Dallas Tour: May 2015

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Creeks Rising but Skies Turn Clear - Fort Worth Championship

Scott R Chilcutt, Fort Worth, TX (May 17, 2015) The full field of Golf Channel AM Tour members, made the call for the Fort Worth Championship at Waterchase Golf Club after torrential rains preceded them to the course, early Sunday morning. Relegated to the cart paths, with bunkers unplayable, the course actually drained very well. Problems really only arose after some of the streams came out of the banks, leaving the players with a feeling the "water was chasing them".

At the end of the day, nine champions were crowned, with four of the nine flights taking extra holes to finalize the awards. Jeremy Nolan (Snead Flight) was "Up for the Srixon Challenge", winning his flight playing a Srixon ball and will get a dozen sent to him for the win. Burnie Rodgers, after coming off a hole in one his last tournament, went on to win the Tournament Champion Trophy, presented by Carlisle's Engraving, by three strokes.

RESULTS:

Championship Flight: First time Rockwall, TX, player Ari Rogers matched his six bogies with six birdies for an even par 72 to take home the hardware. One stroke back, Kevin Schmuhl of Southlake, TX, and McKinney, TX, resident, Tim Williams shared the runner up honors. Both players made the turn one stroke back of the lead, Schmul would make a birdie on the par 5 - 13th, Williams would then answer at the par 4 -17th, to stay knotted up in second.

Palmer Flight: Todd Arnold of Fort Worth, TX, playing in his first year on tour, carded a birdie on his final hole of the day, the par 5 - 18th to snatch the win. Arnold, one stroke back after sixteen holes, got to even after second place finisher, David Wright of Flower Mound, TX, faltered on seventeen to open the door. It makes the third win in five attempts for Arnold, jumping into second place in the points behind Wright. Grandbury, TX, player William Hall, recorded his second, third place finish in as many attempts, one stroke back of second.

Senior Palmer Flight: Starting on the tenth hole, Granbury, TX, member, Dave Hanson took a one stroke lead to the back, with the help of two birdies. Adding two more at the par 3 - 2nd and par 4 - 4th, Hanson would go up by three over Alan Luedke of Fort Worth. Luedke would stay steady, matching his front nine score, when Hanson struggled over four of his final five holes to force the first playoff of the day. Back out to the par 4 - 1st, Luedke, would prevail for his first win in only two attempts on tour. Whitney, TX, four time winner on the season, John Price just narrowly missed the playoff with a double on his final hole, rounding out the third place finish, one stroke back.

Hogan Flight: Cody Wright, of Dallas, TX and Killeen, TX member, Derrick Matthews would continue a playoff trend on the day. Both made the turn even, but each had his own story to tell coming to the clubhouse. Matthews, would record two bogies to go with seven pars, including the final four, while Wright would have to use two birdies, just enough to overcome his bogie on the final hole. Back out to the 1st hole, Wright would prevail with a par, to pick up his fourth win on tour and his third in as many tries. One stroke back of the leaders, Brian Cox of Killeen, TX, in his first event since taking over assistant duties on the Hill Country Tour, would play the back nine with 9 pars, to lock up a tie with Bedford, TX, three time winner on the season, Darren Bufton.

Senior Hogan Flight: Continuing in the third of four playoffs, Manuel Martinez of Cisco, TX, and Trophy Club, TX, resident, Jalil Daneshfar matched nines to require extra holes. Three holes to be exact, before Martinez would finally pick up his third win on the season, with a par on the par 5 - 3rd. Leading the pack after his first nine holes of the day, Michael Starks of Cleburne, TX, would struggle over four of his last six, to lock up the third place honors with Sanger, TX, member Steve Killion.

Sarazen Flight: David Hickman of Rockwall, TX, became a five time winner on tour, first since the 2010 The Spring Championship at Waterchase, becoming the only repeat winner of the event at the Fort Worth Club. Hickman, one stroke back, making the turn, finished the final nine, just good enough for a two stroke win. Back on tour after taking 2014 off, Higinio Sustaita of Fort Worth finished in the runner up spot, with recent Red River Shootout at WinStar Resort & Casino, Major Champion, Preston Miller of Fort Worth rounding out the top three.

Senior Sarazen Flight: Making the start on the tenth hole, both Burnie Rodgers of Haslet, TX, and Wichita Falls, TX, traveler Derek Drake would make their front nines look silly. Both, two under par at the turn, Rodgers, with three birdies and Drake with two would come to some semblance of reality on the back. Burnie would add three more birdies, and Derek added on another, but both ended the day all square setting the stage for the fourth and final playoff of the day. Both remounted and headed back out to the par 4 -1st, where Rodgers would make bogey, picking up his third win of the season and fifteenth on tour. Chris Howl of Arlington, TX, finished just two strokes back for the third place honors.

Jones Flight: Coming off his playoff win at the Red River Shootout at WinStar Resort & Casino in a playoff, Lott, TX, first year player, Randy Helcel made it two for two. Helcel, with a birdie on the par 3 - 16th, made it look easy with an eleven stroke advantage. Andy Eldridge of Fort Worth, TX, made par on six consecutive holes in the middle of his round for his best finish on tour, one stroke clear of North Richland Hills, TX, member Luis Dayer.

