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