Hill Country Tour Players Get Down in The Quarry

Scott R Chilcutt, San Antonio, TX (February 18, 2018)   The Hill Country Winter Championship found it's way to The Quarry Golf Club.  The club, nearest to downtown San Antonio, features a unique setting, with the back nine built in a 100-year-old quarry pit. Drizzle, filled the morning, with fog like conditions that hampered laser depth finders, but the course, played in little winds with good quick greens.

The eight Champions finished the day with a collective 80 Golf Channel AM Tour wins, with Mark Miller of Spring Branch picking up his 30th on tour.

The winner of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $460, bringing the Texas Tour events total to $2,160 contributed to the Foundation in 2018.


RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  After making the turn, one stroke back, Spring Branch, TX, resident, Mark Miller, went +1 on the back with the help of two birdies to pick up the Championship by two strokes.  For Miller, it was an unprecedented, thirtieth win on tour and first of the season.  Kentucky traveler, Josh Coffman from Mount Sterling, KY, made the most of two birdies on the back nine for the runner-up finish, with Copperas Cove, TX, player Rusty Lippert rounding out the top three, with a birdie on the par 5 - 18th.

Palmer Flight:  San Antonio, TX, player Rene Realme, went -2 with the help of two birdies on the front nine, which proved to be plenty for the win.  Realme, a winner in three different flights, has won fourteen events on tour and was his first of the season.   First-time tour player John Huinke, traveling from Bloomington, MN, finished four strokes out of the win, and two strokes clear of third place Round Rock, TX, finisher, Jason Reicks.

Senior Palmer Flight:  Tied making the turn, Mike Harkins of Cedar Park, TX, did plenty coming to the clubhouse, to win by four strokes.  Harkins, with two birdies on his round, picked up his third win of the season and tenth on tour.  Corpus Christi, TX, first-year player, Kevin Grillo, took the lead after the par 4 - 10th but gave it away with a disastrous, #11.  Grill, with three birdies on the day, shared the runner-up finish with Chuck Odom or San Angelo, TX.

Hogan Flight:  Starting the round on the par 4 - 10th, Orange, TX, member, Matt Purgahn, made the turn tied with Kevin Fontenot, of Corpus Christi, TX.  Switching leads back and forth, coming to the clubhouse, Purgahn would birdie his 17th hole of the day the par 3 - 8th, which proved to be just enough for this ninth win on tour and first of the season.  Fontenot, playing in his second event on tour, carded three birdies on the round and finished just one stroke clear of Helotes, TX, player Scott Thompson, rounding out the top three.

Senior Hogan Flight:  Playing in his first season on tour, Houston, TX, member Robert Sullivan, made two birdies on the round and was just enough to stay ahead of Servando Perez of Cedar Park, TX, with a birdie on the par 5 - 18th.  Perez cleared a pair of third-place finishers, but two strokes, with Paul Wuerdeman of San Antonio, TX, and Boerne, TX, player Steve Wade, sharing those honors.

Sarazen Flight:  Kyle, TX, player Larry Atchely, became a six-time winner on tour with his first this season.  Atchley, starting on the par 4 - 10th finished his final nine in +3, even par over his last five holes to clear second place finisher, Michael Betzale, of Live Oak, TX, by three strokes.  Betzale, with a birdie on the par 4 - 1st, edged out Killeen, TX, player Brian Cox, with a birdie of his own on the day, by a stroke.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Starting his second season on tour, John Maywald of Boerne, TX, picked up his first Championship.  Tied making the turn, Maywald grabbed three strokes coming to the clubhouse to second place Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, finisher Ben Maytubby.   Clive, IA, traveler, wintering in South Texas, rounded out the top three, one stroke back of Maytubby.

