Devil's Backbone - Battle @ Blanco

Scott R Chilcutt, Blanco, TX  (April 20, 2013)   The scenic drive looping through the Texas Hill Country's Edwards Plateau known as the Devil's Backbone begins and ends just south of Blanco, TX near the Rockin' J Ranch development, home to this year's Battle at Blanco on the Golf Channel Am Tour Texas Hill Country Tour. 

"Vaaler Creek boasts variety and playability between San Antonio and Austin" as seen last year on Golfchannel.com, is far from easy or for that matter easy to find.  One player stated, "do you search for these courses by helicopter?", while a few locals proclaimed, "this is the areas best kept secret".  In reality, no aerial searches or payoffs to locals, but it came to our attention after a round last fall at nearby River Crossing when two of our members highly recommended the layout. 

Beautifully conditioned undulating greens, tight pin placements and breezy conditions proved devilish for the full field of 96 players. Late entry, Tim Haverly of San Antonio, took home the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving.  

RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  Richard Perez of San Antonio doubled the par 4 - 14th, but backed it up with four straight pars to force extra holes with fellow San Antonio first year player Matthew Brandt.   On the first hole approach to the green, Brandt injured his hand by an apparent rock lodged under the ball, opening the door to the first win on tour for Perez.  First time tour player Andre van der Post of Buda, TX rounded out the top three.

Palmer Flight:  San Antonio, TX member Dave Davlin  played his final thirteen holes in +1 with a birdie on the par 5 - 8th to get into a playoff with Brack Blackwood of Grandbury, TX.  On the second extra hole, Blackwood finished off the win to pick up his seventh win on tour and first of the year with three players two strokes back.  Craig Hart of Killeen, TX, Randy McGinnis of San Antonio, TX and Coupland, TX resident Chris Wadle shared the third place finish.

Senior Palmer Flight:   Creeping up the leader board with a runner up finish his last time out and a previous third place at the Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay, Robert Lippert of Copperas Cove, TX took home his first trophy on the AM Tour.  Lippert played the back nine in +2 and carded the only birdie of the day on the difficult par 4 - 18th for a four stroke advantage over Frank Davis of San Antonio. Also from San Antonio, Paul Wuerdeman finished in the show position two strokes back of Davis.

Hogan Flight:   Tim Haverly of San Antonio, TX picked up his tenth win on tour and first since the 2011 Fall Season - Event 2 by four strokes in front of a trio tied in the runner up spot.  A flight best +3 on the back nine put San Antonio member Bill Troutz in the three way tie with Michael Campbell of New Braunfels, TX and Derrick Matthews of Killeen, TX.

Senior Hogan Flight:  Liberty Hill, TX first year player Mike Ozga grabbed his first win in two attempts on tour.  Ozga went +1 over the last seven holes to best Houston Tour member Daryl Epperson by one stroke. Runner up Epperson held a two stroke advantage over fellow Houston Tour member Bill Mathews who carded the only birdie on the tough green at #9 and Terry Dennis of Schertz, TX.

Sarazen Flight:  Rene Realme of San Antonio, TX made it two for three in playoffs with a sudden death playoff win with Ronnie Davis of Converse, TX.  Davis made par on the eighteenth hole to help force the tie when Realme tripled the tricky over water par 4.  John Heintz of San Antonio, birdied the par 4 - 7th and followed with an eagle three on the par 5 - 8th to finish three strokes back in the third place position.

Senior Sarazen:  San Antonio resident, Alfredo Garcia took advantage of a birdie on the par 5 - 8th hole to claim his first win on tour.  Two strokes back, traveling Dallas Tour member Rick Allaire held on to tie up the second place finish with Gene Rampy of Bastrop, TX after Rampy parred the final three holes to go with three birdies on the day.

Jones Flight:   Mark Rivera became the third, first time time winner living in San Antonio on the day.  Rivera held on for a two stroke win over Houston Tour traveler Alan Brumley of Atascocita, TX with Austin resident, Charles Cox rounding out the top three.

