The Dye Course at Stonebridge Ranch Only Gets Tougher

Scott R Chilcutt, McKinney, TX (March 26, 2018)  Dallas Tour members, hit the special Monday, Dye Classic @ Stonebridge for the third year running and familiarity hasn't helped bring the scores down.

Pete Dye designed the Dye Course at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club, taking advantage of the topography, that design has been preserved by the course to create a true test of golf. Tightly mown fairways and tough green complexes, just added to the railroad tie banked water hazards and knee-high grasses bordering fairways and greens set things up for a tough day.

Arguably, one of the toughest courses on our yearly schedule, the green changes over the fall and the winds on Monday, certainly didn't help anyone feel good about their games. But then again, Pete Dye was never in the business to design easy tracks.

The winner of the Feherty's Troops First Foundation 50/50 raffle, took home $550, bringing the Texas Tour events total to $6,220 contributed to the Foundation in 2018.


RESULTS:

Championship Flight:  Coming off a runner-up finish at the Kiawah Island Championship, the previous weekend, Jack Carlile, of Lewisville, TX, seems to like the Dye Layouts, shooting the low round of the day on the famed, Ocean Course.  One back making the turn on Monday,  Carlile, snuck in an eagle and the par 5 - 16th to pick the win,  his second in three attempts and third on tour.  Flower Mound, TX, member David Wright, with a birdie at the par 3 - 8th, finished four strokes back, four strokes clear of the pair of Al Swanson of Edmond, OK and McKinney, TX, player Tim Willams rounding out the top three finishers.

Palmer Flight:  Double bogies on the par 4 - 18th, forced Kirk Boerner of Fort Worth, TX, and Murphy, TX, resident, Dallas Webster to extra holes.  Webster, in his second playoff in as many events, went back to the course without time constraints from a Texas Tech Basketball game, but ended with the same result, with Boerner, picking up the Championship.  For Boerner, it was his fourth win of the season, including, the Major Championship at the Golf Club of Houston, site of this week, Houston Open on the PGA Tour.   Back one stroke of the pair, two players finished knotted up in the runner-up finish, with Mark Anderson of Plano, TX, and Lewisville, TX, member Greg Digby, sharing second.

Senior Palmer Flight:  Starting the day on the par 4 - 10th, Tim Bush of Granbury, TX, made the turn with a one-stroke lead.  That lead quickly, vanished as Bush, carded an eight on the par 4 - 1st, but backed it up with a birdie on the next hole, added another four holes later and was one his way to his first win of the season and second on tour.  Two strokes back, traveling Albuquerque, NM, resident Don Roundtree, grabbed the runner-up finish, with another traveler, Michael Foster, of Catoosa, OK, with a birdie on the par 4 - 2nd, rounding out the top three.

Hogan Flight:  Sharing the lead, making the turn, first-time player Bryce Bender of Grapevine, TX, did just enough coming to the clubhouse to force extra holes.  Playing in his second event of the weekend, newly relocated Las Colinas, TX, player Rick Houchins, would faceoff Bender in the sudden death, to prevail for his fifteenth win on tour and first since the 2016 season.  Daegen Blackwood, of Dallas, TX, back on tour for the first time since the 2016 season, finished all along in third place, two strokes back.

Senior Hogan Flight:  Starting the round on the par 5 - 10th, Irving, TX, Myles Gallemore, held the lead making the turn and then started pouring it on with a birdie at the par 4 - 1st.  Gallemore, off the schedule since 2015, with only two events that year, grabbed the win, in his third time out this season, for his fifth win on tour.  Glynn Aldredge, of Fairview, TX, a winner his last time out, carded he runner-up spot, with Haslet, TX, player Phillip Holt, using a birdie on the par 3 - 5th to round out the top three.

Sarazen Flight:   Neil McGregor of nearby McKinney, TX, made birdie right out of the gate on the par 4 - 1st, added another on the par 5 - 7th and made the turn with plenty of strokes to burn.  McGregor skated to the win, his first on tour, four strokes clear of a first-year Dallas, TX, player, Preston Moxcey, with his best finish on tour.  Fort Worth, TX, long time member, Preston Miller in his first time out since October, rounded out the top three, two strokes out of second.

Senior Sarazen Flight:  Bullard, TX, player Bill Clark, played his way right back to the Senior Hogan Flight on Monday.  Clark a Senior Sarazen, since 2015, has brought his game back to those days, with two wins on tour this year, with fifteen on tour.   Six strokes back, John McClemore, of Dallas, TX, with a birdie on the par 5 - 16th, snarred the runner-up finish, with Rockwall, TX, member David Day rounding out the top three.

