Ojea Goes Low, Maroon a Repeat Champion at Miccosukee!

We had another fun tournament on Saturday at Miccosukee Golf & Country Club!  Fortunately, the rain stopped well before our first tee time, so the weather was great!  We did have to play lift, clean and place because of all the rain on Thursday, Friday and earlier Saturday morning.  The course played tough, as always,  and for the most part the scores reflected it.

The shot of the delay belonged to Stephen Riccardi in the Palmer Flight, who hit a 3-wood to less than 2 feet on the very long (552 yards) and into-the-wind Par-5 16^th.  He made the putt for birdie – and a skin.  Great shot, Stephen!

Alex Ojea posted the low score of the day, shooting a 77 to win the Championship Flight.  Ojea completed  the difficult back nine just 1-over par at 37.  Congratulations, Alex!

In the Palmer Flight, Stephen Hagerman continues to play great golf this season, carding a 78 to take the trophy.  In three events this season, Hagerman has posted a 79 (T2), an 80 (T2) and Saturday’s 78.  Now that’s consistency!  Congratulations Stephen!  Kevin Kim finished 2^nd, just one stroke back at 79, with Daniel D’Loughy, the defending champ in 3^rd with an 83.

Olivier Brion, another very consistent golfer, won the Hogan Flight with a solid 82.  Brion’s last four tournament rounds, going back to last July are 81, 84, 83 and Saturday’s 82.  Great round, Olivier.  Congratulations!  Jason Ellington finished 2^nd at 84 and Michael North finished 3^rd with an 85.  Nice rounds, guys.

In the Sarazen Flight, Mark Sapsford claimed the trophy after shooting an 84.  Sapsford started out great, birdying the first hole, then stumbled a bit on the 410-yard Par-4 second hole.  From there on out, he made nothing higher than a bogey and played the back nine in just 40 strokes.  Great win, Mark!  Gene Greystone finished 2^nd with an 87 and Fernando Pallares finished 3^rd with an 88.

In the Jones Flight, Frank Lamadrid pulled his back early in the round and was in significant pain.  To compensate, he says he slowed down his swing – and it worked out well.  His 88 was good enough for a 4-stroke victory.  Tommy O’Harte finished 2^nd at 92, while Robbie Wright shot a 98 for 3^rd.

Tony Maroon made it two in a row at Miccosukee, successfully defending his 2012 title with an even 90 on Saturday.  Congratulations, Tony!  It was a very close race as Marvin Kurzban just one stroke back at 91 for 2^nd Place and Domenico D’Alfonso finished 3^rd with a 92. 

Congratulations to all the Flight Winners!

You can view the tournament photos here (Miami/Fort Lauderdale events):

https://picasaweb.google.com/110279361186015030991

You’ll find West Palm Bach Tournament photos here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/113764186660714922617

In the Skins Game, Jorge Lorenzo was the big winner, pocketing a total of $120 for his birdies on #13 and 15.  Congratulations, Jorge!  There weren’t any birdies in the Jones Flight, so we have $40 rollover money for the next Miami/Fort Lauderdale tournament, which is at International Links on March 2^nd.

There were a number of birdies in each of the other flights, spreading the wealth while reducing the payout for each skin.  The per Skin payouts were $20 in the Championship Flight, $23 in Palmer Flight and $36 for each skin in the Hogan and Sarazen Flights.

Thanks to everyone who played for making it a great tournament – and thanks to Head Pro Al Topping and all the staff at Miccosukee!

Next up is International Links Miami on March 2^nd – and Polo Trace on the West Palm Beach Tour March 9^th.

Click here for the International Links Tournament Page:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel13/event/thegolfchannel13541/index.htm

And click here for Polo Trace:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel13/event/thegolfchannel13530/index.htm

See you on the course!

Jeff

Westbrook Holes Out For Eagle on 18!

We had a great tournament on Saturday at Palm-Aire on Saturday!  We played the Cypress Course and although the course played very tough, I think everyone had a good time.  The weather was great – clear skies and not too hot – and the greens were in excellent shape.  They are a bit firm since they were recently re-done, and they rolled fast and true.

The course proved very difficult though, challenging everyone to play their best.

