Scott R Chilcutt, Brookeland, TX (December 3, 2017) What difference a year makes. Twelve months earlier, the Golf Channel AM Tour, took to the Rayburn Country Golf Club, in a team match play format, under horrid conditions. Cold, with rain and a hard constant rain it was, turned into a beautiful weekend this go round. Clear skies, cool in the morning, but up in the 70's early on, with NO wind, add to that green conditions on the greens, and scores would represent that.
Two days after PGA Tour professional, after the Golf Channel announced the Chris Stroud Hurricane Harvey Relief Benefit, he teed it up in front of our first group. What I saw, would say he didn't need to take advantage of the great greens to score, all his approaches were so close to the hole, one or more of the kids, traveling around the course with the group, was picking up his ball.
The winners of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $210 on day one with another $230 on Sunday, bringing the Texas Tour local events total to $22,680 in contributions to the Foundation in 2017.
RESULTS:
Palmer Flight: Orange, TX, member Rick Keszeg picked up his third win of the points season and 2018 National Championship qualification. Keszeg went out in +1 - 37 on the front, ran into trouble coming to the clubhouse but kept the early lead for a seven-stroke advantage over John Harvell, of Honolulu, HI. Taking a break from the tour since 2014, points season, Rowlett, TX, player Gregory Haddon, rounded out the top three.
Hogan Flight: Runner-up on Saturday, Jeff Green of Coldspring, TX, made two birdies in his first five holes on Sunday to take home the Championship for his second win on tour and first of the points season. Two strokes back, with two birdies on his round, Orange, TX, Matt Purgahn carded the second place finish, with Ken Johnson of Carrollton, TX, with two birdies of his own, taking home third.
Sarazen Flight: San Felipe, TX, player Jim Craig, carded a double on his first hole of the day, which proved to the be difference in his first round, Saturday score, but was able to grab his seventeenth win on tour and first of the points season. Craig, with a birdie on the par 5 - 5th, finished, one stroke clear of hard-charging Rodney Wren of Dallas, TX, with two birdies over his back nine, including the par 4 - 18th. One stroke back of Wren, River Oaks, TX, player Mike Adcock, with a birdie on the par 4 - 10th and John McClemore of Dallas, TX, split the third place honors.
Jones Flight: Already a two-time winner this fall, Robert Vespa, of Pasadena, TX, fresh off a promotion at the beginning of November, picked up his first win in his new flight. For Vespa, it was his eighth win on tour, three strokes clear of Dallas, TX, Saturday's winner David Farmer. Four strokes back, the trio of Mark Boles of Sealy, TX, Conroe, TX, player Carl Eaton and Mike Lee of Dallas, TX, split the third-place finish.
Snead Flight: Irving, TX, player Fabio Mazilli, made it two in as many attempts after winning for the first time on Saturday, with Jennifer Grothaus of Abilene, TX, and Javier Quintero of Houston, TX, splitting the runner-up finish, three shots back.
SKINS:
Sunday - South Texas Winter Championship:
Giant SKINS: ($50/each) 1 -- David Farmer Jr, Dallas, TX; Steve Killion, Sanger, TX; Rodney Wren, Dallas, TX; Matt Purgahn, Orange, TX; Jeff Green, Coldspring, TX.
Palmer / Hogan: ($45/each) 2 -- Jeff Green, Coldspring, TX. 1 -- Steve Killion, Sanger, TX; Matt Purgahn, Orange, TX.
Sarazen: ($25/each) 2 -- Mike Adcock, River Oaks, TX; Rodney Wren, Dallas, TX. 1 -- Jim Craig, San Felipe, TX; Burnie Rodgers, Haslet, TX; Donovan Ackerson, Houston, TX.
Jones / Snead: ($50/each) 2 -- Carl Eaton, Conroe, TX. 1 -- Javier Quintero, Houston, TX; Mike Lee, Dallas, TX; David Farmer Jr, Dallas, TX.
CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:
Sunday - South Texas Winter Championship:
$60/each: #2 - Rick Keszet - 15' 4"; #4 - Rodney Wren - 9' 8"; #14 - Steve Killion - 2' 11"; #17 - Carl Eaton - 19' 2".
NEXT UP:
2018 Texas Tour Schedules, are continuing to be populated and should be completed through the tour championships, in August in the coming weeks.
For More Information:
Scott R Chilcutt
Director - Texas Tours
Dallas Tour - Hill Country Tour - Houston Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467