Snead Flight:  San Antonio player Carlos Cruz became a two time winner on tour.  Cruz the winner at the 2012 Texas Masters at Barton Creek carded eight pars on the day for a seven stroke advantage over Rickie Franklin of Fischer, TX.  One stroke back of Franklin, Mark Colwell of San Antonio and Somerville, TX member Myron Brown shared the third place honors.  
 





SKINS:

Giant Skins:  2 -- Mark Greene, Austin, TX; Robert Lippert, Copperas Cove, TX; Brack Blackwood, Granbury, TX. 1 -- Chris Wadle, Coupland , TX; Joe Benzing, Midland, TX; Bill Mathews, Houston, TX.

Championship / Palmer / Senior Palmer:  3 -- Chris Wadle, Coupland , TX. 2 -- Mark Greene, Austin, TX; Robert Lippert, Copperas Cove, TX; Brack Blackwood, Granbury, TX. 1 -- Randy McGinnis, San Antonio, TX.

Hogan / Senior Hogan:  2 -- Joe Benzing, Midland, TX. 1 -- Christopher Timmerman, Georgetown Texas; Darrell Wilson, Georgetown, TX; Bill Mathews, Houston, TX.

Sarazen / Senior Sarazen:  1 -- John Heintz, San Antonio, TX; Kirby Rogers, Muldrow, OK.

Jones:  1 -- Jerry Thompson, San Antonio, TX; William Speck, Corpus Christi, TX; David Castillo, San Antonio, TX; James Price, Corpus Christi Tx.

Snead:  2 -- Carlos Cruz, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Mark Colwell, San Antonio, TX; Thomas Kerwin, Pflugerville, TX; Ramon Colen, San Antonio, TX.   

Next Up: After a break for the Missouri Valley Championship, The scheduled Dallas / Hill Country Clash has been canceled due to course conditions. The Hill Country Tour will be back in Kerrville for the Mr. Nelson Open at Riverhill on May 11th.   Dallas Tour members will tee it up next for the Bobcat Open at Texas Star on May 19th.  The Oklahoma Tour will resume play on May 11th at the Valley View Invitational in Farmington, AR.

Scott R Chilcutt

Tour Director
Dallas / Fort Worth Tour - Hill Country Tour - Oklahoma Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467 - 972.302.9478
schilcutt@gcamtour.com

RKL Financial Management to Present Hill Country Tour Player of The Year Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RKL Financial Management to Present Hill Country Tour Player of The Year Awards

Hill Country Tour Flight Leaders will be awarded Bridgestone Staff bags at the Tour Championship

Waco, TX (March 28, 2013)  The Hill Country Tour announced today that RKL Financial Management, Waco, TX has joined the tour to present the Player of the Year Awards.  Merit Points leaders in each flight will be presented with a customized Bridgestone Staff bag with the players name and 2013 Flight Champion embroidered on the front pocket.  Awards will be presented after the final 2013 points year event, the Tour Championship @ La Cantera Golf Resort in August.

“Kyle Lewie, the founder of RKL has been a member since October, 2010 and has been a great supporter of the Tour” noted Scott R Chilcutt, Hill Country Tour Director.  Chilcutt continues, “In addition to playing in 20 events during that time, Kyle has referred many players now active on the circuit, not to mention cooking the staff great steak dinners when we have visited Waco.”

“We looked at all aspects of sponsorship possibilities with the Golf Channel Am Tour Hill Country Tour and it was evident that the Player of the Year Award was directly in line with the financial advice to our customers”, stated Lewie.  “Player longevity, diversity of shot making skills and ultimately, performance over the points year is what crowns a Player of the Year and we are proud to support that effort”, added Kyle.

About RKL Financial Management:   After 23 years as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, Kyle Lewie of Waco, TX was bound and determined to find a better way to work for the customer.   With extreme stockholder pressure from the big banks, he was certain that those organizations were working for the stockholders and not the customers.   While even the largest companies must perform for the customer, at the end of the day it’s what shows up in the annual report that matter and RKL has set out to work for the customer success.  RKL Financial launched in the fall of 2012 supported by LPL Financial, Inc. to make the investors money work for financial health and well being.

