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FEATURES
Volume 14, No. 4 Editor Production Manager Copy editor Contributing writers
Contributing photographers Cover photo by
August-September, 2007 Ken MacLeod James Royal Jenk Jones Jr. Vicki Tramel Mal Elliott Barry Lewis Larry Lewis Tim Landes Jimmie Tramel Mel Root Mike Klemme Mel Root
NEW COURSES AND RENOVATIONS Cottonwood Hills, Sand Creek Station thriving .......8 Okmulgee Country Club reopens ........................9 Owasso getting new course.............................10 Cedar Ridge debuts training center ...................12
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Tiger holds on to win 13th major ......................14 Southern Hills shines ......................................15 Players with section ties at PGA ........................16 Tulsa area courses get boost ............................18 Perry Maxwell course challenges field ................19 Play Golf America Day a success......................20 Possibly Dave Bryan’s final major......................22 LPGA NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP UA’s Lewis continues to shine ...........................24 FROM FAIRWAYS TO HAY ............................26 DESTINATIONS Lake of the Ozarks ........................................28
South Central Publications 2723 S. Memorial Drive • Tulsa, OK 74129 918-280-0787 • Fax: 918-280-0797 Website: southcentralgolf.com • E-mail: ken@southcentralgolf.com South Central Golf is the official publication of the South Central Section of the PGA of America, which includes all of Oklahoma,Arkansas and southern Kansas. The magazine is endorsed by the Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas state golf associations. South Central Golf is published five times annually, including our annual course directory. Subscriptions are $18 and are available by calling 918-280-0787 or on the website. We also welcome your letters and comments via e-mail.
Columns 31, Jay Fox, ASGA 31, Gene Mortensen, OGA 32 Gene Mortensen, Rules 33, Mal Elliott, Around Kansas 34, Kim Richey, KGA
34, Barry Thompson, PGA
Departments 6 Around the Section 38 Schedules & Results
Forest Ridge, an award winning public golf course, is a must play in the Northeast Oklahoma area. The course challenges golfers of all skill levels. • Ranked four stars by Golf Digest • Ranked #2 Best Public Golf Course (Tulsa World 2007) • Top 5 Best Public Access Courses in Oklahoma (Golf Magazine 2006) • Best Places to Play in Oklahoma (Golf Digest)
A great place to play a round.
To learn more about Forest Ridge Golf Club visit www.forestridge.com. To reserve a tee time call 918-357-2443. Enjoy one of the state’s premier public golf courses today!
www.forestridge.com
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
5
AROUND THE SECTION
South Central Golf celebrates 15 years By KEN MACLEOD As a business, if you’re around in five years, you’ve done something right, but it could still go either way. What does 15 years mean? It means you’re either having fun, getting rich or don’t know what else to do. We like to think it’s the first, it’s definitely not the second but it could well be the third. At any rate, here we are receiving offers in the mail to buy commemorative seals to celebrate the 15 years of South Central Golf, 1993-2007. Yikes, where did the time go? In that time frame my wife and I have had two kids who are suddenly acting like teens, moved twice and seen the hair on my head (and a lot of my friends) turn grey. The business has moved, added and dropped extra services, started three golf expos, got back in daily coverage with the advent of the web (www.southcentralgolf.com), watched great co-workers come and go. The one constant has been that we’ve always attempted to put out a quality regional golf magazine full of stories of interest whether they were of local, regional or national slants. We hope that through our efforts you know a lot more about the courses in your area and the professionals and superintendents who make them what they are. If you have any suggestions for us on golf stories you would like covered, please don’t hesitate to let us know at ken@southcentralgolf.com. While we’re on the subject of this magazine, we can’t fail to mention our website has been redesigned and updated. In addition to instant access to a complete and updated information about every course in the section, our site is the home for many breaking stories. Now you can post reactions to those stories or ask questions. We will also be adding golf blogs on topics of regional interest and more interactivity for users. Also on our website, you can sign up for South Central’s e-newsletter, delivered via email monthly and contains breaking news and special offers from some of our top sponsors.
THEN AND NOW The cover of the inaugural issue of South Central Golf Magazine featured Bob Tway. Fifteen years later, our most recent issue previewed Tiger Woods’ defense of his PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club.
EXPO DATES SET FOR 2008
This also seems like the opportune time to discuss our upcoming golf expos for 2008. Returning for the third year in Arkansas, next year’s expos will kick off with the Natural State Golf and Travel Expo in Springdale, Ark., at the Holiday Inn NWA Hotel and Convention Center Jan. 11-13. “Last year’s expo in Springdale was severely hampered by bad weather, but we look forward to bringing the expo back with more merchandise and an even better experience for our attendees,” said Tim Landes, expositions director. The Heartland Golf and Travel Expo will return to the Cox Business Services Center Feb. 1-3 in Oklahoma City. It marks the fourth year the Heartland expo will be in Bricktown. Going into its sixth year overall, the South Central Golf and Travel Expo will return to Tulsa’s Expo Square Feb. 8-10. “Oklahoma City and Tulsa’s expos were two of our best yet,” Landes said. “The Cox Center is a great home for the show, and the location in Tulsa was great. The attendees responded well to both expos. We look forward to making this year’s expos even better than last year’s.” Cherokee Casino has renewed its sponsorship for the Tulsa expo and has signed on to become a sponsor at the Natural State Expo. Southern Journeys will return to Oklahoma City and Tulsa as a sponsor and has also signed on to become a sponsor of the Natural State Expo. Many sponsorship opportunities remain for all three expos, and booth reservations are now being accepted. If you have a golf-related product you are wanting to sell or have a travel destination consumers would love to visit, please contact Tim Landes for more details. He can be reached by phone at 918-280-0787 or via email at tim@southcentralgolf.com.
TEWELL INDUCTED TO HALL
On Aug. 20, Doug Tewell became the 10th golfer to be inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. The Edmond resident joined golfers Susie Maxwell Berning, Charles Coe, Bob Dickinson, U.C. Ferguson, Labron Harris, Mike Holder, Dale McNamara, Orville Moody and Gil Morgan. Tewell graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1971 and turned professional. In 1975, he joined the PGA Tour where he
won four tournaments on the PGA Tour and eight times on the Champions Tour, including the 2000 Senior PGA and the 2001 Traditions. Six months ago, Tewell was forced to retire due to an elbow injury, but still works as a Champions Tour commentator for the Golf Channel.
LEHR RETURNS TO OWASSO
Warren Lehr, former director of golf at Bailey Ranch in Owasso, has returned to help supervise the golf course and also provide direction for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The announcement was made by Owasso City Manager Rodney Ray at a press conference at Bailey Ranch. Lehr has been the general manager at award-winning Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club near Albuquerque, N.M., since leaving Bailey Ranch in 1999. Paa-Ko is a fivestar rated facility by Golf Digest and named the top course in the Southwest by Zagat Surveys. Previously, Lehr was the director of golf at Bailey Ranch from its opening in March 1993 until taking the job at Paa-Ko Ridge in September 1999. He earned a reputation as one of the more thoughtful and thorough head professionals in the section and under his direction Bailey Ranch was averaging close to 35,000 rounds annually. Currently, in a saturated market, the course is over 26,000 rounds, which is actually a significant increase over where the course was just three years ago before Greenway Golf took over management services. Unfortunately for Lehr, he returned at a time when Bailey Ranch’s greens suffered due to both a human mistake (a reduced mowing height that scalped the greens) followed by extreme heat. Three of the greens on holes 1, 2, and 12 will be areified and reseeded when the heat breaks. Those three have excessive thatch built up and drained poorly during the early summer downpours. Head professional Corey Burd said that fans will also be installed on those greens this fall, as well as on hole 13. The other 15 greens should return to normal as the temperatures cool off. The city of Owasso currently has a management contract with Greenway Golf, which also runs operations at Battle Creek in Broken Arrow. That contract, which has 18 months remaining, will be restructured into a consulting role for Greenway. Although happy in his job at Paa-Ko, Lehr had been seeking a return to Oklahoma to be closer to family. His parents live in Norman, where Lehr was a finalist for the job at the Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Course last winter and the return to Owasso was an opportunity to expand his responsibilities into other areas besides golf. He returns to a thriving community that has SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
UCO EARNS PGA PROGRAM
expanded from approximately 7,000 residents when Bailey Ranch opened in 1993 to close to 28,000.
The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond has the 19th Professional Golf Management Program to be accredited by the PGA of America. Meaning if you want to go to school and come out a PGA professional, you can do it in Oklahoma. That was great news for PGA professional Bob Phelps, who has been working towards this goal for the past three years. Phelps is the director of the PGA/PGM program at UCO and now can begin actively recruiting students with the promise they will be a full fledged Class A PGA professional upon completion of the program. Students must first earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. The first class will be admitted in the fall of 2008, Phelps said. Anyone interested should contact Phelps at 405-974-5908 or Wes Wilkinson at 405-984-2425.
TULSA ACCEPTS BIDS FOR COURSES The city of Tulsa had eight management companies come to an open house on Aug. 9 to view the city’s courses at Page Belcher and Mohawk Park. Final proposals to take over operations from the city through a lease or other arrangement are due by Aug. 29 and the city’s golf advisory committee will meet Sept. 5 to begin winnowing the proposals. Max Wiens, who is shepherding the process for the city, said the committee hopes to have a short list by late September and be negotiating with the selected provider by early October, with a contract to be forwarded to Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor by Oct. 22. Of course, if none of the bids are accepted, the plan is to ask Tulsa County for help running the golf courses. Attending the open house were representatives from Billy Casper Golf, Kemper Sports, Buffalo Golf Group, Lakeland Golf Management, Greenway Golf, Signature Golf Group, IRI Golf Group and EAGL. Of those bidding, two are local. Greenway Golf currently runs Battle Creek in Broken Arrow and also has a contract at Bailey Ranch in Owasso. The other local bidder is Buffalo Golf, led by former Battle Creek operator Lynn Blevins.
TITLEIST CEO TO SPEAK IN TULSA
Wally Uihlein, chairman and chief executive officer of Acushnet Company (Titleist and Footjoy), will speak in Tulsa Oct. 18 at the Tulsa Business Forums sponsored by the Oklahoma State Spears School of Business. Uihlein’s topic will be the worldwide business opportunity of golf. Sponsorship tables are available or individual tickets can be purchased for $75. For tickets or more information, call 1-866-678-3933.
Two PGA Professionals on staff
Tee times taken seven days in advance
Senior Day, Ladies Day and Weekly Scramble
Great for corporate outings
Sports grill open early spring
Discover a hidden gem
Wentz Municipal Golf Course www.PoncaCityOK.com
Call 580-767-0433 For tee times L.A. CANN DRIVE, PONCA CITY, OK 7
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
The par-3 fourth hole at Cottonwood Hills.
Photo by Tim Landes
Kansas’ newest courses produce abundance of play By KEN MACLEOD Thanks to play from as far away as Denver and Dallas, the first summer has been a major success for both Cottonwood Hills in Hutchinson and Sand Creek Station in Newton. That travel element is crucial, as neither of the new upscale courses can likely survive on play from its home city. Hutchinson, a city of approximately 45,000, was already served by three fine golf courses, while Newton, a smaller city of 18,000, had two nine-hole courses. Jeff McCormick, director of golf at Cottonwood Hills, said he has been averaging between 70 and 100 rounds daily with up to 70 percent of his play from Wichita. “Wichita has been great, but we’ve also gotten a lot from Oklahoma and Kansas City,” McCormick said. “We’re also getting some strong support from Hutchinson.” Chris Tuohey, director of golf at Sand 8
Creek Station, said his course ran through nearly 4,000 rounds in July and that he is “ecstatic” with the way the first year has gone. “We’re above projections and in the black,” he said, noting that play has come from as far away as Denver and Dallas. Tuohey sees a possible future relationship between his course, designed by Jeff Brauer and featuring bent grass fairways on rolling terrain with numerous dunes and also water features, and Cottonwood Hills, designed by Nick Faldo on similar terrain as the worldfamous Prairie Dunes Country Club. “I think it would be great if we could work together with the hotels to come up with some stay-and-play packages that feature both courses,” Tuohey said. “We’re becoming a real tourist attraction for the area.” Visitors already routinely make pilgrimages to the area to play Prairie Dunes. Now there is a trifecta of courses worth a sojourn. Faldo visited Cottonwood Hills in July for
the grand opening of the second nine holes and declared himself well pleased with the result. “This course is going to be very unique for central America,” he said. “It’s got a nice rhythm and a great variety of holes.” Faldo has compared the sand hills outside of Hutchinson to the classic links land of the British Isles and he frequently references Royal Melbourne in Australia. After playing on courses all over the world, he’s got his own favorite styles and architects – Alister McKenzie, A.W. Tillinghast, George Thomas among them – but says there is no particular Faldo style. “There is no conscious Faldo design or look. I more or less go with what works. That’s the fun of it. You go in there with no preconceived ideas on any of the projects. “Here, when you’ve got something as natural as this, you don’t fight it. You try to enhance it.” The long-term success of the project begun by former Hutchinson resident and now Arizona-based developer Lance Neville will depend on housing. Construction is set to begin in September on roads and infrastructure as well as housing. It’s a 45-minute drive from Wichita. Sand Creek Station, where housing has already begun, is much closer to Wichita. It has already garnered a lot of national attention as well, appearing on the top 10 of Golf Magazine’s Best New Course You Can Play list for 2006, ranking second in Kansas on Golfweek’s list of best courses you can play and finishing in the top five of its fee category for overall customer service in rankings by the National Golf Foundation. The bent grass fairways survived a stern August test by Mother Nature and the course heads into the fall in great condition.
PRAIRIE DUNES UPDATES GREENS
Both courses may get a boost in play this fall when Prairie Dunes closes down for regrassing of its greens. The Pennlinks bent grass installed in 1989 will be gassed and replaced by a combination of A1 and A4 bent grass, the same combination used at Southern Hills Country Club and many other new courses and renovations. “We think it provides us the best chance to keep poa out of the greens,” said superintendent Stan George. “All the other courses in town have warm season grasses in their fairways. We’re cool season throughout, which makes it a little tougher to keep the poa out, particularly in the spring.” The greens will not be cored out or recontoured, keeping intact all the famous Perry Maxwell design characteristics. Prairie Dunes will close after Labor Day and hopes to reopen in May 2008. SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
Classic Okmulgee course reopened By KEN MACLEOD
Long, winding par-4s are an Okmulgee trademark.
