Paul McNamara wins North Mid-Amateur

Allen – Paul McNamara of Dallas held his commanding lead throughout the weekend to clinch the North Mid-Amateur title.  His impressive rounds of 67-66-71 gave him a final score of 204 (12-under-par) which put him in the lead by 5 strokes.  Forth Worth’s Gary Ezmerlian had steady rounds of 72-70-72 to win the Mid-Master title by one shot over Rob Couture of Dallas.

LEADERBOARD

1. Paul McNamara               67 – 66 – 71 – 204
2. Anthony Estorga              72 – 67 – 70 – 209
3. Christopher Wheeler       73 – 67 – 70 – 210
4. Ben McCaslin                    70 – 70 – 71 – 211
5. Gary Ezmerlian                 72 – 70 – 72 – 214

FULL LEADERBOARD

Top Finishers – Anthony Estorga of Dallas came in second with a 7 under-par total of 209, only one shot ahead of Addison’s Christopher Wheeler.  Ben McCaslin of Dallas finished with a 5 under-par 211 to come in forth, while Gary Ezmerlian of Forth Worth finished with a 2 under-par 214 claiming fifth.

Weather – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s weather was sunny with mild winds and temperatures in the low 70’s.

Host Course: Named by Golf Digest among the best daily fee golf courses in the state of Texas, The Golf Club at Twin Creeks’ magnificent Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course was designed to blend seamlessly with its pristine natural surroundings amidst the emerald hills of Allen, Texas. Mature stands of trees frame gently rolling fairways and large undulating greens, with two creeks traversing the course and five beautiful lakes creating both strategic diversity and a breathtaking backdrop for golf.  While challenging for scratch golfers, multiple tees on each hole enable golfers of all ages and skill levels to experience the mastery, craftsmanship and creativity of The King, one of the most beloved and iconic player/designers in the world.

Next Up: The North Regional Series next event will be at Wildhorse Golf Club @ Robson Ranch for the North Senior Amateur April 8-9M.

For more information on the North Regional Series and North Mid-Amateur, please visit www.TXGA.org.

Marian Barker Wins 2020 Women’s Senior Stroke Play

Briefly:  A flawless front-nine and just a single bogey, along with three birdies, gave three-time Women’s Senior Stroke Play Champion Marian Barker of Lubbock yet another championship title Wednesday afternoon.  Barker carded a 2-under 70 Final Round, finishing at 5-over-par 221 at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth.

With a strong field and “so many past champions” Barker thought to herself, “oh my, this is going to be hard because there are so many good players.”  But it may have been her personal goals she set for herself each day that lead to her success.  Barker said, “I got to start in the top (final) group and said to myself, see if you can be in that group tomorrow, and then I was!” Barker won her fourth Women’s Senior Stroke Play title, as well as capturing the super-senior division title.

Jewell Malick of Heath, a recent addition to the super-super senior division and 2014, 2015, and 2016 super-senior division champion, finished —- to capture the super-super senior division title.

Leaderboard (Overall):
1)     Marian Barker       Lubbock                     74-77-70 | 221
2)     Kelly Nittoli            San Antonio              74-78-74 | 226
3)     Marlyn Hardy        Magnolia                   79-74-80 | 233
T4)   Cathy Crumley      San Antonio              82-76-76 | 234
T5)   Stephanie Blout    Mission                      75-79-80 | 234

Final Results

Golf Course: The John Bredemus design was built in 1928 and features a traditional layout with narrow fairways and small greens. The 18-hole championship golf course was renovated by Ralph Plummer in 1954 and then redesigned by Jay Morrish in 1987. Despite its shorter length, the tree-lined fairways and sloped Tifeagle greens have withstood the test of time and demand accuracy over brute strength.

Weather: Temperatures reached 92 degrees with wind blowing out of the West Southwest at 8 mph.

In Contention: Kelly Nittoli of San Antonio gave Barker a good run after shooting even-par 37 on the front nine.  Nittoli finished in second place with a 10-over-par 266.

Magnolia’s Marilyn Hardy finished third with a 17-over-par 233, and Kathy Crumley of San Antonio and Stephnaie Blount tied for fourth with an 18-over-par total of 234.

What’s Next: The Women’s Pinehurst will be held at Panorama Golf Club on November 2-3.The Texas Golf Association would like to extend our immense gratitude to the staff and members of Ridglea Country Club for hosting and making this event memorable for all who took part.