About Golf Channel AM Tour
Golf Channel Am Tour is managed and operated by Golf Channel.  As the largest amateur golf tour in North America with more than 6,500 members, the Golf Channel Am Tour is open to the public and provides the most professional tournament experience for players of all ages and abilities, as well as offering unparalleled access to some of the most renowned and challenging golf courses across the country. Broken up into 60 local chapters throughout North America, the Golf Channel Am Tour conducts more than 800 local championships and 25 "Major" Championships throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information on the Golf Channel Am Tour and the national championships, visit www.gcamtour.com

 For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt

Tour Director
Dallas / Fort Worth Tour - Hill Country Tour - Oklahoma Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467 - 972.302.9478
schilcutt@gcamtour.com

Stiff Northerly Welcome Players to Teravista

Scott R Chilcutt, Round Rock, TX (March 24, 2013)  With a quick ascent up the hill from I-35 and the Round Rock Premium Outlets the Teravista Golf Club just north of Austin was the home of the 2013 Round Rock Open on the Hill Country Tour.  Beautiful Saturday afternoon practice rounds gave way to an overnight northerly front that wreaked havoc on the panhandle of Texas and previous points north with a major cool down while wind advisories were issued for the Hill Country.  Sustained winds around 30 mph with 40+ mph gusts, not only kept the opening tee tents in the trailer, it created chaos on the golf course. 

The sold out field hunkered down and made the best of the conditions to crown the flight champions in ten flights, along with the reintroduction of the Tournament Champion Trophy and Giant Skins.  Giant skins went to players from the Hogan, Sarazen and Snead flights while the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving went to Leonard Linkes of San Antonio.



RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  27 year old Matthew Brandt of San Antonio, TX made the most of his first time out on tour, going out in +4, he rebounded to come back to the clubhouse in +1.  With three birdies on the day, Brandt edged out another San Antonio player Richard Perez by a stroke.  Perez, even par on the back with a couple of birdies, built a four stroke advantage over Boerne, TX member Chris Daniluck.

Palmer Flight:  Craig Hart of Killeen, TX started his Am Tour career at the March 2012 The Teravista Open with a second place finish.  Three events later, got close in a five way playoff, but it took a return to Teravista to hoist a trophy for the first time.  Hart played the back nine in -1 with a final hole birdie to clinch a three stroke advantage over Tony Eno of Fort Worth.  Eno took the first hole to wake up with a double, went +5 for the remainder of the round to stay clear of third place San Antonio, TX member Dave Davlin by four strokes.

Senior Palmer Flight:  First year player, Randy Rollo of Waco, TX became a two time winner after winning in his second event at the December Winter Classic - Hill Country Tour.  Copperas Cove, TX resident Robert Lippert followed up a National Championship qualifying third place finish at the Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay with his best finish on tour, two strokes clear of a pair knotted in the show position.  Houston Tour traveler Allan Collier of Sugarland TX and San Antonio's Frank Davis shared the third place honors.

Hogan Flight:   Starting on the tenth hole, nearby Leander, TX  player Bryan Wood kept a relatively clean score card on his front nine, birdied the 1st, 3rd and 5th on his back nine to build a cushion before struggling over  his last four holes to win his eleventh event on tour and second of the year.  While work has dipped into his tour schedule, one stroke back,  Brian Cox of Killeen, TX recorded his second runner up finish of the year, in two attempts.   San Antonio, TX member Tim Haverly finished three strokes back of Cox to round out the top three.

Senior Hogan Flight:   Dallas Tour member Randy Sellers of Lewisville, TX picked up his fourth win on tour and second at a Hill Country event.   Sellers a winner at the 2012 Austin - Nicklaus Open birdied his first hole on the day into the blowing north wind for a three stroke advantage over 2012 Senior Sarazen Flight National Champion,  Bob Tuttle of Kingsland, TX.  Tuttle played his back nine in +4 to hold out a four stroke edge over third place finisher Terry Dennis of Shertz, TX.

