North Team Wins Texas Shootout

BRIEFLY: The North Team, captained by Mike Peck, wins the Texas Shootout at historic Galveston Country Club. After splitting Sunday’s single matches 18-18 with the South Team, the North Team wins 42.5-29.5.

TEAMS POINT SUMMARY

                              Foursomes          Four-Ball             Singles                 Total

North Team       10                            14.5                     18                       42.5

South Team        8                               3.5                       18                       29.5

GOLF COURSE: Founded in 1898, Galveston Country Club is situated on the shores of Lake Como, between West Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Originally located in an area called the Denver Resurvey, the club relocated three times in the early 1900s before settling into its present address on Stewart Road in 1946. Texas Golf Hall of Fame member Ralph Plummer designed the 18-hole course, which opened for play in the fall of 1947. The course was razed and rebuilt in 1961 after Hurricane Carla, and Carlton Gipson re-surfaced the greens in 1990. The architectural team of Peter Jacobson and Jim Hardy supervised an extensive course renovation project in 2003.

The creative par-72 layout weaves through a scenic landscape of native grassy areas, marshes, inlets, and stately palm trees. Measuring just over 6,500 yards from the back tees, the course is not long but it packs a punch of a different kind with narrow fairways, lighting-fast greens, numerous bunkers and penalty areas, and an ever-present gulf breeze that can make scoring well a difficult task.

WEATHER: Sunday’s weather was perfect for tournament golf with the temperature reaching a high of 75 degrees and minimal wind gusts up to 12 mph.

SUNDAY SINGLES MATCHES: Needing only 12 points to win, the North Team continued their strong play into Sunday morning’s singles matches. The North team secured 18 points during Sunday’s singles session to win the Texas Shootout.

MORE INFO: The Texas Shootout started in 2003 and quickly became a favorite on the TGA Schedule. The match play event wraps up the 2023 men’s championship season. Please visit www.TXGA.org for more information on the Texas Shootout.

Texas Shootout Leaderboard

North Team Leads Texas Shootout

BRIEFLY: The North Team, captained by Mike Peck, leads the Texas Shootout at historic Galveston Country Club after an impressive Saturday. The North leads 24.5 points to 11.5 points and will look to reclaim the title tomorrow after the South won last year.

TEAMS POINT SUMMARY

                              Foursomes          Four-Ball             Singles                 Total

North Team       10                             14.5                           TBD                      24.5

South Team        8                               3.5                            TBD                       11.5

GOLF COURSE: Founded in 1898, Galveston Country Club is situated on the shores of Lake Como, between West Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Originally located in an area called the Denver Resurvey, the club relocated three times in the early 1900s before settling into its present address on Stewart Road in 1946. Texas Golf Hall of Fame member Ralph Plummer designed the 18-hole course, which opened for play in the fall of 1947. The course was razed and rebuilt in 1961 after Hurricane Carla, and Carlton Gipson re-surfaced the greens in 1990. The architectural team of Peter Jacobson and Jim Hardy supervised an extensive course renovation project in 2003.

The creative par-72 layout weaves through a scenic landscape of native grassy areas, marshes, inlets, and stately palm trees. Measuring just over 6,500 yards from the back tees, the course is not long but it packs a punch of a different kind with narrow fairways, lighting-fast greens, numerous bunkers and penalty areas, and an ever-present gulf breeze that can make scoring well a difficult task.

WEATHER: Saturday saw sunny skies with a high of 78 degrees and a steady wind at 15 miles an hour.

SATURDAY FOURSOME MATCHES: The North Team began the Texas Shootout with a 10 – 8 lead after the morning Foursome Matches. The mid-amateurs from the North secured 6.5 points while the seniors tallied 3.5 points. The South Team’s mid-amateurs recorded 5.5 points while their seniors posted 2.5 points.

SATURDAY FOUR-BALL MATCHES: The afternoon Four-Ball Matches saw the North Team flex their muscles by posting 14.5 points of the possible 18 points. The South was able to salvage 3.5 points.

MORE INFO: The Texas Shootout started in 2003 and quickly became a favorite on the TGA Schedule. The match play event wraps up the 2023 men’s championship season. Please visit www.TXGA.org for more information on the Texas Shootout.

Texas Shootout Leaderboard

21st Texas Shootout Set for Nov. 4-5

Historic Galveston Country Club will be the host site of the 21st Texas Shootout. The two 12-man team competition between top-ranked male amateur golfers from North Texas and South Texas is scheduled for Nov. 4-5.

This will be the eighth TGA championship held at Galveston Country Club, dating back to 1909. The landmark club, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, has hosted two Texas Amateurs, three Women’s Texas Amateurs, a Texas Senior Amateur, and, most recently, the 2021 South Regional Amateur, won by Padden Nelson of Houston.

“We are honored to be returning to Galveston Country Club and to be a part of its storied history,” said Justin Guthrie, TGA Tournament Director. “We are appreciative of the club’s supportive and engaged membership and staff, and we look forward to a great match play contest over this fantastic course.”