More Info: For more information on the Women’s Senior Stroke Play, click here.

Marian Barker Moves into Solo First After Round 2 of Women’s Senior

Briefly:  Marian Barker of Lubbock carded a 5-over-par 77 to move into solo first after the second round of the 2020 Women’s Senior Stroke Play at Ridglea Country Club Tuesday afternoon. Barkers’s two-day 74-77 | 151 total tops a crowded leaderboard entering Wednesday’s final round.

Leaderboard:
1)   Marian Barker             Lubbock                  74-77 | 151
2)   Kelly Nittoli                San Antonio            74-78 | 152
3)   Marilyn Hardy            Magnolia                79-74 | 153
4)   Stephanie Blount       Mission                   75-79 | 154
T5) Mitzi Campbell          Corinth                    79-79 | 158
T5) Kathy Crumley           San Antonio           82-76 | 158

Round 2 Results | Round 3 Pairings

Golf Course: The John Bredemus design was built in 1928 and features a traditional layout with narrow fairways and small greens. The 18-hole championship golf course was renovated by Ralph Plummer in 1954 and then redesigned by Jay Morrish in 1987. Despite its shorter length, the tree-lined fairways and sloped Tifeagle greens have withstood the test of time and demand accuracy over brute strength.

Weather: Sunny and clear skies with the temperature reaching 83 degrees.  The wind blew out of the Northwest at 17mph.

In Contention: San Antonio’s Kelly Nittoli sits in second at 8-over-par 152, falling just a single stroke behind the lead.

Marilyn Hardy of Magnolia, shot a 2-over-par 74 in the second round moving her to third.  Hardy enters the final round at 9-over-par on the tournament.

Stephanie Blount of Mission sits in fourth with a 10-over-par 154 for the tournament.  Corinth’s Mitzi Campbell and San Antonio’s Cathy Crumley came in tied for fifth with a 14-over-par 158 total.

What’s Next: The final round starting times begin Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. at Ridglea Country Club. Players were placed into six different flights for Wednesday’s final round based off of their 36-hole total scores.

More Info: For more information on the Women’s Senior Stroke Play, click here.

Barker and Nittoli lead after Round 1 of Women’s Senior Stroke Play Championship

Briefly:  Marian Barker of Lubbock and Kelly Nittoli of San Antonio sit at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 2-over-par 74, in the first round of the 2020 Women’s Senior Stroke Play Championship.

Leaderboard:
T1)   Marian Barker           Lubbock               74
T1)   Kelly Nittoli              San Antonio          74
3)   Stephanie Blount       Mission                  75
T4) Mina Hardin              Fort Worth            78
T4) Julia Sedate               Dallas                      78

Round 1 Results | Round 2 Pairings

Golf Course: The John Bredemus design was built in 1928 and features a traditional layout with narrow fairways and small greens. The 18-hole championship golf course was renovated by Ralph Plummer in 1954 and then redesigned by Jay Morrish in 1987. Despite its shorter length, the tree-lined fairways and sloped Tifeagle greens have withstood the test of time and demand accuracy over brute strength.

Weather: The temperature reached 78 degrees with steady winds at 16 mph out of the North North-West.

In Contention: Mission native, Stephanie Blount, shot a 75 on the day to trail the lead by a single stroke entering Tuesday’s second round.  Following right behind her is Mina Hardin of Fort Worth and Julia Sedate of Dallas, who shot a 78.

What’s Next: Round 2 starting times begin at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday morning at Ridglea Country Club (Family Course.)

More Info: For more information on the Women’s Senior Stroke Play, click here.

Texas League Play Playoffs Recap

The 2020 Texas League Play Playoffs featured 10 teams competing in a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament.

The first round took place at Horseshoe Bay’s Apple Rock course, with 4 teams competing in the first round. The other 6 teams received byes into the quarterfinal round. The first match of the day saw The Hills Country Club from Austin take on Rolling Hills Country Club of Arlington. The first points of the day were won by Rolling Hills’ Brian O’Dwyer and Craig Thorpe, who won their match to put their team up 2-1 early. The Hills answered in their second match as Tim Deck and Bill Parr swept Rolling Hills to take a 4-2 lead. Colin Peck and Wick Comegys from The Hills won their match 2-1 to extended The Hills overall match score to 6-3. Teammates Tye Grissom and Warren Smith won the final match to seal The Hills’ victory 8.5-3.5.

