McCarron 2 for 2, Kahhan Wins by 8 in Snead Flight

We had another great tournament on Saturday at Palm Beach Polo Golf & CC on the Cypress Course!

The weather was great – sunny with a breeze – and the course was in awesome shape.  We played lift clean and place due to the heavy rain earlier in the week, but it didn’t seem to cause any problems, just a few (temporarily) muddy golf balls.  The greens were in fantastic shape and everyone enjoyed the layout – a Pete and P.B. Dye design.

Alan Kahhan was on fire in the Snead Flight, shooting 87 for an 8-stroke victory.  With rounds like that, Alan is probably headed for the Jones Flight in the near future.  Nice round, Alan!  Believe it or not, the Snead Flight finished in alphabetical order by first name, with Alan Levin taking 2^nd Place at 95 and Domenico D’Alfonso finished 3^rd with a 98 (see the online leaderboard for the rest).

Jace McCarron won his second event in a row, shooting 78 to claim the Championship Flight trophy.  Tony Gerardi finished 2^nd at 81 and Jeff True – fresh off of his victory in the Senior National Championship – finished another stroke back at 82.

In the Sarazen Flight, Ray Munoz claimed his first Am Tour win, firing a solid 84 for the victory.  Luis Morello finished 2^nd at 88 and Brad Sunness finished at 89 for third place.

Brian Black also notched his first Am Tour Victory, playing solid golf (nothing higher than bogey), and shooting a 79 to take the Palmer Flight trophy.  Gene Johnson finished second with an 82 and Stewart Whyte finished third at 83.

It took extra holes in the Hogan Flight, as Jay Malanga and Jason Ellington finished regulation tied at 84.  Both golfers continued to battle with Jay Malanga winning after the second playoff hole.  Marc Milman finished 3^rd, one stroke back at 85.

Fernando Stalker won his second Am Tour event, finishing with an 85 for a 1-stroke victory over Frank Lamadrid in the Jones Flight.

Congratulations to all the Flight winners!

Click here for the full scoreboard and details:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel13/event/thegolfchannel13173/index.htm

As you may know, this was another double-skins event, and several players went home very happy after holing timely birdie putts.

Rene Rodriguez was the big winner, pocketing $400 for his birdie on the Par-5 10^th, the only birdie in the Snead Flight.  Congratulations Rene!

Leo Argandona and Jay Malanga split the Hogan Flight pool, with each player winning $160.  Jay birdied the 8^th and Leo birdied the 10^th.

In the Jones Flight, Fernando Stalker won $134 for his birdies on #10 and 12 and Frank Lamadrid earned $66 for his birdie on the popular Par-5 2^nd.

In the Sarazen Flight, Luis Morello and Mark Sapsford each won $100 for their birdies on the 4^th and 10^th holes, respectively. 

Gene Johnson (#2) and Jose De Armas (#4) each won a $100 skin in the Palmer Flight, while in the Championship Flight, Jace McCarron won $134 (#7 & #9) and Brandon O’Dell won $66 for his birdie on the 2^nd hole.

Congratulations to all the winners!

A special thanks to the staff and Pros at Palm Beach Polo Golf & Country Club.  This was our second visit to Palm Beach Polo and everyone raved about the course – again – and the staff treated us royally.  Try the Lobster Roll next time we’re there – it’s the Chef’s specialty and it is spicy and delicious!

Next up on the West Palm Beach Tour is Ironhorse Country Club – another very challenging private course – on November 10^th.  In addition to having a great course, their hamburgers may be the best of any grillroom on the Am Tour!

Our next Miami/Fort Lauderdale tournament is this Saturday – October 27^th – on the East Course at Jacaranda Country Club.

See you on the course!

Jeff

Whyte shoots 77, O'Harte 84 at Ironhorse

We had a great tournament at Ironhorse Country Club on Wednesday!  Although it was very windy until around 2:30, it turned out to be a great day, with cool temperatures and no rain!  The greens were very fast, placing a premium on good putting.

The course was in excellent shape as usual, with at least one player saying that the greens were the best he had ever played!

