Competition Heats Up at Woodforest

Scott R Chilcutt, Magnolia, TX (July 16, 2016)  Woodforest Golf Club, off the tour since the new clubhouse was finished played to a Tour Championship venue as it had been billed in years past.  Originally scheduled for the next weekend, Club Championship events got in the way of the AM Tour, putting us a few days out of The Woodlands Tournament Course event.   Similarities with green speed and tangled roughs only made it more familiar with those that played the preceding Monday.  

Roger Masek (Palmer Flight), Jeff Gregory (Jones Flight) and John Pickens (Senior Jones Flight) were "Up for the Srixon Challenge".   Winning their respective flights playing a Srixon ball, they will get a dozen sent to them for the win. In a two way playoff, John Heintz picked up the Tournament Champion, presented by Carlisle's Engraving with a -4 - 67.  The winner of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $360, bringing the year to date total from the Texas Tour local events to $10,390 contributed to the Foundation.

RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  All over the place on the front nine, after a birdie on the par 5 - 2nd, Aaron Pickering, of  Vidor, TX, got things in place making the turn.  Two more birdies in the first  four holes, Pickering finished the back nine in even par to win his second championship on the season.  With two birdies on the round, Fannett, TX, player Damon Garcia grabbed his best finish of the year as the runner up, with  Matthew Winters of The Woodlands, TX, equaling his third place spot at the Panther Course, rounding out the top three.

Palmer Flight:  Sugar Land, TX, member Roger Masek was in a zone.  Starting the day at -2 in his first four holes, Masek rebounded from four bogies, with two more birdies to card his best finish on tour, +3 - 74 for his ninth win on tour and second of the season.  Seven strokes back, Bo Kirkwood,of Pasadena, TX,  a Senior Palmer player combined in the flight, made the best of the yardage to pick up the runner up finish. Tyler Logeman of Montgomery, TX, a three time winner on the season grabbed the show place finish.

Hogan Flight:   John Heintz of San Antonio, TX, might have thought he traveled in for the win, finishing first with a +8 - 79, but Houston, TX, tour player Rick Houchins spoiled that thought, equaling the feat. Back out to the par 5 - 10th, Houchins grabbed the final talley for the Championship, his fourteenth on tour and second of the season.  Jorge Rodriguez of Round Rock, TX made the most of his travels for the third place finish, just one stroke back.

Senior Hogan Flight:  As the sudden death playoffs continue on the day, Harold Jackson of Baytown, TX, opened the door on the final hole with a par, for Magnolia, TX, member George Smith to make birdie requiring extra holes.  Smith, would finally prevail on the par 5 - 10th for his sixth win on tour and first of the points season.  League City, TX, member Michael Castandenda equaled his best finish on the season, rounding out the top three.

Sarazen Flight:  With four birdies on the day, Cedar Park, TX, and Hill Country invader, Les Costales, commanded his fifth win on tour and second on the points season.  Six strokes back, in his second event on tour and best finish, Greg Ginivan, took home the runner up spot with a trio of players just one stroke back.  Adam Bray, a winner his last time out from Katy, TX, Houston, TX, player Massimo Passini, and assistant Texas Tour Director, Mike Adcock, in a rare appearance on tour, shared the third place honors.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Larry Murphy of Cypress, TX, carded a bogey on his last hole of the day, just enough to get him in a playoff with Spring, TX, member Chris Neelley.  Back to the par 5 - 10th, Neelley would prevail for his seventh win on the season.  Houston, TX, member, LP Jones, Spring, TX, player Gary Gum and Richmond, TX, resident Greg Faubion, shared the third place honors four strokes back.

Jones Flight:   Local Montgomery, TX, player Jeff Gregory, nearly lapped the field with a six stroke advantage, for his second win on the season and fourth on tour.   Joe Michetti of Montgomery, TX, a five time winner on the season and Houston, TX, player Jose Rivera, a first year player, split the runner up honors.

