, HC - M. Purgahn Won 7 and 5

Will Whitley, HOU v. Steve Wade, HC - W. Whitley Won 2 and 1

Massimo Passini, HOU v. Les Costales, HC - M. Passini Won 5 and 4

Kristopher Bixby, HOU v. C.D. Dunem, HC - K. Bixby Won 5 and 4

John Schott, HC v. Patrick Richardson, HOU - J. Schott Won 2 up

Kendall Hisey, HOU v. Carlos Cruz, HC - K. Hisey Won 5 and 4

Devin Brown, HC v. Judson Severson, HOU - D. Brown Won 3 and 1

Mark Kirby, HOU v. Richard Huyck, HC - M. Kirby Won 2 and 1

William Speck, HC v. Joe Michetti, HOU - W. Speck Won 4 and 2

James Price, HC v. Jeff Wadsworth, HOU - J. Price Won 2 up

Jeff Gregory, HOU v. Daryl Nixon, HC - Match halved

Richard Lagrone, HOU v. Christopher Cobb, HC - R. Lagrone Won 3 and 1

Marcy Glidden, HOU v. HC - M. Glidden Won 2 and 1

Jimmy Clanin, HC v. Mike Murphy, HOU - Match halved

Mark Miller, HC v. Damon Garcia, HOU - M. Miller Won 5 and 3

Robert Jackens, HC v. Travis Nichols, HOU - Match halved

Carl Eaton, HOU v. Gene Hanley, HC - C. Eaton Won 8 and 7



SKINS:

Giant Skins:  ($110/each)  1 -- Curt Howard, Sapulpa, OK; Derrick Matthews, Killeen, TX; Chris Wadle, Coupland , TX; David Sipe, Houston, TX; Matt Purgahn, Orange, TX; Massimo Passini, Houston, TX.

Championship / Palmer:  ($65/each)  1 -- Curt Howard, Sapulpa, OK; Mark Miller, Spring Branch, TX; Damon Garcia, Fannett, TX; Chris Wadle, Coupland , TX.

Hogan:  ($65/each)  2 -- Rick Houchins, Houston, TX. 1 -- Gus Aldana, Spring, TX; Matt Purgahn, Orange, TX.

Senior Hogan:  ($36/each)  1 -- Stephen Lamb, Garland, TX; Manny Martinez, Cisco, TX; Scott Harris, Fort Worth, TX; George Smith, Magnolia, TX; Will Whitley, Cypress, TX; Jimmie Chambers, Wharton, TX.

Sarazen:  ($25/each)  2 -- Kristopher Bixby, Katy, TX. 1 -- Wayne Waldrep, Spring, TX; Judson Severson, College Station, TX; Kendall Hisey, Humble, TX; Carlos Cruz, San Antonio, TX; Massimo Passini, Houston, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($40/each)  2 -- Tim Brown, Richland Hills, TX. 1 -- Michael Bell, Pearland, TX; Mark Kirby, Bridge City, TX; Richard Huyck, Live Oak, TX.

Jones / Senior Jones:  ($60/each)  2 -- Rick Halprin, Houston, TX; Jeff Wadsworth, El Campo, TX. 1 -- Terry Collins, Spring, TX; David Sipe, Houston, TX.

Snead:  ($30/each)  2 -- Jimmy Clanin, Pflugerville, TX. 1 -- Art Henry, Victoria, TX; Michael Pierce, Montgomery, TX; Javier Quintero, Houston, TX; Carl Eaton, Conroe, TX.

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

($167/each)  #3 - Chris Wadle - 9' 2 1/2";  #8 - Jimmy Chambers - 13' 1 3/4"";  #12 - Dave Hanson  - 4';  #14 - Michael Pierce - 15' 8"".

Upcoming Texas Events:

Back to action after the New Year:

Hill Country - Houston Tours will travel back to Palmilla Beach Resort for the Port Aransas Open on January 30th, 2016.  Registration closes on Friday, January 22nd.

The Dallas Tour opens the 2016 year in North Richland Hills, TX at the Iron Horse Open on Sunday February 28th, 2016 with an entry deadline of Friday, February 19th.

For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt

Director - Texas Tours

Dallas  Tour - Hill Country Tour  - Houston Tour

GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour

405.513.1467

schilcutt@gcamtour.com

www.gcamtour.com