With his back troubles behind him (hopefully for good), Stewart Whyte capitalized on his good health, shooting a 77 to win the Palmer Flight.  It was a tough day for the rest of the Flight, with Floyd Goodson finishing 2^nd at 86 (playing from the Gold tees) and a couple of players choosing to withdraw after a difficult start.

In what was the round of the day, Tommy O’Harte shot an 84 to win the Snead Flight  by 8 strokes over Lynn Dunn.  Great round, Tommy!  O’Harte caught fire on the back nine, making back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 and taking just 38 strokes after the turn.  The wind wasn’t a problem for O’Harte, who claims to have been blown completely off his feet during a recent round in his native Ireland.  Maybe that’s just a tall tale, but it’s made more believable since Tommy is fit and trim and can’t weigh more than 120 pounds.

O’Harte and Rick Waldie were the day’s big skins game winners, with O’Harte pocketing $173 for his two birdies and Waldie winning $87 for his birdie on #5.

In the Hogan Flight, John Siena captured his first Am Tour trophy, putting well and firing an 82 for the win.  Randy Bryant finished second, two strokes back at 82.

Steve Griffin from the Orlando Tour won the Sarazen Flight, posting an 84 to top David Fortune by a stroke. 

In the Jones Flight, Tony Ott capitalized on his local knowledge, winning with a 96 on his home course.  Chuck Fanelli finished three strokes back at 99.

Congratulations to all the winners!

After this weekend’s Major Championship at TPC Sawgrass, we’re headed to Fort Lauderdale for the Woodlands Championship!

Click here for the full Ironhorse leaderboard:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel12/event/thegolfchannel12720/contest/13/leaderboard.htm

And click here for the Woodlands’ tournament page:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel12/event/thegolfchannel1227/index.htm

See you on the course!

Rafols and Williams Shoot 73s to Win at The Falls!

We had a great tournament at The Falls Golf & Country Club on Saturday!  The weather was great, the course was in perfect condition, the greens were rolling fast but not too fast, and it was a day for low scores!

Click here to see the photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/113764186660714922617

Oscar Rafols led the pack, making five (5!) birdies during his round and finishing with a 73 to win the Championship Flight.  Rafols started with a birdie on the first hole and then followed it with birdies on 7, 8, 10 and 15!  Adam Morrison was right there with him on the front nine, trailing by just a stroke, but couldn’t keep up on the back nine, finishing in second place at 80.

In the Palmer flight, Larry Williams was the one to go low, also shooting 73.  Williams had birdies on the 4^th, 11^th and 17^th holes on the way to his 73.  Michael Stout and Gene Johnson finished tied for second with 80s.

Mark Sapsford was the third flight winner to break 80, winning the Hogan Flight with a nice round of 79.  While Mark didn’t make any birdies, he played steady golf, making very few mistakes and killing the competition with consistency.  Randy Bryant finished second with an 82, but he definitely had the hole of the day, carding an Eagle on the Par-4 15^th.  He hit two great shots – and got two lucky breaks.  From the tee, Bryant attempted to drive the green and just barely cleared the water.  However, his ball landed on top of the railroad ties bordering the lake and bounced over the green and into a bunker.  From there, Bryant blasted out of the bunker and into the hole!  Great Eagle, Randy! 

In the Sarazen Flight, Devin DeRemer notched his first win, shooting an 80 with two birdies to take the trophy.  Shauna Federico finished in 2^nd place with an 82.

Marco Martinez claimed his second win of the season, winning in a playoff with Keith Varney.  Both players shot 90.  It was a great win for Martinez, while Varney may have simply run out of energy.  He got up in the middle of the night and drove his daughter from Port St. Lucie to the Orlando airport before trekking south for the tournament.

Don Aldrich and Alan Levin also had to play extra holes to determine the Snead Flight winner.  Aldrich won in a playoff after both golfers finished regulation with 94s. 

Congratulations to the winners – and thanks to all the players who competed and made this a great tournament!

Next up is Fort Lauderdale Country Club – and then the West Palm Beach Tour Championship August 6^th at The Fountains!

See you there!

Julie MacBeth Shoots 78, Wins at The President CC!

We had  a great tournament at The President Country Club on Saturday!  The weather was beautiful for the vast majority of the day (the last group had to wait out a lightning delay), the course was in perfect condition and I think everyone had a great time!

