Around the Green

South Team Wins Texas Shootout

BRIEFLY: The South team, captained by John Pierce, captured the Texas Shootout Sunday afternoon at Willow Brook Country Club after holding on to their Saturday lead. The 37-35 victory was the first time the South team has won since 2016.
 
The Ryder Cup style event came down to the final few matches after the North team stormed out of the gate Sunday. The North Team won 10.5 points out of the first 12 to crawl right back into contention but the South team held them off down the stretch in the later matches.
 
POINTS SUMMARY
                              Foursome           Four-Ball             Singles                 Total
North Team              10                           5                          20                        35
South Team              8                           13                         16                        37
 
GOLF COURSE: Willow Brook Country Club opend in 1922 with a nine-hole course and 112 charter members. In the late 1950’s, Ralph Plummer was hired to designed and build a full 18-hole course for the growing membership. It was recently renovated in 2018 when Tripp Davis and Associates oversaw a comprehensive renovation that has fortified the course’s strategic playing characteristics and revitalized its natural beauty.
 
WEATHER: The high got up to 64 degrees with sunny skies and minimal wind.
 
SINGLES MATCHES: The TGA State Player of the Year, Chris Wheeler, started the day off with winning two out of three points for the North Team. Scott Abbott won 2.5 points, followed by Anthony Estorga and Scott Maurer both sweeping their matches for the North Team. After the first four matches, the North team had made up their deficit and more. Senior John Dowdall for the South Team stopped the bleeding, winning two points in the fifth Singles match of the day.
 
The South team won 10.5 of the possible 15 points in the last five matches to secure their victory, but not without a little drama down the stretch. The North’s Marcus Jones holed out on 18 from the fairway to earn a critical half point. Ultimately, the South teams Will Griffin made several long putts and won 2.5 points in the final match of the day to surpass the 36.5 points needed for the South.
 
MORE INFO: The Texas Shootout started in 2003 and quickly became a favorite on the TGA Schedule. The match play event wraps up the 2019 men’s championship season. Please visit www.TXGA.org for more information on the Texas Shootout.