Around the Green
The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.
Robert Gwin Wins South Mid-Amateur
MONTGOMERY – Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s own Robert Gwin claimed the South Mid-Amateur title after shooting even-par 72 on the final day, for a three-day score of five-under-par on the Weiskopf Course at Bentwater Yacht & Country. Entering the final round, Gwin was one stroke behind Cypress’ Kevin Liberto, who finished tied for second going three-over-par 75, for a tournament score of three-under-par. Tied with Liberto was Todd Albert, of Katy, who fired a four-under-par 68 final round. John Hunter, The Woodlands, and Padden Nelson, Houston, finished tied for fourth with three-day scores of two-under-par. With Nelson’s final round two-over-par 74, he claimed Mid-Master Award, which recognizes players in the field that are 40 years of age or older. Clay Fullick, from Conroe finished one stroke behind Nelson, while Cypress’ Kurtis Lilley was two strokes behind Nelson in the Mid-Master Recognition.
LEADERBOARD
1. Robert Gwin, Montgomery 69-70-72 – 211
T-2. Todd Albert, Katy 73-72-68 – 213
T-2. Kevin Liberto, Cypress 72-66-75 – 213
T-4. John Hunter, The Woodlands 72-71-71 – 214
T-4. Padden Nelson, Houston 70-70-74 – 214
Top Finishers – Robert Gwin finished the first round leading by one stroke, only to find Kevin Liberto one stroke ahead of him after the second round of play. Gwin’s birdie on the par four 16 on Sunday provided enough cushion to take a two-stroke lead after Liberto bogeyed that same hole. Todd Albert battled the windy conditions and was able to climb up the leaderboard to finish in a tie for second following his four-under-par 68 on the final day. John Hunter’s one-under-par 71 on Sunday allowed him to move into a tie for fourth with Padden Nelson.
Notable Moment: Michael Glisan, from Houston, had a hole-in-one on the par three hole 3 from 197 yards during the second round play on Saturday. This was Michael’s first career hole-in-one.
Weather: The sun shined across clear skies for the first round of play on Friday as the temperature rose to around 85 degrees by mid-afternoon. Saturday morning began with overcast skies that lingered for much of the second round, with the high for the day at 82 degrees. The course wasn’t the only challenge for the field on Sunday, as wind was a big factor with gusts reaching 24 mph by noon. Light rain fell early in the afternoon while the temperature eventually got to 65 degrees as the final round finished.
Host Course: Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery features 36-holes across the Miller and Weiskopf courses. The 18-hole Weiskopf Course at is a collaboration between Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Rolling fairways and TifEagle greens are surrounded by thick forests of hardwood and pines. The 14th hole par three offers a picturesque setting, perched on the water’s edge from tee to green.
Next Up: The South Regional Series next event will be at the South Senior Amateur at Kissing Tree Golf Club in San Marcos on April 5-6.
Registration for the 112th Texas Amateur at Midland Country Club is open until Wednesday, March 31. Players can register for a qualifier by following this link.
For more information on the South Regional Series and South Mid-Amateur, please visit www.TXGA.org.
