Hill Country Tour Crowns Tour Championships - 2018

Scott R Chilcutt, San Antonio, TX (August 12, 2018)  The AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, home to the Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour, played host to the first round of the 2018 Hill Country Tour Championship.  Unlike most other TPC layouts, this track uses the natural landscape and ultimate trouble that comes along with the trees and native areas.  Add to that the extremely tough green complexes and it makes for a long, hard day in the Summer heat of the Hill Country.

Then the 2018 Hill Country Tour season ended with a brief downpour and nearly hour-long lightning delay for those not lucky enough to be finished with there round on Sunday at the AT & T Canyon course.  Add to a tough golf challenge, the nerves of National and Senior National Championship qualifications, along with Tour Championship awards, it seemed only fitting that players would need to have the patience to prevail this weekend. 

RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  After finishing T7, his first time out at Barton Creek, just two weeks before Pat DiCosimo of San Antonio, TX, made the most of this go round.  DiCosimo, with four birdies on the weekend, finished his final round at -1, for the start to finish win.  Two strokes back after the Saturday round, Copperas Cove, TX, member Rusty Lippert, took five strokes off of his Saturday round on Sunday, with the help of three birdies, but couldn't keep pace with the Champion, finishing four strokes back.  Zach Winkler of Midland, TX, rounded out the top three with four birdies over the 36 hole event.

Palmer Flight:  San Antonio, TX, member Ron Finnerty, came back from a two-stroke deficit after the first day, with the help of a birdie on the par 4 - 9th to pick up his third win of the season and fifteenth on tour.  Four strokes back after eighteen, Rene Realme of San Antonio, TX, matched his first-day results on the final round with three birdies, to share the runner-up finish with Midland, TX, player Brannon Smith after Smith, who started hot on Saturday with four birdies, came back to the field on Sunday.

Hogan Flight:  Fernando Davila, of San Antonio, TX, off the tour since April 2017, came back with a vengeance to lead from wire to wire for his fourth win on tour.  Davila, with three birdies on the weekend, finished just one stroke clear of The Woodlands, TX, Houston Tour traveler, Rafa Rivera by one stroke.  Rivera, with three birdies of his own on the Championship, cleared third-place finisher, Les Costales of San Antonio, TX, by eight strokes. 

Senior Hogan Flight:  Five strokes out of the lead following his round at the Oaks Course, Steve Wade of Boerne, TX, kicked it into gear on Sunday.  Wade, finished his final round, at +5 for the low flight round of the weekend, with three birdies to win his fourth Championship on tour and fifth on tour.  First-round leader, Rockwall, TX, member Joesph Roy, with a pair of birdies on the weekend, slid into the runner-up finish, while Scott Striegel of Southlake, TX, took twelve strokes off his first-round finish to jump up the leaderboard to round out the top three.

Sarazen Flight:  Knotted up after the first round at the Oaks Course, Larry Atchley of Kyle, TX, and San Marcos, TX, member Tommy Mobley finished in the one-two spots, with Mobley coming out on top for his second win on his first season on tour.  Three strokes out of second place, Houston Tour traveler, Joe Michetti, another player to take twelve strokes off his first round total, jumped into sole position of the last podium spot.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Houston Tour player, Jim Craig of San Felipe, TX, took a big lead into the final round and never looked back.  Craig, with four birdies during the event, finished four strokes clear for his fourth win of the season and second in as many attempts after taking the Championship at The Texas Classic at Barton Creek.  In the second place spot after the first round at The Oaks, fellow Houston Tour traveler, Bruce LeGrand fought back for a few strokes but could make up the difference finishing in the runner-up spot.  Rounding out the top three, Abilene, TX, member Mackie Crossan, was low found on Sunday to jump up the leaderboard.

Jones Flight:  Georgetown, TX, player Evan Kirkpatrick, took a comfortable three-stroke advantage into the final round on Sunday, with a birdie on the round.  Kirkpatrick would add another birdie on an eagle three at the par 5 - 12th to pick up his second win on tour and first of the season.  DFW Tour traveler, Doyle Fleming of Haslet, TX, with two birdies on Sunday, finished, in the runner-up spot, with San Antonio, TX, member Larry Harper rounding out the top three.

Snead Flight:  Pete Acosta of Alamo, TX, extended his one-stroke lead after eighteen holes, to seven-strokes and a certain, Flight Promotion, on Sunday.  For Acosta, it was his fourth win in his first year on tour.  Selma, TX, player Mark Colwell, with a birdie on the par 4 - 11th on Saturday, took home the runner-up finish, with Dan O'Shea of Copperas Cove, TX, taking the third and final podium spot.