Jones Flight:  San Antonio, TX, resident Phil Lewis, birdied the par 5 - 5th to grab his fourth win on tour and first since the 2016 Memorial Weekend Championship. One stroke back, Michael Page from Burnett, TX, took the lead after the par 3 - 16th only to give it back to Lewis on the next hole.  Rounding out the top three, traveling, Alabama member Michael Grant, of Huntsville, AL, finished one stroke back of Grant.

Snead Flight:  Ramon Colen of San Antonio, TX, carded a birdie on the par 4 - 6th hole for his sixth win on tour and first since a Houston event in 2013 at The Wilderness.  Colen outlasted, second-time player, Pete Acosta of Alamo, TX, with a birdie of his own, by two strokes. San Antonio, TX, player Barron Gates, rounded out the top three, for his best finish on tour.





SKINS:

Giant SKINS:  ($142/each)  1 -- Mark Miller, Spring Branch, TX; Paul Wuerdeman, San Antonio, TX; Mike Harkins, Cedar Park, TX; Steve Pond, Tulia, TX.

Championship / Palmer:  ($90/each)  1 -- Josh Coffman, Mount Sterling, KY; Brian Holley, Mount Sterling; Mark Miller, Spring Branch, TX.

Senior Palmer:  ($30/each)  2 -- Gary Grizzle, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Kevin Grillo, Corpus Christi, TX; Jerry Henry, Corpus Christi, TX; Mike Harkins, Cedar Park, TX; Larry Anderson, Horseshoe Bay, TX.

Hogan:  ($26/each)  2 -- Scott Thompson, Helotes, TX; Kevin Fontenot, Corpus Christi, TX; Steve Pond, Tulia, Texas. 1 -- John Heintz, San Antonio, TX; Joshua Rocha, San Antonio, TX; Matt Purgahn, Orange, TX.

Senior Hogan:  ($15/each)  4 -- Paul Wuerdeman, San Antonio, TX. 2 -- Robert Sullivan, Houston, TX; Servando Perez, Cedar Park, TX; Steve Wade, Boerne, TX. 1 -- Larry Susen, Austin, TX; Bob Tuttle, Kingsland, TX.

Sarazen:  ($46/each)  3 -- Michael Betzale, Live Oak, TX. 1 -- Carlos Cruz, San Antonio, TX; Damian Shipley, Corpus Christi, TX; Jay Mills, Driftwood, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($22/each)  3 -- Mackie Crossan, Abilene, TX; John Maywald, Boerne, TX. 2 -- Ben Maytubby, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX. 1 -- Michael Hirsch, Giddings, TX.


Jones / Snead:  ($44/each)  1 -- Ramon Colen, San Antonio, TX; Steve Snyder, South Bend, IN; Annette Crossan, Abilene, TX; Dickie Clement, Runaway Bay, TX; Phil Lewis, San Antonio, TX.


CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

$150/each:  #3 - Steve Synder - 8' 10";  #8 -  Jay Mills - 2' 9";  #12 - Mike Harkins - 2";  #16 - Chuck Odom - 9'.



NEXT UP:

Dallas Tour -  Classic at the Indian Creek Golf Club, on Sunday, February 25th, SOLD OUT.   March 10th Frisco Lakes Challenge is SOLD OUT, waiting list spots are available.   

March 17th event at Winstar, the St. Paddy's Day Championship, is available for registration and is a TEXAS TOUR EVENT, and points available for year-end awards.

Hill Country Tour -  Only waiting list spots remain for the Prelude - San Antonio Open on Friday, March 2nd, with a registration deadline of Friday, February 23rd at 11:59 PM CST.

Houston Tour -  Southwyck Golf Club for the Pearland Classic on Saturday, February 24th, registration closed.  March 11th, the tour travels back to Cinco Ranch for the Katy Classic, entries close on Friday, March 2nd.


Major Championships Open for Registration - (Majors that will be included in the 2018 Texas Tour Flight Champion year-end awards)

NW Arkansas Open at Bellavista - April 21st and 22nd.  Spots available.

Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay - June 23-24th. Spots available.

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