Extremely difficult wind conditions at Moody Gardens, Galveston, TX, made for a challenging day of golf for the GCAmTour-Houston Tour stop.
The Course: Moody Gardens GC, Galveston, TX. The course was in good condition for winter, Paspalum turf throughout with fast and smooth greens running 10+.
The Weather: A beautiful day with sunshine and blue sky. Temperatures were in the low-mid 50’s early in the morning and warmed up rapidly to the mid 60’s. The winds were exceptionally strong throughout the day at +30mph from the NNE and made golfing conditions extremely difficult.
The Tournament:
Championship Flight: Top 5: John Jeffrey (80), Randy Tadlock (84), Babak Mobasheri (87), Chad Carroll (92).
John Jeffrey captured his second consecutive victory in the Championship Flight to start the 2012 season. Jeffrey fired the low round of the tournament, 80, in very difficult conditions. Jeffrey had seven pars and birdies at holes 1 and 11. Randy Tadlock finished runner-up with a round of 84. Tadlock carded five pars and a birdie at the 11th hole. Babak Mobasheri made his tour debut and finished third place with a round of 87. Mobasheri carded nine pars and a birdie at the 7th hole. Chad Carroll finished fourth place with a round of 92, carding three pars on the day.
Palmer Flight: Top 5: Adam Anderson (83), Travis Nichols (84), Sean Streckfus (87), Frank Wallace (88), Tino Flores (89).
Adam Anderson captured his first victory of the season by just one stroke over the field with around of 83. Anderson carded seven pars and birdies at holes 2, 10, and 15. Travis Nichols made his tour debut with a solid runner-up finish and round of 84. Nichols carded six pars and birdies at holes 4, 6, and 17. Sean Streckfus finished with third place honors and round of 87. Streckfus carded seven pars and a birdie at the 4th hole. Frank Wallace finished fourth place with a round of 88. Wallace carded eight pars on the round. Tino Flores finished with fifth place honors and round of 89, including four pars and a birdie at the 8th hole.
Senior Palmer Flight: Top 5: Joe Sublett (84), Walter Menuet (86), Traylor Sells (87), Robert Corbello (89), David Anthony (90).
Joe Sublett captured his first victory of the season with a round of 84, two strokes clear of the field. Sublett carded was steady and managed to card 10 pars on the day. Walter Menuet finished runner-up with a round of 86, carding seven pars and birdies at holes 1 and 10. Traylor Sells finished with third place honors and round of 87, including eight pars. Robert Corbello finished fourth place with a round of 89. Corbello carded four pars and a birdie at the 15th hole. David Anthony finished with fifth place honors and round of 90, including six pars.
Hogan Flight: Top 5: Shawn Didear (88), Jeff Green (89), Roger Masek (90), Jarred Haynes (91), Jeff Stahlhut (92/42).
Shawn Didear captured his first victory of the 2012 season in the closely contested Hogan Flight with a round of 88. Didear’s one-stroke victory included six pars. Jeff Green finished just one stroke back for runner-up honors and round of 89. Green carded nine pars on the day. Roger Masek finished just one stroke back for third place honors and round of 90. Masek carded seven pars but found trouble on the 6th hole. Jarred Haynes finished one stroke back with a round of 91, taking fourth place honors. Haynes carded four pars on the round. Jeff Stahlhut finished with fifth place honors and round of 92/42, winning the tiebreaker over Tim Haverly of San Antonio, 92/44. Stahlhut carded three pars on the round.
Senior Hogan Flight: Top 5: Dusty Rhodes (82), Michael Castaneda (87), Daryl Epperson (88), Christopher Phillips (89/42), Randy Kiziah (89/44).
Dusty Rhodes made his tour debut with a 5-stroke victory over the field and round of 82. Rhodes had a solid round, carding five pars and birdies at holes 4 and 18. Michael Castaneda finished runner-up with a round of 87, including eight pars. Daryl Epperson finished with third place honors and round of 88, carding seven pars. Christopher Phillips finished with fourth place honors and round of 89/42. Phillips carded seven pars on his round. Randy Kiziah finished with fifth place honors and round of 89/44, including six pars.
Sarazen Flight: Top 5: Gus Aldana (92), Russell Harris (95), Darrin Howard (96), Matt Purgahn (100), Brandon Bellinger (101).
Gus Aldana captured his third victory of the 2012 season with a round of 92, three strokes clear of the field. Aldana round included three pars in difficult conditions. Russell Harris finished three strokes back for runner-up honors and round of 95. Harris carded two pars and birdies at holes 6 and 9. Darrin Howard made the trip down from DFW Tour and captured third place honors. Howard’s round of 96 included two pars and a birdie at the 11th hole. Matt Purgahn finished with fourth place honors and round of 100, including three pars. Brandon Bellinger finished fifth place with a round of 101, carding a nice birdie at the 10th hole.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Top 5: Will Whitley (83), Marty Hodges (84), Larry Viktorin (87), Walter White (90), Mark Maddox (92).