At age 62, Carl Higgins could be celebrating the arrival of his first Social Security check. Instead, he has checked his retirement at the door and embarked on an ambitious project that could wear out a man half his age. Higgins is the professional/superintendent/construction foreman/developer at historic Okmulgee Country Club, which recently reopened fully with 18 holes of golf. It had been a nine-hole course since opening in 1920. The club was purchased in 2005 by longtime members Gary Moores and Mike Bailey. Plans were not only to expand to 18 holes, but to undertake an ambitious gated housing development, some of the first significant new housing to appear in this city of approximately 13,000 about 30 miles south of Tulsa in more than 20 years. Times have been tough in Okmulgee of late, but they weren’t always so. Higgins
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answers his own trivia question: “What did Okmulgee have more of than New York City in the late 1920s?” “Millionaires.” There was definitely money flowing in from the nearby Glenpool oil field when the impressive clubhouse was built of native sandstone blocks, each carved to size. It’s a fascinating building with a new surprise around every corner. It also boasts what Higgins describes as “the best food within 50 miles” served in the restaurant overlooking the course. To expand the playing area, the club purchased adjoining land that was more suited to beasts than birdies. It took massive clearing of trees and undergrowth, but holes began to take shape in 2006. “It’s definitely changed a lot since I did the first layout off topography maps,” Higgins said. “”I would get in there and find a beautiful oak tree that I just had to keep and make alterations. I think it’s really come out well.” Some of the most impressive holes Higgins has carved out are a collection of par-4s that from the back tees – although the course is just over 6,500 yards -- gives longtime member Joe Nick, one of the state’s most highly decorated amateurs, a tough time. “I make everyone tell me their handicaps then give them suggestions on what tees to play,” Higgins said. “I don’t think anyone with more than a 7-handicap should play the back tees out here. “And it’s not that the holes are that tough or the carries that long. It’s just visually intimidating. The fairways are a lot more generous than what they appear from the back tees.” The claustrophobic look from the back is because trees encroach to catch wayward drives and the fairways turn, forcing golfers to shape shots into the correct part of the fairway to have the best approach to small greens which average just 3,000 square feet. Water is also a factor outside the fairways on numerous holes. Higgins is the nephew of long-time Tulsa professional and instructor Jack Higgins, who stops by frequently to see the progress being made. “I couldn’t believe he was actually going to get in there and clear that land, it was so thick,” said the elder Higgins, who was the head professional at Meadowbrook Country Club for 30 years before opening the Jack Please see CLUB, Page 35 9
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
The Patriot is stunning in scale Course designed by Jones II expected to open in 2009 By KEN MACLEOD Robert Trent Jones II, one of the United States’ preeminent golf course architects, relaxed at a patio table outside the Wanamaker Tent at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, discussing what makes a great location for his craft. “What you look for in a site are rolling terrain, trees, a water source and land features,” Jones said. As much as he admires Southern Hills and pro golf, the reason Jones was sitting in the broiling heat in Tulsa was because a site with all those characteristics is awaiting his handiwork a few miles to the north in Owasso. “It’s a glorious site,” Jones said. “This will be a great opportunity.” Jones is just part of an all-star team behind the new project. Dan Rooney, the Broken Arrow resident and National Guard F-16 jet pilot who put together the national Patriot Day fund-raiser for families of veterans wounded or killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, is spearheading the project, along his father John Rooney, who is one of the nation’s leading researchers in golf demographics. Developers are all prominent names in the area – Pete Kourtis, David Charney and Greg Simmons. The prominent Oxley family donated most of the land for the site and are also partners. If Jones is the Babe Ruth of the team, than the Lou Gehrig would be Bill Kubly, owner of Landscapes Unlimited, recognized as one of the best golf-course construction companies around the world. Kubly is not only building the course, he is a partner in the venture. “It’s going to be quite a project,” said Kubly, whose most recent project that he also has ownership in is the highly acclaimed Sutton Bay in South Dakota. “It’s a spectacular site. You’ll have some wooded holes, some wide open, then you have two canyons. There’s really three different looks to the course and we’ll be able to build something very different from the normal look.” The course will be titled The Patriot in 10
Site plan above, aerial view below of furtue site of The Patriot, which will be located in Owasso.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S honor of Rooney’s work. Jones, who has written patriotic poetry that has been performed and recorded, said he was happy to honor those who defend our liberties. Among the many top courses Jones has designed, one of the closest geographically is The Blessings near Rogers, Ark. The pet project of Tyson Foods owner John Tyson, the Blessings was designed to be one of the most demanding and relentless tests of golf in the nation. The Patriot will not have a similar design philosophy. “When we first started talking, our consensus was that golf is too difficult,” said Dan Rooney. “We don’t want a place that eats a lot of golf balls. We want wider fairways and bigger greens. But from the back, it’s going to be 7,300 yards. So if the big guy wants to tee it up from the back, there will
be plenty of room. But we’re really looking for it to be an enjoyable place to play golf.” “It’s easy to design a hard golf course,” Jones said. “You just exaggerate the features and tighten the fairways. And it’s not difficult to design an easy course. You just make a big open field. It’s very difficult to design an interesting course that makes you feel like it’s just within reach. Where each hole will be a challenge and you can’t wait to get to the next tee.” Before you ask why anyone would be foolish enough to open another golf course in a market that is well documented as being overbuilt, The Patriot will be an exclusively private club in a very tasteful new development to be called Stone Canyon. Housing will not encroach on the course. It will need fewer than 300 full-time golf members to be a financial success.
Many details remain to be worked out, but construction is set to start this fall. As mentioned, the course has three distinct settings, heavily wooded bottomland, two canyons that transition from the prairie feel on top of the mesa. From the high points, there is view of downtown Tulsa, nearly a mirror image of that available from the first tee at Southern Hills to the south. “We’ll have five or six holes up on the mesa, four or five that go down and back up and then six or seven at the bottom,” Kubly said. “We’ll be clearing about 50 to 60 acres. It will take a year to build it and half a year to mature, so hopefully spring of 2009 it will be ready.” Jones said the site will allow him to create a memorable course that could rival Southern Hills, not for tradition but as a great enjoyable layout and thoughtful test of golf.
Fighter pilot, PGA of America create fundraiser By KEN MACLEOD Americans are deeply frustrated by the war in Iraq. We cringe every time the news of casualties reaches home, sympathizing with the families who suffer the ultimate loss and each of us debating inside whether this conflict was worth the toll it is extracting. Dan Rooney, a Tulsan and F-16 fighter pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard who has served two tours of duty in Iraq, is providing an outlet for all of us to in a small way help the families of those who have lost soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Rooney and the PGA of America have worked together to create Patriot Day. On Sept. 1, $1 from every greens fee at courses that have signed up will go to an organization called Wounded Warriors, Inc., which is also tied in with Rooney’s foundation, The Fallen Heroes Foundation. Through late August, more than 200 courses have agreed to participate. The idea is to raise money for college scholarships for the families of those who have been severely injured or lost their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan. So plan to play golf on Sept. 1. If you’re a PGA member or run a course without a PGA member, go to www.PlayGolfAmerica.com to register your course. A national publicity blitz for the program is in full swing. Rooney was interviewed by Dave Kindred for a feature in the July issue of Golf Digest. He met the
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Dan Rooney, PGA professional and F-16 fightr jet pilot, is the architect of Patriot Day. national media in early August at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills. CBS aired a special on the Patriot Day as part of its pre-PGA Championship Special. Rooney later took CBS announcer David Feherty for a spin in an F-16, giving him a different view of Southern Hills than he ever had previously. Many golf groups and other organizations are contributing. The University of Tulsa, through the impetus of Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, will endow a scholarship for the program, as is the University of Oklahoma.
Rooney, who lives near Battle Creek Golf Course in Broken Arrow, is a former University of Kansas golfer and mini-tour player with an extensive family history in the sport. His father, Oklahoma State professor John Rooney, has been keeping meticulous demographics on golf and golfers for decades. The Rooneys are also in the course development business and currently own the Grand Haven Golf Club near Lake Michigan. They formerly owned The Traditions in Oklahoma City, which was closed and sold for real estate. At age 27, the adventurous Rooney decided to learn to fly jets. Now 34, he is the veteran of two tours in Iraq, providing close air support for ground troops. He faces one more tour of duty in Iraq in 2008 and believes he’ll be going regardless of whether the U.S. has hastened its schedule for extricating itself from this unpopular war. For now, however, he’s concentrating on hopefully raising millions for the children. “There are great patriots lying latent all across the country,” Rooney said. “We’re hoping this could be the largest one-day fund-raiser ever held. If all the PGA professionals take the one minute it takes to sign up their golf courses, the sky is the limit.” Individuals wishing to contribute more than $1 to the program can go to fallengolfheros.com to get more information on how to contribute. A list of courses participating in the program will be available at playgolfamerica.com.
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Cedar Ridge opens new training center By KEN MACLEOD Tracy Phillips enjoys a unique situation among golf instructors. He operates a 3,200-square-foot, state-ofthe-art teaching facility that is located at the southeast corner of one of the best practice facilities in this part of the country. The building was constructed by Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Okla., to complete what many members of the LPGA Tour have called one of the best practice facilities they use all year. One of the unique aspects about this particular facility is that it’s not just Cedar Ridge members who are allowed to enjoy it. Phillips is also teaching outside clients as he has a thriving clientele he’s built up in nearly 20 years of teaching at various facilities in the area. Currently about half of his students are members and half come from outside the club. A former co-owner of Tee Town Golf Ranch, Phillips is also the son of veteran Cedar Ridge head professional Buddy Phillips. The Cedar Ridge board voted to name the facility in his honor, thus it is the Buddy Phillips Learning Center. And quite a place it is. There are four huge teaching bays, two with state-of-the-art video instruction and two equipped with monitors so golfers can check their stance, alignment and body movements on the monitors or on large mirrors. In each bay, students can hit into a net or a large door can be opened for ball flight. On the east side of the first bay, another door slides open to reveal a synthetic putting surface built by Southwest Putting Greens. A variety of cameras record the golfer from various angles as he works on the short game or long game. And there is even a putting track in the room. On video, Phillips can dial up the history and evolution of a student’s swing and compare it side-by-side with the swings of more than 70 PGA Tour players. Most want to see how their swing compares to one Tiger Woods, at least until they see the difference. Comparing swings with tour players is of limited value to many average players who have limited flexibility, strength or range of motion. Working with Dr. Sean Riley, a Titleist Performance Team instructor, Phillips can test golfers on their movement and capabilities and then work to either increase the range of motion or craft a swing that best fits Please see PHILLIPS, Page 37 12
Tracy Phillips hits chip shots to an artificial green just outside the Buddy Phillips Learning Center. The Territory, Duncan, Okla.
Heckenkemper Golf Course Design a division of Planning Design Group Randy Heckenkemper 5314 South Yale, Suite 710 • Tulsa, OK 74135 Phone (918) 628-1255 • Fax (918) 628-1256 SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
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Woods outlasts Austin, Els to win 13th major By KEN MACLEOD Give credit to Ernie Els and Woody Austin. They knew catching Tiger Woods from behind in the final round of a major championship was next to impossible, but they gave it a better effort than most. Yet despite superb final rounds of 66 by Els and 67 by Austin, Woods was just too good in running his record to 13-0 when leading going into the final round of a major championship. A second-round 63, matching the best competitive round ever at Southern Hills (Ray Floyd in the 1982 PGA Championship) and the best round ever in a major championship, was all Tiger needed to grasp the 89th PGA Championship by the throat and turn a good year into a great one by adding a major to his previous four wins. Woods made a key birdie on the par-4 15th when he needed breathing space, shot 69 in the final round and finished at 8-under 272 to win his fourth PGA Championship, including defending the title he won at Medinah in 2006. Southern Hills Country Club again stood tall against the world’s best players armed with all the latest in modern training and technology. Only five players finished under-par and Woods was unable to match either the 11-under shot by Nick Price in the 1994 PGA Championship or the 12-under by Tom Lehman in the 1996 Tour Championship. He did match the winning 8-under by Floyd in 1982. In holes 1, 2, 3, 12, 16 and 18, Southern Hills has six par-4s of 460 yards or longer, plus two par-5s. Yet with the ball carrying well in the 100-plus degree temperatures, Woods went to his driver only 2-4 times daily, mainly because he was hitting his 2-iron nearly 300 yards and straight. When he hits fairways and greens – Tiger hit 37 of 54 fairways and averaged 12.5 greens in regulation -- it’s lights out for SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP everyone because, as Scott Verplank said, Woods is probably the world’s best putter. By finishing second, Austin had by far his best finish ever in a major at 6-under, while Els was another shot back at 5-under. Also under par were Aaron Oberholser and John Senden at 1-under. Woods was paired in the final round with the unfortunate Stephen Ames, who would probably rather walk barefoot up a crocodile’s back. Ames pulled his first tee shot left into the trees and was never heard from again. Although at one point he was five shots clear of the field, Woods allowed some interest to build by making par on the short par-5 13th, then three-putting the par-3 14th to drop to 7-under, at that point just one shot ahead of Els and Austin. But Els hit a terrible drive on 16 leading to bogey while Woods, after a stern talking to himself between the 14 green and 15 tee, poured in a birdie on the par-4 15 to regain command. Els, who has experienced so much anguish at the hands of Woods over the years, had chances to apply even more pressure, but missed short birdie putts on the ninth and 11th holes. He did make six birdies in a tremendous final round marred by bogeys on 12 and 16, the two most difficult par-4s on the back nine. Asked what he will remember most about his trip to Tulsa, Woods said his consistency of ball striking, plus the fact it was the first major win he could share with both wife Elin and daughter Sam.
“It feels a lot more special when you have your family there. It used to be my mom and dad. And now Elin and we have our own daughter. So it’s evolved and this one feels so much more special than the other majors.” Despite the heat, PGA offi- Woody Austin tries to send a message to Tiger Woods. cials were thrilled with the attendance and operations. Players were highly complimentary of the course and said it should remain in the championship rotations of both the PGA and the United States Golf Association. Southern Hills is set to host the 2010 U.S. Amateur and hopes to land its fourth U.S. Open, hopefully as soon as 2017 or 2018. Woods’ victory also privately pleased many who wanted to see the world’s best player prevail at the course that in six previous majors has produced exceptional champions but never the best player of its era. Now the best player in history will always be a champion at Southern Hills. Austin, the 43-year-old from Derby, Kan., continued to exhibit superior ball striking as he had all week. He birdied holes 11-12-13 in succession and pulled at his ear after the long birdie putt on 12, urging the crowd to
send a loud message to Woods that this wasn’t going to be the cakewalk he is used to and that most expected Sunday. “I wanted them to keep yelling for me,” Austin said. “I wanted him to know there was somebody else out there, because even on the front nine when I was playing so good my roars were nothing like his. So I wanted him to understand that there was somebody else that was trying to make a move.” It certainly registered with Woods, who until his bogeys at nine and 14 had planned to just shoot for the middle of greens and make pars, figuring no one could catch him. Forced to change his strategy after Els and Austin closed within a stroke, he responded with a 7-iron shot from the middle of the fairway to about 15 feet and a putt that went right in the center of the cup. “I had a one-shot lead after 14 and I felt that those guys having to play 16 and 18 aren’t going to birdie those two holes,” Woods said. “So I just felt if I could give myself four looks at it, the way I was putting I would make at least one.” Els certainly showed that he is much closer to regaining championship form as he battles back from injury, equipment changes and other issues in his personal life. “There’s a lot of good in my game,” Els said. “I’m not quite where I think I can be. But if I get up to this next level where I want to be, maybe I can at least give him a real go, a run for his money. Because somebody needs to step up, he’s playing some awesome golf.”