Julie MacBeth had the round of the day, firing a 78 to take first place in the Jones Flight.  Great round, Julie!  Prior to Saturday, her lowest tournament round in 2011 was an 87 at Winston Trails, so she obviously had a great day at The President!  She birdied #3 and #9 and then parred the first  seven holes on the back nine.

Oscar Rafols also had a great day, notching his first victory in the Championship flight.  Oscar had three birdies, shot even par on the front nine and finished with a 75.  That’s a great round, especially playing from the Medalist Tees (the tips), which have a course rating of 74.0 and a slope rating of 139.  Nice round, Oscar!

Orlando Hernandez had the low round in the Palmer Flight, shooting 76 to edge Pete Sorrentino by two strokes.  They had quite a battle in the Palmer Flight.  On #16, I watched Pete stick a 25 yard pitch shot to about 4 feet, then saw Orlando chip to about 3 feet, only to have Alex Ojea chip to within inches.  Those guys are good!  Congratulations, Orlando – great round!

In the Hogan Flight, Jack Brown took first place with a 77, making birdies on 6 and 13 and playing steady golf throughout.  Stephen Hoczak finished second at 84 after playing a roller-coaster round.

Shauna Federico continues to be a force in the Sarazen Flight, posting the winning score of 86 and winning her third tournament since May (she won twice in Naples).  David MacBeth and Torrence Mack finished just one stroke back at 87.

In the Snead Flight, Mitch Mejia hung tough and won the tournament after waiting an hour for a lightning storm to pass through.  Down four strokes after 14 holes, Mitch finished with a bogey and three pars to edge John Methvin by a stroke and finish at 94.

Thanks to everyone who played for making this a great tournament!

Next up is The Falls in Lake Worth on Saturday.  See you there!

Playoffs, 79s Rule the Day at Jonathan's Landing

We had a great tournament on Saturday, playing The Fazio Course at Jonathan’s Landing!  The weather was perfect until shortly after the tournament ended, which worked out great for us – and still provided some desperately needed rain for the course.

Despite the drought, The Fazio Course was in spectacular shape – and it felt like we had the entire course to ourselves.

Click here to see the photos from Jonathan’s Landing and other West Palm Beach Tournaments:

https://picasaweb.google.com/113764186660714922617

And click here for Miami/Fort Lauderdale Tournament photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110279361186015030991

Apparently, several competitors wanted to play another 18 as playoffs (and 79s) ruled the day.  The Championship, Hogan and Jones Flights all required extra holes to determine the winner.  In the Championship Flight, Rob Bryans and Floyd Goodson battled it out after both players finished at 79.  Goodson took home the trophy after a 2-hole playoff.

In the Palmer Flight, Michael Stout took the trophy and first place, shooting 79 and edging Craig Tompkins and Paul Roseth by a stroke.  Stout’s steady play won in the end, while Tompkins had a roller-coaster round, carding four birdies and three doubles.  Roseth was on fire on the front nine, shooting 1-under par 35, but the wheels fell off on 12, and he was unable to regain the lead.  Stout’s round consisted of a birdie on the 2^nd hole, 37 at the turn, and only one double-bogey all day – on the long and difficult Par-4 18^th.

In the Hogan Flight, Michael Gabbard emerged as the winner in a playoff after he and Larry Williams both finished with – you guessed it – 79.  It should be noted that while 79 was the winning score in the Championship, Palmer and Hogan Flights, all three flights played from different sets of tees.  Both Gabbard and Williams played very consistent golf, each making a single birdie and a lot of pars.  Randy Bryant and Leonard Argandona both finished just one stroke back at 80.

Scott Carrabis won in the large and very competitive Sarazen Flight, shooting 80 to clip Marc Milman by a stroke.  David MacBeth and Hugh Koerner finished three strokes back at 83.  Koerner looked unstoppable for much of the day, making the turn in 39 strokes and carding back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12, two of the more difficult holes on the course.  Carrabis was one of the few players – in any flight – to score better on the back 9, birdying 10 and 16 to finish the back 9 in 39 strokes.

The last playoff of the day was in the Jones Flight, where Tom Haley defeated Julie MacBeth for the win.  Both players finished at 92, not making any birdies, but not making many mistakes, either.  Marco Martinez finished three strokes back at 95.  James Capraro made the only birdie in the Jones Flight, pocketing $120 for his three on the Par-4 11th.