Thursday’s second match featured Nutcracker Golf Club of Granbury and Odessa Country Club (Links). Nutcracker took a commanding lead early by Cody Barrington and Darryl Woods winning the first match 2-1. The rest of Nutcracker’s Team did not disappoint as the last three matches swept Odessa’s Links Team. Nutcracker won their overall match 11-1 to get them into the quarterfinals.

Advancing teams returned to Apple Rock on Friday for the quarterfinal matches. The first match of the day took place between Tierra Verde Golf Club of Arlington and The Hills Country Club.  Bret Masion and Randy Stephens of Tierra Verde came away with 2.5 points in the first match.  Doug Foster and James Lloyd of Tierra Verde followed suit by winning the second match 2-1. The Hills’ Colin Peck and Wick Comegys answered back and won the third match 2.5-.05.  Carson Gooch and Ben Hicks of Tierra Verde won their match, which gave Tierra Verde a 7-5 victory and advanced them to the semifinal round.

The second match of the day featured Eagle Point Golf Club of Mont Belvieu and Nutcracker Golf Club. Both teams tied in the first match, but Mitchell Cole and Casey Barrington of Nutcracker got 2.5 points in the second match to give Nutcracker a 4-2 lead. Both clubs split the third match and final match 1.5-1.5, giving Nutcracker the 7-5 win and a spot in the semifinal round.

Friday’s third match took place between River Crest Country Club of Fort Worth and Van Zandt Country Club of Canton. Matthew Bobo and Garett Essl of River Crest started strong by sweeping the first match, and the rest of the River Crest team followed their lead.  River Crest won 12-0 over Van Zandt clinching a spot in the semifinal round.

Friday’s final match had the Golf Club of Houston against Odessa Country Club (Old). Mark Jones and Sterling Swack of Odessa took all 3 points in the first match giving them a good start to the day. Odessa’s Brandon Warne and Darren Seglem won the second match giving Odessa a 5.5-0.5 lead.  Jim McNeil and Robert Rigney clinched the semifinal spot for Odessa by tying the third match giving Odessa the 7-5 victory, despite Golf Club of Houston’s Ross Prachar and Brett Lalor sweeping the final match.

Saturday’s semifinal rounds continued at Apple Rock, and the first match of the day was between Odessa Country Club and Tierra Verde Golf Club. Odessa’s Mark Jones and Sterling Swack swept the first match, giving Odessa an early 3-0 lead.  Brandon Warne and Darren Seglem kept the momentum going by winning the second match 2.5-.05 increasing Odessa’s lead to 5.5-.05.  Both teams tied the third match, and Brian Madison and Luke Groves of Odessa won the fourth match 2-1 giving Odessa a victory of 9-3 and advancing them to the championship round.

The second semifinal match took place between Nutcracker Golf Club and River Crest Country Club. Cody Barrington and Darryl Woods from Nutcracker won all 3 points in the first match, but Jeff Needham and Dee Kelly of River Crest answered back with winning the second match 2.5-.05.  Nutcracker’s Mark Barrington and Dustin Sherrill swept the third match giving Nutcracker the 6.5-3.5 lead and giving Nutcracker a spot in the championship round, even though River Crest’s Reid Parrish and Scott Hargrove won the very close fourth match 2-1.

Apple Rock course at Horseshoe Bay played host to Sunday’s championship round between Odessa Country Club and Nutcracker Golf Club.  Mark Jones and Sterling Swack of Odessa got the team off to a good start by sweeping the first match.  However, Mitchell Cole and Casey Barrington responded by sweeping the second match leaving it a close 3-3 tie.  Nutcracker’s Dustin Sherrill and Marc Barrington captured 2.5 points in the third match, and Matt Sommerfield and Jared Harp of Nutcracker won the final match 2.5-.05, capturing the 2020 Texas League Play championship over Odessa 7.5-3.5.

Delagarza and Smith Win Back to Back Women’s Four-Ball Championships

Briefly: Faith Delagarza of Midland and Amari Smith of McKinney captured their second Women’s Four-Ball Championship with outstanding rounds of 65-66 for a 13-under-par finish.  With their win last year, and being teammates on the Dallas Baptist University Golf Team they have figured out a good strategy that lead them to success.  “It’s definitely nice because we’re already teammates,” Faith Delagarza said, “We already have that team boding so we can rely on each other.”