Southern Hills lives up to legacy of great golf Now that the 2007 PGA Championship is in the books, it’s time to take stock of what transpired and look to the future. Did Southern Hills put to rest the theory, mostly created by anonymous and irresponsible comments by a pro in a Sports Illustrated preview piece, that the course was somehow outdated and not suitable for future major championships? Absolutely. It makes no difference that Tiger Woods only pulled out his driver three to five times per round. Tiger was hitting his 2iron more than 300 yards. That means a hole of 470 yards could be played with a 2iron, then a wedge or 9-iron to the green (yes, these guys hit a 9-iron 160 yards). John Daly said in his first interview that he considers No. 16 a par-5 because it’s still just over 500 yards. That’s silly. With the combination of strength, heat and ball and club technology, these guys were routinely bashing drives of 340 yards or longer. SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
STILL AWAY Ken MacLeod Editor Some players reached 16 with a driverwedge. If you want to see a PGA Tour player hit driver and still have a 5-iron second shot on a par-4 these days, you would have to lengthen the par-4s to 550 yards or more. Or count on gale-force winds. Tom Lehman, who won at Southern Hills in the 1996 Tour Championship with what is still the 72-hole course record of 12under-par, said Southern Hills was in perfect condition and remains an outstanding test of golf. Lehman, it should be noted, was speaking after battling through an extremely painful final round in which his right elbow was killing him on every shot. He had
taken a cortisone injection prior to the round to try to make it through, but it had long worn off. Most golfers would have packed it in, but Lehman gutted it out to honor the PGA Championship. He was asked if Woods’ use of irons on some of Southern Hills’ longest par-4s gave credence to the outdated theory. “I’ve thought about that,” Lehman said. “And I kind of decided, when you can hit your 2-iron 300 yards, why do you want to hit driver? I think you’ve just got to tip your hat to how well he’s playing. You’ve got to shape shots here and he’s proving once again that he’s the ultimate shot maker.” Due to the heat, the fairways were naturally drying out and playing fast. That just brought the tenacious rough back into play. The course played almost exactly as PGA setup expert Kerry Haigh and Southern Hills Superintendent Russ Myers Please see MACLEOD, Page 23 15
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Local flavor
Players with local ties finish strong at 89th PGA By TIM LANDES Tiger Woods may have won his 13th major by outlasting the field and Southern Hills Country Club in the final round of the 89th PGA Championship, but many golfers with local ties fared well in the final major of the year. Woody Austin, a Derby, Kan. resident, highlighted the list by giving Woods a run for the title, finishing second after shooting a 3under 67 to earn the veteran $756,000. “There’s no question it’s a breakthrough for me because I had never been in this position before,” said the 43-year-old, who finished with a 6-under 274. He called it “nothing but a positive.” Austin got within one shot of Woods after converting birdies at 11, 12 and 13, but after five consecutives pars he could not catch the world’s best player. “To be in this position for the first time and to actually give that good of a run at it, I’d probably be crazy to say that it was not better than the victories,” said Austin, who has earned three career tour victories including the 2007 Stanford St. Jude Championship. Former Oklahoma State standout Scott Verplank finished tied for ninth with a 1-over 281 after shooting a 1-over 71 in the final round. One day after being in the final pairing with Woods, the Edmond resident said the thing he will remember more than anything is the experience of playing close to home with a lot of fan support. “It was great to play here,” Verplank said. “The crowds have been awesome. I love the support. You know, yesterday it was at worse 50-50 the first eight to 10 holes until I could hold up my end of the deal, which was great. “I think it’s probably pretty rare when you hear other names besides Tiger when you’re playing Tiger.” While Verplank consistently stayed 16
Former OSU great Scott Verplank in action at the PGA Championship. around par for the tournament, former Cowboy Hunter Mahan carded his first subpar round Sunday, finishing with a 2-under 68. That moved him up 26 spots to a tie for 18th with an overall score of 4-over. “I’m really excited,” Mahan said. “What I want to do is get better every day. To finish the way I did – I hit it really, really well, a ton of greens. It was a nice way to finish. “I didn’t want to give up today. I wanted to finish strong, finish the best I could, finish as high as I could and I felt like I did.” After John Daly posted a first-round 67 to be in second, the Dardanelle, Ark., resident carded three consecutive 73s to finish the tournament tied for 32nd at 6-over, earning him $34,750. As he walked to his car following his round, Daly said he was happy with his week. As for the rest of the local contingent, former Cowboy Charles Howell III finished in a tie for 42nd after carding a 288. Former Please see LOCALS, Page 22
Photo by Mel Root
Mahan makes Presidents Cup team One day after finishing tied for 18th at the PGA Championship, former Oklahoma State golfer Hunter Mahan became the third former Cowboy to be named to the U.S. Presidents Cup Team. Mahan joins former Cowboys Charles Howell III and Scott Verplank as well as Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, David Toms, Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Woody Austin and Lucas Glover. The international team includes Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Vijay Singh, Geoff Ogilvy, Rory Sabbatini, K.J. Choi, Retief Goosen, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Stuart Appleby, Mike Weir and Nick O’Hern.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Looking back Compiled by TIM LANDES A week before the 89th PGA Championship, an anonymous golfer told Sports Illustrated that Southern Hills CC was a course too outdated to host a major. The article also said the tournament might as well be played in Death Valley due to extreme temperatures. After their final rounds (while winner Tiger Woods was still on the course), these golfers reflected on Southern Hills’ relevancy as a host for majors near the end of its seventh to date:
HUNTER MAHAN
I think it's fantastic. Looking at the leader board, I think it's exactly what you want in a major. You want under-par to win and the best player to win. The way it's shaped up there's only five guys under par. I think that's perfect.
ADAM SCOTT
I think it's a great venue, certainly not outdated. The greens are stressed at this time of year, I'd have to say that. I'd like to come back here again. I'd like it to be in cooler weather, but I don't know how that's going to happen. I guess in June for the U.S. Open. I think the course held up well.
BOB TWAY
Whoever made that comment (in SI) is not real smart. Look at Tiger at 7-under par. What if he finishes at 10-under. Does that mean it's outdated? Just the fact that he can hit irons off the tee. The rest of us aren't hitting irons off the tee. You've got to play well. I don't see anyone shooting 20-under-par. I think when people make comments like that they don't understand what good golf is, in my opinion.
Competitors agree: Southern Hills Country Club remains one of top venues for major championships
PADRAIG HARRINGTON
Why is it outdated? Six-under-par is leading the tournament. They have easy pin positions and soft greens. I don't know what you're looking for if you don't like soft greens all week. The pin positions were on the side of generous, especially Friday and Saturday. They probably set this golf course up where the rough wasn't as extreme. When I hit into the rough, I managed to get it to the green. They didn't trick it up. I thought this was a very fair test. Only a handful of guys will be under-par. I think it Photo by Mel Root stands up well. British Open winner Padraig Harrington teeing off.
ARRON OBERHOLSER ON HOW HE'D RATE IT AS A MAJOR VENUE
I think it's absolutely fantastic. I think the PGA has done an incredible job this week with the setup. You know, the greens are a little bit bumpy, but that's no fault of theirs by any stretch. You don't want to burn these greens out for the poor members who have done a great job letting us use the golf course this week. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the USGA should take notes. This was a fabulous setup. It's exciting. You're hearing a lot of roars around the golf course. It's very fair, but it's very difficult. If you drive the ball in the fairway, you have a chance. The fairways aren't so narrow that you have no chance. If you hit a perfect shot, to have it bounce out of the fairway like we did at Oakmont is a little bit. The greens are soft enough to where they accept a shot if you hit a solid shot. But if you don't hit a very good shot, you're going to have a very tough putt or you'll be penalized with greenside rough.
BOO WEEKLEY ON PLAYING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME
I like it. It's tough. I didn't like it at first, but the more I played it the more I understood how to get around it. I'd like to come back and play here when they have it here again. There are a few things they could work on, but it's good enough to keep hosting them.
SCOTT VERPLANK
Edmond resident Bob Tway monitors his shot. SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Photo by Mel Root
Well, I hope they come back soon. It's the first course to have four PGAs, so obviously it holds up pretty well. The golf course, a lot of different players can play it; long, short, you know, got to be straight. It's a great golf course, so I kind of think it speaks for itself. 17
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Area courses thrive off Championship By TIM LANDES A major ice storm. Record setting rainfalls. Searing heat. None of which helped the bottom line at Tulsa-area golf courses. Then the PGA Championship came to the rescue. “Coming out of a rough winter and spring, it was a gold mine for us,” said Matt Harris, head professional at Cherokee Hills Golf Club. “It came at the perfect time.” While having a casino and hotel on-site contributed to a busy week for the staff, Harris acknowledged John Daly’s press conference comments about spending time on the course and in the casino didn’t hurt business. “It was great for business,” said Harris, who estimated half of the week’s golfers were from out of town. “It was wall to wall open to close from Thursday through Sunday. We had a lot of weekend walk-on play that waited for slots to come open. “Having him make those comments gave us a lot of good press.”
Suzanne Stewart of the Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau said the economic impact of hosting the PGA is an estimated $60 million. Stewart said official numbers will be released in two to three months. Even though the heat index was above 100 degrees for most of the week, Stewart said Tulsa was no different than the rest of the country, except for the big event happening at Southern Hills. “It was hot everywhere across the South,” Stewart said. “It even got up to 100 in New York and other parts. The only difference was people were out watching and playing golf here. Hundreds of thousands came out to enjoy golf.” For Sapulpa’s Clary Fields, just being close to the action was enough to give the course a boost. “It’s like having a World Series in our back yard,” said Mark Tams, head professional at Clary Fields. “We needed it. It didn’t catch us up, but it helped. “It’s like selling airline tickets. Once the plane pulls out of the gate, we can’t sell
those seats anymore. We can’t replace those days lost to bad weather, but that week really helped.” Tams said he estimates that 80 to 85 percent of his business was players he had never seen before. “We certainly had spiked tee sheets,” Tams said. “Monday and Tuesday were normal days, but Wednesday through Saturday were literally sold out. On those days, we even had a 5:30 p.m. tee time. With Tiger Woods looking to earn his first major of the year and his first career victory in Tulsa, Tams said it was understandable to have a slower Sunday. “Sunday was busy in the morning, but there was not much activity in the afternoon,” Tams said. “In fact, we only had two tee times.” For Tulsa City courses, the week brought a 20 percent increase at Mohawk Park and between 30 and 40 percent spike at Page Belcher, according to George Glenn, who is Please see IMPACT, Page 22
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2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Southern Hills proves to be tough test By JENK JONES JR. The old lady showed her heels to much of the younger generation. The golf course at Tulsa’s Southern Hills Country Club may be 71 years of age, but she got the better of a PGA Championship field whose players were all many years her junior – some less than half as old. The starting field of 156 pros boasted 98 of the world’s top 100 players. Yet only five could break par for four rounds (two of those barely, at 1-over) and three more came in even. For the week the par-70 course played to an average of just over 73 strokes, and the cut Thursday night was at 5-over. This despite the fact that the wind blew with moderate force only one day, greens were watered periodically (which softens them and helps hold shots) and the Bermuda rough had lost some of its strength as an August heat wave sapped the grasses and turned them brown. The complete scorecard showed 802 more bogeys than birdies, 225 more double bogeys than eagles and 35 of those dreaded double-bogey-plus scores. No. 18 may be a bit out of sorts as Tiger Woods became the first winner in seven majors at Southern Hills to par the hole on the last day. But the 465-yard, par-4, uphilland-into-the-wind monster drew plenty of blood: It held the No. 1 ranking in difficulty with an average of 4.429 strokes, gave up the fewest birdies (19 in more than 600 rounds played), led the course in double bogeys with 28, cost on average more than threequarters of a stroke when balls went into the rough and was the hardest to putt at 1.81 strokes on average. Two other great par-4s were second and third in toughness. No. 2, at 488 yards, saw an average of 4.359 strokes, while the 458yard 12th hole averaged 4.328. No. 8, a par-3 that played from 245 to 252 yards during the tournament, was fourth at 3.319 strokes. The latter also was the second stingiest in birdies with just 25 yielded. Before the tournament Dave Bryan, head professional at Southern Hills, said he was delighted to have new tee boxes on the par3 sixth, lengthening that hole 25 yards to 200 yards. No. 6, with a creek along the left side of the green, topped the course with nine scores of 3-over or worse, including a 10 by current U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera. The hardest greens to hit in regulation were No. 16 (507 yards, 41.1 percent), No. 2 at 43.5 and No. 12 at 46.1. SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
ANALYSIS On average, a shot into the rough on any hole cost more than half a stroke. And only 55.5 percent of the holes played saw the pros on the green in regulation. Just three holes played under-par for the week, and one – the 372-yard par-4 fourth lacked just one more missed putt to have played exactly even-par (its scoring average was 3.998 strokes). The par-3 11th was almost as close to even at 2.989. The 13th was the golfers’ friend, playing to a soft 4.612 strokes on the 537-yard par-5. It surrendered 15 of the course’s 18 eagles, and saw one more birdie (197) than par. It did list 34 bogeys and nine double bogeys. With five short par-4s, ranging from 358 to 384 yards, many felt Southern Hills would be vulnerable to this generation of (generally) well-conditioned athletes with their superior equipment and longer-flying golf balls. But four of the five played over-par, with the fourth almost joining its brethren. ••• When money talks, it’s often interesting. Trevor Immelman, Boo Weekley and Steve Stricker needed strong rallies on the second day to overcome poor opening rounds and barely make the plus-5 cut line for 36 holes. Then they went out and had solid weekends. Instead of missing the cut and going home penniless, Immelman won $227,500 with a tie for sixth place, Weekley $170,333 for a tie for ninth and Stricker $51,000 with a tie for 23rd. Simon Dyson had Sunday’s best score, a scorching 64, or 6-under. That earned him $227,500, or nearly $200,000 more than if he had shot a respectable even-par that day. The two non-touring pros that made the cut wound up last and tied for next-to-last. Yet they probably won’t complain. Mike Small pocketed $13,050 for his 16-over effort, and Ryan Benzel picked up $12,900 for shooting one stroke higher. They got to mix with the stars and make considerably more than they would have washing cars or flipping burgers – or even giving golf lessons. On the other side, first-round leader Graeme Storm plummeted to a tie for 62nd and took home $13,660. Had he stayed atop the leader board he would have won $1,260,000. Billy Mayfair and Tom Lehman each won $540,000 when they captured the 1995 and 1996 Tour Championships at Southern Hills.
This year they made the cut but finished near the bottom of the heap, with Mayfair taking home $14,025 and Lehman $13,050. ••• John Daly was one of the great stories of the week, and he felt pretty good about what transpired. The 1991 PGA king’s game has been in a shambles most of the time in recent years. Yet Daly fired a 67 for second place on opening day, then followed that up with three 73s – much more consistent than experts expected him to be. His “grip it and rip it” style led to some sensational shots, and some disasters (including one ball lost in a tree). But the large crowd that followed him loved his daring. When others played conservatively, Daly hauled out the big lumber and flew over – sometimes into – the forest. He never was dull, as 12 birdies, 14 bogeys and two double bogeys would attest. More important to Daly than the $34,750 he pocketed was the feeling that he can still play well and that he may be turning things around. ••• Among the five players who finished in red figures, winner Tiger Woods, third-place Ernie Els and fourth (tie) John Senden were 4-under on the two par-5s for the week. Woody Austin, who finished second, was minus three, while Aaron Oberholser was 2under. Woods and Els did it differently. Tiger birdied both holes the first two days and then parred in. Els started with four pars and finished with four birdies. Els and Senden had particular problems with a single hole among the four that played hardest. Els was 3-over on the 12th, Senden 3-over on the eighth. Even Tiger had a problem as he was 2-over on the long second. ••• It’s nice to think of snowmen when the temperature is topping 100 degrees, but excuse Corey Pavin if he demurs. The former U.S. Open champion shot a snowman – an 8, the shape of which suggests the name – on the par-3 sixth hole Sunday. That included a penalty stroke for hitting a shot in the water and two strokes for his caddie moving a rake while Pavin’s ball was in motion. Pavin’s playing partner, Tim Herron, took a 7 on the same hole after finding the creek. That’s a tidy 9-over-par on one hole for the two-man pairing. 19
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Play Golf America Day a success in Tulsa Play Golf America was the invitation. And for at least one day at LaFortune Park, America played. Under the direction of more than 30 volunteer professionals from the South Central Section, more than 250 youngsters from 16 area charitable agencies enjoyed a special day at the course on the Monday of the PGA Championship week, sponsored by the PGA of America -- which also happened to be conducting one of the year’s four major golf tournaments a few miles away at Southern Hills Country Club. At LaFortune Park, head pro Pat McCrate, his staff and all the section volunteers were busy emphasizing contact and fundamentals and showing youngsters how much fun the game can be. After the special morning and early afternoon lessons and clinics were concluded, the public got into the act from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The pros stuck around to give free 10-minute lessons, major manufacturers set up demonstration areas and clinics were provided by professional golfer Michael Boyd, Kevin Compare (aka Divot the Clown) and Rick Martino, PGA director of instruction. “It was one of the best, most rewarding days I’ve had as a PGA professional,” McCrate said. He said the section pros gave more than 200 free lessons and were swarmed from the start of the program to the finish. Barry Thompson, executive director of the South Central Section, said the turnout on both sides made it a rewarding experience.