Donald Westbrook had the shot of the day, holing out for eagle on #18 from about 165 yards!  In doing so, he won the Sarazen Flight, shooting an 85 and edging Mark Sapsford and Gene Greystone by a single stroke!  Westbrook said he struck it well and knew it was a good shot, but didn’t see it after It landed.  When his group arrived on the green, they found his pitch mark, but no golf ball.  After looking around for a minute, he checked the hole – and there it was!  Great shot and great finish, Donald!

In the Championship Flight, Phillip Yribarren claimed his first Am Tour victory, finishing with a grinding 79 on a very difficult 6,800 yard course.  After a rough start, Yribarren turned things around with a birdie on #9 and added two more after the turn.  Alex Ojea finished one stroke back at 80.  On the long, par-3 7^th hole, all three Championship Flight players hit driver into the wind to reach the green.  Afterwards, Ojea said it was the most difficult course he had played in his three years on the Tour!

In the Palmer Flight, Pete Sorrentino had the low score, winning by two strokes with an 82 from the Green Tees (6,500 yards).  Mark Schaefer of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA finished 2^nd with an 84.  Sorrentino had two birdies on the day, carding 3s on the Par-4 5^th and 15^th holes. 

Randy Ricker ran away from the field in the Hogan Flight, firing an 81 and winning by 6 strokes over Guillermo Zuloaga.  Showing how difficult the course played on Saturday, Ricker and Zuloaga were the only Hogan players to break 90, playing from the Green Tees at 6,500 yards.  Ricker played steady golf, taking nothing worse than a bogey all day.

David Fraser claimed another trophy in the Jones Flight, carding a very strong 86 from the White Tees (6,000 yards).  William Oldrup of Jacksonville Florida finished 2^nd with an 89.  Nice rounds, guys! 

Domenico D’Alfonso won his 2^nd Am Tour event of the season with a solid round of 92.  Tony Maroon finished 2^nd, two strokes back at 94 and Harold Geisse finished 3^rd with a 96.  D’Alfonso is another example of not letting a bad start ruin your round.  He made the turn at 51, then played the back nine in 41.

D’Alfonso, Jeff Hill and Tim Ruwe were the biggest skins winners of the day.  They pocketed $126 each for their birdies on #15, 14 and 16, respectively.  There was $140 in rollover money from Heron Bay on the January 12^th in addition to Saturday’s skins pool.

I would like to thank all the participants for making it a great tournament!  Also, many thanks to the staff at Palm-Aire who made sure everything went smoothly from the time we arrived until the last golfer headed home!

Next up is Boca Country Club this Saturday (WPB Schedule) and then The Woodlands East Course on February 9^th!

See you there!

Jeff

Anderson Fires 72 to Win Championship Flight, Mogensen Notches first Win!

Hello Everyone,

We had a great tournament at Hillcrest on Saturday!  The weather was perfect, the course was in great shape and while the island-green on the 18^th hole claimed its share of victims, we had some really low scores – which seems to be the norm at Hillcrest.

Here’s a link to all the tournament photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110279361186015030991

Joe Anderson had the low round for the day and won the Championship flight with an even-par 72, playing from the God tees, set at just over 7,000 yards.  Anderson birdied all four of the par-5s and added a fifth birdie on the Par-3 14^th.  I don’t think anyone’s ever birdied all the Par-5s in a South Florida Am Tour event.  Great round, Joe!  Alex Ojea finished a strong second with a 74.

Benjamin Wolpert won the Palmer Flight with a great round of 74 from the Blue Tees.  Ben had three birdies on the day to carve out a 3-stroke victory over Warren Denise, who finished at 77.  Pete Sorrentino came in third at 79.

Randy Ricker continues to play strong in the Hogan Flight, shooting 78 for a 3-stroke win.  David Sherry finished second at 81, with Jay Malanga in third, one more stroke back at 82.

In the Sarazen Flight, Brad Sunness claimed his first Am Tour trophy with a great round of 79, edging Andrew Pastewski by a stroke.  David Fortune finished third, two strokes back at 81.  In what I think is another local Am Tour first, Fortune birdied three out of the four par 3s during his round.  I didn’t think to ask if he hit three great iron shots or if he putted really well on those holes.  Either way, that’s quite an accomplishment.

In the Jones Flight, Mark Wenger fired an 80 and cruised to an 8-stroke victory.  Robbie Wright finished second at 88 and Jack Abutbol finished third with an 89.