Will Whitley made his tour debut with a victory by one stroke in the closely contested Senior Sarazen Flight and round of 83. Whitley had a nice day, carding four pars and two birdies on the front nine at holes 1 and 6. Marty Hodges finished just one stroke back with a round of 84, claiming runner-up honors. Hodges carded five pars and birdies at holes 1 and 15. Larry Viktorin finished with third place honors and round of 87, carding seven pars. Walter White made a visit from the LA Tour and captured fourth place honors and round of 90. White had nine pars on the day but found trouble at the 18th hole. Mark Maddox finished with fifth place honors and round of 92, including six pars.
Jones Flight: Top 5: Josue Duprey (94), James Price (96), Rich Kelley (97), Vladimir Alfaro (100), Tom Corrao (101/50).
Josue Duprey, Hill Country Tour, entered the tournament looking to defend his victory from a year ago and did just that. Duprey defended his title two strokes clear of the field with a round of 94. Duprey carded six pars on the day. James Price made his tour debut with a round of 96, taking runner-up honors. Price carded four pars, a birdie at the 12th hole, and some trouble at the 5th hole. Rich Kelley finished just one stroke back with a round of 96, taking third place honors. Kelley carded three pars on the round. Vladimir Alfaro made the trip from Hudson Valley, NY worthwhile and finished fourth place. Alfaro carded a round of 100, including four pars. Tom Corrao, also visiting from NY, finished with fifth place honors and round of 101. Corrao carded four pars on the round.
Senior Jones Flight: Top 5: Neil MacDonald (92), Michael Bell (99/50), Troy Massey (99/58), Burnie Rogers (102), Travis Doughty (103/54/39).
Neil MacDonald captured his first victory of the season seven strokes clear of the field with a round of 92. MacDonald carded four pars and managed to keep the “big” numbers off the card. Michael Bell finished runner up with a round of 99/50, including a par at the 1st hole. Troy Massey finished with third place honors and round of 99/58, carding four pars and a birdie at the 1st hole. Burnie Rogers made the trip down from the DFW Tour and finished with fourth place honors. Rogers round of 102 included four pars. Travis Doughty made his tour debut with a fifth place finish and round of 103/54/39, tiebreakers over William Senne 103/54/40. Doughty carded four pars on the round.
Snead Flight: Bruce Beakley (91), Patrick Richardson (104/46), Marcy Glidden (104/50), Javier Quintero (106), Kristopher Bixby (111).
Bruce Beakley captured his first victory of the season over the field by thirteen strokes. Beakley was steady in the difficult conditions, carding seven pars. Patrick Richardson finished with runner up honors and round of 104/46, carding four pars. Marcy Glidden had a third place finish and round of 104/50, including one par and a nice birdie at the 17th hole. Javier Quintero finished with fourth place honors and round of 106, carding four pars. Kristopher Bixby finished with fifth place honors and round of 111, including one par and a nice birdie at the 17th hole.
In addition to the flight winners, the following players won the skills challenges:
Closest to the pin ($210.00 each)
#4, Travis Nichols
#6, Will Whitley
#9, Clay West
#13, Rich Kelley
#17, Marcy Glidden
Skins Winners Champ/Palmer/Hogan: $160.00 each
James “Bud” Surber, #3
Travis Nichols, #6
Dusty Rhodes, #18
Skins Winners Sarazen/Jones/Snead: $95.00 each
Rolando Lopez, #2
Nicky Baugh, #7
Darrin Howard, #11
James Price, #12
Imran Siddiqi, #13
Marty Hodges, #15
Prize Winners
Golf Galaxy Gift Card $100, Chris Nelson
Pappas Gift Card $100, Ronny Sexton
Callaway Golf Balls, George Carlisle
Callaway Golf Balls, Randy Adcock
Flight Payoffs:
Winners | Awards | Winners | Awards | |
Championship (4) | ||||
1st - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | |||
Palmer (6) | Palmer (8) | |||
1st - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | 1st - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | |
2nd - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | 2nd - Gift Certificate | $75.00 | |
Hogan (18) | Senior Hogan (19) | |||
1st - Gift Certificate | $150.00 | 1st - Gift Certificate | $150.00 | |
2nd - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | 2nd - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | |
3rd - Gift Certificate | $75.00 | 3rd - Gift Certificate | $100.00 | |
4th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | 4th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | |
5th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | 5th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | |
Sarazen (15) | Senior Sarazen (19) | |||
1st - Gift Certificate | $150.00 | 1st - Gift Certificate | $150.00 | |
2nd - Gift Certificate | $100.00 | 2nd - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | |
3rd - Gift Certificate | $75.00 | 3rd - Gift Certificate | $100.00 | |
4th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | 4th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | |
5th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | |||
Jones (11) | Senior Jones (11) | |||
1st - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | 1st - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | |
2nd - Gift Certificate | $75.00 | 2nd - Gift Certificate | $75.00 | |
3rd - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | 3rd - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | |
Snead (16) | ||||
1st - Gift Certificate | $150.00 | |||
2nd - Gift Certificate | $125.00 | |||
3rd - Gift Certificate | $75.00 | |||
4th - Gift Certificate | $50.00 | |||
Prizes | ||||
Trophies | $300.00 | |||
Gift Cards | $3,175.00 | |||
Callaway Balls | $80.00 | |||
Pappas Gift Card | $100.00 | |||
Golf Galaxy Gift Card | $100.00 | |||
$3,755.00 |
