Arkansas Championship - Hot Springs Village

AM Tour Staff, Hot Springs Village, AR (June 7, 2015)  Situated in Southwest Arkansas, in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains and the Ouachita National Forest, sits Hot Springs and the Hot Springs Village.  

Hot Springs, known for its therapeutic spas and thoroughbred racing is the home of Oaklawn Park.  It seemed only fitting, on this weekend, that just minutes from the site, that Saturdays historic Triple Crown winning American Pharoah jump started his 2015 campaign winning the Arkansas Derby that the Golf Channel AM Tour would host over 180 players from around the country vying for National Championship and Senior National Championship qualifications.

Without near as much media coverage, Hot Springs Village, with eleven courses in the gated community, has been hammered with the same rains that hit Oklahoma and Texas in May.  Course maintenance crews did a wonderful job preparing the tracks, with little time, for a fair and challenging competition.  While arguably the tougher of the two courses, Granada Golf Course, played just under one stroke better than the Ponce de Leon site, primarily because of the soggy conditions, over the weekend. 39 Players from the event picked up National Championship or Senior National Championship invitations while  $1,260 was raised for David Feherty's Troops First Foundation through the contributions to the 50/50 raffle.

RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  21 year old, Cory Montgomery led an all Oklahoma Tour sweep of the podium finishes.  Montgomery, four under after his first round at Granada, with four birdies, hung in there on Sunday with another four birdies to pick up his fifth win in his first season on tour and first Major Championship.  Five strokes back, Edmond, OK, traveler, Al Swanson, carded five birdies on the weekend for the runner up spot, his best finish in eight Major attempts on the season.  Rounding out the top three and final National Championship qualification, Clinton Beaird, also from Edmond, OK, made seven birdies and an eagle on the weekend for the third place finish in his first year on tour.

Senior Championship Flight:  2013 Senior National Champion, Bob Brooks of Bella Vista, AR, recorded five birdies on the weekend to lead the field at minus 1 over the 36 hole event.  It was Brooks' eleventh win on tour, with four Major Championship titles and fifth of the points season.  Houston Tour member, Gordon Wagner of Sugar Land, TX, made the best of the up and down layout on his first round, close to an Albatross with a kick in  eagle at the par 5 - 8th, added another eagle on the par 5 - 11th to go with five birdies on the weekend, equaling his runner up finish at the 2013 - Texas Masters at Barton Creek Major.   Playing in his first year on tour, Rick Guptil of Bella Vista, AR, grabbed the final Senior National Championship qualification with a couple of birdies on the weekend.

Palmer Flight:  Overcoming a three stroke deficit after the first round, Brian Taylor of Kansas City, KS, carded four birdies on Sunday to finish with a +1 - 73 for his eighth win on tour, third of the points season and first Major Championship.  First round leader, Kyle Koop of Coronado, CA, recorded three birdies on the weekend for his best finish at a Major Championship.  One stroke back of Koop, San Antonio, TX, player, Dave Davlin, notched his third, third place finish at a Major this year.

Senior Palmer Flight:  Texas native,  Al Smith playing out of San Angelo, TX, spent a few years working in Arkansas and mentioned "it's a great place to visit".  And visit, he did, Smith, played an uneventful Sunday round picking up two birdies and five on the weekend for a 36 hole, +4 and his second Major Championship on the points season.  Two strokes back, playing in his first event of the season, Brad Garrett of Lake Saint Louis, TX, took the runner up spot, with Oklahoma City, OK, player Jimmy Westfall rounding out the top three and final Senior National Championship qualification.

Hogan Flight:  Making the trip from Palmer, MA, Robert Simpkiss is no stranger to travel.  Playing in sixteen tour events on the points season since October, Simpkiss didn't have a win before May 1st, but in the last 30 days has been able to rack up five victories including the Major Championship at Blackwolf Run in mid May. One stroke back, Michael Jackson of Brentwood, TX, a two time winner on the season, kept it close for his best finish at a Major Championship.  The pair of Hill Country Tour members, Jim Puckett of Leander, TX, with four birdies on the final round and New Braunfels, TX, player, Michael Campbell tied it up to share the third place finish and final National Championship qualifications.

Senior Hogan Flight:  Two strokes out of the lead heading to the Sunday round, Michael Quesenberry of Wentzville, MO, stepped on the gas to pick up his fifteenth win on tour and first Major Championship.  Quesenberry, with birdie on the par 3 -11th hole on Sunday finished one stroke clear of Ballwin, MO, resident, Les Edwards, with a pair of birdies on the weekend of his own and Scott Harris of Fort Worth, TX claimed the final Senior National Championship invitation.  

Sarazen Flight:  Wallace Stine of Lee's Summit, MO, needed all the lead he built after the Saturday round, a two bogie +2, to solidify his second consecutive Major Championship run.  Stine a winner his last time out at the mid May TRUE linkswear Classic at Blackwolf Run now has twelve wins on tour and five on the season.  One stroke back,  Alabaster, AL, player Chet Lovelace recorded his best finish at a Major Championship with a couple of birdies on the weekend.  Show place honors went to Raymore, MO, member, Nathan Holden, stamping his ticket to the Nationals in September.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Northwest Arkansas tour player, Tom Stephens of Bella Vista, AR, made it look easy, scratching out four birdies on the weekend for a five stroke advantage and his first Major Championship victory. Spring, TX, resident Chris Neelley grabbed the runner up finish, his best in a Major, just one stroke clear of three players tied in the show position.  Steve Adams of Montgomery, AL, Chicago, IL, player Mark Giebelhausen and Jamie Sansom of Plano, TX, shared the third place honors.

Jones Flight:  Bentonville, AR, player Steve Rutherford continued the Northwest Arkansas players  strangle hold of the event, with his third win on tour.  Rutherford took ten strokes off his Saturday round on Sunday to finish one stroke clear of Mascoutah, IL, player Dallas Dixon.  One stroke back of Dixon, Houston Tour member, Wayne Waldrep of Spring, TX, rebounded on Sunday from a dismal Saturday affair chopping off 14 strokes to grab the final National Championship qualification.

Senior Jones Flight:  In the only flight to require extra holes to solidify the Championship,  Rick Henthorn of Yukon, OK, and Bella Vista, AR, player Dennis Baxter took some late Sunday afternoon sudden death holes to decide the outcome.  On the third hole of the playoff, Baxter would finally get the advantage for his tenth win on tour and third Major Championship.  One stroke back of the pair, first round leader, Luis Dayer of North Richland Hills, TX, rounded out the top three.

Snead Flight:  Six of Ten players in the flight made the National Championship a reality.  Thirteen year old, Evan Taylor of Saint Cloud, FL, led the way with his first win on his first year on tour.  Forty years his senior Greenwood, MO, player Tim Bray grabbed the runner up spot, with six players tied in the final qualifying spot. Shane Dixon of Belleville, IL, with a pair of birdies on Sunday,  Joliet, IL, player Martin Yoemans,  Tulsa, OK, resident William Hughes and Andrew Lovelace of New Iberia, LA, shared the third place honors.