SKINS:
Round 1:

Giant SKINS:  ($70/each)  1 -- Jim Craig, San Felipe, TX; Marshall Durrett, Austin, TX; Rich Fox, Peoria, AZ; Robert Lippert, Copperas Cove, TX; Keith McKelvy, Granbury, TX; Brannon Smith, Midland, TX; Scott Striegel, Southlake, TX; Steve Wade, Boerne, TX; Zack Winkler, Midland, TX.

Championship/Palmer:  ($68/each)  2 -- Keith McKelvy, Granbury, TX; Zack Winkler, Midland, TX. 1 -- Robert Lippert, Copperas Cove, TX.

Hogan:  ($52/each)  3 -- Rafa Rivero, The Woodlands, TX. 1 -- Marshall Durrett, Austin, TX; Brian Gow, Mansfield, TX.

Senior Hogan:  ($28/each)  2 -- Steve Wade, Boerne, TX. 1 -- L C Alexander, Fort Worth, TX; Dale Fuhr, Missouri City, TX; Manny Martinez, Ranger, TX; Joseph Roy, Rockwall, TX; Scott Striegel, Southlake, TX.

Sarazen:  ($44/each)  1 -- Xavier Bardy, San Antonio, TX; Michael Betzale, Live Oak, TX; Tim Davis, Yukon, OK; Tommy Mobley, San Marcos, TX; Bill Speck, Corpus Christi, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($22/each)  4 -- Jim Craig, San Felipe, TX. 2 -- Rich Fox, Peoria, AZ. 1 -- Bruce LeGrand, Houston, TX; Tres Paxton, Boerne, TX.

Jones:  ($31/each)  2 -- Marvin Hill, Abilene, TX. 1 -- Tony Davila, San Antonio, TX; Larry Harper, San Antonio, TX; Evan Kirkpatrick, Georgetown, TX; Gregg Singhaus, New Braunfels, TX; John Stahlschmidt, San Antonio TX.

Snead:  ($40/each)  2 -- Mark Colwell, Selma, TX. 1 -- Pete Acosta, Alamo, TX; Ramon Colen, San Antonio, TX; Charles Mielak, Mico, TX; Bill Russell, San Antonio, TX.



Round 2:

Giant SKINS:  ($150/each)  2 -- Steve Wade, Boerne, TX. 1 -- Gabriel Brisco, Mesquite, TX; Robert Lippert, Copperas Cove, TX.

Championship/Palmer:  ($55/each)  2 -- Pat DiCosimo, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Gabriel Brisco, Mesquite, TX; Kevin Burkett, Portland, TX; Rene Realme, San Antonio, TX; John Williamson, Tolar, TX.

Hogan:  ($48/each)  3 -- Rafa Rivero, The Woodlands, TX. 1 -- Marshall Durrett, Austin, TX; James Price, Portland, TX.

Senior Hogan:  ($25/each)  3 -- Steve Wade, Boerne, TX. 1 -- L C Alexander, Fort Worth, TX; Allan Collier, Austin, TX; Scott Striegel, Southlake, TX; Timothy VanLandingham, Portland, TX.

Sarazen:  ($25/each)  1 -- Larry Atchley, Kyle, TX; Michael Betzale, Live Oak, TX; Tim Davis, Yukon, OK; C.D. Dunem, San Antonio, TX; Kendall Hisey, Cedar Park, TX; Joe Michetti, Montgomery, TX; Bill Speck, Corpus Christi, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($35/each)  3 -- Mackie Crossan, Abilene, TX. 1 -- Jim Craig, San Felipe, TX; Tres Paxton, Boerne, TX.

Jones:  ($110/each)  1 -- Doyle Fleming, Haslet, TX; Evan Kirkpatrick, Georgetown, TX.

Snead:  ($34/each)  1 -- Ramon Colen, San Antonio, TX; Annette Crossan, Abilene, TX; Gene Hanley, San Antonio, TX; Jack Iglesias, Killeen, TX; Charles Mielak, Mico, TX; Jim Price, San Antonio, TX; Bill Russell, San Antonio, TX.





CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

Round 1:

$170/each:  #3 - Rich Fox - HOLE IN ONE;  #7 - Jason Leavelle - 5' 6";  #13 - Scott Striegel - 6' 8 1/2";  #16 - Bill Russell - 2' 8".