We had another first-time winner in the Snead Flight, as Mark Mogensen birdied the 18^th hole to shoot an 88 and edge Tim Ruwe by a single stroke.  Tony Maroon finished third, two strokes back at 90.  It was a great day for Mogensen, who won his first event in three seasons on the Tour, broke 90 for the first time ever and did so with a 30’ birdie putt on the island-green 18^th hole.  Congratulations, Mark! 

Here’s a link to the full leaderboard:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel13/event/thegolfchannel13168/contest/7/leaderboard.htm

The big skins winners were Rodolfo Lefeld, Mark Mogensen and Time Ruwe, who each pocketed $93.  Lefeld for his birdie on #6, Ruwe for his birdie on #7 and Mogensen for that birdie on 18.  Jason Ellington pocketed a total of $70 for his Eagle on #10 and birdie on #17, while Pete Sorrentino won $50 for his two skins on #4 and #6.

Congratulations to all of the Winners!

A big thank you  goes out to Hillcrest Head Pro, David Cage, and all the staff, who always treat us well.

Next up is Heron Bay this Saturday!

See you there!

Jeff

Robbins Shoots 2-Under Par 70 at The Diplomat!

We had another great tournament at The Diplomat on Saturday!  The course was in excellent shape and the weather was perfect – partly cloudy and not too warm. 

Those who arrived early were also treated to a pretty incredible car show, since the Toys for Tots Car Rally started at the hotel around 9:30 AM.  There were literally hundreds of exotic Lamborghinis, Maseratis and Lotuses lining the Resort entrance, the 18^th fairway and Diplomat Parkway.  It was quite a sight!

Eric Robbins had the round of the day – and the season, so far – shooting a 2-under Par 70 to win the Championship flight by 3 strokes.  Robbins made 5 birdies during the day, including three in a row to start the back nine.  Great round, Eric!  Howard Sapper kept up for the front nine, with both players making the turn at 1-under, but couldn’t keep up with Robbins’ hot streak on the back.

Paul Roseth emerged as the Palmer Flight winner, starting out strong with a 37 on the front, capped by a 35’ birdie putt on #9, then coasted in for a 2-stroke victory over Daniel D’Loughy.  Brian Black finished another stroke back at 81 for 3^rd place.

In the Hogan Flight, Jason Ellington continued his hot streak, shooting an 81 and winning for the fourth time already this season.  Torrence Mack finished 2^nd at 83 and Randy Ricker finished 3^rd with an 85.

Luis Morello claimed his first trophy of the 2013 season, carding a 91 in the Sarazen Flight and edging Brian Lynch by a single stroke.  Gary Ruderman finished third with a 93.

In the Jones Flight, Lee Southwell had the hottest hand, firing an 85 for the win.  Tommy O’Harte played almost as well, shooting an 87 to finish second, while Frank Lamadrid finished third with a 92.

In the largest flight of the tournament – 14 players – Jorge Lorenzo rose to the top of the Snead Flight, shooting a 91 and edging Tony Maroon by one stroke for the win.  Rodolfo Lefeld finished third with a 98.

The big skins winner was Steve Oien (pronounced OH-win), from the St. Louis Tour, who pocketed a cool $260.  His 4 on the Par-5 11^th was the only birdie of the day in the Snead Flight.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Many thanks to the staff at The Diplomat, who always work hard to make sure everything runs smoothly!

Next up is The Breakers Rees Jones Course in West Palm Beach this Saturday (12/15).  The next Miami/Fort Lauderdale event is January 5^th at Hillcrest Golf & Country Club.

See you there!

Jeff

Hernandez Fires 74, Osborne Big Skins Winner

Hello Everyone,

Hope you had a great weekend – and a good start to Thanksgiving week!

We had a great tournament at International Links last Saturday, with perfect weather and great course conditions!

Orlando Hernandez had the round of the day, firing a 3-over Par 74 to win the Palmer Flight by 6 strokes.  Stewart Whyte and Stephen Hagerman tied for 2^nd at 80.  Hernandez carded 5 birdies during the round, including back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to finish.  After the round, Hernandez was especially pleased with his birdie on 18, which is a very tough finishing hole and played dead into the wind on Saturday.  Great round, Orlando! 

