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!

Three First-Time Winners at International Links Miami!

We had a great tournament at International Links Miami on Saturday!  Despite all the rain on Thursday and Friday, the course was in very good shape and the competition was fierce.

The importance of a single stroke seemed to be the lesson of the day.  In the Palmer Flight, a mere five strokes separated the top six finishers.  The Sarazen and Snead Flights were won by a single stroke and only three strokes separated first and second place in the Hogan and Jones Flights. 

Jay Malanga and Stephen Hagerman had the rounds of the day.  Both gentlemen shot 80, with Malanga taking first place in the Palmer Flight and Hagerman winning the Hogan Flight.  It was the first Am Tour win for both players.  Malanga had a very strong front nine, making the turn at 37, while Hagerman caught fire on the back nine, finishing with 38.  Nice rounds, guys – and a great first win!

Alex Ojea had the shot of the day, holing out with a wedge from about 100 yards on the 4^th hole.

In the Sarazen Flight, Gary Ruderman won his first Am Tour trophy, shooting 83 and edging Richard Malcolm by a single stroke.  John Copeland notched his second tour victory in the Jones Flight, shooting an 88 for a 3-stroke win.  Tony Maroon took second place with a 91.

In the Snead flight, Jorge Lorenzo shot a 91 to edge Marvin Kurzban by a single stroke.

John Daglaris was the big skins game winner, taking home $240 for his birdie on 14.  Richard Malcolm pocketed a cool $200 for his birdie on #5 in the Sarazen Flight and Stephen Hagerman (Hogan Flight) walked off with $110 for his birdies on #4 and 14.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Click here for all the scores:

http://thegolfchannel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/thegolfchannel12/event/thegolfchannel1224/contest/28/leaderboard.htm

And click here to see the tournament photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110279361186015030991

Next up is Boca Country Club on November 26^th and The Diplomat on December 3^rd!

Have a great Thanksgiving, and I’ll see you on the course!

Weick Shoots 4-Under Par 68 at Heron Bay!

We had a great tournament at Heron Bay Golf Club on Saturday!  Although the fairways were soft and we had to play lift, clean and place, the greens were in good shape and the weather was perfect!

Jim Weick had the round of the day – and the season, so far.  He shot a 4-under Par 68 to run away with the Championship Flight trophy.  Jim carded five – five! – birdies and just a single bogey during the round.  Congratulations, Jim.  That’s an awesome round!  Nick Fernandez finished second with a 74.

This was another double skins tournament and several players cashed in big!  Including rollover money from Emerald Hills, the Jones Flight skins pool was $520.  John Copeland took home $347 of that for his birdies on 11 & 14 and Keith Varney pocketed $173 for his birdie on #3.  In the Snead Flight, there was $720 in the pool , so George Blanton and Jorge Lorenzo each pocketed $360 for their birdies.  Jason birdied #13 and Jorge birdied #15.  Gene Johnson, Jay Malanga, Thomas Briggs, Tom Porter, Dave Sherry and Terry Willie pocketed $100 apiece for their birdies in the Palmer and Hogan Flights.

Congratulations, guys!

In case you’re wondering, this Saturday’s tournament at Polo Trace is also a double-skins event.

In other action at Heron Bay, Jeff True from Naples, FL broke a two-year drought, winning  the Palmer Flight with a nice 78, while Gene Johnson finished two strokes back at 80.  In the Hogan Flight, Tom Porter posted another great round, shooting 76 to win his second event of the 2012 Season.  Randy Bryant finished second at 82.

Alejandro Scholtz added to his trophy collection by posting an  80 in the Sarazen Flight, edging Chris Nelson by a single stroke for the win.  In the Jones Flight, Keith Varney continues to improve his game after his 2011 promotion.  Keith fired an 83 on Saturday and he needed every putt, with John Methvin finishing just one stroke back at 84.

