Scott R Chilcutt, Humble, TX (October 23, 2016) Tour 18 Houston, situated in Humble, TX, replicates a collection of some of the greatest golf holes in the country. For most of us, the chance to play holes at Augusta, Colonial, and Pebble Beach are merely a dream, so opening the Golf Channel AM Tour Houston 2017 points season seemed appropriate to start the dreaming. Like the 2015 event the par 5 - 2nd, designed like the #6 hole at BayHill, where the Arnold Palmer Invitational is played was the hardest on the course. The par 5 had 12 pars or better with 31 above double bogey for an average 7.16 strokes. Crazy, 17th hole at Sawgrass, the ninth on Tour 18, played the easiest at an average 3.72.
Rick Halprin (Senior Jones Flight) was "Up for the Srixon Challenge." Winning his own flight playing a Srixon ball, Rick will get a dozen sent to him for the win. Ross Gonzales picked up the Tournament Champion, presented by Carlisle's Engraving with a -2 - 70. The winner of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $460, bringing the year to date total from the Texas Tour local events to $14,510 contributed to the Foundation in 2016.
RESULTS:
Championship Flight: Cypress, TX, member Marc Duncan started the round on the rough side, including one of the normal scores on the par 5 - 2nd hole, but got things back in order to finish his last twelve holes in +1. Narrowly outpacing a pair of players one stroke back, Duncan picked up his third win on tour and first on Texas soil. Matthew Winters of The Woodlands, TX, and League City, TX, player Blake Wilson, with four birdies on the day, shared the runner-up honors.
Palmer Flight: Embracing his Srixon Journey to Better promotion after the Tour Championship, Mike Karlin, of Houston, TX, stepped back a tee, birdied the final hole on both nines and picked up his first win as a Palmer, and third on tour. Sugar Land, TX, member Roger Masek, finished just two strokes out of the lead for the second place finish, with Brian Jordan of Houston, TX, rounding out the top three with the help of a birdie on the par 5 - 10th.
Senior Palmer Flight: Starting on the tenth hole, Orange, TX, player Ernie Dyer, built a comfortable lead on his front nine, that would turn out to be only a single stroke when the day ended. Leslie Henry of Houston, TX, played her final nine in +2 with the help of a birdie on the par 3 - 6th to close in on that lead. For Dyer, it was his seventh win on tour, one coming at the Senior National Championship (2014). Henry played her way into the runner-up finish, wedged between another Senior National Champion (2015), Tim Koslowski of Humble, TX, who carded birdie on his final hole of the day to safely claim the third place honors.
Hogan Flight: Coming off a runner-up finish at the 2016 National Championship at Innisbrook, and subsequent Srixon Journey to Better Promotion, Ross Gonzales of Hockley, TX, became another first-time flight winner, in as many attempts. Gonzales, with the help of a birdie on the par 4 - 16th, ensured a two-stroke victory, his fifth on tour. Benny Silva of Friendswood, TX, carded his best finish on tour edging out the pair of Will Whitley of Cypress, TX, and Bellaire, TX, player Kyle Young, knotted in the third place finish.
Sarazen Flight: Katy, TX, resident, Adam Bray, picked up his fifth win on tour. Bray, down four strokes after the front nine, held it steady on the back, with the help of a birdie on the par 4 - 16th, made up the deficit, to win by two strokes. Sharing the runner-up honors, Judson Severson of College Station, TX, and DFW Tour player, Wadsworth Jarrell of Fort Worth, TX, finished in the second place spot.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Chris Neelley of Spring, TX, continued his winning ways, with a three-stroke victory, adding to a total seven wins on the 2016 points season. Richmond, TX, player Marty Hodges, with a win in August at the Friendswood Challenge, took home the runner-up honors with Glenn Aldredge of Orange, TX, rounding out the top three.
Jones Flight: Fresh off a wedding anniversary trip to Hawaii, much of which was spent on an Arnold Palmer Course, Larry Atchley of Kyle, TX, landed back on Texas soil for his fifth win on tour. Starting on the tenth hole on the day, Atchley put together a comfortable lead on the front, that quickly dwindled when Corpus Christi, TX, player William Speck took a four-stroke bite out of the lead on the back nine to finish in the runner-up spot. Richard Lagrone of Spring, TX, rounded out the top three, just three strokes out of the winning spot.
Senior Jones Flight: Jumping back and forth from the Senior Sarazen Flight, Rick Halprin of Houston, TX, made birdie on the par 4 - 3rd and almost moved back up with a five-stroke victory. Huntsville, TX, player Neil MacDonald, matching the birdie on the 3rd, finished in the runner-up spot with, John Pickens of Montgomery, TX, rounding out the top three.
Snead Flight: Sealy, TX, resident Mark Boles, made it eight wins on tour, but it took some help from the field. Starting on the tenth hole on the day, Boles had a three-stroke advantage going to the back nine, faltered a bit on the back, but ended the day with a one-stroke advantage over Javier Quintero of Houston, TX. Visiting Hill Country Tour member, Mark Colwell of Selma, TX, took home the show place finish.
SKINS:
Giant SKINS: ($68/each) 1 -- Marc Duncan, Cypress, TX; Leslie Henry, Houston, TX; Blake Wilson, League CIty, TX; Kevin Turner, La Porte, TX; Michael Bell, Pearland, TX; James Price, Portland, TX; Bob Murphy, Pearland, TX; Bobby Stokes, Rosharon, TX.
Championship / Palmer: ($56/each) 3 -- Blake Wilson, League CIty, TX. 1 -- Marc Duncan, Cypress, TX; Leslie Henry, Houston, TX; Kevin Turner, La Porte, TX.
Hogan: ($48/each) 2 -- Ross Gonzales, Hockley, TX. 1 -- Rick Swanson, Carrollton, TX; Bob Murphy, Pearland, TX; Bobby Stokes, Rosharon, TX.
Sarazen: ($36/each) 2 -- Judson Severson, College Station, TX; David Garcia, San Antonio, TX. 1 -- Ben Zils, Spring, TX.
Senior Sarazen: ($100/each) 1 -- Michael Bell, Pearland, TX; David Sipe, Houston, TX.
Jones / Senior Jones: ($60/each) 1 -- James Price, Portland, TX; Mike Schultz, Port Arthur, TX; Rick Halprin, Houston, TX; John Pickens, Montgomery, TX.
CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:
($130/each) #6 - Will Whitley - 9' 3"; #9 - Rick Swanson - 4' 7 1/2"; #11 - Benny Silva - 3' 4"; #17 - Brian Jordan - 9' 11".
Upcoming Texas Events:
Players from around the country will converge on Lake Charles, LA for the Golden Nugget Classic at Lake Charles, on Saturday and Sunday, November 5th and 6th with a special Friday event at Gray Plantation for the Southen Classic on November 4th. Registration closes on October 28th.
The DFW Tour will pick back up at the Dallas Fall Championship at the Golf Club of Dallas on Sunday, November 13th, with an entry deadline of November 4th.
The Texas Tours will finish off the 2016 calendar with a special Ryder Cup, Texas-style event at Rayburn Country in Southeast Texas on December 3rd and 4th for the South Texas Winter Championship.
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
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