David Stewart of Belmar Golf Club works with one of the Play Golf America participants. “We had pros here from Kansas, Little Rock, all across Oklahoma,” he said. “And the kids were just fantastic. It was exciting to see so many of them get an introduction to the game and to see how much fun they were having.” PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb praised the involvement of both the PGA professionals and the organizations in attendance. “I am absolutely overwhelmed with the turnout to this event,” said Whitcomb. “ It is such a privilege to interact with the boys
Courtesy PGA of America
and girls who will one day be tomorrow’s leaders.” PGA honorary member Dennis Walters, a nationally renowned trick-shot artist, opened the clinic. Though a paraplegic, Walters continued to showcase his amazing skill to hit balls in any direction with ease. “Being able to show kids that they can reach their goals and dreams is a big reason I am out here doing this,” said Walters, who has performed his trick-shot show for more then 31 years. “
Search goes on for major rivals for Tiger By JENK JONES JR. Wanted: Fearless Golfing Gunslingers. Apply to PGA Tour. Tiger Woods needs some real competition. Not degrading his greatness in the least, El Tigre hasn’t had rivals of the toughness that Jack Nicklaus or Ben Hogan did in their primes. Unless competition does step up, golf followers may begin to lose interest because of the tour’s one-sidedness. Hogan, Nicklaus and Woods were all intimidators, in the gentlemanly way golf permits. None would have backed down before either of the other two. But during Nicklaus’ heyday he faced four of the toughest holster bearers ever, men 20
COMMENTARY who challenged the Golden Bear even when Nicklaus was at his finest. Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino formed the toughest foursome since the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday at Tombstone. Their steely nerves allowed them to win a combined 30 majors – and deny Nicklaus chances to add to his record bag of 18. Ranking barely behind them were majors winners Raymond Floyd, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Tom Weiskopf, Johnny Miller and a number of other top-quality golfers. Hogan battled Sam Snead, who holds the PGA record with 81 tour victories, and
Byron Nelson, who won an unthinkable 11 straight tournaments in 1945. All three had fierce competitive fires. Gene Sarazen, Lloyd Mangrum, Jimmy Demaret, George Fazio and Mike Turnesa were among other firstrate golfers of that era. Tiger has faced formidable foes, but all have lacked that something that allows them to consistently stare down the chief man. Phil Mickelson often is named in the same sentence, if not the same breath, as Tiger. He certainly has the game, shots and skills – when he’s on. Unfortunately, Phil too often seems to lack concentration or make foolish shot selections. Jim Furyk has the mental toughness to challenge Woods and a quality game, but injuries have slowed him in recent years. SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Ernie Els is a proven majors winner, but a boating accident and long recovery time cost him. His third-place finish at Southern Hills may indicate he’s ready to make another run at Woods. Others: Vijay Singh has had a fine – sometimes great – career, but is past his prime. Sergio Garcia needs to master his putter and grow up a bit. Retief Goosen has gone into a slump after blowing the 2005 U.S. Open on the last day. Adam Scott, Sean O’Hair, Boo Weekley and Justin Rose – promising, but we await results. Stewart Cink, Steve Stricker, K.J. Choi – have experience, could make breakthrough, but haven’t yet. Scott Verplank, Charles Howell III, Lee Westwood – not out of the picture. Padraig Harrington – work ethic could pay off again. And there are others. But there is no clearcut contender who can look Tiger in the eye and tell him to go for his gun. Where is the Palmer, Player, Watson, Trevino, Snead or Nelson of this generation? Fans want the thrill of Tiger face-to-face with XX or YY or ZZ.
Photo by Mel Root
Adam Scott is among the PGA’s young guns. Competition aside, Tiger has been terrific for the tour. Since he came aboard purses have soared to incredible figures, golf’s popularity has spread around the world and youngsters who otherwise would not consider the sport are flailing away on the driv-
ing ranges. But we need some tough gunslingers. Perhaps it’s the money. Players today can finish 10th in one tournament and make four times the annual salary of a good plumber. There’s not the incentive to gamble for the win when a conservative approach fills your pockets with greenbacks. Pros learned a lesson this year when O’Hair, in a gamble for victory, tossed three-quarters of a million dollars into the water at the Players Championship. Half a century ago – even less – golf purses were miniscule, and pros had to struggle to survive. You hoped to make enough to pay your caddie and fees, your motel bill, buy gas to get to the next stop and pick up a hamburger en route. That put backbone in the boys. Trevino recalls hustling rubes on the course when he didn’t have the cash to pay off if he lost. That is pressure! Tiger, with 13 major wins, is in pursuit of Nicklaus’ 18. I certainly don’t suggest putting an asterisk behind Tiger’s name if and when he surpasses Jack, but it would be more meaningful if he had to face the pistol-packing predators who were always eager to bag a Bear.
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2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
SHCC head professional savors experience Bryan calls third major championship the best yet By KEN MACLEOD Dave Bryan, at age 59, is not sure whether he’ll see another major championship grace Southern Hills while he remains head professional. The earliest a major is expected to return would be a decade from now in 2017, and that is only speculation. So when the 89th PGA Championship was held Aug. 9-12, Bryan made sure to savor every moment. Fortunately, there was much to savor. After a few operational hiccups early in the week, everything flowed smoothly from a logistical standpoint. The play was stellar throughout, the course held up magnificently and the best player in the world prevailed. The only major negative was oppressive heat that required more than 200 fans to seek medical attention. Some of that was exacerbated by the elimination of the road north of the clubhouse, which caused some fans who labored up the hill behind the 18th green a surprise when they learned they had to go back down, cross three fairways then back up the hill to exit. Bryan himself got to play in the event as a marker Sunday morning for fellow PGA
IMPACT
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director of golf at both courses. “It was definitely a shot in the arm,” Glenn said. “But it was not near the impact as the Open due to the heat. Afternoon play was practically nothing. It all happened in the morning.” While many courses saw an overall boost in tee times, Pat McCrate, director of golf for Tulsa County courses, said LaFortune Park Golf Course was not much busier than usual, but there were times when it was really busy. “It was pretty busy in the mornings and then it got busy at 12, 1 and 2 from people coming from the tournament,” said McCrate, who estimated 30 per22
Photo by Mel Root
Dave Bryan is uncertain if he’s worked his final major championship at Southern Hills. professional Ryan Benzel of Seattle. After an understandably shaky start by the pro who had spent the previous few months doing about everything except playing golf, Bryan shot a very respectable 2-over on the final 12 holes to finish with a 78. “I had my son David on the bag and it was
cent of the week’s golfers came from out of town. “We were also busy in the evenings. That’s when a lot of families came out, plus it was a little bit cooler.” Compared to six years ago when the U.S. Open was played at Southern Hills, McCrate said he thought it could have been a bit slower this time around due to the heat, but the Saturday of the Championship was a big day for both courses. “South Lakes stayed pretty steady all week, but picked up on Friday,” McCrate said. “Saturday was actually the busiest day we’ve had all year at both courses. “Typically August thins out, so it was great to have such a strong week early in the month.”
LOCALS
a special moment for me,” Bryan said. “I had a lot of my friends out following us, so Ryan had a lot more people watching than he probably would have. And he had his father on the bag, so it was a special day for both of us.” “I made a concentrated effort to enjoy this one,” said Bryan, who supervised his third major championship at Southern Hills. “And I did. The best thing was how our community, our staff, the volunteers, the South Central Section members and our club members just came together and did a terrific job. The friendliness and hospitality was overwhelming to the PGA officials, the rules officials and the players.” “For me, possibly being my last major, this was the best. They’ve all been great, but this was the best.” For Bryan, the most memorable moment came during the award ceremony, while the thousands of fans who stuck around were waiting through a long commercial break on CBS. “All of a sudden, somebody yells “Tiger.” And slowly, everybody started just clapping in recognition of him and what he’d accomplished. He looked down sheepishly then took off his hat and recognized everybody. For all those people who stood around in that heat, it made them feel like it was worth it. Tiger had a big grin on his face and it was just a really, really special moment for me.”
Continued from page 16
Oklahoma golfer Anthony Kim ended the tournament tied for 50th with a 289, while fellow former Sooner Todd Hamilton carded a 294, earning him a tie for 66th. Edmond resident and former Cowboy Bob Tway tied Kim for 50th after carding a final-round 75, his worst round of the week. In every round Tway struggled with the first two holes, scoring a combined 8-over on the opening par-4s. “The problem was just hitting a good shot,” Tway said. “On the first hole, I hit it in the left rough every single day. I made bogeys and doubles. The
second hole is tough and I never drove it on the fairway.” After shooting a combined 3over while being paired with Woods during the first two rounds, Tway said Sunday’s final round was a disappointing way to finish the PGA Championship. “You hate to play crappy like I did, but the first two days were fun,” said Tway, who won the PGA Championship in 1986. “Anytime you don’t play well – we’re not out here to just go through the show. We’re out here to play well. I’ve got a lot of goals I’ve got to meet and if I had played better I would have helped myself out more. “I’ve just got to keep grinding and play better somewhere else.” SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Section’s pros enjoy making contribution By TIM LANDES For more than 80 South Central Section PGA professionals, the week of the PGA Championship was a lot of work in the heat, but well worth it. “It was quite an experience,” said Sam Meredith, head professional at Muskogee Country Club and tournament liaison for the section. “We enjoyed being involved and we’ve received very positive feedback.” As part of their duties, the section professionals hosted a Play Golf America Day at LaFortune Park on Aug. 6, and also gave free 10-minute lessons to fans during each day of the PGA Championship. “It was truly magnificent,” Meredith said. “There were 4,000 lessons given during the week at the PGA and at Play Golf America. It was so well received by the general public. “We’re all about player development and the stewardship of the game, so it was neat to see all those people taking the time to
MACLEOD
Continued from page 15
planned. “I asked Kerry after it was over if he would do anything differently and he said no, we nailed it,” Myers said. The 2-inch rough was penal but not unfair. Greens were as firm and fast as 100-degree temperatures would allow. New tee boxes on Nos. 2 and 3 put driver back in the hands of most players on those two holes. And the shaved areas around the greens made for some highly entertaining drama, if unfortunate for those whose balls were rolling back down into water hazards. Only five players broke par and the best player in the world prevailed only because he came up with a perfect strategy and was able to most successfully execute it. The renovated course, manicured to perfection by Myers and his crew and boasting deeper bunkers and whiter sand since the 2004 renovation, showed up beautifully on television and seemed to “pop” much more than at the U.S. Open in 2001. Speaking of the Open, the USGA’s Mike Davis, who sets up the tournaments for the U.S. Open, was reported to be at Southern Hills on Sunday. Hopefully he saw what we did, Southern Hills deserves another U.S. Open and 2017 or 2018 will do just fine.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
learn the game.” Other duties for the professionals included transportation from the practice ranges to the clubhouse, supervision of the driving range and practice greens, and Posing with Tiger are section treasurer Cimarron Grubb, Executive Director Barry leader board Thompson, President Mike Hammond and PGA liaison Sam Meredith maintenance. first time toward the end of the final round. Even with temperatures reaching more “Late Sunday afternoon I finally got to sit than 100 degrees, Meredith said that while down, relax and watch some golf.” the professionals spent a lot of time in the With Kansas golfer Woody Austin giving sun, there was only one minor mishap. Tiger Woods a chase, Meredith said the city “We had a guy get overheated on the first of Tulsa and the South Central Section could day, but he was OK,” Meredith said. “It’s a not have asked for a better finish. job where they’re used to being out in the “It made it more entertaining to have it sun and heat, so they handled it well.” end like it did,” Meredith said. “We couldn’t After a week of hard work, Meredith said have had a better championship or a better he was able to become a spectator for the champion.”
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“Go Put Your Strengths to Work”
23
LPGA NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP
On the
fast track Arkansas’ Lewis rose quickly from back surgery to become NCAA champ
By TIM LANDES She’s a national champion, a top-five finisher at an LPGA major as an amateur and she will soon be playing in the NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark. But four years ago, when Stacy Lewis had just joined the University of Arkansas women’s golf team, doctors determined it was time for her to have a risky back surgery, jeopardizing not only her future on the team but more importantly her ability to walk. Diagnosed with scoliosis at age 11, Lewis was forced to wear a back brace nearly every hour of the day. “The doctors told me I had to wear it all the time, but I could take it off when I practiced,” Lewis said. “I did that a lot.” Before her freshman year started, Lewis underwent surgery to have her vertebrae fused together to prevent future pain and straighten her spine. Ignoring the doctors’ suggestion that she might never walk again, Lewis was just as nervous about losing her scholarship. But she soon received a phone call from then-coach Kelley Hester, who told her freshman she would be there for the operation. “I knew there was a chance I could be paralyzed,” Lewis said. “All I could do was think of the worst, but hope for the best.” Shortly after the surgery, Lewis began rehabilitation – not on her golf game, but to regain her strength, which started with walking. “Golf was out of the picture,” she said. “I was dead tired just from walking a short distance.” But eventually, with a ton of support from
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Tickets: Daily Grounds $15 (Tuesday-Thursday practice rounds) $25 (Friday-Sunday rounds) (No admission to Monday’s practice round.) Weekly Grounds Badge $50 (Valid for week-long grounds access.)
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Public Parking: Take exit 83 from 540/71 and go west to Pinnalce Hills Parkway, then go south to Northgate Road and then go west. The parking lot will be on both sides of the road. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.lpganwac.com or call 479-715-6100.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
LPGA NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP family and friends, Lewis was able to begin playing golf again. By her second year of college, she was not only able to play but compete for titles after redshirting her freshman year. Looking back on it now, the Woodlands, Texas, product can only say, “It all happened so fast.” In 10 tournaments, Lewis posted five topfive finishes and won three times, including the SEC title before finishing 39th at the NCAA Championship. Less than two years after undergoing the operation, Lewis was named SEC Freshman of the Year and earned All-American honors. Both were firsts in program history. Her sophomore year saw the success continue. Lewis posted five top-10 finishes including a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championship, earning her a second AllAmerican honor. In the final round of the Championship, she converted five consecutive birdies, catapulting her from a tie for 50th to a tie for ninth. She finished the day at the Scarlet Course at Ohio State with a course-record 66. Lewis’ junior campaign proved to be the best year for a golfer in program history. After winning two tournaments during the regular season, she entered the final day of the NCAA Championship in third place. Lewis ignited for seven birdies, including five consecutive, to shoot another finalround 66 and win the national title. She was the first person competing as an individual rather than part of a team to win since Texas’ Heather Bowie in 1997. Her victory also earned her the Dinah Shore trophy, which is a national Player of the Year award given by the LPGA. To earn the award, recipients must have at least a 3.2 overall grade-point average, played in at least 50 percent of her team's events and maintained a scoring average of 78 or less, as well as "demonstrated leadership skills and/or extraordinary community affairs work." Having been three months since Lewis hoisted the trophy at Legends in Daytona Beach, Fla., Golf Week’s top-ranked female amateur admitted she’s still not sure if the victory has fully sunk in. “That’s a week I’ll never forget,” Lewis said. “I was able to do it with my old coach there, which made it really special. “Everything worked out for a reason.” Amid her college season, Lewis also accepted a sponsorship exemption to compete in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the LPGA season. This year’s event was played March 29-April 1 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Going into it, Lewis said she was just excited to experience golf against the world’s best players, but she admitted finishing tied for fifth while playing alongside eventual champ Morgan Pressel in the final round was more than she expected. “I just wanted to play,” Lewis said. “I’d never played in a major before, so I wanted to see where it put me. Finishing fifth was well beyond my expectations.” Playing the best golf of her career and having already owned every single-round and single-season record at Arkansas, Lewis was intent on returning for her senior season, but said the thought of turning professional only surfaced when her coach and friend left to become the head coach at Georgia. “I love school, and I love Arkansas,” Lewis said. “But when Kelley left, I decided I was leaving too unless they hired Shauna (Estes, the team’s assistant coach the past five years, who became head coach in June).” Even though she’s staying a Ladyback for one more season, Lewis is still accepting sponsorship exemptions for LPGA events and will rejoin the field on Aug. 30 when she competes in the State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill.
