Scott R Chilcutt, Galveston, TX (April 2, 2017)
Moody Gardens, situated nearly in the middle of a small sliver of the barrier island, gets the good and bad of the weather on the Gulf Coast. Plenty of different variations of that weather over the years has made some leery of the drive. This go round, 95% chance of thunderstorms forecasted for nearly a week left many off the island. This year's installment ended with no rain, warm, cloudy on great course conditions. The 25+ MPH winds out of the southwest made the most impact on the play, lending to beat down, mentally and physically.
The winner of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $400, bringing the Texas Tour local events total to $5,410 in contributions to the Foundation in 2017.
RESULTS:
Championship Flight: Richmond, TX, player Thomas Cruickshank, a three-time winner and Major Champion his last time out, started out slow and made a mess of his first eight holes. Scott Waltrip, on the other hand, went +2 over on the front nine, with two birdies to have a comfortable lead, but then Cruickshank turned up the heat carding three birdies on his final ten holes to force a sudden death playoff. Back to #1 for the playoff, where neither had particularly good luck, the pair made par of the first two holes and an ultimate birdie on the par 4 - 3rd would finish off the championship for Waltrip. It was his sixth win on tour and first on the season. One stroke back, League City, TX, member Blake Wilson rounded out the top three with two birdies on the round.
Palmer Flight: Steven Ruonavaara of Magnolia, TX, took seven strokes off his front nine tally on the back nine to clear the field by four strokes. For Ruonavaara it was his first win on tour in eight attempts. Friendswood, TX, first-time player, Jon Colvard, went -1 over his last five holes to jump into a tie for the runner-up spot with Aaron Brougher of Spring, TX.
Senior Palmer Flight: Nederland, TX, player Price Youngs held on to a slim lead making the turn, made double at the par 5 - 14th and opened the door for Kevin Turner of LaPorte, TX, to walk into a playoff. Back to the par 4 - 10th to settle the score, Turner would equal his par the first time around to pick up his tenth win on tour and second of the season. Two strokes back, Brian Jordan of Houston, TX, rounded out the top three.
Hogan Flight: It was all Seniors in the combined Hogan/Senior Hogan Flight with the top open player stuck back in a T8 finish. Bob Murphy of Pearland, TX, took the top spot over the sixteen player field, playing his final eight holes in even par. For Murphy, it was his fourth win on tour and first since the 2013 Houston Tour Championship. Four strokes back, Rosharon, TX, member Bobby Stokes, with a birdie on the par 5 - 14th, picked up the runner-up honors with a pair of players knotted in the third place finish. Jimmie Chambers of Wharton, TX, and Port Arthur, TX, resident Kevin Thibodeaux, both with birdies on the day, split third.
Sarazen Flight: Houston, TX, player Massimo Passini, picked up his fourteenth win on tour with the help of a birdie on the par 5 - 6th. For Passini, in his ninth year on tour, now has at least one win on eight of those seasons. Three strokes back, Adam Bray of Katy, TX, a two-time winner of the year, finished in the runner-up spot, with Pearland, TX, player James Herbert, playing for the first time since 2013, taking home the third place honors.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Larry Murphy of Cypress, TX, became a two-time winner on tour, both coming south of I-10 when he won the rained soaked South Houston Championship - Bay Oaks in 2016. Starting on the tenth hole of the day, Murphy took three strokes off his front nine scores on the back to edge out first-year player Andrew Sigur of Port Arthur, TX, by one stroke. Houston, TX, member David Sipe, already a two-time winner of the points season, finished third.
Jones Flight: Newton, TX, first-year player Bryan Adams, and Jose Rivera of Houston, TX, needed extra holes for one of the two to claim the championship. Five extra holes to be exact, starting back on the 10th the pair would keep things tied up until the par 5 - 14th, where Rivera made birdie for the second time of day to pick up his second win on tour, both coming in 2017. Claude Hunter of Baytown, TX, in his second event on tour, rounded out the top three.
Senior Jones Flight: With the help of a birdie on the par 5 - 1st, Mark Boles of Sealy, TX, cleared the field by five strokes. For Boles, it was his tenth championship on tour and third victory of the season including the Major Championship in Lake Charles, last fall. Playing in his first event of the season, Hungerford, TX, member Gene Macha, finished in the runner-up spot, with Spring, TX, player Terry Collins, recording his third top-three finish of the year.
Snead Flight: Robert Vespa of Pasadena, TX, and Houston, TX, member Elgin Amboree matched front nine and back nine scores to force the fourth playoff of the day. Back out to the par 4 - 10th, Amboree would prevail with a bogie, to pick up his third win on tour and first since the 2014 season. Wharton, TX, player Bryce Kocian, rounding out the top three, seven strokes back.
SKINS:
Giant SKINS: ($110/EACH) 1 -- Scott Waltrip, Montgomery, TX; Carl Eaton, Conroe, TX; Brian Jordan, Houston, TX; Mark Boles, Sealy, TX; Jimmie Chambers, Wharton, TX.
Championship / Palmer: ($35/each) 3 -- Thomas Cruickshank, Richmond, TX. 2 -- Scott Waltrip, Montgomery, TX. 1 -- Blake Wilson, League City, TX; Al Campo, Deer Park, TX; Anthony Desouza, Cypress, TX.
Senior Palmer: ($36/each) 2 -- Neill Osborne, Lake Charles, LA. 1 -- Walter Menuet, Houston, TX; Brian Jordan, Houston, TX; Kevin Turner, La Porte, TX.
Hogan: ($32/each) 2 -- Brian Frazier, Kingwood, TX; Kevin Thibodeaux, Port Arthur, TX. 1 -- Jimmie Chambers, Wharton, TX; Joseph Coleman, Beaumont, TX; Mark Kirby, Bridge City, TX; Keith Grissom, Orange, TX.
Sarazen / Senior Sarazen: ($90/each) 1 -- Andrew Sigur, Port Arthur, TX; Gordon Davenport Jr, Friendswood, TX; Vernon G Stamm, Houston, TX; Aaron Evitts, Dayton, TX.
Jones / Senior Jones: ($22/each) 3 -- Mark Boles, Sealy, TX. 2 -- Carl Eaton, Conroe, TX. 1 -- Jose Rivera, Houston, TX; John Pickens, Montgomery, TX; Bert Hood, League City, TX; Gene Macha, Hungerford, TX.
Snead: ($20/each) 2 -- Stephen Sater, Sugar Land, TX; Joey Butts, Friendswood, TX; Robert Vespa, Pasadena, TX. 1 -- Mike Lane, Katy, TX; Ron McGinty, Humble, TX; Bryce Kocian, Wharton, TX.
CLOSEST TO HOLE:
$130/each
#4 - Don Martino - 2' 4"; #6 - Robert Corbello - 10' 11"; #13 - Greg Wolfford - 7' 10"; #17 - Jeff Shaffer - 6".
Upcoming Texas Events:
Next up open for registration:
Houston Tour gets back to action on Saturday, April 22nd at High Meadow Ranch for the Masters @ Magnolia. Registrations close on Friday, April 14th.
Back in the DFW area, members will visit Hidden Creek for the first time at the Battle at Burleson on Sunday, April 23rd with an entry deadline of on Friday, April 14th.
A few spots are still available for the Prelude - San Antonio Open at Canyon Springs on Friday, April 28th. Registration closes Friday, April 21st but will surely sell out before then.
For More Information:
Scott R Chilcutt
Director - Texas Tours
Dallas Tour - Hill Country Tour - Houston Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467
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