Tricky at Bridlewood - Flower Mound Open

Scott R Chilcutt, Flower Mound, TX (April 7, 2013)   Bridlewood Golf Club made its debut on the Golf Channel Am Tour for this first Flower Mound Open on the Dallas Tour.  Flower Mound is located 20 miles northwest of Dallas and 25 miles northeast of Fort Worth on the basin of the Trinity River.  Named for a 12.5-acre hill approximately 50 feet in height located on the south side of town, the formation attracted the attention of early settlers to the area, and is often simply referred to as "The Mound". 

Longtime PGA Tour Pro D.A. Weibring designed the course and was quoted as saying,  "There isn’t a golf course similar to Bridlewood in the entire Metroplex. With fairways surrounding each green, chipping plays a big role".   And what a role the short game played.  Greens recently converted to Tif-Eagle Bermuda from Cato-Crenshaw bentgrass, were hard to hold, coupled with the gusting winds and low ball flight required to get to the surface added to the short game requirements.

Coming off his first flight win at the Classic @ The Creek - Indian Creek Golf Club, Euless, TX player Vaughn Jackson picked up the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving.   Giant skins winners came from the Championship, Hogan, Senior Sarazen and Jones flights.


RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  Birdie on the final hole was just enough for Dallas Tour rookie,  Sean Skellenger to record his first win on tour.  Skellenger bounced back from a quad eight on the par 4 -7th with a birdie on the next hole together with three additional birdies on the day to win by a single stroke over a trio of players one back.  John Bohling of Highland Village, TX,  Trophy Club, TX member Andrew Braun and John Long from Allen, TX shared the second place honors.

Palmer Flight:   Ivan Zweig of Dallas, went two under par on the first six holes, made a ten on the par 4 -7th, but regained his composure to play the back nine in one over to win by a stroke.  Zweig bettered his last three runner up finishes for his first win on the season and fourth on tour.  Fort Worth part time resident, Tony Eno a regular on the Hill Country Tour, finished in the runner up spot for the second time in as many attempts, two strokes clear of a pair in the show position.  Clay Johnston of Denver, CO soon to be relocating back to the Dallas area and Rowlett, TX member Gregory Haddon split the third place finish.

Senior Palmer Flight:  Knocking on the winning door with two runner up finishes and a T3 in his first year on tour,  Dave Kirby of Edmond, OK went one over on the front nine with three birdies on the day to win his first. Another first year member Bossier City, LA player Mike Hollier finished in the runner up spot, three strokes back with Neal Iverson of Irving, TX rounding out the top three.

Hogan Flight:  Local Flower Mound, TX player Mark Rainwater started his back nine with a birdie on the down wind, par 4 -10th to become another first time winner on tour.   Two strokes back, 2009 National Champion, Stephen Cannon took the second place winnings with Jeffrey Banner of Lawton, OK and Rogers, AR visitor Paul Gomez knotted up in third place.

Senior Hogan Flight:  Paul Burleson from nearby Argyle, TX made the most of his short game to run away with his first win on the year and third on tour.  With one of only two birdies in the flight on the day, both on the par 5 -6th, Burleson finished six strokes ahead of Phillip Holt of Haslet, TX and Lewisville, TX player  Randy Sellers tied in the second place finish.

Sarazen Flight:  The second trophy of the day to head north on I-35 to Edmond, OK, Oklahoma Tour member Christian Williamson carded the only birdie in the flight on the par 5 -16th to win his second championship on tour and first of the year.  Fellow, Edmond traveler Imran Siddiqi and Plano, TX member Dave Ducray finished two strokes back, tied for second.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Jerrell Neely of Richland Hills, TX birdied his first hole on the day to set up his third victory on tour and first since the November 2011, Open @ Texas Star.  Azle, TX member Jim Wright has had to put his tournament action on hold due to work requirements, but  didn't seem to miss a beat just one stroke back in the runner up finish.  Dale McFarland of Crowley, TX had two birdies on the day for final podium spot, and his best finish on tour.

Jones Flight:  Opting out of the Giant Skins,  Vaughn Jackson of Dallas, TX made the only eagle of the event on the par 5 -2nd hole and added a birdie on the par 5 -13th for his second win on tour in as many attempts.  Yukon OK member Gary Chrisman of the Oklahoma Tour took six shots off his front nine score on the difficult back to share the second place finish with Houston Tour traveler, Kris Bixby of Katy, TX.  Bixby bounced back from a quad on the par 4 - 14th with a birdie on the par 5 - 16th to go even par over his last four holes to even things up.

Snead Flight:  Richard Schram from Bryan, TX and the Houston Tour recorded his second career win on tour in his last three events.  Schram, helped with a birdie on the par 5 -13th edged out Watauga, TX resident Leo Washington by two strokes.  Mike Adcock Saginaw, TX and  Grand Prairie, TX first year member William Perkins shared the third place finish just one stroke back of Washington.

Senior Snead Flight:  Flower Mound local Billy Hendrix used the short drive to the course to his advantage for his ninth win on tour and first since the 2012 Bobcat Open.  Thomas Rauch of Arlington, TX finished two strokes back for his second runner up finish on the year with the help of a birdie on the par 5 -16th.  Somerville, TX resident Myron Brown carded the third place finish to go along with two runner up spots on the year.



SKINS:

Giant Skin:  1 -- John Long, Allen, TX; Sean Skellenger, Dallas, TX; Chad Maynard, Frisco, TX; Dale McFarland, Crowley, TX; Christopher Johnson, Duncanville, TX.

Championship:   2 -- John Long, Allen, TX; Sean Skellenger, Dallas, TX. 1 -- John Bohling, Highland Village, TX; Ken Dyke, Keller, TX; Jeremy Frenzel, Fort Worth, TX.

Palmer / Senior Palmer:  2 -- Clay Johnston, Denver, CO. 1 -- Ivan Zweig, Dallas, TX; Brack Blackwood, Granbury, TX; Guy Gagne, Fort Worth, TX; Dave Kirby, Edmond, OK; Michael Fee, Mansfield, TX.

Hogan / Senior Hogan:  1 -- Chad Maynard, Frisco, TX; Mark Rainwater, Flower Mound, TX; Scott Harper, Ranger, TX; Steve Killion, Sanger, TX.

Sarazen / Senior Sarazen:  1 -- Jerrell Neely, Richland Hills, TX; Dale McFarland, Crowley, TX; Gerald McElvy, Southlake, TX; Daniel Galvan, Fort Worth, TX.

Jones:  2 -- Gary Chrisman, Yukon, OK. 1 -- Matt Beasley, Dallas, TX; Kris Bixby, Katy, TX; Vaughn Jackson, Euless, TX; Christopher Johnson, Duncanville, TX.

Snead:  3 -- Thomas Rauch, Arlington, TX. 2 -- Billy Hendrix, Flower Mound, TX. 1 -- Mike Adcock, Saginaw, Texas; Richard Schram, Bryan, TX; Tom Reynolds, Belton, TX.





Next Up: The Dallas Tour makes introduces another new course for the Arlington Championship at Tierra Verde on Sunday April, 21st.  Registration closes Friday April 12th.  Hill Country Tour visits Vaaler Creek Golf Club for the first time at the Battle at Blanco on April 20th. Oklahoma resumes play at the Cowboy Classic - Lakeside on April 13th. For More Information:

Scott R Chilcutt

Tour Director
Dallas / Fort Worth Tour - Hill Country Tour - Oklahoma Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467 - 972.302.9478
schilcutt@gcamtour.com