Gerard Osborne, playing in the Snead Flight, had the shot of the day.  He hit a 120-yard sand wedge (downwind) to within one foot on #17, which he tapped in for birdie.  The full story is that he hit that sand wedge from the 18^th fairway, over the trees and onto the 17^th green.  Since that was the only birdie in the Snead Flight – and there was $320 in rollover skins money from Emerald Hills – his birdie was worth $500!  Congratulations Gerard!  Capping it off, his final score of 93 was more than enough to claim first place in the Snead Flight, with Jorge Lorenzo finishing 2^nd at 96 and Martin Henry taking 3^rd with a 98.

Other winners included Jason Ellington in the Hogan Flight, who posted his 3^rd win of the 2013 Season – with over month remaining before we even get to 2013!  Ellington finished his round in 80 strokes, with Olivier Brion and Torrence Mack tied for 2^nd at 83.

In the Sarazen Flight, Jose Martin returned to Tour action to claim another trophy, shooting 86 to edge Brad Sunness by a stroke.  Brian Lynch finished third, another stroke back at 88.

In another close race, David Fraser won his first tournament of the season with an 88.  Brian Merkel finished 2^nd at 89 and Frank Lamadrid finished 3^rd with a 93.

Other skins winners included Jason Ellington in the Hogan Flight, who pocketed $160 for his two skins, and Torrence Mack, also in the Hogan Flight, who won $80 for his birdie on #12.  Brian Merkel had a hot hand in the Jones Flight, holing 3 birdies and winning $90.  Jack Abutbol, Gene Greystone, James Harris and Andrew Kowalczyk each won $45 skins in the Sarazen Flight.

Congratulations to all the Winners!  Next up is the Winter Championship at Innisbrook, followed by The Diplomat Challenge in Hallandale on December 8^th.

See you on the course!

Jeff

De Armas Shoots 77, Epstein the Big Skins Game Winner !

Despite the VERY windy conditions, we had another great tournament on Saturday at Jacaranda Golf Club!

We had a few surprisingly low scores, considering that in some cases players were hitting into a 3-club wind or having their shots blow 10 – 15 yards left or right due to the crosswinds.  In general, the front nine seemed to be more with the wind and the back nine played more against the wind and the scores reflected it.  Official weather reports indicate that the wind was blowing from 20 - 25 mph, with gusts to 38 mph!

Winners and Runners-Up:

In the Snead Flight, Rudy Lefeld said the wind didn’t really affect him and it showed in his score.  He finished at 89 for a 3-stroke victory.  Sonia Stewart finished second at 92 and Jorge Lorenzo finished another stroke back at 94 for third place.  Jim Lamberth also finished in the money at 94 for 4^th place.

In the Championship Flight, Kyle Koleos claimed the trophy with an 80, while Joshua Bradshaw of the Orlando Tour finished 2^nd at 82.  While those scores sound high for the Championship Flight, the Gold Tees were set at almost 6900 yards, and played much longer in the wind.

Jose De Armas had the low round of the day, shooting 77 from the Blue Tees to edge Gene Johnson by two strokes in the Palmer Flight.  Jerry Doyle finished just three strokes back at 80.  De Armas was even par through six holes before running into the wind, while Johnson explained that he had trouble with his first putts, leaving some too short and powering others well beyond the hole.   With or without a balky putter, breaking 80 on Saturday was a great accomplishment.  

Jay Malanga is on a hot streak in the Hogan Flight, winning his second tournament in a row, this time with an 82.  Playing in the same group, Jose Delgado finished second at 83.  Marc Milman took third place with an 85.  Malanga made the turn with a white-hot 36, just 1 stroke over par.

Darron Esan from the Orlando Tour claimed the Sarazen Flight trophy with an 89, with Tom Haley in second at 91 and Luis Morello third at 92.

In the Jones Flight, Lee Southwell claimed the trophy with an 89 after getting off to a blistering start.  Southwell made the turn at 38, with a birdie and just two bogies.  Jose Castillo and Frank Lamadrid tied for 2^nd at 94.

Congratulations to all the Flight winners!

Click here for the full scoreboard and tournament photos:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel13/event/thegolfchannel13169/index.htm

Skins Winners:

Hal Epstein was the big skins winner on Saturday, pocketing $440 for the only skin in the Snead Flight.  His birdie came on the 13^th hole, a Par 3.  As Hal describes it, his tee shot flew the green and was in the trees.  He chose an 8-iron, hoping to just get it out and hopefully end up on the green.  His shot deflected off of a tree branch, kept going and rolled into the hole!