The following week, Lewis will play the event she’s been counting down to all summer – the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, a course with which she’s quite familiar. “I’ve been looking forward to it all summer,” Lewis said. “Fans haven’t seen me play here in two years. I’m looking forward to the fan support. My teammates are either volunteering or going to watch. I have five roommates that will be there. My teammate Lucy Nunn will be my caddy.” Paul Eiserman, head professional at Pinnacle, said he’s excited to have Lewis in the field when play begins Sept. 6. “She has an excellent chance to do well,” Eiserman said. “She’s played from a similar layout in competitive events here. She knows the subtlety of the greens. Being the local girl, she will have a ton of fan support, but that could also add some pressure.” Having seen Lewis play the course numerous times early in her career where she’s finished 12th and tied for second in events, Eiserman said she plays the way you have to to beat the course. “You have to drive the fairways and hit Please see LPGA, Page 35
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Adieu to Adair Osage Creek now a field of memories for many By JIMMIE TRAMEL Tom Linihan, superintendent of Adair Schools, used to play golf three times a week during summer months. He said he played a total of six times the entire summer of 2007. What happened? His home course vanished. Adair’s golf course closed Dec. 31, 2006. Bryce Brown, who owns the acreage and whose home is on the property, had leased the course to an individual, but wanted to find a buyer instead of continuing any sort of lease arrangement. No buyer surfaced and nature almost immediately reclaimed what once was pastureland. “It’s growed up pretty good,” Brown said during an Aug. 14 telephone interview, adding that the course will be cut for hay. There are winners and losers in the aftermath of the closing. The losers are, obviously, the folks who lost their playground. The winners are other area courses. Brown said he knows golfers who “just quit” after Adair’s course closed. But others migrated elsewhere. “We have picked up several golfers -- a few members and then some regular play -- from people that came over here and used to play at Adair,” said Dennis Bowman, head pro and superintendent at Pryor Creek Golf Course. “People get in a little routine of playing the same course most of the time. Every now and then, they will go somewhere different and all of a sudden they don’t have any place to go. They feel a little sad because they have lost their home course, so to speak. “We welcome them and tell them kind of what we do here and we have a seniors organization and a ladies (organization) and all that stuff and we hope to make them happy and get their business.” Linihan said he basically has two options for golf now -- Pryor or Grand Cherokee in Langley, although there are other courses not far from Adair, like Heritage Hills in Claremore and a new course in Verdigris. Linihan said none of them are as handy or convenient for him as Adair’s course. “I could leave work and, in six minutes, I 26
What used to be a favorite golf course for many in Adair has been reduced to a hay field. could be playing,” he said. “It was great for me.” Linihan used to have a golf cart stored at Adair’s course. Now it’s the school’s maintenance cart. Linihan said he is very sad the course closed. He heard in advance that the lease was going to end and he dreaded the closing until it occurred. “It’s the only place I ever shot even-par in my life. And 18 was the consummate finishing hole,” said Linihan in regard to a par-3 with a sprawling water hazard in front and a steep incline on the left side of the green. “I saw lots of good rounds ruined on No. 18. I had lots of my rounds ruined on No. 18. I feel like it was their real signature hole on the golf course.” Country clubbers likely poked fun at Adair’s course, visible from the turnpike which runs from Tulsa to Joplin. It was a course for Average Joe in terms of both degree of difficulty (no sand traps) and affordability. If ritzy courses are Saks Fifth Avenue, Adair was Dollar General Store. Dress code? Just wear clothes. “It wasn’t too bad,” Brown said. “It still needed a lot of work. It was just a country golf course.” Bottom line? Adair filled a niche for golfers who wanted a bargain rather than a photogenic course. Players took advantage of $10 Tuesdays (including cart) and $25 (also including cart) all-you-can-play days. There are tales of golfers who got in 80 holes in a day. That averages out to 31.25 cents per hole. “Economically, you couldn’t play any-
where cheaper,” Linihan said. “You couldn’t beat the price and Ray Ford and the guys that ran it, they were great guys. They were super friendly. It was convenient, cheap and friendly. What else do you want? “And you could go from daylight to dark. There weren’t any PGA pros out there. Nobody took themselves so seriously that you couldn’t just go out there and have a good time. “It was just a fun place to play. You could hit it out of your fairway and you weren’t penalized a lot of the time. You could go out there and, at the end of your round, you didn’t feel like your day was ruined. You could salvage a round even when you didn’t hit the fairway. I had lots of good times out there.” Bowman said there are markets for all types of golfers. When a course offers inexpensive golf, traffic must be high enough to generate revenue to maintain the course. “If the market is not strong enough, you can’t keep going and I guess that’s kind of what happened over there,” Bowman said. “The last four or five years have been real good for Pryor. We have had steady growth and the course has done well.” There were not as many golf courses when Brown decided to build a course on his property in the mid-1980s. Asked if he built it because he wanted to turn a profit or have a place to play, he said, “Both, probably.” Brown said the course had a couple of lean years and then it got better. “It was profPlease see ADAIR, Page 37 SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
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D E S T I N AT I O N S
GOLF ON THE LAKE
Photo by Mike Klemme
An aerial view of Osage National at Lake of the Ozarks
Stellar play at Ozark courses only a short drive away By LARRY LEWIS The memory test is a terrific way to judge a golf course. After playing a round of golf, just how much can you remember about the course? For that question and many others, Osage National Golf Resort sets the bar high. Located in the booming resort area of Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, Osage National Golf Resort features an original Arnold Palmer-design golf course that you will remember and make you want to keep coming back to play. Opened in 1992, Osage National has 27 holes, including the original 18-hole design by Palmer. That 18 has two distinct nines in the River and Mountain courses. The Links course was later added. Golfers can choose to play a combination of the three nine-hole 28
PLANNING A TRIP Lake of the Ozarks www.golfingatfunlake.com 1-800-490-8474.
courses for their 18 holes of golf. “Each nine holes are very different and offer unique challenges,” said Ryan Manselle, head golf professional at Osage National. “We try to fit the golf courses to everybody’s needs. It is very playable for every type of player.” My experience in discovering the Palmer design gem came at the end of a golf trip. I was tired, had already played some outstanding courses in the Lake of the Ozarks area and was ready for some rest. Or so I thought.
By the time I finished, I could remember every hole and how I did on each shot. Not that my play was anything to brag about. But each hole was memorable for the shots required. And that is not even mentioning the scenery, which could be breathtaking. Starting on the River Course, located along the Osage River, things like seeing an eagle perched by the water come to mind. But the river itself surprised me. I wasn’t expecting a stream that featured huge cliffs on the side opposite the course. Four holes, Nos. 5 through 8, feature the Osage River running along the right side. No. 6 is a riskreward hole that is only 314 yards from the back tees, and can play much shorter. The hole can be played as a 90-degree dogleg right, or the big hitters can take a shot at flying a water hazard while going for the green. Even if laying up off the tee, the second shot SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
over the water is daunting, with the river behind and right of the green. The par-3 seventh is short, ranging from 79 yards from the ladies tee to 145 yards from the tips. The green is small, and the river looms dangerously on the right. A difficult green to hit, but as is the case with Arnold Palmer courses, good shots are rewarded. After finishing the River Course, the Mountain Course was not a letdown. The name is fitting. Dramatic elevation changes, as well as some long distances between holes, makes one thankful for the golf cart. Just looking at the view off the tee on the par-4 third hole is worth the trip to the course. The fairway is a long way down, and the second shot goes up again to an elevated green. The four par-3s on the River/Mountain courses are as good a combination of par-3s as you will find. As is the case with the best of Palmer’s courses, the holes are challenging and can be difficult, but are not too punishing. The high-handicap average player can still have fun as there is some room to miss shots and still find the ball. After playing, a meal is in order from the restaurant in the elevated clubhouse that gives a gorgeous view of the course and area. The entire Lake of the Ozarks region is filled with outstanding courses where a golfer could play a different one every day for over two weeks. A total of 15 courses are open to the public. And there are plenty of top-caliber resorts in which to stay which offer all sorts of activities for families. A resort that has brought the Lake of the Ozarks much publicity since it opened in the 1960s, the Tan-Tar-A Resort, is another great golfing destination. Tan-Tar-A features an 18-hole course, the Oaks Course, and a 9hole gem, the Hidden Lakes Course. And dining outside at the resort while taking in the view of the lake is something that should not be missed. Missouri’s largest indoor waterpark, as well as horseback trail rides, are among many other amenities. The Oaks Course, a Bruce Devlin-Robert Von Hagge design opened in 1980, is fairly short at 6,432 yards from the back tees, but is as spectacular as it is challenging and has stood the test of time. It hosted the 1994 PGA Club Professional Championship and has been the site of several college tournaments. One only has to go back to the fall of 1985 when Scott Verplank shot 70-70-140 for a 2-under-par total to win a college golf tournament at the Oaks. To appreciate this score, consider Verplank shot 9-under-par in winning the prestigious Western Open in the summer of 1985 as an amateur before his victory at Tan-Tar-A. The Club at Old Kinderhook is a popular Tom Weiskopf design considered to be one of his best. Don’t miss the green on the stunning 152-yard par-3 seventh hole or you SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Photos by Mike Klemme
Lake Valley above and Season’s Ridge below are two of the favorite Lake of the Ozarks destinations.
might have one of the most uneven lies you have ever seen. Old Kinderhook is perhaps the toughest test of golf in the area. Bring plenty of golf balls. The Lodge of Four Seasons features equally outstanding courses in Season’s Ridge and the Robert Trent Jones Sr. design Witch’s Cove. Both are demanding and scenic. The resort offers plenty of activities for family members of all ages, including Adventure Club activities and Dive-In Movies around the atrium pool for the kids, and the Japanese-influenced Spa Shiki. Bear Creek Valley has perhaps the most fun hole in the area. The par-3 16th is listed at 183 yards from the back, but plays much shorter due to the much-elevated tee. It’s like looking down off a tall building onto a well-guarded green. Players can’t wait to play this hole. But Bear Creek Valley is not a one-hole course. It has greatly matured since its opening in 2001 and has become one of the top courses in the area. It certainly will not be outdone in elevation changes. Lovers of old-school golf will adore Lake Valley Country Club. This traditional design,
opened in 1967, will yield fewer lost balls than the newer courses, but don’t expect an easy round. High handicappers will find it much more forgiving than many in the area, but low handicappers and high handcappers alike will find it difficult to shoot a low score. Hitting the small green on the 228yard par-3 seventh from an elevated tee would be the thrill of a golfer’s day. Also don’t forget to check out Sycamore Creek, Eldon Country Club, Bay View, Indian Rock, The Golf Club at Deer Chase, Rolling Hills or Dogwood Hills. The combination of all the area courses makes Lake of the Ozarks a terrific golfing destination. Another outstanding resort by the lake with plenty of activities for the entire family is The Resort at Port Arrowhead. Poolside movies and bingo and miniature golf are all available. Family fun packages are available which includes access to a water park and music shows. All of the resorts in the Lake of the Ozarks area cater to the needs of guests. Traditional hotel rooms are available, as are condominiums. Plenty of generous, affordable yearround golf packages are available through Lake Ozark Vacations/A PMG Company. Other activities that don’t involve golf include visiting the 110-store Osage Beach premium outlets. There are plenty of places to dine. The Lake of the Ozarks is, as expected, great for boating and fishing. Try one of the dinner cruises on the lake. And there are numerous places to shop. The location of the Lake of the Ozarks makes the golf and resort areas easily accessible in the middle of the nation. With even more growth coming, the area should continue to be one of the great vacation destinations in the country. 29
Tulsa native wins Wichita Open By MAL ELLIOTT
WICHITA, Kan. – While the vexing Kansas wind blew for two days straight, Brad Elder blew away the competition in the final round to claim his second Preferred Wichita Open title and walk away with the winner’s check for $90,000 the first week of August. Elder, a native Tulsan who now lives in Dallas, fired a final-round 65 to win by four strokes, a record margin in the Wichita event. Elder also won in 1999. His 65 tied the lowest finish by a winner and vaulted him from 45th to 12th on the Nationwide Tour money list with $171,548. Elder started strong but couldn’t break par in Saturday’s windy conditions. Then he sprinted home for a 65-64-71-65—265 over Crestview Country Club’s par-71 layout. Elder’s father is a former head pro at Tulsa’s Mohawk Park. His first victory in Wichita in 1999 helped earn Elder a spot on the PGA Tour where he played for four seasons. He said injuries and a loss of focus cost him his exempt status. He says Dr. Jim Suttie, one of the nation’s well-known golf instructors, has helped him retool his swing. The wind took its toll. Typical winning scores in the Wichita event are 20 or more
Photo by Larry W. Smith
Brad Elder won the Wichita Open by four shots. under-par. Elder was 19-under and the only one in the field to finish at better than 15-under. Rich Morris, was born in Wichita and grew up in El Dorado, Kan. He took advantage of his familiarity with the Kansas wind in the third round. He fired a 7-under-par 64 to vault from last place to a tie for seventh.
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Mescalero, New Mexico near Ruidoso For reservations, call (800) 545-9011 or visit www.innofthemountaingods.com. For tee times, please call (505) 464-7941. Please gamble responsibly.