Senior Jones Flight:  John Pickens of Montgomery, TX, continued his winning ways with a four stroke advantage over Huntsville, TX, player Neil Macdonald and Spring, TX, member Terry Collins, with his best finish on the season, splitting the runner up spot.

Snead Flight:  Michael Pierce, of Montgomery,TX, simply waiting on a handicap revision to be promoted, won his sixth tournament of the season in seven attempts. Pierce with an eagle on the par 4 - 4th finished four strokes in the clear of Conroe, TX, player Carl Eaton.  Eaton with three consecutive birdies on the back nine, cleared Robert Haddon of Bryan, TX, by five strokes.




SKINS:

Giant SKINS:  ($55/each)  1 -- Damon Garcia, Fannett; Tim Kozlowski, Humble, TX; Roger Masek, Sugar Land, TX; James Sheppeard, Tomball, TX; Jorge Rodriguez, Round Rock, TX; George Carlisle, Houston, TX; Harold Jackson, Baytown, TX; Carl Eaton, Conroe, TX; Michael Pierce, Montgomery, TX.

Championship / Palmer:  ($27/each)  2 -- Damon Garcia, Fannett; James Sheppeard, Tomball, TX. 1 -- Aaron Pickering, Vidor, TX; Tim Kozlowski, Humble, TX; Roger Masek, Sugar Land, TX; Bo Kirkwood, Pasadena, TX.

Hogan:  ($27/each)  3 -- Kyle Young, Bellaire, TX. 2 -- John Heintz, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Gus Aldana, Spring, TX; Tom Dyer, Magnolia, TX; Jorge Rodriguez, Round Rock, TX.

Senior Hogan:  ($30/each)  2 -- George Carlisle, Houston, TX; Harold Jackson, Baytown, TX; Jerrod Hoyle, Brenham TX. 1 -- George Smith, Magnolia, TX.

Sarazen:  ($40/each)  2 -- Ben Zils, Spring, TX. 1 -- C.D. Dunem, San Antonio, TX; Massimo Passini, Houston, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($30/each)  2 -- Chris Neelley, Spring, TX. 1 -- L.P. Jones, Houston, TX; Larry Murphy, Cypress, TX; Greg Faubion, Richmond, TX; Gary Gum, Spring, TX.

Jones / Senior Jones / Snead:  ($24/each)  3 -- Carl Eaton, Conroe, TX. 2 -- Joe Michetti, Montgomery, TX; Michael Pierce, Montgomery, TX. 1 -- Jeff Gregory, Montgomery, TX; Richard Lagrone, Spring, TX.

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

($125/each)  #3 - Mike Castaneda - 8' 9";  #7 - George Carlisle - 2' 1";  #12 - Carl Easton - 6' 5 1/2";  #16 - William Criss - 3' 9".

Upcoming Texas Events:

Texas Tour members are back in action for the Texas Masters at Barton Creek on July 30, 31st with the Friday event at Falconhead for the Prelude to the Texas Masters @ Barton Creek. Registration ends at midnight, July 22nd. 

The Houston tour final single day event of the points season will be contested at Timber Creek for the Friendswood Challenge on Saturday, August 6th.  Entries close on Friday, July 29th. 

Dallas Tour players get the opportunity for another Monday special event at Las Colinas Country Club for the Las Colinas Championship on August 8th.  Registration deadline is Friday, July 29th.  

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

Players Savor The Moment - Tournament Course - The Woodlands

Scott R Chilcutt, The Woodlands, TX (July 11, 2016)  The Tournament Course at The Woodlands is rich with history at the highest level of golf.  PGA Tour wins from the likes of David Duval ('98), Hal Sutton ('01) and Vijay Singh ('02) go with more recent Insperity Invitational, presented by United Healthcare, wins on the Champions Tour from Bernard Langer ('08,'14), John Cook ('09), Fred Couples ('10) and this year Jesper Parnevik ('16).