George Blanton cruised to victory in the Snead Flight, winning by five strokes with a 91.  John Daglaris finished second at 96.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Also, many thanks to the maintenance crew at Heron Bay, who did a great job of getting the course in tournament shape after an incredible amount of rain earlier in the week.

Next up is Polo Trace on the West Palm Beach Tour and then International Links Miami on November 19^th.

Click here for the Miami/Fort Lauderdale photo albums:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110279361186015030991

And 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!

D'Loughy comes through in the Clutch; Lee goes low with a 73

We had a great tournament at Coral Ridge Country Club on Saturday!  Surprisingly, after reading shaky weather forecasts all week, it was sunny and clear all day.  The course was in great shape and there were plenty of good scores!

Although he didn’t have the lowest score, Daniel D’Loughy had the best “clutch” round of the day.  Needing  a high finish to qualify for the National Championship, he shot 78 – his best tournament round all year – and is on his way to La Quinta!  Congratulations, Daniel!  I hope you play just as well in California!

It was Joshua Lee who posted the low round of the day, making 5 birdies on the way to a 73 and cruising to a 5-stroke victory in the Palmer Flight.  Great round, Joshua!  Gian Luca Brignone and Daniel D’Loughy tied for 2^nd place at 78.  Brignone also qualified for the Nationals based on his finish.

Randy Bryant is the Hogan Flight Tour Champion after his round of 78.  Bryant birdied the 4^th, 8^th and 10^th holes as he distanced himself from the field.  Hugh Koerner finished second with a solid 83 and Bhanu Vallabhaneni qualified for the National Championship with an 86.

Marc Milman is the Sarazen Flight Champion after posting an 81 and edging Andrew Pastewski by a stroke.  Playing in the same foursome with Milman and Pastewski, Marc Tetzner and Marc Thibault tied for 3^rd at 84.

John Methvin continues to be almost unstoppable, shooting 83 in his first event as a Jones player and winning by a whopping 10 strokes!  Nice round, John – and great momentum going into the Nationals!

In the Snead flight, Jason Ballard claimed his first trophy – and a spot in the National Championship – by shooting 89 and winning by two strokes.  George Blanton and John Daglaris tied for second at 91.

Congratulations to all the winners and National Championship qualifiers!

Leroux Fires 1-Under Par 71 at Emerald Hills

We had a great tournament at Emerald Hills on Saturday!  Believe it or not, it didn’t rain at all during the tournament!  In fact, although it rained heavily early in the morning, it stopped raining at the course by 8:30 AM.  The humidity made it a steamy and hot day, but that’s just South Florida in the summer.

Marcel Leroux conquered the heat, the course and the competition, shooting a 1-under par 71 to win the Championship Flight and gain the respect and admiration of everyone in the tournament.  His round is more amazing because of how tough the course is at Emerald Hills.  The rough is deep, there are lots of water hazards, many of the greens are difficult to hit, and they can be very tough to putt.  On Saturday, Marcel rose to the occasion and played incredible golf.  In fact, he birdied six holes during the round, including two of the longest Par-4s; the 400-yard 8^th and 421-yard 16^th holes.  Congratulations, Marcel!  Great round!

In the Palmer Flight, Paul Roseth birdied three holes on the way to a 78 and a 2-stroke victory over Orlando Hernandez.  Paul may be ready for the Championship Flight soon, winning on what some players reported was an “off” day for Paul.  Brad Bishop finished 3^rd with an 81.

Robert Urspruch won his first event after earning a promotion to the Hogan Flight, carding a solid 83.  Hugh Koerner, also a newcomer to the Hogan Flight, shot an 86 for second place.

In the Sarazen Flight, Alejandro Scholtz shot “lights-out” on the back nine – even par! – after having troubles on the front.  His 47-36 added up to an 83 and a 3-stroke win over Torrence Mack, who finished with an 86.

Tony Ott flew in from Washington, D.C. on Friday, drove from West Palm Beach to Hollywood on Saturday and walked off with the Jones Flight trophy at the end of the day.  Tony shot 95 to win by four strokes over Lynn Dunn and Keith Varney, who tied for 2^nd at 99.