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“Hey buddy, what’s your name?” Ken Duke said to the eight-year old wearing hospital gowns and hooked to a mobile IV. “How old are you?” he continued. “Give me five,” as he held out his hand. As the youngster walked away, the back of his T-shirt read, “I have leukemia, it doesn’t have me.” I do not describe the heart-warming scene as well as was witnessed by my own eyes. Duke, a member of the PGA Tour, two days after a tie for 18th (earning $81,000) at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, spent more than an hour with patients from the Arkansas Children’s Hospital signing photos and posing for others with patients and staff. With the aid of some plastic clubs and balls from ACH’s Camp Wannaplay, he showed the proper grip and stroke for anyone interested. This hour of sharing included interviews with the media while promoting the Ken Duke Charity Classic, benefiting Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Henderson State University golf team. The one-day outing, featuring a special appearance by Bob Toski, teacher of many PGA Tour stars including Duke, will be Tuesday, Oct. 30, at Maumelle Country Club. The four-person scramble entry fee is $3,000, which includes a silent/live auction on Monday, Oct. 29, and a Toski clinic on Tuesday. “I’ve always wanted to do something like this, but never had the name recognition,” Duke said in regard to the charity classic. “It’s nice to be able to give something back. If it weren’t for Arkansas Children’s Hospital, I probably wouldn’t be here.” But this trip by Ken and his wife Michelle was more than just a PGA Tour member givThe Oklahoma Golf Association is undergoing some staff changes as a result of the resignation of Rick Coe from the position of executive director. Rick announced his resignation, effective immediately, at a meeting of the Board of Directors on Aug. 6. He will continue his involvement with the OGA in the newly created position of director of GHIN and Handicap Services. Rick advised the board that, with the continued growth of the association in each of the many areas of activity, he found himself, “wearing too many hats.” He wished to share the responsibilities of the day-to-day operations with others. The job duties of his new position will not involve much of a learning curve as he was performing those duties along with everything else. He also indicated that with the reduced work load he should find time to work on his own golf game with the prospect of becoming competitive in OGA events. With the wonderful sites at which the OGA has been conducting its championships this year, we can’t blame him. The board expressed its appreciation to Rick for the time and effort he has put in as SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
ASGA Views Jay Fox ASGA Executive Director ing back to charity. The Arkansas Children’s Hospital had a big hand in not only getting him to the PGA Tour, but just living in general. In the spring of 1982, the school nurse examined the Arkadelphia seventh grader for scoliosis and determined that Ken had a curve in his spine. Following consultation with parents Ray and Bettie Duke, an appointment at Arkansas Children’s Hospital was scheduled. Dr. Richard McCarthy advised the Duke family that Ken had a 26 percent curvature of the spine and the treatment was to wear a back brace 23 hours a day. As the result of a combination of Ken’s active youth and his continued growth, the curve became more severe. At a follow-up appointment in September 1984, the medical staff determined his curve to be more than 51 percent and recommended surgery. Without surgery, the pressure on Ken’s heart and lungs could become life-threatening. In February 1985, Ken entered Arkansas Children’s Hospital to undergo surgery where a 16-inch metal rod was attached to his spine to facilitate straightening the curve. Following surgery, he was again fitted with a back brace extending from his neck to his hips. Ken faithfully wore the brace 23 hours a day for four months. Remarkably, he only spent one week in the hospital, one week at home and then returned to school. Once he gained medical release, Ken
OGA Views Gene Mortensen Rules Director, Oklahoma Golf Association executive director during the past 15 years and in bringing the OGA to where it is today. Mark Felder, tournament director, will serve as the interim executive director. Mark has been with the OGA for six years. He came to that position from Twin Hills Country Club where he served as the head professional. Mark has been involved in the golf industry in the Oklahoma City area since he turned professional in 1977. As executive director he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association. Gene Mortensen was appointed president and will serve in that capacity until the annual meeting of the board of directors in September. At that meeting, four new board members will be selected along with a full slate of officers. The board is forming a search committee to find the new executive director. The position should be filled in the next few months. ••• We are midway through our tournament
Ken Duke works with Ameshia Earvin, 8, of West Memphis, at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. returned to his high-school golf team. Playing in a back brace, he won medalist honors at the district tournament and went on to win the Arkansas State Golf Association High School Overall Championship at Pleasant Valley Country Club in 1987. This was not just a golf tournament victory, but also a win for medical technology as well. Following an All-American career at Henderson State, graduating in 1992, Duke turned professional and has played on six different continents while playing on several different professional tours. As this article went to press, he was back in Arkadelphia for his high-school reunion, taking the week Please see ASGA, Page 37 schedule this season and are happy that the “monsoon season” has ended. This year has been exceptional for the number of days in a row on which we had rain as well as the amount of rain that fell. We keep hearing about how the excessive water has damaged courses, including washing out bridges. We trust everything is getting back to normal and anticipate that we will be able to conduct the remaining events on our schedule as planned. We invite you to join us for some outstanding competition as we wrap up another great year. Do you have an interest in learning more about the rules of golf? Each winter the PGA, in conjunction with the USGA, puts on a number of workshops pertaining to the rules. That schedule has been announced for 2008 and the information is available at www.USGA.org. There is a two-day introductory workshop which is an ideal way to gain basic insight into the rules. All OGA rules officials attend the regular four-day workshop and take the examination which is offered as a means to keep up with any changes that might be made. 31
By this time each year I have had the opportunity to serve as a rules official at a variety of events. I would like to review some of the situations which have arisen to assist you in understanding how the rules will be applied when a similar situation arises for you. I begin with this comment which continues to ring true; golfers of every ability level tend to make the same mistakes. At the PGA Championship at Southern Hills there were two situations which support my proposition that all players are victims of the same mistake. On Saturday, Boo Weekley put down a “4" as Sergio Garcia’s score on the 17th hole. The correct score was “5." In the scoring tent after the round each player is requested to check his score on a hole-byhole basis and sign his card to verify that the scores are correct. Apparently Garcia was miffed by a missed putt so he failed to catch the error. Rule 6-6 outlines the procedure for signing and returning a scorecard and it clearly provides that “the competitor is responsible for the correctness of the score for each hole . . . . If he returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken, he is disqualified.” How long would it take to compare the scores on the official card with the numbers kept by each player and thereby avoid this mistake? My guess is about one minute and I shudder to think of the thousands of dollars which Sergio left behind by this careless act. On Sunday, Corey Pavin was in a bunker at the sixth hole. He hit a shot out of the
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The rules of golf Gene Mortensen Rules Director, Oklahoma Golf Association bunker but it landed short of the putting surface, on a downslope. As the ball rolled toward the adjoining water hazard, Pavin’s caddie lifted a rake which might have stopped the ball. Everyone watched helplessly as the ball rolled into the water. Pavin ended up with an “8" for the hole. Not only did he incur the one-stroke penalty in taking relief from the water hazard, he incurred two additional penalty strokes when the rake, an “obstruction,” was moved while his ball was in motion. Rule 24 states: “when a ball is in motion, an obstruction that might influence the movement of the ball . . . must not be moved.” Pavin is responsible for the actions of his caddie and suffered the penalty strokes. Officials see this violation most often when a player lifts a flagstick to prevent another player’s putt from striking it. If you move the flagstick, add two. When a ball is in motion . . . watch it but do nothing else. One of the more humorous things a rules official will see is the little dance golfers perform under the guise of checking for casual water. The term “casual water” is found in rule 25. As the wording suggests, there should be water where the ball lies or where you will take your stance. Dampness doesn’t count and neither does mushy earth. So, if
water is not visible as you approach your ball, the likelihood of you getting this type of relief is remote. There is no guarantee in the rules that your ball must lie in pristine conditions for every shot. Would one of you please explain why golfers don’t take the time to read the materials which are given to them at the start of every event? I’m referring to the local rules and the pace of play policy. All tournament administrators adopt a pace of play policy and it is usually found on the reverse of the hole locations sheet. In Oklahoma we use a very simple guideline and it contemplates that if your group takes more than 2:15 to complete nine holes, everyone in the group receives a penalty. If your group is late again after 18 holes, there is an additional twostroke penalty for each of the members of the group. As soon as the penalty is assessed, the players dig out the policy and see what it says and that is too late. Pace of play is everyone’s problem so appoint one player in your group to act as the “Pace Monitor” to make certain there are no penalties. Dropping a ball pursuant to rule 20 is a procedure that requires the player to stand erect with his arm outstretched, holding the ball at shoulder height. The player may be facing in any direction. Tossing a ball out of one’s pocket is not permitted. Dropping the ball from waist level is also not permitted. If you drop in a manner that is not permitted, you are entitled to pick it up and correct the error. In this same respect, many players are under the impression that if the ball when dropped rolls toward the hole, it must be redropped. That is not always the case. For example, in taking relief from a cart path you will usually mark the nearest point of relief with a tee. If you drop a ball behind that point and it rolls forward but does not come to rest in front of that tee, the ball is in play so don’t lift it. You should also remember that a ball may roll up to two club lengths when dropped and still be in play. At the AJGA event in Edmond, Okla., we had the situation in which two competitors both hit chip shots at the same time and the moving balls collided on the green. In this situation rule 19-5 applies. There is no penalty, and both players are required to play their ball as it lies. We now have very sophisticated measuring devices. Some models will tell distance, wind speed and elevations. The rules of golf permit the use of a device that measures distance only when a local rule so provides. Be careful to examine the local rules (they are different for each event) to see if they are permitted. Under no circumstances may you use a device that does anything other than measure distances. Use of such a device will result in your disqualification, even when the additional information is not used. The Rules of Golf are your friend and you should learn to use them to your advantage.
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Fifty-three years ago Wichitan Fred Dold was a prominent figure in the world of golf in the United States. He had served from 1950 to 1954 on the executive committee of the United States Golf Association. The USGA, along with the Royal and Ancient Order of Golf in Great Britain, rules the game of golf worldwide, establishing and maintaining the rules of the game. The USGA also conducts national championship competition for men and women in amateur and open tournaments. In the 1950s, several organizations conducted competition for older golfers but there was no recognized national senior championship. Dold played a prominent role in the creation of the USGA’s Senior Amateur. He also commissioned a trophy to be designed by a Dutch artist and donated it to the USGA. From 1950 to 1975, Dold was one of the nation’s most visible figures in golf. At one time he served simultaneously on the executive committees of the USGA, Western Golf Association and the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association. He also served on the USGA’s Senior Amateur committee and the Green Section committee. Dold was an accomplished golfer. He won the Kansas Amateur title in 1930 and became the oldest Wichita city champ in history at the age of 51 in 1954. Dold’s family owned a chain of meat-packing plants across the country. Since 1955, the winner of the Senior Amateur has received the Dold Trophy. That cup will be awarded for the 53rd time Sept. 6 to the man who can navigate the exacting layout of the Flint Hills National golf course in Andover better than 155 other title hopefuls. This will be the third time the Senior Amateur has been contested in the state of Kansas. In 1969, Curtis Pearson Sr. won the title at Dold’s home club, Wichita Country Club; in 1995 James Stahl Jr., captured the title at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson. Seldom do the seniors play at such prestigious courses as they do when they come to Kansas. Prairie Dunes is ranked No. 30 among the top 100 courses in the U.S. by Golf Digest Magazine. Despite the fact that it has only been around since 1997, Flint Hills is at No. 49 and climbing. Now another Wichitan is bringing to Kansas the event which Dold helped create more than half a century ago. Tom Devlin, who built a fortune pioneering a “rent-toown” entrepreneurial concept, created Flint Hills because he said he did not like the idea that he would have to leave his home state to enjoy a modern club facility. Flint Hills has already been the site of the 2001 USGA Women’s Amateur championship and the 2003 Trans-Mississippi men’s championship. Further exposure will enhance the course’s prospects of climbing in the national rankings. Flint Hills has already scheduled a return of the Trans-Miss in 2009 and Devlin
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Kansas Beat Mal Elliott has said he is interested in bringing other tournaments of national scope to the course. The course was designed by Tom Fazio, one of the nation’s prestige names in golf-course architecture. Fazio’s name is linked with some 14 courses on Golf Digest’s top 100 list. Flint Hills can be stretched to 6,921 yards from the tournament tees but will be played at 6,511 yards for the seniors. That will be tough enough. At that distance, the par-71 layout has a course rating of 72.9 strokes and a slope of 143. Flint Hills is known not only for its demanding terrain but also for its striking beauty. It meanders across rolling topography and through woods and water, and the design of each hole leaves the player and spectator feeling isolated from the rest of the world. Last year the U.S. Senior Amateur drew almost 2,500 entries, which were pared down to 156 through sectional and regional qualifying tournaments. Shocker McHenry Missouri Amateur Champ: Wichita State University’s Connor McHenry, who just finished his freshman season, got a thrill in July when he returned to his home town of Jefferson City, Mo., and
came away with the Missouri Amateur golf championship. The 6-foot-2 McHenry shot 137 to claim medalist honors, and in the 36hole championship he prevailed 5 and 3 over Mitchell Gregson, a Kansas State University golfer from Waterloo, Mo. Former Jayhawk Wins Amateur: Gary Woodland, former University of Kansas golfer, captured his second Kansas Amateur championship at Topeka Country Club with a 3-and-2 victory over Wes Stonestreet in a scheduled 36-hole final. Woodland also won the 2005 Kansas Amateur. Stonestreet, of Dallas, is a former Wichita State University golfer. The finalists were also co-medalists in the tournament. Brown Wins Trans-Miss: Trent Brown of Arkansas City, Kan., won the 104th TransMississippi championship at Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Minn., in July. He won on the 20th hole against Jim Lehman, brother of PGA Tour standout Tom Lehman. Brown is the son of Roger Brown, former Kansas Amateur champ and former standout on Oklahoma State University golf teams in the mid-1960s. Wildcat Houtz wins Kansas Amateur: Elise Houtz, who is headed for Kansas State University, won the Kansas Women’s Amateur championship at Wichita’s Reflection Ridge Golf Course over a field that included former champions Paula Routon and Denise Desilet. Houtz fired a 73-69-76—218 to finish five strokes ahead of Missy Linnen of Wichita.