With that history, it was important to the committee that we savor the moment.  Pace of play be darned, we wanted the players to feel just a bit of the professional tour element, with pin placements from the final day of the 2016 Insperity Invitational and boy did they get it.  Under most conditions the players would have been screaming at the turn at the devilish spots the holes were placed.  Not this time, we wanted everyone to feel a sense of being in the BIGS and BIGS it was!

Marcy Glidden (Senior Jones Flight) was "Up for the Srixon Challenge".   Winning her respective flight playing a Srixon ball, she will get a dozen sent to her for the win. In a four way playoff, Chris Neelley picked up the Tournament Champion, presented by Carlisle's Engraving with a net even par 72.  The winner of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $450, bringing the year to date total from the Texas Tour local events to $10,030 contributed to the Foundation.

RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  First year player, Blake Wilson out of League City, TX, seems to have found his way at the Woodlands.  In his second event on tour, Wilson shot a four under 68 at the Panther course and was on that kind of pace on Monday.  Two under after four, Blake seemed to settle into a rhythm that would be on course for another big lead, but doubled the last hole and came back to the field.  Midland, TX, member Terry Rice, one back after nine, got back to all square on the 10th,  then took the lead on 15, only to relegate the top spot, with a double of his own on the par 4 - 18th.  For Wilson it was his third win, in his first year on the tour.  David Ortego of The Woodlands, rounded out the top three, just two back of the lead.

Palmer Flight:  Tomball, TX, standout, James Sheppeard,  had two wins on the season, and a bunch of top three's, but wasn't satisfied.  Sheppeard did nothing spectacular on the day, but achieved one goal, his third win on the season.  Jeff Zemencsik of Magnolia, TX, overcame an ugly front nine, taking nine off the back nine to settle into a tie for the runner up spot with a pair of Houston, TX, players, Brian Jordan and Vince Scudiero.

Senior Palmer Flight:   Just off his promotion from the Senior Hogan Flight, Robert Hayward of Houston, TX, kept the momentum rolling.  One back after the turn, Hayward would put the pedal to the metal to see a four stroke victory.  Orange, TX, member Ernie Dyer, with a birdie right out of the gate, couldn't keep pace, finishing in the runner up spot with Jim Penn of Houston, TX, and Pasenda, TX, member Bo Kirkwood sharing the top three spots.

Hogan Flight:  College Station, TX, member Rick Smalley, picked up his second win on the season with the help of three birdies on the day.   Tom Dyer, utilizing his ambidextrous ways, finished in the runner up spot three stokes back with a trio of players knotted in the third place position.  
Mike Karlin, with three birdies on the round,  Charles Kirk of Nacogdoches, TX,  with one birdie on his day and Houston, TX, Rick Houchins, rounded out the top three.

Senior Hogan Flight:  Keith Grissom of Orange, TX, hasn't won since 2014, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to happen.  Grissom made the turn, behind by a stroke, but then turned it around after the half way mark.  In the end, three strokes would filter the way for his first win since 2014.  Richmond, TX, member Christopher Phillips grabbed the runner up spot with David Anthony of Cypress, TX, rounding out the top three.

Sarazen Flight:  Adam Bray of Katy, TX, broke into the winners circle for the first time since 2012.  Bray made the turn with a lead, but it came down to his final two holes, the par 3 - 8th and par 4 - 9th, where he made pars to finish out the championship.  Eddie Thomas of  Richards, TX, carded the runner up finish with Spring, TX, member Ben Zils rounding out the top three.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Chris Neelley of Spring, TX, became a six time winner on the season with a  two stroke advantage. Richmond, TX, member Marty Hodges, with a birdie on the par 4 -1st hole and Michael Brewer, with a birdie of his own on the par 3 - 8th shared the runner up honors.