John Methvin won his second tournament in a little over a month, taking the Snead Flight trophy with a 92 while Rick Waldie finished three strokes back at 95.  Methvin played steady golf, making few mistakes and carding a nice birdie on the 12^th hole. 

We’ll definitely return to Jonathan’s Landing as soon as possible.  I agree with Gene Johnson, who commented that “…many of our players just don’t realize how nice it is here [at Jonathan’s Landing]”.

Thank you to the members at Jonathan’s Landing for allowing us to hold a tournament at their club – and many thanks to the head pro and his staff, who treated us like honored guests.

I hope you all enjoy the Fourth of July weekend; our next tournament is The Club at Emerald Hills on July 9^th.

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel11/event/thegolfchannel11634/index.htm

See you there!

Milman Aces 9th Hole at The Fountains!

We had a great tournament on the West Course at The Fountains on Saturday!  Although it was windy, the clouds kept the temperature down and the course was in perfect condition.

The biggest news from the tournament was Marc Milman’s Hole-in-One on the 9^th hole!  Marc hit a 5-wood on the 190 yard hole, drawing the ball around a large queen palm that stood between him and the pin.  He said he knew it was a good shot, but couldn’t see the hole from the tee.  When Marc and his playing partners, Dave Braden and Leonardo Argandona, arrived at the green, they were surprised that they didn’t see his ball.  That surprise turned to noisy celebration as they found it at the bottom of the cup!  Marc pocketed $1500 from the Hole-in-One Pool and another $30 for the skin.

Congratulations, Marc!  Great shot!

In an interesting side note, this is the second time an Am Tour player has aced this hole in competition!  Tony Lopez accomplished the feat in our last tournament at The Fountains on November 17^th.  Marc’s ace was the fifth Hole-in-One recorded on the Am Tour in South Florida and the fourth in the last 14 months!  Shauna Federico recorded the first ace, holing out on the 17th hole at The Florida Club in April 2009.  Mark Yogan started the recent run last February at Boca Country Club, holing out on the 17^th.  Marc Thibault then aced the 8^th hole at Bear Lakes in October, followed just two and a half weeks later by Tony’s ace at The Fountains.

In other news from The Fountains tournament, Adam Morrison took the Championship Flight trophy, with three birdies on his way to a 2-stroke victory over Mark Yogan.   In the Palmer Flight, Orlando Hernandez cruised to a 7-stroke victory, shooting 79.  Rick Wilson won a very tight race in the Hogan Flight, shooting 84 to beat Leonardo Argandona by a stroke, with David Sherry two strokes back at 86.  In the Sarazen Flight, Randy Bryant won his first Am Tour event, shooting 85 to clip Andres Romero by 2 strokes.  Marco Martinez had  a great round in the Jones Flight, shooting an 85 for the win.  In the Snead Flight, Tony Ott took the title by a stroke, shooting 93 to Lynn Dunn’s 94.

 Click here to view all the scores:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel11/event/thegolfchannel11739/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

Follow this link to browse the tournament photos (scroll down to the Am Tour Gallery):

http://www.gcamtour.com/West-Palm-Beach

Next up is a Miami/Fort Lauderdale Tour event at Plantation Preserve this Saturday (May 7^th), followed by the Florida Masters at Disney on the 14^th and 15^th.

See you on the course!

Jeff

The Battle at The Breakers

We had a great tournament at The Breakers Rees Jones Course Saturday!  The course was in immaculate condition, with the greens rolling incredibly fast and true.  The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time!  Jessie Weinstein won the Championship Flight and Paul Roseth had the low round of the day (79) to win the Palmer Flight.  Dennis Bryan proved 'it's not how far, it's how many' by winning the Hogan Flight with an 80.  It took an extra hole for Andres Romero to win the Sarazen Flight, just getting past Scott Carrabis in a playoff.  Mike Southworth won his first event of 2011 in the Jones Flight, while Rick Waldie hoisted the Snead Flight trophy once again.  Rick left some money on table though, as the Snead Flight skins ($120) rolls over to The Fountains tournament on 4/30/11.  See you on the course!