Sarazen Flight:    Rene Realme had a two stroke lead going to the final hole, but a triple opened the playoff door for fellow San Antonio, TX member Devin Brown and Austin, TX player Tony Smith.  Starting on the tenth hole Brown, playing alongside Smith, trailed the entire round until his birdie on the par 3 - 7th.  The pair matched over the last two holes and teed it up with Realme for the sudden death, where Brown would par to snatch his fifth win on tour and second in as many attempts. Daniel Mcgrath holed out from the fairway for eagle 2 on the par 4 - 13th to collect one of the giant skins.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  New Braunfels, TX resident Mike Allman, clearly likes the Teravista layout, defending his 2012 Championship for his third win on tour.  Allman's only other Am Tour win came at the presigioius 2010 Texas Open MAJOR at Barton Creek. He commanded a five stroke victory over Nicky Baugh of Alto, TX.  Baugh, with a birdie on the dogleg right par 4 -2nd stayed clear by two strokes over a pair of Austin residents, Gregg Smith and Homer Turbeville sharing the third place honors.

Jones Flight:  Houston Tour member Artis Stewart became a three time winner with all three coming this points season.  Stewart a winner at the Las Vegas Vintage Golf Classic along with the HOU - Cinco Ranch Holiday Classic was able to hold on to a three stroke win over New Jersey native Joshua Barron now residing in nearby Cedar Park, TX.  Barron's first hole birdie edged out Xavier Bardy of San Antonio, TX and Austin tour member Aaron Seafous tied for third.

Senior Jones Flight:  With four third place finishes on the year, including the Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay,  Tom Stockton of Euless, TX grabbed his first win on tour.  Stockton handled the wind to stave off two players,  Thomas West of Giddings, TX and Victoria, TX first year member  John Thomas  sharing the runner up finish.

Snead Flight:  Myron Brown of Somerville, TX would birdie the par 4 - 9th and par 3 -15th to take home some flight and giant skins cash, but wasn't able to overtake a consistent Christopher Johnson of Duncanville, TX.  Johnson carded his third win in as many attempts with Kyle, TX member Larry Atchley rounding out the top three.




SKINS:
Giant Skins: 2 -- Bryan Wood, Leander, TX. 1 -- Myron Brown, Somerville, TX; Daniel Mcgrath, Austin, TX.

Championship / Palmer / SR Palmer:  2 -- Dave Davlin, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Matthew Brandt, San Antonio, TX; Paul Wuerdeman, San Antonio, TX; Jake Morton, Ft. Hood, TX.

Hogan / Senior Hogan:  3 -- Bryan Wood, Leander, TX. 1 -- Joe Benzing, Midland, TX; Mike Ozga, Liberty Hill, TX; Gene Rampy, Bastrop, TX; Russ Cornell, Cibolo, TX; Randy Sellers, Lewisville, TX.

Sarazen / Senior Sarazen:  1 -- Gregg Smith, Austin, TX; Rene Realme, San Antonio, TX; John Heintz, San Antonio, TX; Daniel Mcgrath, Austin, TX; Kirby Rogers, Muldrow, OK.

Jones / Senior Jones:  2 -- Joshua Barron, Cedar Park, TX.  1 -- David Castillo, San Antonio, TX; Thomas West, Giddings, TX; John Thomas, Victoria, TX; Robert Glittenberg, Rowlett, TX.

Snead / Senior Snead:  2 -- Myron Brown, Somerville, TX. 1 -- Thomas Kerwin, Pflugerville, TX; Mark Colwell, San Antonio, TX.

Next Up:  Hill Country Tour visits Vaaler Creek Golf Club for the first time at the Battle at Blanco on April 20th.   The Dallas Tour resumes action at the Frisco Lakes Challenge on March 30th at The Golf Club at Frisco Lakes and the Oklahoma Tour backs up the opener with the Forest Ridge Classic in Broken Arrow, OK on March 30th.

