Firm and Fast - Cypress Lakes Challenge

Scott R Chilcutt, Cypress, TX (March 23, 2019)  Dust sighting?  Surely not! The Houston Tour, on the GC AM Tour, traveled back to Cypress Lakes Golf Club for its spring edition of the Cypress Lakes Challenge.

South Texas weather, over the winter, filled with rainy, overcast days, has hardly allowed any of the courses in the area to firm up, let alone get off the cart paths.  Two things are consistent with Cypress Lakes, great conditions and fast play.  When the only real trouble, outside of the trees, is water, it won't take a long time to look for balls.  Add, nice firm greens and fairways, players enjoyed both the conditions and the pace on Saturday.




RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  Missouri City, TX, player Lynn Cormier, on a hiatus from the tour for the past few years, is back with a vengeance.  Cormier, playing in his first local event after finishing 5th at the Houston Open Major Championship, made the turn with a two-stroke advantage, with the help of two birdies.  Lynn then played the back nine, in -1, finishing his final two holes, with a birdie to pick up the win, on an even-par round.  Van Perrin, of Kingwood, TX, with a birdie on the par 5 - 8th, grabbed the runner-up finish, Sugar Land, TX, player Orlando Morriesette, with a couple of birdies of his own, rounding out the top three.

Palmer Flight:  Julius Carr of Pearland, TX, birdied his first hole of the day, the 4 - 1st, which proved to allow him to play even up golf the rest of the round to pick up the Championship, his first on tour. One-stroke back, Al Campo of Deer Park, TX, with a birdie on the par 3 - 11th and Houston, TX, member Mike Karlin, with a birdie on the par 4 - 12th, shared the runner-up finish.

Hogan Flight:  Contemplating a move to the Sarazen Flight at the end of 2018, Kyle Young of Bellaire, TX, has proved that would be the wrong move.  With newfound confidence, Young birdied his first hole of the day to go on to win his second Championship of the points season, add a second and T4 at the Houston Open Major Championship, he is where he belongs.  Corpus Christi, TX, player, Kevin Fontenot, a two-time winner himself, including the Major at Sweetwater, finished one stroke back, with a birdie on the par 4 - 16th.  The pair of Randy Dorsey of Killeen, TX, and College Station, TX, player Rick Smalley, with a birdie of his own on the day, shared the third-place finish.

Senior Hogan Flight:   Local Cypress Lakes, member Robert Hayter of Houston, TX, continued with his strong play, with the help of some home-cookin'.  Hayter, with a pair of birdies on the round, finished three-strokes clear of Bryan, TX, member Paul Atkinson.  Mike Hafner, of Richmond, TX, playing in his first event since the fall of 2017 at Cypress Lakes, carded a birdie on the par 4 - 12th to finish third.

Sarazen Flight:  Joe Michetti, of Montgomery, TX, a runner-up in four events on the points season, picked up his first Championship of the year.  Michetti, with a birdie on the par 4 -5th, finished five strokes clear of Hill Country Tour traveler, Michael Betzale from San Antonio, TX.  Betzale, made the most of a birdie on the par 5 - 2nd, to edge out Hockley, TX, resident Ross Gonzales, rounding out the top three.

Senior Sarazen Flight:   Starting the day on the par 5 - 10th, Jeffry Holms of Houston, TX, with a birdie on the par 4 - 12th, and Missouri City, TX, member Dale Fuhr, made the turn even up. Coming to the clubhouse, the pair would swap the top spot, with Fuhr, picking up consecutive birdies, but falling back to a tie for the lead on the final two holes.  Back to the same, par 5 - 10th for a sudden death playoff, Fuhr would bring home the Championship with a par  Bill Criss, of Houston, TX, and Dallas, TX, traveler, Rodney Wren would split the third-place finish, two strokes back.

Jones Flight:  Playing in his last event as a Jones Flight member, Kevin Montague of Spring, TX, put an exclamation mark on the victory.  With a trio of birdies on his round and an even-par score on his back nine, after starting the day on the par 5 - 10th, Montague picked up his fourth win of the season, including the Major Championship, at the Houston Open his last time out to place his handicap right in the middle of the Sarazen Flight.  Humble, TX, player Ron McGinty, playing alongside Montague, tried to stay close, but had to settle for the runner-up finish, with David Liggett, of LaPorte, TX, rounding out the top three.

Snead Flight:  Denis Corletto of Waller, TX, became the second player of the day to follow up a Championship at the Houston Open with his third win of the season and inevitable move to the Jones Flight.  Corletto, finished one stroke clear of Beaumont, TX, player Jim Lamberth, with a birdie on the par 5 - 2nd.  Ernest Parker of Cypress, TX, and Sugar Land, TX, player Stephen Satar, with a birdie on the par 5 - 14th shared the third place finish.