The next biggest winner is the Sarazen Flight for the upcoming event at Emerald Hills.  No one in the Sarazen Flight had a birdie at Jacaranda, so $280 rolls over to the Emerald Hills tournament.

In the Jones Flight, David Fraser won $160 for his birdies on #9 & 16 and Lee Southwell claimed $80 for his skin on the 4^th.

Jason Ellington, Bob Houghton and Jay Malanga each won $93 for their birdies in the Hogan Flight.  They birdied the 6^th, 3^rd and 4^th holes, respectively.

Gene Johnson pocketed $80 for his two birdies in the Palmer Flight, with Brian Black, Orlando Chiossone, Jose De Armas, Jerry Doyle and David Paller each winning $40.  Joshua Bradshaw, Kyle Koleos and Thomas Posey also won $40 each in the Championship Flight skins.

Congratulations to all the Winners!

Many thanks to the grounds crew at Jacaranda for keeping the course in excellent shape after  a very rainy week!  The course and grillroom staff also did a great job of taking care of us during the day.

Next up is The Club at Emerald Hills in Hollywood this Saturday, followed by a West Palm Beach tournament at Ironhorse Country Club on November 10th.

See you on the course!

Jeff

Sorrentino Fires 75 at The Biltmore, Wins Palmer Flight in Season Opener

We had a great Season-Opening event at The Biltmore on Saturday!  The weather was awesome and the course was in perfect shape, with the greens rolling fast and true.

The Jones Flight, with the largest field in the event, was also the most exciting.  It took extra holes for Ignacio Laviosa to claim the trophy after both he and Frank Lamadrid finished regulation tied at 84.  Congratulations Ignacio!  Tony Maroon finished 3^rd, 4 strokes back at 88. 

Peter Sorrentino had the round of the day, firing a 3-over 75 to take the Palmer Flight trophy.  Stephen Hagerman, Brian Black and Orlando Hernandez finished in a 3-way tie for 2^nd place at 79.

In the Snead Flight, George Romer, playing in his first Am Tour event, claimed the trophy with a nice round of 91.  Martin Henry finished 2^nd , just one stroke back at 92 with Glen Garth finishing 3^rd with a 93.

Fernando Pallares’ bold style of play served him well on Saturday as he won the Sarazen Flight with a very solid 82.  Gary Ruderman finished 2^nd with an  86 and Luis Morello finished 3^rd with an 89.

In the Championship flight, Marcel Leroux and Alex Ojea battled until the final putt with Leroux coming out 1 stroke ahead at 77 to take the win.

This was a double-skins event and John Daglaris and George Romer were the biggest winners.  They each pocketed $200 for their birdies on 13 and 15 respectively. 

With the biggest field, the Jones Flight had the biggest skins pool and four players each pocketed $130 for their skins.  Jay Young started the day off right with a birdie on the 1^st hole, Tony Maroon birdied the 3^rd, Ricardo Thurdekoos birdied the 9^th and Robbie Wright birdied the 14^th.

In the Sarazen Flight, Gary Ruderman won $93 for his skin on #1, Fernando Pallares claimed $93 for his birdie on #14 and Scott Carrabis earned his $93 skin with a birdie on #17.  Jason Ellington and Brad Weiser divvied up the Hogan skins pool, with Jason taking $160 for his birdies on #2 and #14 and Brad taking $80 for his skin on the first hole.

Orlando Hernandez, who also birdied the 1^st hole, Brian Black, who birdied the 18^th and Orlando Chiossone, who birdied #15 each won $53.  Even though the scores were close in the Championship Flight, Marcel  Leroux took the entire skins pool, pocketing $80 for his birdies on the first and last holes.

Click here for all the scores:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel13/event/thegolfchannel13167/contest/13/leaderboard.htm

Congratulations to all the winners – and thank you all for making this as great event!  The Biltmore is always a great place to play golf and the staff treats us all like celebrities, so I’m  looking forward to our summer event here in June.

Next Saturday, we’re opening the West Palm Beach Tour at The Links Course at Bear Lakes Country Club and our next Miami/Fort Lauderdale event is at Jacaranda on October 27^th. 

See you there!

Jeff