Round 2:

$170/each:  #4 - Rusty Lippert - 8' 8";  #8 - Keith McKelvy - 2' 10";  #13 - Gabe Brisco - 6' 1";  #16 - Bill Speck - 2' 5".





NEXT UP:

Texas Tour Season Closes With Tour Championship Month!


Houston Tour -  The Houston Tour Championship at Woodforest, with arguably the best greens in Texas,  on August 18th and 19th.  Entry closes on Friday, August 10th. 

Dallas Tour -   Back to Bridlewood in Flower Mound for the DFW Tour Championship, on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 25th.  SOLD OUT with waiting list spots available.  

National and Senior National Championships coming up in September in California.

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

Tune-Up for the Texas Classic - Championship @ Falconhead

Scott R Chilcutt, Austin, TX, (July 27, 2018)    The last single-day event of the points season on the Hill Country Tour was held at Falconhead Golf Club.  The special Friday event, booked as the Prelude to the Texas Classic at Barton Creek, allowed players to test and tune for the weekend Major Championship, with 80 of the 98 players in the event starting a three, in three day weekend. 

The heat was the beginning of what was to come along the Canyons and Foothills of Barton Creek over the weekend.  Great course conditions, with the ability to learn something about Hill Country greens and the subtleness of the breaks, proved to be a perfect way to tune for the Major Championship.
The winner of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $700, with Texas Tour events total raised to $20,120 contributed to the Foundation in 2018.


RESULTS:

Championship Flight: First-year players dominate the top three at Falconhead. San Antonio, TX, player Ricky Agosto, went out at -1 with two birdies and made the turn coming to the clubhouse with another birdie, to finish + 1 - 73 for his second win on tour.  On stroke back, Sean Murray of Bandera, TX, with four birdies on his round, three on the back nine, charged up the leaderboard for his best finish, of the season, with Plano, TX, member Peter Hagen, two back of Murray, with the help of a birdie on the par 5 - 9th.

Palmer Flight:  The pair of Rodney Baumgartner of Horseshoe Bay, TX, with three birdies and San Antonio, TX, member Ron Finnerty, with two of his own, both had very colorful scorecards.  The only thing that mattered was they finished the round at the top of their flight.  Back to the par 4 - 10th for the playoff it would only take one in the sudden death for Finerty to pick up his fifteenth win on tour and second of the season.  Two strokes back of the leaders, Stephen Labay of Austin, TX, and Round Rock, TX, resident Jorge Rodriguez, shared the third place honors.

Senior Palmer Flight:  Tour travelers take the top spots in the Senior Palmer Flight.  With two birdies on his round, Middletown, OH, resident Gary Cobb, grabbed his first win of the season and seventeenth on tour.  Four strokes back, Michael Foster of Catoosa, OK finished in the runner-up spot, with Baton Rouge, LA, member, Jerry Goss, with the help of a birdie on the par 3 -4th and Steve Case of Macon, GA, sharing the third place finish.

Hogan Flight:  Tampa, FL, traveler William Dawsey, with a birdie on the par 4 - 1st, commanded his first tour win of the season.  Dawsey, starting in the Snead Flight in 2011, has now progressed three flights to pick up the fifteenth win of his career.  Five strokes back, DFW Tour member, Michael Schmidt of Rowlett, TX, finished in the second place spot, all alone, with York, Ontario, player Jeff Lundy and Shawn Whitaker of Lewisville, TX, sharing the final showplace honors.

Senior Hogan Flight:  A third of the flight ends up in a sudden-death playoff with four players headed back to the par 4 - 10th.  Ken Johnson of Carrollton, TX, and Austin, TX, member Alan Collier were the first out at the tenth, then Paul Atkinson of Bryan, TX, was able to finalize the finish, over Duluth, GA, player Winston Robinson.  Atkinson, with two birdies in regulation, picked up his second win, in his first season on tour.

Sarazen Flight:  Outgoing Arkansas Tour Director, Steve Rutherford of Bentonville, AR, recently relocated to NE Missouri, with a birdie on the par 4 - 1st, picked up his first win of the season and fifth on tour, in limited play because of those Director duties. San Marco, TX, member Tommy Mobley, with a birdie on the par 3 - 11th, shared the third place finish, with Xavier Bardy of San Antonio, TX.

Senior Sarazen Flight:   Abilene, TX, member Mackie Crossan (not to be confused with Crosson), with a birdie on the par 5 - 14th,  snarred his fifth win of the season and seventh on tour.  With strong finishes of late, Bob Moreau of Rockwall, TX, with a birdie on the same par 5 - 14th, finished two strokes back, with Leawood, KS, traveler Michael Roane, and two birdies on his day, rounding out the top three.

