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

Hagerman Shoots 1-under Par 71 at Hillcrest!

We had a great tournament at Hillcrest on Saturday!  The weather was nice and the course was in great shape!

Stephen Hagerman had the round of the day – and the season so far – shooting a 1-under par 71!!  Now this wasn’t the first under-par round of the season, but it was the first under par round for a Hogan Flight player in South Florida… ever.

Fantastic round, Steve!  He birdied four holes on the front nine, paired with just two bogies to make the turn at 2-under 34.  On the back nine, he made par on all but the 11^th hole for a 37.  When I asked if he was nervous hitting his approach to the island-green on the 18^th, he said that he wasn’t worried at all.  As he put it… ‘no matter what happened, I had played a great round’.  That’s a great way to think when you’re having a “career” round.  Congratulations again, Steve!

Now… before you go scrambling to check his tournament index, I’ll save you the trouble.  It was 9.9 at the time of the tournament.  Steve just had an incredible round where everything went right.  In fact, that’s the first time he’s broken 80 in his two and a half seasons on tour.

In other flights, Scott Heffner won the Championship Flight vs. Floyd Goodson after a 1-hole playoff.

Craig Tompkins had a great day in the Palmer Flight, taking the trophy with a 77.  Brad Bishop finished 1 stroke back at 78.

Peter Galiette was the runner-up in the Hogan Flight with an 82 and Jose Delgado took third with an 83.

In the Sarazen Flight, Torrence Mack played the best, posting an 81 in a very competitive race.  David Fortune finished 1 stroke back at 82 (with three birdies!) and Ken Rush posted an 83 for third.

Randolph Simonson, who splits time between the Chicago and Miami/Fort Lauderdale Tours, took the Jones Flight trophy, running away from the field with a nice 84!   John Copeland and Tony Maroon tied for 2^nd with 94s.

In the Snead Flight, Rodolfo Lefeld claimed his first victory on the Am Tour, shooting a solid 89.  Lefeld bested his good friend Tommy O’Harte, who shot a 91 for second place.  John Daglaris finished 3^rd with a 93.

John Daglaris was the big skins winner of the day, pocketing $400 for his birdie on #6.  Congratulations, John! 

Congratulations to all the winners!

Click here for all the scores:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel12/event/thegolfchannel1226/index.htm

Or click here for the full Miami/Fort Lauderdale Tour schedule:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel12/chapter/flmiamifortlaud/schedule/miamiftlauderdale/index.htm

See you on the course!