Jones Flight:    Joe Armstrong, of Spring, TX, off his first win on tour at the Sweetwater Major Championship, birdied the #1 par 4 hole that helped him into a sudden death playoff with Joe Michetti, of Montgomery, TX.  Back to the course, Michetti would prevail for his fifth win on the season.  William Speck, traveling out of Corpus Christi, TX, rounded out the top three.

Senior Jones Flight:  Marcy Glidden of Brookshire, TX, followed up her win at the Southwestern Classic Major Championship in Scottsdale, AZ with a one stroke advantage over Rick Halprin of Houston, TX.  Neil MacDonald of  Huntsville, TX, and Montgomery, TX, player John Pickens rounded out the top three.

Snead Flight:   Michael Pierce of  Montgomery, TX, is running away from the field.  But not for long. Pierce, with five wins in his last six events will most certainly feel the newness of the Jones Flight when the promotions happen at the first of the month.  Bryce Kocian of Wharton, TX, and Conroe, TX, player Carl Eaton rounded out the top three.



SKINS:

Giant SKINS:  ($150/each)  1 -- Neil Hennigan, Beaumont, TX; Terry Rice, Midland, TX; Mike Karlin, Houston, TX; L.P. Jones, Houston, TX.

Championship / Palmer:  ($40/each)  2 -- Travis Nichols, Houston, TX; Neil Hennigan, Beaumont, TX. 1 -- Gordon Wagner, Sugar Land, TX; Mark Echols, Diana, TX; Terry Rice, Midland, TX.

Senior Palmer:  ($25/each)  1 -- Robert Hayward, Houston, TX; Jim Penn, Houston, TX; Mike Bailey, Houston, TX; Ernie Dyer, Orange, TX.

Hogan:  ($88/each)  3 -- Mike Karlin, Houston, TX. 2 -- Rick Smalley, College Station, TX.

Senior Hogan:  ($32/each)  2 -- Steven Wood, Leesburg, FL. 1 -- Christopher Phillips, Richmond, TX; Jerrod Hoyle, Brenham, TX; David Anthony, Cypress, TX; Mark Kirby, Bridge City, TX; Venancio (Benny) Silva, Friendswood, TX; George Smith, Magnolia, TX.

Sarazen:  ($35/each)  2 -- Greg Ginavan, Houston, TX. 1 -- Mark Tylenda, Dallas, TX; Ben Zils, Spring, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($30/each)  2 -- Gary Gum, Spring, TX; Olan Benge, Wharton, TX. 1 -- Glynn Aldredge, Orange, TX; L.P. Jones, Houston, TX; Bruce LeGrand, Houston, TX; Larry Viktorin, Wharton, TX; Chris Neelley, Spring, TX.


Jones / Senior Jones / Snead:  ($40/each)  1 -- Bryce Kocian, Wharton, TX; Carl Eaton, Conroe, TX; Joe Armstrong, Spring, TX; Joe Michetti, Montgomery, TX; Jeff Wadsworth, El Campo, TX; Doyle Fleming, Haslet, TX; Rick Halprin, Houston, TX; Antone Sanchez, Sealy, TX.

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

($150/each)  #3 - Mark Tylenda - 3';  #8 - Travis Nichols - 4' 4";  #14 - Carl Easton - 11';  #16 - Gordan Wagner - 4' 6".

Upcoming Texas Events:

Houston Tour members, take flight for the sold out Montgomery Championship at Woodforest on Saturday July 16th.  Back in action after a break for the Texas Masters at Barton Creek, the final single day event of the points season will be contested at Timber Creek for the Friendswood Challenge on Saturday, August 6th.  Entries close on Friday, July 29th. 

Friday July 29th the Hill Country Tour grabs the day for the visit to Falconhead for the Prelude to the Texas Masters @ Barton Creek..  Registration ends at midnight, July 22nd.

Dallas Tour play is sold out for the Championship at Craig Ranch on Monday, July 18th, but resumes action the following Sunday for the Arlington Championship at Tierra Verde, on July 24th.  Registrations close on Friday, July 15th at 11:59PM EST.

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