SKINS:

Giant Skins:  ($145/each)  Kevin Fontenot (1) Birdie on 16. Stephen Sater (1) Birdie on 14. Roger Masek (1) Birdie on 3. Joe Michetti (1) Birdie on 5.

Championship/Palmer:  ($52/each)  Lynn Cormier (1) Birdie on 18. Julius Carr (1) Birdie on 1. Roger Masek (1) Birdie on 3. Van Perrin (1) Birdie on 8. Mark Herold (1) Birdie on 9.

Hogan/Senior Hogan:  (120/each)  Kevin Fontenot (1) Birdie on 16. Tony Thibodeaux (1) Birdie on 8. Corbin Porter (1) Birdie on 9.

Sarazen:  ($22/each)  Joe Michetti (3) Par on 15, Birdie on 5, Birdie on 9. Michael Betzale (2) Birdie on 2, Par on 3. Kendall Hisey (1) Birdie on 18. Blake Barnes (1) Birdie on 11. Charlie Thibodeaux (1) Birdie on 8.

Senior Sarazen:  ($33/each)  Dale Fuhr (2) Birdie on 6, Birdie on 7. Michael Nowotny (1) Par on 18. Jeffry Holmes (1) Birdie on 12. Larry Viktorin (1) Birdie on 17. Charles Ackerman (1) Birdie on 2.


Jones/Snead:  ($40/each)  Kevin Montague (3) Birdie on 6, Birdie on 9, Birdie on 13. Ron McGinty (2) Birdie on 1, Birdie on 17. Ilyas Ahmed (1) Par on 18. Stephen Sater (1) Birdie on 14.




CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

$140/each:  #4 - John Knight - 8' 9.5";  #7 - John Knight - 7' 11";  #11 - Larry Viktorin - 3' 4";  #17 - Jeff Burke - 6' 11".

NEXT UP:

APRIL EVENTS IN TEXAS:

6-Apr	Pearland Championship
Houston	Pearland Golf Club
	Pearland, TX
8-Apr	Dye Classic Stonebridge Ranch
DFW	Stonebridge Ranch - Dye Signature
	McKinney, TX
13-Apr	Galveston Island Championship
Houston	Moody Gardens Golf Course
	Galveston, TX
15-Apr	Sugar Land Championship
Houston	Sugar Creek Country Club
	Sugar Land, TX
20-Apr	Granbury Spring Classic
DFW	Harbor Lakes Golf Club
	Granbury, TX
27-Apr	Grand Prairie Classic
DFW	Tangle Ridge Golf Club
	Grand Prairie, TX
28-Apr	Spring Fling
Houston	Cypresswood Golf Club - Tradition
	Spring, TX

SEE ENTIRE 2019 TEXAS SCHEDULE by clicking:
2019 Texas Tours Schedule

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

www.gcamtour.com

Prelude Houston Open - Pecan Grove

Scott R Chilcutt, Richmond, TX (March 8, 2019)  Pecan Grove Plantation Country Club, hosted the Prelude - Houston Open Sweetwater on the Golf Channel AM Tour, Houston Tour schedule.  Players from 23 different tours, traveling from throughout the country, used the event as a warmup, to the Major Championship at Sweetwater Country Club, over the weekend.

The club, back on the schedule for the second consecutive season, was wet.  Rains over the past month, have wreaked havoc on Houston courses, but the lack of sun has caused more problems, than the rainfall.  The tight track, meanders through the homes of Pecan Grove, in Richmond, TX.  And on this Friday, the winds swirling and deceptive winds, seemed to cause as much damage to the scorecard as the wet conditions.

RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  An even par - 72, couldn't hold on for the win, our last time at the club, but Thomas Cruickshank, of nearby Richmond, TX, made his +5 works this time around.  Cruickshank, with two birdies on the front side, edged out Spring, TX, member David Ortego, and Ron Finnerty, of San Antonio, TX, by a single stroke.  Ortego with a single birdie on the round, and Finnerty, with a pair, shared the runner-up finish.

Palmer Flight:  Stating that he hasn't been able to adjust his game to a lower weight class, Albuquerque, NM, traveler Dan Frampton, sure didn't show it.  Frampton, with a pair of birdies on the round, played his final nine holes, in even par, to pick up the Championship, three strokes clear.  Beaumont, TX, player Scott Mays with a birdie of his own.  Three strokes out of second, the pair of Terrance Ream, of Reno, NV, and Houston, TX, member Rafael Rivero, split the third place honors.