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Would you agree with me that golf is a “perfect” game? No, I don’t really mean that it is great exercise, played with new and old friends in the beautiful outdoors. Even though that may be true, I submit that golf is a “perfect” game simply because no player can ever play the “perfect” round. If he could, where or how would he be challenged? Human nature is easily bored by things that are too easy. Isn’t it interesting that golfers actually need the frustration, the bad bounces, the torment of wind and rain and subtlely changing terrain to make the game its best? OK, now you think I’ve spent too much time in the office (and you’d be right) and I’ve lost my perspective on the playing of golf. I am simply making this point: golfers need to be challenged and the pursuit of “perfection,” albeit unattainable, is what motivates us to practice, to acquire the best equipment we can afford and to play as often as we can. Golfers play this perfect game because they know that as long as they “keep swinging” there is a chance that something good can happen. Many years ago I witnessed two consecutive golf strokes that I will never forget. One beautiful summer evening I hooked up with my usual group at the club for a quick round after work. We were all having our usual fun time “telling lies” and relating With the South Central Section’s tournament season in full swing, Belmar Golf Club hosted our Section Team Championship in Norman, Okla., with the two-man team from Kansas of Steve Blaske from Mac Donald Park Golf Course in Wichita and Lee Johnson from Hidden Lakes in Derby winning the 36-hole event with a score of 65-67 – 132 after a one-hole sudden death playoff against the team of Peter Vitali and E.J. Pfister, both from Gallardia Country Club in Oklahoma City. Thanks to David Stewart and his staff for hosting the event that was sponsored by Steve Flaming and TaylorMade. The Section Pro-President was contested at the Oaks Country Club in Tulsa and sponsored by Chip Cutler and Justice Golf Car. Our champions for the prestigious event, hosted by Rick Reed and his fine staff, was the team of Darryl Court and Tim Harris of Meadowlake Golf Course in Enid, Okla. Our South Central Section Senior Association held its annual Senior Match Play Championship at Page Belcher on the Stone Creek layout and host professional George Glenn was victorious by defeating Andy Schaben of Wild Horse Canyon of Luther, Okla., 2 and 1 in the championship match. Yamaha Golf Car along with Liberty Mutual and SkyGolf sponsored the Section 34
KGA Views Kim Richey KGA Executive Director humorous events from the business day, occasionally punctuated by a good shot, when we reached our drives in the 14th fairway. We were all about 150 yards from the green and facing a downhill, downwind shot to a hole cut near the center of the green. I don’t remember how the bets stood at that point (no doubt, I was down a couple of bucks!), I just know that a birdie was in our sights! I hit first. My 7-iron landed safely on the green, but I would have to make a tough putt for my birdie. Two other guys hit; one to the fringe and the other also on the green, but still no apparent easy birdie. That left our final friend to hit from the middle of the fairway. His lie was good, but his stance was slightly downhill (he had caught one of his better drives and outdrove us, a fact for which we no doubt abused him since it was a rather rare occurrence!) Our friend took careful aim with his lofted club (probably a 9-iron) and set his feet firmly. He made what appeared to be a “perfect” swing, sending a large slice of turf sail-
PGA Views Barry Thompson SCS Executive Director Match Play Championship this year at Lakeside Golf Course in Stillwater, Okla. The Section’s immediate past president Tim Fleming won the Section’s first major championship of the year by defeating Oak Tree Country Club professional Mark Fuller in the championship final 3 and 2. The Consolation bracket was won by Josh Cook, assistant professional at Wichita Country Club, defeating Brent Mistler of the Greens Country Club 4 and 3. Steve Ramsey, head golf professional at Dornick Hills Country Club in Ardmore, Okla., and his amateur teammates John Thurber, Brent Thurber and Gerod Black won the PGA McGladrey Team Championship at Broken Arrow’s Forest Ridge Golf Club and will represent the South Central Section at the National Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. The father and son team of Tim and Scott Zimmerebner of Hot Springs, Ark. captured the title at the Section Pro/Scratch Championship held at the Greens CC in Oklahoma City with a low score of 63. The Section would like to thank Brent Cryer
ing skyward. We all watched in great anticipation for the ball to fall to earth somewhere near the hole. It never happened. There at our friend’s feet lay his ball, totally unmoved by the previous stroke. Would it surprise you that we took this opportunity to have a good laugh at his expense? So here’s our friend lying two in the fairway, having only struck the ball once. As we all know a “whiff” counts just as much as the 300-yard drive. After a moment taken to retrieve and replace the divot (behind his ball!), our friend reloaded his resolve, eyed the flagstick, took his firm stance and made his next swing at the ball. A few minutes later our foursome walked to the 15th tee with all of us laughing about the three pars and the ONE birdie scored on the 14th hole. You see, our friend’s third stroke found the bottom of the cup for the most amazing birdie I have ever seen! He loves to tell this story (and I enjoy hearing how it gets better with age!). My first comment to him after he picked me up off the ground was, “Let that be a lesson to you – never give up!” In golf, just as in life, we enjoy playing the “perfect” game that cannot be perfected because we seek to experience those special and rare moments when golf and life are “perfect.” Keep swinging, everyone! and his staff along with our sponsors for the event, John Roberts and Cutter & Buck. The South Central Section administered its second Nationwide Tour Qualifier of the season at two different Kansas sites – Tallgrass C.C. and Sand Creek Station – with 212 professionals trying to qualify for the 14 spots up for grabs to participate in the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Nationwide Tournament which was played at Crestview CC in Wichita. LaFortune Park Golf Course in Tulsa was the site of Play Golf America Day in conjunction with the 89th PGA Championship Play Golf America Day on Aug. 6. More than 600 participants enjoyed the junior golf clinics and junior skills challenge in the morning or the free 10-minute lessons offered by 38 South Central Section PGA Professionals in the afternoon. There were also clinics by Divot the Clown, former University of Tulsa star and PGA Tour rookie Michael Boyd and by Rick Martino, the PGA of America’s director of instruction. The Section would like to thank the all of the PGA Golf Professionals who gave their time to volunteer at this year’s final major championship and to Dave Bryan, head professional at Southern Hills, who worked on his third major championship. It was also a record fourth PGA Championship for Southern Hills. SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
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the greens,” Eiserman said. “The rough is not as thick and lush because of the heat, but it will give everyone a good test. The challenge is getting it up and down. It could be tough if they miss the greens and go into the rough. “They’ll definitely have to have all the shots.” After finishing in the top five at a major against the best players in the world, Lewis said she knows she can play with the professionals, but it would be amazing if she ended the weekend hoisting her first LPGA trophy. “It would be crazy if I won,” Lewis said. “It would be the perfect place to win here at my second home.” Even if she does win at Pinnacle, Lewis said it will be huge achievement, but it will not surpass what she did in May. “Becoming the national champion will probably always be the one,” Lewis said. “No one can ever take that away from me.” But the girl who had surgery on her back four years ago and could have possibly never played the game again now has the college golf field gunning for her. “People are out to beat me, and I have the target on my back,” Lewis said. “And I like it.”
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Higgins Golf Academy. “He’s done a good job.” Although the course is open for play, the majority of the holes have lush Bermuda fairways and the greens are solid, it is very much still a work in progress. While showing a visitor around, Higgins described ongoing projects on nearly every hole, from improved drainage to regrassing of the disturbed areas to smoothing of tee boxes and fairways. Ponds will be added, two more greens rebuilt, selective tree trimming continued and the new irrigation
system will aid in the development of healthy turf grasses. “It will take at least three years to get everything the way I want it,” said Higgins, who previously built nine holes at McAlester Country Club. “This place is going to be spectacular. It’s such a pretty setting anyway and the course is going to fit right in.” In the meantime, Higgins wants everyone to realize the course is semi-private and welcomes outside play. He has a weekend special that is $75 for a foursome including carts and also some low rates for out-of-town memberships. For more information, call 918-756-8000.
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a golfer’s capabilities. “I want to become more knowledgeable about the body and what limitations a golfer might have,” he said. “I know just through a few tests that I can give them what some of the limitations are and what we can do to help.” The gleaming new facility has one of its bays devoted to fitness and working out. The fitness craze inspired by Tiger Woods and his rippling muscles has many other golfers looking to increase their strength and flexibility. You never know whom you might meet at the learning center. PGA Tour player Bo Van Pelt of nearby Bixby swung by after a disappointing performance in the PGA Championship to have Phillips help assess short-game woes. Tiger Woods himself hasn’t been by yet, but Phillips is certainly qualified to work with him. Tracy trained with Woods’ instructor Hank Haney at Haney’s McKinney, Texas, facility and knows the impact Haney’s teachings have had on Woods. “Since working with Hank, Tiger’s club is a lot flatter at the top of the swing,” Phillips said. “I think he understands his golf swing and how to go through the progression of fixing it like he never did before.” In addition to the indoor/outdoor bays, there is a large comfortable room for group presentations as well as office space. There are two additional outdoor hitting areas also equipped with full-length mirrors. For more information or for lessons, call Phillips at 918-352-1089 or go to www.tracyphillipsgolf.com.
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itable,” he said. And recently? “I don’t know what the guy that leased it, what his income was. But he bought a lot of equipment and it seemed to have a lot of play.” Brown collected a few priceless memories on the course, like a hole-in-one on No. 6, the longest par-3 on the course. Brown, who didn’t start playing until he was almost 50, said he used to play every day of the week except Sunday for months at a time. He said a lot of people “learned how to play” at Adair and some of them got
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off to prepare for the four-week-long chase for the Fed Ex Cup. In his second stint on the PGA Tour (first was 2004), Duke has earned more than $1.5 million and stood 33rd in the Fed Ex Cup standings. Last year he was the Nationwide Tour Player of the Year and number one on the money list with $382,000 in earnings. He bypassed that season-long total at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans where his second-place finish netted $658,000. Ties for seventh at the Byron Nelson Classic and Wachovia Championship the two weeks following New Orleans earned $203,000
pretty good. “I saw some youngsters out there and I was just amazed at how they could hit that ball.” No more balls will likely be hit there. Brown said he has his whole farm, former golf course and everything, listed with a realtor. If somebody wanted to buy the course, he is not opposed to dividing up the acreage and selling it. A skeleton of a course is still there if anybody wants to exhume it. “I would have liked to have seen somebody buy the thing that had the money to improve it, you know?” said Brown. “It didn’t happen, not yet anyway.” and $196,000, respectively, giving him $1 million in earnings in a three-week span. He has not only earned his PGA Tour card for 2008, but is on the verge of his first PGA Tour victory. At age 38, Duke has had a life full of perseverance, from surgery and wearing a brace 23 hours a day to struggling on the mini-tours for 10-plus years. But his play throughout 2007 and in the two majors - a tie for 23rd at the U.S. Open and his 18th place finish at the PGA – had him brimming with confidence. “I’m out here to win, not just compete,” he said. “It’s all about confidence. That’s the biggest difference in me since I was out here (PGA Tour) in 2004.”
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Flinton prevails Kyle Flinton, the dominant PGA assistant professional in the natin with three victories in the national championship the past five years, will now be a handful for the section’s top professionals. In just his seceond section event since earning his status as a Class A professinal, the top assistant at Quail Creek Golf & Country Club shot rounds of 65-70-70 for an 8-under total of 205 at Oakwood Country Club to win the 2007 South Central PGA Professional Championship. He led the five qualifiers for the 2008 National Professional Championship, the next step towards earning one of 20 berths available to club pros in the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Township, Mich. Flinton’s total was five shots better than that of his boss, Quail Creek head professional Tim Fleming, who had solid rounds of 70-69-71. Also qualifying for the National Professional Championship were defending champion Mark Fuller oft Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, (68-72-71); Jim Woodward (70-71-71) and Bob Ralston (70-70-72). SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
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S C H E D U L E S A N D R E S U LT S PRO PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
At Southern Hills CC, Tulsa (par-70) Aug. 9-12 1, Tiger Woods 71-63-69-69 – 272 ($1,260,000); 2, Woody Austin 68-70-69-67 – 274 ($756,000); 3, Ernie Els 72-68-69-66 – 275 ($476,000); 4 (tie), Arron Oberholser 68-7270-69 – 279 and John Senden 68-72-69-71 – 279 ($308,000); 6 (tie), Simon Dyson 73-7172-64 – 280, Geoff Ogilvy 69-68-74-69 – 280 and Trevor Immelman 75-70-66-69 – 280 ($227,500); 9 (tie), Scott Verplank 70-66-7471 – 281, Boo Weekley 76-69-65-71 – 281 and Kevin Sutherland 73-69-68-71 – 281; 12 (tie), Stephen Ames 68—69-69-76 – 282, Justin Rose 70-73-70-69 – 282, K.J. Choi 71-71-68-72 – 282, Stuart Appleby 73-68-72-69 – 282, Adam Scott 72-68-70-72 – 282 and Anders Hansen 71-71-71-69 – 282 ($119,833); 18 (tie), Hunter Mahan 71-73-72-68 – 284, Ken Duke 73-71-69-71 – 284, Pat Perez 70-69-7768 – 284, Joe Durant 71-73-70-70 – 284 and Brandt Snedeker 74-71-69-70 – 284 ($81,600). 23 (tie), Retief Goosen 70-71-74-70 – 285, Steve Flesch 72-73-68-72 – 285, Camilo Villegas 69-71-74-71 – 285, Kenny Perry 72-7271-70 – 285, Steve Stricker 77-68-69-71 – 285, Ian Poulter 71-73-70-71 – 285, Heath Slocum 72-70-72-71 – 285, Nathan Green 75-68-67-75 – 285 and Peter Hanson 72-71-69-73 – 285 ($51,000); 32 (tie), John Daly 67-73-73-73 – 286, Phil Mickelson 73-69-75-69 – 286, Brett Wetterich 74-71-70-71 – 286, Shaun Micheel 73-71-70-72 – 286, Stewart Cink 72-70-72-72 – 286, Luke Donald 72-71-70-73 – 286, Lee Westwood 69-74-75-68 -- 286 and Bart Bryant 74-70-72-70 – 286 ($34,750); 40 (tie), Paul Casey 72-70-74-71 – 287 and Richard Green 72-73-70-72 – 287 ($27,350); 42 (tie), Charles Howell III 75-70-72-71 – 288, Colin Montgomerie 72-73-73-70 – 288, Niclas Fasth 71-68-79-70 – 288, David Toms 71-74-71-72 – 288, Padraig Harrington 69-73-72-74 – 288, Sean O’Hair 70-72-70-76 – 288, Darren Clarke 77-66-71-74 – 288 and Rod Pampling 70-7472-72 – 288 ($20,850). 50 (tie), Brian Bateman 71-74-76-68 – 289, Lucas Glover 70-75-74-70 – 289, Anthony Kim 73-72-71-73 – 289, Bob Tway 71-72-71-75 – 289, Frank Lickliter II 70-75-75-69 – 289, Shingo Katayama 76-67-72-74 – 289 and Nick O’Hern 72-72-72-73 – 289 ($15,236); 57 (tie), Will MacKenzie 72-70-74-74 – 290, Chad Campbell 77-68-73-72 – 290 and Robert Karlsson 73-71-75-71 – 290 ($14,400); 60 (tie), Billy Mayfair 76-69-75-71 – 291 and Paul McGinley 74-66-76-75 – 291 ($14,025); 62 (tie), Graeme Storm 65-76-74-78 – 293, Brett Quigley 76-67-73-77 – 293, Corey Pavin 74-68-72-79 – 293 and Thomas Bjorn 73-71-7673 – 293 ($13,650); 66 (tie), Todd Hamilton 73-72-74-75 – 294, Troy Matteson 72-69-73-80 – 294 and Tim Herron 75-68-71-80 – 294 ($13,300); 69 (tie), Mike Small 73-70-78-75 – 296 and Tom Lehman 73-71-74-78 – 296 ($13,050); 71, Ryan Benzel 71-72-80-74 – 297 ($12,900).
NATIONWIDE WICHITA OPEN
At Crestview CC, Wichita (par-72) July 26-29 1, Brad Elder 65-64-71-65 – 265 ($90,000); 2, Fabian Gomez 71-66-67-65 – 269 ($54,000); 3 (tie), Stephen Gangluff 66-70-67-67 – 270, Vance Veazey 66-66-68-70 – 270, David Hearn 68-67-70-67 – 270 and Miguel Carballo 70-6568-67 – 270 ($24,000); 7 (tie), Keoke Cotner 70-67-66-68 – 271, Bradley Hughes 67-62-7171 – 271, Kris Blanks 67-70-67-67 – 271, Jeff Klauk 67-64-71-69 – 271, Martin Laird 65-6869-69 -- 271 and David McKenzie 65-67-68-71 – 271 ($14,042); 13 (tie), Rich Morris 70-67-
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For up-to-the minute results and competition stories, visit daily at southcentralgolf.com 64-71 – 272, Michael Walton 67-66-66-73 – 272, Andrew Dresser 69-66-71-66 – 272, Jason Day 66-68-69-69 – 272, Justin Hicks 67-69-6967 – 272 and Aaron Watkins 69-68-66-69 – 272 ($8,833); 19 (tie), Deane Pappas 68-68-68-69 – 273, Chris Baryla 69-65-71-68 – 273, Garth Mulroy 68-65-71-69 – 273, Scott Gardiner 6766-67-73 – 273, Jason Enloe 65-68-70-70 – 273 and Justin Smith 66-65-72-70 – 273 ($5,850).
NGA/HOOTERS TOUR BUFFALO RUN CASINO CLASSIC
At Peoria Ridge GC, Miami, Okla. (par72) June 21-24 1, Jordan Dempsey 67-65-67-65 – 264 ($33,566); 2 (tie), Andrew Tschudin 64-64-6770 – 265 and Bronson LaCassie 65-67-65-68 – 265 ($13,762); 4 (tie), Brandon Brown 68-6868-65 – 267, Tim Ailes 65-67-66-69 – 267 and Blaine Peffley 69-70-66-62 – 267 ($7,958); 7 (tie), Casey Whittenberg 71-65-67-65 – 268 and Clint Provost 64-65-67-72 – 268 ($5,965); 9, David Miller 68-66-69-66 – 269 ($5,091); 10 (tie), Shawn Stefani 67-70-69-64 – 270, D.J. Fiese 71-67-66-66 and Bruce McDonald 68-6964-69 – 270 ($4,046); 13 (tie), Adam Babb 6669-69-67 – 271 and Todd Bailey 67-66-65-73 – 271 ($3,035); 15 (tie), Martin Flores 71-66-6768 – 272, Rich Morris 68-66-68-70 – 272, David Kirkpatrick 67-67-72-66 – 272 and Joey Lamielle 71-68-68-65 – 272 ($2,535).