In the Snead Flight, John Methvin posted his second win in a row, shooting 94 for a 6-stroke victory over Alan Levin.  John was also the big skins winner of the day.  He made the only birdie in the Snead Flight and pocketed $220, including $100 that rolled over from The Biltmore on 6/18.

Thanks to everyone who participated and made this a great event!  I would also like to thank the staff at Emerald Hills who took great care of us while we were there and who keep the course in such fantastic condition.

Next up is The Eagle Course at The President Country Club in West Palm Beach.  See you there!

Jeff

A Great Day at The Biltmore

We had a great tournament at The Biltmore on Saturday!  The course was in great shape and I think everyone had a great time.  As odd as this may sound, the atmosphere at The Biltmore is both relaxing (carefree) and exciting (you know you’re in for a treat as soon as you arrive).

We had a full field and quite a few low scores.  After a rough start, Jim Weick played nearly flawless golf, posting a 73 to win the Championship Flight.  Jim birdied 13 and 15 to play the back nine in 1-under par.  Although he came up a few strokes short, Oscar Rafols may have had the most exciting round of the day, holing out for eagle from about 50 yards on the 4^th hole and also posting four birdies.  Unfortunately, he also found trouble on several holes, taking a triple and two doubles for 75 and second place in the Championship Flight.

The Palmer Flight again proved to be a battle between Gene Johnson and Paul Roseth.  Both players made the turn at just two over, then Johnson took a quick two stroke lead, making birdie on 10 while Roseth took bogey.  While Roseth managed to even the score on the 12^th, Johnson managed to take a one stroke lead into the 18^th.  Johnson then closed it out with a par on 18 for 79 and a two-stroke victory.  Hanging close, but never quite catching up, Michael Stout finished 3^rd with an 82.

In the Hogan Flight, Terry Willie had a very strong front nine, making the turn at just two over par 37.  Even so, he only held a thin two-stroke lead over Randy Bryant.  Ultimately, it proved to be sufficient, as both golfers had 46 on the back, giving Willie an 18-hole total of 83 to Bryant’s 85.  Stephen Hagerman finished third at 87.  Vincent Mancini was the big skins winner in the Hogan Flight, pocketing $140 for his birdie on 18.  While Mancini also birdied #7, so did Kenny Patterson.  Multiple players also birdied  the 1^st, cancelling each other out so that Mancini’s birdie on the 18^th was the only skin.

In another close match, Karin-Joyce Tjon and Torrence Mack battled it out for 18 holes in the Sarazen Flight.  While Tjon looked like a sure winner after 16 holes, she ran into trouble on the 17^th and Mack evened the score.  Tjon was able to recover nicely, though, making par on the 18^th while Mack bogeyed.  Tjon finished at 82 and Mack at 83.  Ken Rush finished third with an 85.

Ivan Marin added to his trophy collection in the Jones Flight, shooting 88 and edging Roger Halphen by three strokes.  Marin had his three stroke lead at the turn and while Halphen threatened, every time he gained a stroke, Marin took it back.  Tony Maroon finished third at 92.  In the side games, Lino Rojas made the only birdie in the Jones Flight and pocketed $180 for the skin.  It was a nice surprise for Mr. Rojas, though.  A friend and fellow pilot entered Rojas in the side games without his knowledge.

In the Snead Flight, Rick Waldie had a five stroke lead on Glen Garth and six strokes on John Methvin after nine holes.  Neither Methvin nor Garth were willing to concede, though.  Both players clawed their way back to within a stroke of Waldie at different points on the back nine.  Waldie had the better game at the end, though, finishing bogey, bogey par to win at 90, three strokes ahead of Methvin.  Garth finished another stroke back at 94.

Thanks to everyone who participated and made this such a competitive event – and thanks to the staff at The Biltmore who handled all the details perfectly!  We will definitely go back at The Biltmore again soon!

See you on the course!

Jeff