Scott R Chilcutt, Edmond, OK (September , 2016) Bringing a close to the year, setting up for National and Senior National Championship bids later this month, marks another chapter with the Golf Channel AM Tour on the Dallas Tour. Beginning the points season on November 15th at Hawks Creek after a rain out at Frisco Lakes, the tour contested 15 rounds on the local schedule where over 1,500 members from around the country competed.
Vying for year end awards, this year concluded with a customized and personalized staff bag from Club Glove to the Champions, and we continued the special 2016 of the Player of the Year Award, presented by Higginbotham.
Championship Flight: Trailing Gant Bills for most of the points season, Nick Quast of Trophy Club, TX, came to the Tour Championship at Bridlewood to make a statement and ended it with an explanation point. Quast, would end up winning the points title by a mere 70 points, but did it in fine fashion Seven events on the season, five wins, with a combined total +10 over eight rounds to finish out with Flight Championship honors.
Senior Championship Flight: Midland, TX, member Terry Rice, picked up his fifth Flight Champion honors, dating back to 2010 as an Open Championship Flight player. Competing in five Major Championships on the year, with two runner up finishes to go with two wins on the local level. Rice will travel to the Senior National Championship in Innisbrook, looking to better his third place finish at the 2010 National Championship at Sawgrass.
Palmer Flight: Lewisville, TX, player Clay Johnston has been just outside the Flight Champion awards for the past few years. A three time winner on the season before June 1st, Johnston, was in a cruise mode for the summer, but it would take a strong finish at the Tour Championship to grab the title. In sixth place after the Saturday round, Clay would better his first day score by three to jump one spot, just enough points to win the Flight Championship by 110 points over Scott Harper of Ranger, TX.
Senior Palmer Flight: With three wins on the season, including two major championships at The Southern California Open and the Streamsong Amateur in Florida, Tony Peppler of Dallas, TX, picked up his second Flight Championship Award. The first coming in the Championship Flight in 2011, Tony heads to the Senior National Championship for his fifth time on tour.
Hogan Flight: Only a matter of time and the Journey to Better Flight promotion would catch up with Mesquite, TX, Gabe Brisco. In his case, it happened at the year end, so Brisco will head to the National Championship competing with the Palmer Flight. Gabe started the year with a win in his first time out, added two more during the season, including a Major Championship in Hot Springs, AR, he finished out the year with seven of eight sub 80 rounds.
Senior Hogan Flight: Sanger, TX, 2015 Dallas Tour Player of the Year recipient, Steve Killion hit the trail for 21 events on the season. Killion, with three wins, made the rounds to all of the Texas Tournament Championships and ended the season with a a slim 55 point lead. Steve will be making his sixth start at the Senior National Championship in seven years on tour.
Sarazen Flight: Sven Bock of Richardson, TX, started the points season with a win at Hawks Creek in November, then went on to compete in 29 events, including five Major Championships. On the year, Bock picked up five wins, but the Flight Championship would take final event heroics if he was going to take the points lead. Sven would start the final event, 40 points behind Wadsworth Jarrell, but a win, with two sub 80 rounds, would be just enough to grab a 55 point lead. Bock, won't be competing at the National Championship, but we look forward to seeing him in the Hogan Flight, with a Journey to Better Flight Promotion at the end of the season.
Senior Sarazen Flight: Mark Donohue of Lewisville, TX, started his career on the Golf Channel AM Tour the fall of 2012 at Champions Circle, for the 2013 points season. With an initial handicap of 7.5, Donohue grabbed a Senior Palmer Flight spot, and with that, his first start might have been a deal breaker for most. Fifteen on the par 4 - 2nd, fast forward .... and he has now picked up his second Flight Championship award in the last two seasons. Playing in 25 events on the year, Donohue carded five wins on the season, including four of his first five starts. It will be his third go of the Senior National Championship, and we look forward to seeing his continued growth in the Journey to Better.
Jones Flight: Starting his tour career with a few events in 2014, Joshua Tankersly of Fort Worth, TX, took the next year off, and then came back with his game in shape. Tankersly, played in ten events on the season, the first five as a Snead Player before getting the Journey to Better Flight Promotion in early June. Despite the points adjustment that comes with that promotion, Joshua cleared the field by over 500 points, with the help of four wins on the season.
Senior Jones Flight: Lloyd C Reid, JR, became another first time Flight Champion award winner and he worked hard at it, real hard. Reid, after missing the 2015 award by a scant few points, traveled and traveled a lot. 32 events, 11 Major Championships and two Texas Tour Championships. One win on the season, seven runner up spots and three more top three finishes would put Lloyd in the top spot for the 2016 season. Reid will be making his fourth start at the Senior National Championship at Innisbrook.
Snead Flight: Three wins on the season, including the Major Championship at Winstar, along with the deal sealing Dallas Tour Championship, would put William Hughes of Tulsa, OK on the top spot for the third consecutive time. Hughes, a member since 2013, will make his first start at the National Championship in Florida.
Senior Snead Flight: Douglas Pritchett of Fort Worth, TX, fought it out all year to get to and keep the top spot in the flight. Pritchett, with three wins on the season, would become a two time Senior Snead Flight Champion on the Dallas Tour.
Hill Country Tour, PLAYER OF THE YEAR, presented by HIGGINBOTHAM: The special award was set up and presented by Higginbotham, a Business Insurance and Financial Services Company that services the state of Texas with home offices in Fort Worth. The player from each tour in the state selected by the committee, with feedback from the membership that met a series of criteria, including having been promoted and continued The Journey to Better by excelling in the new flight, playing in the Tour Championship and attending the National / Senior National Championship in the new flight.
2016 Dallas TOUR Player of the Year: With the sponsor mandate, we had a few players that were eligible and after much deliberation by the committee, Joseph Roy of Rockwall, TX was selected. Roy, a member of the tour since 2011, sat out the 2015 year and came back with a vengeance. A Hogan Flight member since 2013, Joe played in eighteen events on the season, fifteen as a Hogan. With the points Championship looking to be in good order, with three wins, including two Major Championships, the Journey to Better Flight promotion came in August. While probably not thrilled with the idea, Roy took to the task, playing in two Texas Tour Championships, he finished in a runner up spot at Bridlewood after the flight low round on Saturday. We look forward to seeing his continued success at the National Championship at Innisbrook sporting his new Player of the Year bag.
Upcoming Texas Events:
Fall events and 2017 points schedule are being added now, look out for the opportunity to get a jump start on the next season.
For More Information:
Scott R Chilcutt
Director - Texas Tours
Dallas Tour - Hill Country Tour - Houston Tour
GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour
405.513.1467