For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt

Tour Director
Dallas / Fort Worth Tour - Hill Country Tour - Oklahoma Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467 - 972.302.9478
schilcutt@gcamtour.com

Play Ready Golf

Scott R Chilcutt, Edmond, OK (March 11, 2013) During a recent event on the Dallas tour, we had four groups (16 players) penalized for violating the Golf Channel Am Tour pace of play policy. Penalties may clearly change the outcome of the event, take you or members of your group out of a skin and cost points and awards.

Tour Players that have competed in a Dallas, Hill Country or Oklahoma tour event that I’ve directed may have noticed “Play Ready Golf” printed rather large on the bottom of the “Notice to Contestants”.

The rules of golf define the proper Order of Play with USGA Rule 10-2 during stroke play. That rule however, offers no penalties unless playing out of turn creates an advantage. On the tee, honors; everywhere else, the player within a group who is away (farthest from the hole) hits first.

“Ready golf allows the golfers within a group to take their shots when each member of the group is ready to play. If you reach your ball and are ready to hit, while other members of your group are not yet prepared, then go ahead and hit - even if you are not away.

Here are just a few tips to help speed up play to make your day more enjoyable and keep you off the clock. Be sure to understand that none of the tips have anything to do with rushing your play, but rather help keep you out of a “rush”situation when you get behind.

TEE BOX

• On the tee, pay attention to your partners' drives. If they lose sight of their ball, you can help direct them to it and avoid any searching.

• If you are unsure about the club you’ll play off the tee, bring three, one on each side of your expected play so you’ll have other options readily available.

• Carry an extra golf ball, tees and ball markers in your pocket so you never have to return to your golf bag to find one when needed.

• If you are unsure whether your ball has come to rest out of bounds, or may be lost outside of a hazard, notify your playing partners that you intend to hit a provisional ball and tee it up again so that you won't have to return to the spot to replay the shot.

FAIRWAY

• When two players are riding in a cart, drive the cart to the first ball and drop off the first player with his choice of clubs. The second player should proceed in the cart to his ball. After the first player hits his stroke, he should begin walking toward the cart as the second golfer is playing.

• All players should GO TO THEIR BALLS as soon as possible. The only time players should wait for other players is if the first player's ball is in front of the other players' in such a way that the other players could be hit by the first player's shot.

• Help other players locate lost balls, but do it AFTER playing your shot not before.

GREEN

• Never park the cart in front of the green. Park it only to the side or behind the green. And don't mark your scorecard while sitting in the cart next to the green (do it at the next tee). These practices open up the green for the group behind.

• When chipping around the green, carry both the club you'll be chipping with plus your putter so you don't have to return to the bag.

• Begin reading the green and lining up putts as soon as you reach the green. Don't wait until it's your turn to putt to start the process of reading the green. Do it as soon as you reach the green so that when it's your turn you can step right up and putt.

• Finish out short putts if you won’t be in another players line or through line. Notify the group that “I’ll finish” and make your putts consecutively.

Navigating around the golf course in an efficient manner will help speed the game, won’t cause you any rushing problems when Marshall's put you on the clock and will help keep you out of penalty situations.


For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt

Tour Director
Dallas / Fort Worth Tour - Hill Country Tour - Oklahoma Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467 - 972.302.9478
schilcutt@gcamtour.com

6 Hill Country Players Punch Tickets National Championships - Texas Open

Two Hill Country Winners, Six Others Get National Championship Qualifications

Scott R Chilcutt, Horseshoe Bay, TX (March 3, 2013) The 2013 Texas Open, in its third year at the scenic Horseshoe Bay Resort, on the shores of Lake LBJ in the Texas Hill Country welcomed players from 19 states, representing 22 Tours for the first Major of the year in the Central part of the country.