Snead Flight: Following in his fathers AM Tour winning footsteps, Jeremy Nolan of Rockwall, TX, commanded his first win on tour. Nine strokes back, Arlington, TX member, Thomas Rauch notched his fourth runner up on the season, to go with two wins, four strokes ahead of Stan Harper of Lake Leon, TX, rounding out the top three.

SKINS:

Giant SKINS: ($330/each) 1 -- Kevin Evans, Springtown, TX; Burnie Rodgers, Haslet, TX.

Championship / Palmer: ($45/each) 3 -- Kevin Schmuhl, Southlake, TX. 1 -- Eric Anderson, Granbury, TX; Dallas Webster, Wylie, TX; Kevin Evans, Springtown, TX.

Senior Palmer: ($16/each) 4 -- Dave Hanson, Granbury, TX. 1 -- Alan Luedke, Fort Worth, TX; Frank Spina, Keller, TX.

Hogan / Senior Hogan: ($130/each) 1 -- Steve Lamb, Garland, TX; Darren Bufton, Bedford, TX; John Heintz, San Antonio, TX.

Sarazen: ($40/each) 3 -- Willie Carr, Fort Worth, TX. 1 -- Phil Anderson, Murphy, TX; John Lopez, Saginaw, TX.

Senior Sarazen: ($70/each) 3 -- Burnie Rodgers, Haslet, TX. 1 -- Davis Noble, Lake Kiowa, TX; Jamie Sansom, Plano, TX; Rodney Wren, Dallas, TX.

Jones / Snead: ($22/each) 2 -- Zane Latham, Valley View, TX; Randy Helcel, Lott, TX. 1 -- Douglas Taylor, San Angelo, TX; Andy Eldridge, Fort Worth, TX; Don Watson, Wichita Falls, TX; Jason Jenniges, Weatherford, TX; Thomas Rauch, Arlington, TX.

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

($200/each) #2 - John Neff - 3' 3"; #7 - Scott Harris - 4' 7"; #12 - No Qualified Shot; #14 - Jason Jenniges - 11' 5".

Upcoming Texas Events:

The Hill Country Tour makes its Memorial Day Weekend visit to Vaaler Creek Golf Club for the Battle at Blanco on Saturday, May 22nd. Then on to a special Monday event for the Cedar Park Challenge, at Twin Creeks on June 15th. Entry deadline is Friday, June 5th.

Back to the popular Heritage Ranch, the Dallas Tour competes at the Fairview Classic on May 31st. Registration closes on Friday May 22nd.

Houston Tour heads south for the Missouri City Championship at Quail Valley Golf Club on May 30th, entry deadline is Friday, May 22nd.

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

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Dallas Tour Players Take Four Flights at Red River Shootout

Scott R Chilcutt, Thackerville, OK (May 3, 2015) The Golf Channel AM Tour returned for the third Red River Shootout and first since 2013 along the Red River. Just a little over an hour north of the Dallas / Ft Worth metroplex on the Oklahoma side of the border sits, WinStar Golf Club, part of the WinStar World Casino complex that played host to the event.

Moderate winds, along with what some players noted, "diabolical greens", kept low scores at bay, with no sub par rounds on the weekend. The field recorded 5 eagles, and 241 birdies and the course played to just over 15 over. 36 National Championship and Senior National Championship invitations were given to the top three and ties, with eight of eleven flights seeing first time Major Champions.

It was no coincidence that the field was made up of a majority of Dallas Tour players, but the surprise came from Hill Country Tour, the smallest in the state, and it's five victories, including the top three flights that went home to members working at Fort Hood. Dallas Tour members took four Championships, one went to the Houston area and a single trophy traveled back to Missouri.

Michael Campbell of New Braunfels, TX, padded his pockets and the Golf Channel AM Tour will send another $500 to the Troops First Foundation with his first career hole in one on the par 3 - 5th on Saturday with a 7 iron from 148 yards. Additionally, over $1,300 was raised for David Feherty's Troops First Foundation.through the 50/50 raffle.

RESULTS:

Championship Flight: First round leader, Marco Palacios of Austin, TX, ran into trouble on his Sunday round opening the door for Killeen, TX, resident, Jordan Massey. Massey, with eight birdies on the weekend, including the final hole, par 5 - 18th picked up his second win in three attempts on tour and first Major Championship. Plano, TX, first year player Gant Bills, playing to a combined total +3 in four rounds on tour, finished two strokes back for the runner up spot. Second year tour player, Jared Taylor of Edmond, OK, a six time winner on tour during two seasons, rounded out the top three grabbing the final National Championship Qualification of the flight.