Leaderboard:

1 Delagarza/Smith                Midland, McKinney            -13  65  66      131
T2 Argulles/Harrison          Dallas, Plano                        -10  69  65      134
T2 Daleo/Bianchi                 Plano, Allen                          -10  69  65      134
4 Fox/Feldman                     Copperas Cove, Austin       -9   67  68      135
T5 Escamilla/Escamilla      Midland                                 E    78  66      144
T5 Reed/Reed                       Midland                                 E   73   71       144

Final Results

Golf Course: Founded in 1927, Midland Country Club opened as a nine-hole course with sand greens. From these modest beginnings, the championship golf course has evolved into one of the premier private clubs in West Texas. At its center is a classic parkland course that was designed in 1951 by Texas Golf Hall of Famer Ralph Plummer. In the fall of 2015, the club hired Weibring-Wolfard Golf Design to oversee a major renovation of the golf course and practice facility. The $8.9 million project finished in 2017 and includes a modernized 7,354-yard, par-72 championship course to better test the skills of today’s players. Over the years, Midland Country Club has played host to many elite amateur tournaments, including eight TGA Major Championships (the 1965, 1971 and 1997 Texas Amateur, 1995 Texas Mid-Amateur, 1970 and 1979 Texas Senior Amateur and the 1963 and 2001 Women’s Texas Amateur).

Weather: The temperature reached 100 degrees with steady winds at 17 mph out of the south-southeast.

In Contention: Hannah Harrison of Plano and Evelyn Arguelles of Dallas tied for second with Megan Daleo of Plano and Allie Bianchi with a two day total of 10-under-par 134.

What’s Next: The 2020 Women’s Senior Stroke Play at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth September 28-30, 2020.

More Info: For more information on the 2019 Women’s Four-Ball Championship, click here.

Delagarza and Smith Looking to Repeat Title at the 2020 Women’s Four-Ball Championship

Delagarza and Smith Looking to Repeat Title at the 2020 Women’s Four-Ball Championship

Briefly: Faith Delagarza of Midland and Amari Smith of McKinney fired a 7-under-par 65 to take the lead in the opening round at the 2020 Women’s Four-Ball Championship.

Leaderboard:
1         Delagarza/Smith               Midland, McKinney                              65

2         Fox/Feldman                    Copperas Cove, Austin                         67

T3       Daleo/Bianchi                   Plano, Allen                                           69

T3       Arguelles/Harrison           Dallas, Plano                                        69

5          Crumley/Howarth            San Antonio                                          71

T6        Ray/Nichols                      San Antonio                                          73

T6         Reed/Reed                       Midland                                                 73

Round 1 Results | Round 2 Pairings

Golf Course: Founded in 1927, Midland Country Club opened as a nine-hole course with sand greens. From these modest beginnings, the championship golf course has evolved into one of the premier private clubs in West Texas. At its center is a classic parkland course that was designed in 1951 by Texas Golf Hall of Famer Ralph Plummer. In the fall of 2015, the club hired Weibring-Wolfard Golf Design to oversee a major renovation of the golf course and practice facility. The $8.9 million project finished in 2017 and includes a modernized 7,354-yard, par-72 championship course to better test the skills of today’s players. Over the years, Midland Country Club has played host to many elite amateur tournaments, including eight TGA Major Championships (the 1965, 1971 and 1997 Texas Amateur, 1995 Texas Mid-Amateur, 1970 and 1979 Texas Senior Amateur and the 1963 and 2001 Women’s Texas Amateur).

Weather: The temperature reached 100 degrees with steady winds at 16 mph out of the south.

In Contention: Elle Fox of Copperas Cove and her partner Jackie Feldman of Austin carded a 5-under-par 67 and sits two shots off the lead. The team of Megan Daleo of Plano and Allie Bianchi of Allen are tied for third with the team of Hanna Harrison of Plano and Evelyn Arguelles of Dallas after carding a 3-under-par 69.

What’s Next: Round 2 starts Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. at Midland Country Club.

More Info: For more information on the 2019 Women’s Four-Ball Championship, click here.