Excellent, over seeded course conditions, fast and smooth greens along with favorable yardages and a local rule for out of bounds didn't seem to help the scoring. In the over 368 rounds played, nearly a third (29%) of the scores met or exceeded the century mark with only TWO rounds recording sub 80 scores. None of the flights were exempt from the difficult scoring conditions, with the Championship Flight averaging +18 on first day at the par 71 - Ram Rock Golf Course and +14 on the par 72 Apple Rock layout to finish out the event.

Through the challenges, 35 players received 2013 National Championship invitations and the participants raised over $1,400 for the Feherty's Troops First Foundation.

Results:

Championshp Flight: With a pair of 83's and a T7 finish at last years Texas Open, Missouri City, TX member Lynn Cormier would have won the event this year. Cormier bettered that result, opening with a +7 - 78 to lead wire to wire for his second Major Championship and twelfth win on the Am Tour. Playing in the second to last grouping on the final day, Terry Rice of Midland, TX matched Cormier's final round and jumped up two spots to finish in the runner up position. Boerne, TX member Chris Daniluck jumped two spots himself in route to the final National Championship qualification of the flight.

Palmer Flight: Jake Morton finished with a seven stroke advantage en route to his second win in as many attempts and fourth on tour. Morton, carded four birdies on the day to seal his win over Lufkin, TX player and Houston Tour member Frank Wallace. Wallace, just one stroke back after the first round, started the day matching Morton's 10th hole (first of the day) birdie, but couldn't keep it going during the latter holes on both sides. Tino Flores, Houston, TX, edged out a couple of players in front of him on the final day to solidify a top three finish.

Senior Palmer Flight: Two Oklahoma Tour members, tied up in the second spot, four strokes back after the first round battled it out for the championship on Sunday. Beginning the day on the 10th hole, Clayton Badger of Drumright, OK started out his first two and ended his first two holes rocky, falling short of Sapulpa, OK member Curt Howard by a single stroke. Howard battled through a tweaked back in the latter holes to pick up his ninth win on tour and second Major Championship. Overcoming a first nine penalty stroke, Robert Lippert of Copperas Cove, TX went even par with three birdies on his back nine to jump two spots and finish with a National Championship invite. Randy Rollo of Waco, TX carded four birdies on the final round to record the only sub 80 round on the Apple Rock course, finishing in the fourth spot.

Hogan Flight: Bill Troutz of San Antonio, TX started the day two strokes back of the first round leader, Argyle, TX first year player Greg Hawkins. Beginning the round on the third hole of the Ram Rock shotgun, Troutz parred his first three to go up a stroke, ran into mid round troubles, but added a birdie at the par 5 - 14th to ultimately force a playoff. On the 39th hole of the weekend, Hawkins finished out the Championship for his first win on Tour. Aaron Brougher of Spring, TX finished out in the show position for his ticket to the Nationals.

Sarazen Flight: Overnight first round leaders, John Heintz of San Antonio, TX and Las Vegas, NV traveler George Yocum couldn't decide the finish on the second day. The pair started out the day on the 8th hole, where Heintz would take a three stroke lead, then give two back on the 9th. Yocum birdied the par 4 -18th, but let Heintz battle back over the closing holes to force the extended play. During the sudden death playoff Yocum would pick up his first Major Championship and second win on tour. Jon Wendt took eleven strokes off his first day total to edge out the fourth place finisher by a single stroke.

Senior Sarazen Flight: Austin, TX member Homer Turbeville completed the low round of the flight on the final day by five strokes to finish four strokes ahead of a pair tied up in the runner up position. Turbeville, picked up his third win on tour with two birdies on the day and five for the event over Waterville, ME native Lee Brunell now residing in Houston and Mansfield, TX member John Cox sharing the runner up honors and National Championship invites.

 

Next Up:  Hill Country gets back to the course for the Round Rock Open on March 24th. while the Dallas Tour resumes action at the Indian Creek Golf Course on March 9th for the Classic at the Creek. The Oklahoma Tour kicks off the year at the March 16th Kickingbird Challenge.

For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt

Tour Director

Dallas / Fort Worth Tour - Hill Country Tour - Oklahoma Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467 - 972.302.9478
schilcutt@gcamtour.com