Jones Flight:  Starting his day on the par 4- 10th, Ray Tycki of nearby McKinney, TX, didn't have a pretty scorecard after nine, but was right in the mix tied for the lead.  Tyzki ran into trouble on the par 4 - 1st, as many did on the day, but carded seven par's in a row to pick up his fourth win on tour and third in as many attempts.  One stroke back of first, John Grimley of Garland, TX, birdied his last hole of the day, the par 4 - 18th to solidify his runner-up finish, with Haslet, TX, member Doyle Fleming, with a birdie on the par 5 - 16th taking home the showplace finish.

Snead Flight:  Texas Tours, trophy maker, Ron Hardy of Lewisville, TX, two strokes back at the turn, finished the day with his second win of the season and fourteenth on tour.   Two strokes back, Hill Country Tour traveler, Mark Colwell of Selma, TX, with a birdie on the par 3 - 5th and closest to the hole, took home the runner-up finish, with Zane Latham, of Valley View, TX, a big giant skin winner, with a birdie on the par 4 - 11th rounding out the top three.





SKINS:

GIANT Skins:  ($155/each)  1 -- Jack Carlile, Lewisville, TX; John Grimley, Garland, TX; Zane Latham, Valley View, TX; Dallas Webster, Murphy, TX.

Championship/Palmer:  ($55/each)  2 -- Dallas Webster, Murphy, TX. 1 -- Jack Carlile, Lewisville, TX; Al Swanson, Edmond, OK.

Senior Palmer:  ($16/each)  2 -- Michael Foster, Catoosa, OK; Randy Collier, Claremore, OK. 1 -- Tim Bush, Granbury, TX; Don Rountree, Albuquerque, NM.

Hogan:  ($75/each)  1 -- Tim Edwards, Amarillo, TX; Jeff Blackwood, Dallas, TX; Steve Nagy, Sugar Land, TX; Michael Schmidt, Rowlett, TX.

Senior Hogan:  ($34/each)  2 -- Myles Gallemore, Irving, TX. 1 -- Glynn Aldredge, Fairview, TX; Phillip Holt, Haslet, TX; Jamie Sansom, Allen, TX; Rick Swanson, Carrollton, TX; Stan Wilson, Jones, OK.

Sarazen:  ($20/each)  2 -- Ronald Occenad, Dallas, TX; Neil Mcgregor, Mckinney, TX; Mitch Ryan, Dallas, TX. 1 -- Joe Luman, Odessa, TX.

Senior Sarazen:  ($60/each)  1 -- Nick Easen, Keller, TX; Rodney Wren, Dallas, TX; Jerry Emmons, Granbury, TX.


Jones/Snead:  ($40/each)  2 -- Zane Latham, Valley View, TX. 1 -- Doyle Fleming, Haslet, TX; Ray Tyczki, McKinney, TX; John Grimley, Garland, TX; Mark Colwell, Selma, TX.



CLOSEST TO THE HOLE:

$150/each:  #5 -  Mark Colwell - 2.5";  #8 -  Al Swanson - 4' 3";  #12 - Dallas Webster - 5' 7";  #17 - Brian Hebert  - 4' 11". 




NEXT UP:

Make a special long weekend trip to the Gulf Coast.  Houston Tour -  The schedule includes a special, two events in three days, beginning in Galveston on Saturday, April, 14th at Moody Gardens for the Galveston Island Championship.  This tournament is a consistent sell-out so don't wait for the deadline on Friday, April 6th.   The tour then moves a few miles north for the first visit to Sugar Creek Country Club, for the Sugar Land Championship, on Monday, April 16th.  The event registration also closes on Friday, April 6th.

Dallas Tour - April events start along I-35W in Burleson for the Battle Of Burleson, at Hidden Creek Golf Club on April 7th.  SOLD OUT with waiting list spots available. Registrations close on Friday, March 30th at 11:59 PM CST.   

Fort Worth Championship at Waterchase, on Sunday, April 29th, is nearly sold out, get your spot before it closes on Friday, April 20th.

Hill Country Tour -  Sunday, April 8th, the Tour goes back to River Crossing Golf Club for the Spring Branch Classic.  Entries close on Friday, March 30th, 2018 at 11:59 PM CST.



Major Championships Open for Registration - (Majors that will be included in the 2018 Texas Tour Flight Champion year-end awards)

NW Arkansas Open at Bellavista - April 21st and 22nd.  Spots available.

Texas Open at Horseshoe Bay - June 23-24th. SOLD OUT, waiting list spots available.

Hill Country Classic at La Cantera - July 7th and 8th.  Spots available.

Texas Classic at Barton Creek - July 28th - 29th.  Spots available.

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