Palmer Flight: In his final hurrah as a Fort Hood, TX, resident, Jacob Morton, would pick up his second Red River Shootout victory, his tenth win on tour and fourth Major Championship. But, it wouldn't come without extra work. Morton, on his way to the Beltway with his new position at the Pentagon, birdied his 36th hole of the weekend to draw a tie with Ron Finnerty of San Antonio, TX. Finnerty, with three birdies on the weekend, got even with Morton after 27 holes, but could only match him on the final nine. Both back out to the par 4 - 1st hole for the sudden death playoff, Morton would get up and down for the Championship. Two strokes back of the pair, David Wright of Flower Mound, TX, made eagle three on the par 5 - 18th, his final hole of the weekend, to snatch a share of the third place honors with San Antonio, TX member Dave Davlin for the National Championship invites.

Senior Palmer Flight: Robert Lippert of Copperas Cove, TX, made it a trio of Fort Hood members to take home the crystal. Lippert, with three birdies on his opening round, built a seven stroke advantage on Saturday and was able to cruise on Sunday for his ninth win on tour, second major and fourth win of the season. Playing along side of Lippert in the final pairing, Traylor Sells of Cypress, TX, the 2013 Red River Shootout at WinStar Resort Champion and Midland, TX, player Al Smith matched scores on both rounds to share the runner up finish.

Hogan Flight: Dallas Tour member, Cory Welch of Fort Worth, TX, used birdies on the par 3 - 5th and par 3 - 14th on Sunday to take seven strokes off his opening round to win it by one. Welch, a winner his last time out at the Myrtle Beach Classic Major, picked up his eighth win on tour and third Major Championship. Michael Campbell of New Braunfels, TX, added five birdies on the weekend to his hole in one on Saturday to jump into the second place finish with first round leader, Derrick Matthews of Killeen, TX and Sapulpa, OK player Tams Howard. Howard added four birdies on Sunday to one carded on Saturday for his first National Championship Qualification.

Senior Hogan Flight: Bob Hunter of Lees Summit, MO, led wire to wire to become the only out of Texas winner on the weekend. Hunter, a six time winner on tour, three time winner on the season, picked up his first Major Championship in thirty two Major starts on his AM Tour career. One stroke back, Magnolia, TX resident, George Smith, a four time winner on tour, carded his eighth runner up finish taking three strokes off his first round total. Two strokes back, Dallas Tour member, Jalil Daneshfar of Trophy Club, TX, and Wentzville, MO, player Michael Quesenberry, with two birdies on his final round split the final Senior National Championship qualification spots.

Sarazen Flight: Fort Worth, TX, player Preston Miller used two birdies on Saturday to stay within one stroke of the lead. Sunday, Miller would play the front nine in +3, but ran into trouble on the back, starting with a triple on the 10th hole, but did just what he needed to do to pick up his fourth win on tour and first Major Championship by a single stroke. Oklahoma City, OK native, Kevin Stevens, now residing in Wesley Chapel, FL, and son Mitch Stevens of Valrico, FL, finished National Championship qualifications, in second and third respectively.

Senior Sarazen Flight: With caddie in tow, Mark Donohue of Lewisville, TX made a walk along the Red River work to his first Major Championship and fourth win on tour. Donohue matched +9 - 81's on both days for a two stroke lead over, 2013 Red River Shootout at WinStar Resort playoff Champion, Stan Wilson of Jones, OK and St Charles, MO, member, Thomas Pryor splitting the runner up finish. It was Pryor's best finish at a Major Championship in six attempts.

Jones Flight: Stuck in a three way tie for second after the Saturday round, Larry Atchley of Kyle, TX, shot a flight low round on Sunday to become a Major Champion and four time winner on tour. First round leader, Portland, TX, resident, James Price finished four strokes back, for the runner up spot, his best finish in a Major. Two strokes back of Price, Brandon Walters of Springdale, AR matched his best finish at a Major with a third place finish at the 2014 The Sooner State Showdown.

Senior Jones Flight: In a hotly contested 24 player flight, where the top seven players were only separated by four strokes, first round leader, Randy Helcel of Lott, TX, was surprised to learn he was tied in the top spot after a mediocre Sunday Round. When Lakeway, TX member Donald Bebout, was not available for the extra holes playoff, Helcel would pick up his first win on tour. Bebout will take home the runner up finish, with Terry Collins of Spring, TX, carding birdie on the eighteenth hole on Sunday for the final Senior National Championship qualification.

Snead Flight: Tulsa, OK, resident, William Hughes became a first time winner in three years on tour at the April, Dallas Tour, Castle Hills Masters and hasn't stopped yet. With his final round 93 it was just enough to pick up his first Major Championship and third win in as many attempts. Corpus Christi, TX, resident William Speck, took seven strokes off his Saturday round on Sunday to finish two shots back, with Houston Tour player Javier Quintero rounding out the top three.

Senior Snead Flight: Long Island, NY, native, Robert Vespa now living in Pasadena, TX, kept on his winning track. After his first victory on tour his last time out, Vespa overcame a three stroke deficit starting the day Sunday to finish with a one stroke advantage. First round leaders, Hal Wychopen of Magnolia, TX, and Lombard, IL, member, John Pacheco finished second and third respectively, punching their ticket to the Senior National Championships in September.