Jones Flight:  2017 Hill Country Tour Player of the Year, Charles Watson of Llano, TX,  nearly ran away from the field, with a five-stroke advantage.  For Watson, it was his second win of the season and sixth on tour.  Sharing the runner-up honors it was, Ian Maggiacomo of Somerset, MA, with a birdie on the par 5 - 12th, and Conroe, TX, player Allen Gumpenberger. 

Senior Jones Flight:  A day full of playoffs, continue when Neil Macdonald of Huntsville, TX, and San Antonio, TX, player Phil Lewis couldn't settle the score in regulation after matching each other's scores on both nine holes.  Back to the course for the sudden death playoff, Lewis would prevail for his eighth win on tour and fifth of the points season.  Larry Harper, of San Antonio, TX, with the help of a birdie on the par 3 - 11th, finished just one stroke out of the playoff for the third-place finish.

Snead Flight:  Houston, TX, player Blake Barnes, picked up his National Championship qualifying third win on the season.  Barnes, along with runner-up finisher, Zane Latham of Valley View, TX, likely to get their additional qualifications through promotions at the beginning of August took the top two spots.  Two strokes back of Latham, Mike Murphy of Corrigan, TX, with a birdie on the par 5 - 14th, rounded out the top three.






SKINS:

Skins GIANT:  ($240/each)  1 -- Sean Murry, Bandera, TX; Ron Finnerty, San Antonio, TX; Garrett Dick, Houston, TX.

Championship/Palmer:  ($25/each)  3 -- Ricky Agosto, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Andrew Williams, College Station, TX; Sean Murray, Bandera, TX; Rodney Baumgartner, Horseshoe Bay, TX; Anthony Desouza, Cypress, TX; Ron Finnerty, San Antonio, TX; John Knight, McAllen, TX.

Senior Palmer:  ($15/each)  2 -- Steve Case, Macon, GA; Gary Cobb, Middletown, OH; Michael Foster, Catoosa, OK. 1 -- Mark Collett, Ludlow, KY; Jerry Goss, Baton Rouge, LA.

Hogan/Senior:  ($80/each)  1 -- Darren Bufton, Bedford, TX; Paul Atkinson, Bryan, TX; Michael Schmidt, Rowlett, TX; Marshall Durrett, Austin, TX; William Dawsey, Tampa, FL.

Sarazen:  ($35/each)  2 -- Garrett Dick, Houston, TX. 1 -- Steve Rutherford, Bentonville, AR; Matt Larson, Spring, TX; Jay Mills, Driftwood, TX; Tommy Mobley, San Marcos, TX; Judy Harris, Abilene, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($80/each)  1 -- Ralph Justiz, Edmond, OK; Bob Koch, Shiprock, NM; Vance Lakey, Hamlin, TX.

Jones/Senior Jones:  ($45/each)  2 -- Evan Kirkpatrick, Georgetown, TX. 1 -- Charles Ackerman, New Caney, TX; Larry Harper, San Antonio, TX; Randy Adcock, Austin, TX; Kevin Crosson, Abilene, TX; Ian Maggiacomo, Somerset, MA; John Grossenbacher, Austin, TX.


Snead:  ($25/each)  2 -- Mike Murphy, Corrigan, TX. 1 -- Blake Barnes, Houston, TX; Zane Latham, Valley View, TX; Jack Iglesias, Killeen, TX; Jennifer Grothaus, Abilene, TX.

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

$177/each:  #4 - Jerry Goss - 2' 8";  #8 - Ricky Agosto - 1';  #11 - Steve Rutherford - 5' 4 1/2";  #16 - Randy Helcel - 9' 1".




NEXT UP:

Texas Tour Season Closes With Tour Championship Month!


Hill Country Tour -  Ready for a true test of your game?  TPC San Antonio and the AT&T Oaks Course and AT&T Canyons Course will host the Hill Country Tour Championship, to be held on Saturday, August 11th and Sunday, August 12th.  REGISTRATION CLOSES THIS Friday, August 3rd. 

Houston Tour -  The Houston Tour Championship at Woodforest, with arguably the best greens in Texas,  on August 18th and 19th.  Entry closes on Friday, August 10th. 


Dallas Tour -   Back to Bridlewood in Flower Mound for the DFW Tour Championship, on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 25th.  Close to a sell out already, registrations will close on Friday, August 17th.   

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