AMATEUR ARKANSAS STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION MORGAN KEEGAN MEN’S STROKE PLAY
At Texarkana CC (par-72) June 15-17 1, Beau Glover 72-66-72 – 210; 2 (tie), Greg Flanagan 71-71-72 – 214 and Will Osborne 71-71-72 – 214; 4, Barrett Lais 67-7574 – 216 and Mark Graham 75-67-74 – 216; 6, Scotty Campbell 74-71-72 – 217; 7 (tie), Allen McFerran 76-70-72 – 218 and Chris Jenkins 77-71-70 – 218; 9 (tie), Michael WhartonPalmer 76-71-72 – 219, Andrew Carroll 75-7173 – 219, Nick Crisco 73-74-72 – 219, Jason Cuthbertson 73-70-76 – 219, Will Little 71-7276 – 219 and Kell Shenep 72-73-74 -- 219
PARENT/CHILD
At Foxwood CC, Jacksonville (par-72) June 25 Mother-Son 1, Kathe Parson/Robert Neighbors 67; 2, Mila Dupwe/Doug Dupwe 69; 3, Susan Hammonds/Reed Peevey 71; 4 (tie), Nedra Wood/James Wood and Beverly Rice/Greg Rice 72. Father-Daughter 1, David Seward/Amanda Beer 70; 2 (tie), Gary Parson/Susan Fountain and Ed Tallach/Sharon Vogelpohl 72; 4, Ken Williams/Hillary Williams 75; 5, Gar Lile/Grace Lile 76. Grandmother/Granddaughter, MotherDaughter and Grandfather/Granddaughter 1, Joan Due/Andrea Due-Nunez 67; 2, Bruce Netherton/Holly Hilliard 74, 3 (tie), Doris Zinsor/Brooke Enderlin and Mattie Seward/Allan Beer 75.
JUNIOR BOYS MATCH PLAY
At Foxwood CC, Jacksonville June 20-22 Third round Joshua Kazvanovicz def. Ryan Ennis 3 and 2, Sawyer Radler def. Eli Mattioli 3 and 2,
Nick Wilson def. Hunter Mobley 4 and 2, Alex Carpenter def. Lane Hulse 5 and 4, Sean Romero def. Garret Wilhite 1-up (20 holes), Adam Carpenter def. Wilson Anthony 5 and 4, Nick Zimmerman def. Justin Doherty 2 and 1, Nicklaus Benton def. Corbin Renner 4 and 3. Quarterfinals Radler def. Kazvanociz 5 and 4, Wilson def. Carpenter 2 and 1, Carpenter def. Romero 1-up, Benton def. Zimmerman 4 and 3. Semifinal Wilson def. Radler 1-up (19 holes), Benton def. Carpenter 2-up. Final Benton def. Wilson 1-up (19 holes).
JUNIOR GIRLS MATCH PLAY
At Foxwood CC, Jacksonville June 20-21 Quarterfinals Taylor Fisher bye, Courtney Burris def. Summer Roachell 4 and 3, Hannah Lavy def. Caitlin Jones 7 and 6, Jennfer Welch def. Olivia Lavy 3 and 2. Semifinals Fisher def. Burris 5 and 4, Welch def. H. Lavy 2 and 1. Final Welch def. Fisher 3 and 2.
KANSAS GOLF ASSOCIATION FATHER AND SON
At Falcon Lakes GC, Basehor July 30-31 Gross: 1, Fred Mason/Scott Mason 71-63 – 134; 2 (tie), Adam Bahner/Kevin Bahner 6669 – 135; 3 (tie), Sean McGrevey/Dan McGrevey 67-68 – 135 and Mark Shelton/Tyler Shelton 67-68 – 135; 5 (tie), Jay Hepler/Larry Hepler 67-70 – 137, Tyler Cummins/Ross Cummins 68-69 – 137 and Don Bell/Matt Bell 66-71 – 137.
MATCH PLAY
At Topeka CC & Shawnee CC, Topeka July 15-22 Third round Wes Stonestreet def. Spencer Wilson 2 and 1, Kyle Yonke def. Matthew Williams 1up, Derek Harrison def. Grady Pauls 5 and 4, Ty Sanders def. Dean Merrill 1-up (19), Gary Woodland def. Cameron Bishop 1-up, Matt Ewald def. Joe Ida 4 and 3, Jason Schulte def. Patrick Roth 1-up, Chad Judd def. Nick May 2 and 1. Quarterfinals Stonestreet def. Yonke 2-up, Sanders def. Harrison 1-up (19), Woodland def. Ewald 3 and 2, Schulte def. Judd 2-up. Semifinals Stonestreet def. Sanders 3 and 1, Woodland def. Schulte 3 and 2. Final Woodland def. Stonestreet 3 and 2. Stroke-play qualifying: 1, Stonestreet 6760 – 137; 2, Woodland 65-72 – 137; 3 (tie), Bryan Norton 68-70 – 138 and Joshua Weems 69-69 – 138.
SENIOR FOUR-BALL
At Brookridge G&CC, Overland Park June 25-27 1, Bob Vidricksen/Frank Roth 67-67 – 134; 2 (tie), Tom Bachelor/Vern Cline 67-69 – 136, Jay Edwards/Steve Eckinger 68-68 – 136 and Kevin Handlan/Mike Shteamer 69-67 – 136; 5 (tie), Lou Rapalino/Bo Dennis 68-69 – 137, Ron Eilers/Dave Harris 68-69 – 137 and Bill Toalson/Don Cox 70-67 – 137.
JUNIOR TEAM
At Sand Creek Station GC, Newton June 25-26 1, Zach Sanders/Jake Myron 71-73 – 144; 2, Adam Taylor/Jeremy Gant 69-76 –145; 3 (tie), Josh Weems/Ben Fitzpatrick 73-73 – 146, Trevor Johanson/Eric Mode 73-73 – 146 , Jordan Lyttpn 73-73 – 146 and Jordan Smith/Chase Chamberlin 70-76 – 146; 7 (tie), Jarret Tagtmeyer/Aaron Mapel 70-77 – 147, Travis Deckert/Jeff Bell 70-77 – 147 and Park Ulrich/Trevor Hampton 71-76 – 147.
PUBLIC LINKS
At Eagle Bend GC, Lawrence June 23-24 Overall: 1, Jon Platz 65-67 – 132; 2 (tie), Kyle Smell 70-66 – 136, Ryan Deutsch 67-69 – 136 and Travis Engle 71-65 – 136; 5 (tie), Chad Judd 71-66 – 137, Conrad Roberts 67-70 – 137 and Justin Raigoza 68-69 – 137; 8 (tie), Joe Ida 75-64 – 139, Tyler Lytton 72-67 – 139 and Barrett Martens 70-69 – 139. Gross age groups – 29-under: 1 (tie), Smell and Deutsch. 30-44: 1, Platz; 2, Engle. 45-over: 1, Andy Smith 71-70 – 141; 2 (tie), Don Kuehn 71-71 – 142 and Jim Doyle 67-75 – 142.
JUNIOR AMATEUR
At Emporia Municipal GC (par-71) June 19-21 Overall: 1, Kyle Smell 70-67-71 – 208; 2, Ben Fitzpatrick 74-69-67 – 210; 3, Ben Lowman 70-67-76 – 213; 4 (tie), Zach Sanders 73-70-72 – 215, Andrew Foulston 73-71-71 – 215, Alex Hofmann 70-72-73 – 215, Harrison Higgs 71-73-71 – 215, Jeff Bell 70-71-74 – 215, Korbin Kuehn 73-71-71 – 215 and Jeremy Gant 71-76-68 – 215. Age groups -- 14-under: 1 (tie), Daniel Kunantaev 71-77-76 – 224 and Michael Gellerman 73-74-77 – 224; 15-16: 1, Gant, Sanders and Hofmann; 17: 1, Lowman; 2 (tie), Foulston and Kuehn; 18: 1, Smell; 2, Fitzpatrick.
FOUR-BALL
At Alvamar GC, Lawrence (par-71) June 5-9 Quarterfinals Conrad Roberts/Chad Roesler def. Barrett Martens/Jay Kramer 1-up, Zach Cleland/Mitch Boles def. Z.Pederson/W.Koelbel 1-up, Cameron Bishop/Ty Sanders def. S.Christian/R.Linsner 6 and 4, Zechariah Potter/Brandon Hermreck def. Brett Iliff/Adam Blue 2 and 1. Semifinals Bishop/Sanders def. Hermreck/Potter 1 up, Roberts/Roesler def. Cleland/Boles 1-up (19 holes). Final Roberts/Roesler def. Sanders/Bishop 1-up. Stroke play 1 (tie), Bobby Knowles/Joey Mundy 66-69 – 135 and Conrad Roberts/Chad Roseler 6669 – 135; 3, Zechariah Potter/Brandon Hermreck 65-71 – 136; 4 (tie), Brad Boan/Ryan Spears 68-69 – 137 and Zac Burton/Tyler Cummins 66-71 – 137.
OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION STROKE PLAY
At Fairfax GC, Edmond (par-72) Aug. 6-8 1, Trent Whitekiller 70-70-67 – 207; 2 (tie), Draegen Majors 72-68-70 – 210 and Phillip Bryan 68-70-72 – 210; 4, Blake Trimble 70-69-72 – 211; 5, Taylor Artman 77-69-69 – 215; 6, Ryan Ellis 73-71-72 – 216; 7, Brady Wood 72-73-73 – 218; 8, Austin Quinten 72-7770 – 219; 9 (tie), Ben Bench 72-75-73 – 220
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
S C H E D U L E S A N D R E S U LT S and Adam Bahner 70-70-80 – 220; 11 (tie), Michael Lee 75-76-71 – 222, Josh Webber 7271-79 – 222, Jordan Wynn 75-72-75 – 222 and Logan McCracken 67-73-82 – 222.
MATCH PLAY
At The Trails GC, Norman July 16-19 Third round Chris Ward def. Jordan Miller 4 and 3, Robert Streb def. Tyler Hunt 2-up, Mark Austin def. Chandler Rusk 1-up (19 holes), Ty Carson def. Sam MacNaughton 5 and 4, Bruno Buccolo def. Austin Bowman 6 and 4, Tyler Rice def. Austin Quinten 2 and 1, Murph Mitchell def. Draegen Majors 6 and 5, Rhein Gibson def., Matt Ramage 1-up (19). Quarterfinals Rice def. Buccolo 1-up, Mitchell def. Gibson 1-up (24), Streb def. Ward 1-up, Austin def. Carson 2 and 1. Semifinals Streb def. Ward 3 and 1, Mitchell def. Rice 6 and 4. Final Mitchell def. Streb 2 and 1. Stroke play qualifying: 1, Buccolo 67; 2, Mitchell 68; 3, Preston Wilkins 69; 4, Carson 69.
SENIOR STROKE PLAY
At Dornick Hills CC, Ardmore (par-70) June 18-19 1, Ricky Lutz 68-72 – 140; 2, Jerry Greer 75-67 – 142; 3 (tie), Murph Mitchell 74-71 – 145 and Russ Hackler 72-73 – 145; 5, Bill Jackson 71-75 – 146; 6, Mark Kedy 75-73 – 148; 7, Neil Oxford 73-76 –- 149; 8 (tie), John Walker 73-77 – 150, Jim Wyche 75-75 – 150
and Carl Anderson 73-77 – 150. Super seniors: 1, Robert Fouke 75-69 – 144; 2 (tie), Allen Eaker 76-72 – 148 and Richard Hunt 73-75 – 148.
JUNIOR BOYS
At Rose Creek, Edmond (par-72) June 11-14 16-18 Match play Quarterfinals Andrew Green def. Jacob Simon 3 and 2, Clayton Hooper def. Cameron Meyers 3 and 2, Hunter Sparks def. Logan Herbst 2 and 1, Talor Gooch def. Chris Worrell 1-up. Semifinals Green def. Hoioper 3 and 2, Gooch def. Sparks 3 and 2. Final Gooch def. Green 3 and 2. Stroke play 1, Andrew Green 73-68 – 141; 2 (tie), Matt Ramage 72-70 – 142 and Chris Worrell 74-68 – 142; 4, Bryan Boaz 73-70 – 143; 5 (tie), Erik Fernandez 76-68 – 144 and Talor Gooch 72-72 – 144. 14-15 Match play Quarterfinals Hunter Wade def. Kael McFarland 1 up, Max Meyers def. Rustin Purser 2 and 1, Taylor Williams def. Peyton Manor 1-up, John Cassidy def. Bryce Barnard 2-up. Semifinals Meyers def. Wade 3 and 1, Williams def. Cassidy 3 and 1. Final Meyers def. Williams 2 and 1.
SPRING FOUR-BALL
At Lincoln Park (West), Oklahoma City (par-71) June 4-5 1, Jeb Blacketer/Bill Bishop Jr. 62-64 – 126; 2 (tie), Blake Trimble/Mark Richards 6763 – 130, Don Cochran/Rick Bell 64-66 -- 130 and David Dawley/Wes Moffatt 65-65 – 130; 5, John Austin/Mark Austin 63-68 – 131; 6 (tie), Michael Alsup/Brad Nelligan 65-68 – 133, Ronny Baker/Marty Edwards 69-64 – 133 and Pat Collogan/Chip Huston 67-66 – 133; 9 (tie), Kelsey Cline/Bryan Reed 66-68 – 134, Steve Eckroat 68-66 – 134 and Ron Waters/Eldon Young 66-68 – 134. Senior: 1, Windy Miller/Charles Barkley 67-63 – 130; 2 (tie), Doug Perry/Ricky Lutz 67-64 – 131 and Nick Fuller/Paul Malloy 65-66 – 131; 4 (tie), Richard Hunt/Joe Brandt 66-67 – 133, Ken Kee/Richard Koenig 68-65 – 133, Tim McFarland/Rick Coe 66-67 – 133 and Mike Houpe/Bob Sine 67-66 – 133.
WOMEN’S OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION STROKE PLAY
At Heritage Hills, Claremore (par-71) July 11-13 1, Crystal Reeves 79-74 – 153; 2, Erin Fuchik 75-80 – 155; 3, Emily Leahey 80-77 – 157; 4, Kamryn Ruffin 84-76 – 160; 5, Mary Larsh 81-83 – 164; 6, Katlin Higginbotham 8481 – 165; 7, Erica Bensch 87-80 – 167; 8, Aubree Vaughan 77-92 – 169; 9, Whitney McAteer 91-83 – 174; 10, Lindsay Peabody 8689 – 175. Age groups – 14-15: 1, Larsh; 2, Bensch. 12-13: 1, Megan Blonien 91-86 – 177; 2, June Tigert 94-102 – 196. 11-under (9 holes daily):
1, Brinlee Dennison 45-46 – 91; 2, Maddie Luitwieler 60-57 – 117.
OTHERS COLLEGIATE PLAYERS TOUR
At WinStar GC, Thackerville, Okla. (par-72) June 18-20 Men 1, Travis Klutts 69-70 – 139; 2, Tanner Mayo 67-73 – 140; 3 (tie), Johnathon Dickerson 71-70 – 141, Brent Bennett 69-72 –141, Brett Leavell 68-73 – 141 and Curtis Harris 66-75 – 141. Women 1, Courtney Peeler 74-75 – 149; 2, Megan O’Conell 78-72 – 150; 3 (tie), Andrea Sellmeyer 77-74 – 151 and Katrina Choate 7477 – 151.
OSSO JUNIOR
At Oak Tree CC (East), Edmond, Okla. (par-70) June 19-21 Boys 1, William Kropp 69-68 – 137; 2, Geoffrey Shaw 67-72 – 139; 3, Nathan Chambers 68-72 – 140; 4, Zachary Blair 71-72 – 143; 5, Talor Gooch 69-75 – 144; 6, Scott Willman 70-75 – 145. Girls 1, Crystal Reeves 73-77 – 150; 2, Lila Barton 77-75 – 152; 3, Katy Nugent 75-79 – 154; 4 (tie), Mariah Montoya 78-77 – 155, Kalynd Carson 77-78 – 155, Mary Michael Maggio 77-78 – 155 and Emma Lavy 74-81 – 155.
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