Hogan Flight:  Down two strokes making the turn, Tony Thibodeaux of Port Arthur, TX, bested the field on the back nine for his first win on tour.  Thibodeaux, with a birdie on the par 5-4th, finished two strokes clear of Corpus Christi, TX, member Kevin Fontenot. Fontenot with a birdie of his own on the round, finished two strokes clear of Paul Atkinson of Bryan, TX, rounding out the top three.

Sarazen Flight:  Starting the day on the par 4 - 10th hole, Spring Hill, TN, member Cliff Austin, and John Moyle of Oakdale, CA, made the turn even up, but that would be the end of the tie. On the par 4 - 1st, Austin took the lead and never looked back, making the most of a pair of birdies on the day for the win.  Moyle would finish the round, twelve strokes out of the lead, in second place, with Montgomery, TX, member Joe Michetti, taking the third place finish.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Three players, finished the day knotted in the top spot, send the trio back to the course for extra holes.  Sudden death, wouldn't take long, when Naperville, IL, traveler Stanley Mitchell, would pick up his first win of the season, on the first extra hole.  Olan Benge, of Wharton, TX, with two birdies on his day, and Missouri City, TX, player Dale Fuhr, would be relegated to sharing the runner up finish.

Jones Flight:  Beginning the round, on the tenth hole, Pete Partain of Bedford, TX, and Houston, TX, member Blake Barnes, would make the turn even up.  Both with birdies on the par 4 - 1at,  then would swap the lead a couple of times before Partain would solidify the championship on the final hole.  Barnes, finished in the runner-up spot, with Jackson, TN, player Louis Ralph, rounding out the top three.

   

Snead Flight:   Down a stroke at the turn, making most of a birdie on the par 3 - 12th, Denis Corleto of Waller, TX, would make up four strokes coming to the clubhouse to win the event.  Three strokes back, Akron, OH, traveler John Casady recorded the runner-up finish with Palm Springs Tour member, Larry Polete, of Banning, CA, taking home the final podium spot.

SKINS:

Giant SKINS:  ($63/each)   Cliff Austin (1) Birdie on 16. Dan Frampton (1) Birdie on 11. Charles Ackerman (1) Birdie on 15. Denis Corleto (1) Birdie on 12. John Gollwitzer (1) Birdie on 3. Tom Stockton (1) Birdie on 6. Al Swanson (1) Birdie on 8. Jon Wendt (1) Birdie on 9.

Championship/Palmer:  ($48/each)  Al Swanson (2) Birdie on 4, Birdie on 8. Dan Frampton (1) Birdie on 11. Scott Mayes (1) Birdie on 10. John Gollwitzer (1) Birdie on 3.

Sarazen/Hogan:  ($60/each)  Leo Chmielewski (1) Par on 13. Robert McCabe (1) Birdie on 10. Cliff Austin (1) Birdie on 16. Kevin Fontenot (1) Birdie on 2. Tony Thibodeaux (1) Birdie on 4. Rod McCasland (1) Birdie on 7.

Senior Sarazen:  ($56/each)  Andre Fitzpatrick (1) Birdie on 1. Olan Benge (1) Birdie on 14. Charles Ackerman (1) Birdie on 15. Tom Stockton (1) Birdie on 6. Jon Wendt (1) Birdie on 9. 

Jones/Snead:  ($40/each)  Denis Corleto (2) Birdie on 12, Par on 8. Ernest Parker (2) Par on 11, Par on 5. Steve DiPaola (2) Par on 10, Par on 18. Pete Partain (1) Par on 9.

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

$135/each:  #3 - John Gollwitzer - 6' 3";  #6 - John Mauck - 5' 7";  #12 - Denis Corleto - 10' 8";  #17 - Stan Mitchell - 3' 3".

UP NEXT:

	CLOSED FOR REGISTRATION
16-Mar	Classic at the Springs
Hill Country	Delaware Springs Golf Course
	Burnet, TX
	CLOSED FOR REGISTRATION
17-Mar	St Paddy's Day Championship
DFW	Woodbridge Golf Club
	Wylie, TX
	CLOSES - Friday, March 15th
23-Mar	Cypress Lakes Challenge
Houston	Cypress Lakes Golf Course
	Cypress, TX
	CLOSES - Friday, March 15th
24-Mar	Silverhorn Challenge
Hill country	Silverhorn Golf Club
	San Antonio, TX
30/31-Mar	Red River Shootout
Major	Winstar Golf Club
	Thackerville, OK

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

www.gcamtour.com