Founded in 1898, Galveston Country Club is situated on the shores of Lake Como, between West Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Originally located in an area called the Denver Resurvey, the club relocated three times in the early 1900s before settling into its present address on Stewart Road in 1946. Texas Golf Hall of Fame member Ralph Plummer designed the 18-hole course, which opened for play in the fall of 1947. The course was razed and rebuilt in 1961 after Hurricane Carla, and Carlton Gipson re-surfaced the greens in 1990. The architectural team of Peter Jacobson and Jim Hardy supervised an extensive course renovation project in 2003.

The creative par-72 layout weaves through a scenic landscape of native grassy areas, marshes, inlets, and stately palm trees. Measuring just over 6,500 yards from the back tees, the course is not long but it packs a punch of a different kind with narrow fairways, lighting-fast greens, numerous bunkers and water hazards, and an ever-present gulf breeze that can make scoring well a difficult task.

“If you were to just go by the yardage on the scorecard you might think the course is easily managed, but that is definitely not the case,” Guthrie said. “It certainly is fun to play but it can be very challenging, especially when the wind gets up, and requires players to be able to control the shape and trajectory of their shots off the tee and into the green.”

First held in 2003, the season-ending Texas Shootout is by invitation only and features the top 12 players (eight mid-amateurs and four seniors) from North Texas squaring off against their counterparts from South Texas in a Ryder Cup-style competition.

Players earn their way onto their respective teams by accumulating performance points for top finishes throughout the year in designated TGA regional and statewide tournaments, as well as USGA national championships. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel. (The city of Salado, which is located approximately halfway between Austin and Waco, sits on the dividing line.)

Of the eight mid-amateurs (age 25 and older) selected from each region, four come from the TGA’s Statewide Player of the Year point standings and four from the Regional Player of the Year point standings. The top four North and South senior players (age 55 and older) are chosen based on the Statewide Senior Player of the Year point standings.

The team roster for the 2023 Texas Shootout is listed below. Mike Peck of Irving and Gary Durbin of Houston will serve as playing captains for the North and South sides, respectively.

The format for the competition includes foursome (alternate shot), four-ball and singles matches. A total of 24 matches will be played over the two days. Each match is worth three points – one point each for the front nine, back nine and 18 – making for 72 available points. The first team to accumulate 36.5 points is the winner.

At last year’s Texas Shootout, hosted by Grand Pines Golf Club at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery, the South Texas team fended off a furious rally by the North Texas squad on the final day of singles matches to secure a one-point victory, 36.5-35.5. The South Texas win, its first since 2019, evened up the overall series, 10-10.

Once the action gets underway from the 2023 Texas Shootout at Galveston Country Club, log on to the TGA website for match play pairings, starting times, live scoring updates, and daily recaps.

2023 TEXAS SHOOTOUT TEAMS:

North Texas Team: Gant Bills (Plano), CJ Brock (Rockwall), Anthony Estorga (Dallas), *Chuck Gardner (Texarkana), *Bart Goodwin (Flower Mound), Marcus Jones (Argyle), *Kyle Kelting (Amarillo), Scott Maurer (Dallas), *Mike Peck, Playing Captain (Irving), Rory Smith (Tyler), Matt Sullivan (Lewisville), and Ryan Zamorano (Dallas).

South Texas Team: *Brent Barclay (Santa Fe), *Bobby Baugh (San Antonio), Trey Cassity (Katy), Jed Dirksen (Austin), *Gary Durbin, Playing Captain (Houston), Austen Fulmer (Cedar Park), Andrew Grice (Austin), Broc Haymon (League City), Randy Lance (Spring), Michael Milstead (Houston), Logan Thomason (Montgomery), and *Tray Tyner (Kerrville).

*Indicates senior player representative

Texas Shootout Set for Oct. 29-30

Grand Pines Golf Club at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery will be the host site of the 20th Texas Shootout. The 12-man team competition between top-ranked amateur golfers from North and South Texas will take place Oct. 29-30. This will be the club’s first time hosting a Texas Golf Association championship.

“We are thrilled to be able to conduct this year’s Texas Shootout at Grand Pines Golf Club,” said Justin Guthrie, TGA Tournament Director. “We know the club and its membership will provide an exceptional experience for the players, and the strategic course, with its many risk-reward options, will be the perfect stage for the exciting team match-play format.”

Grand Pines Golf Club, which made its debut in 2005, is the newest of the three courses at Bentwater, joining the Weiskopf Course (opened in 1989) and the Miller Course (1992). Designed by Jeffrey Blume, Grand Pines is situated on a pristine 182-acre site highlighted by dramatic elevation changes, natural water features, and densely wooded areas. The 7,100-yard, par-72 course is acclaimed for its distinctive mounding and bunkers that complement the topography and impact shot values, along with large, undulating greens and collection areas.

First conducted in 2003, the season-ending Texas Shootout is by invitation-only and features the top 12 players (eight mid-amateurs and four seniors) from North Texas squaring off against their counterparts from South Texas in a Ryder Cup-style competition.

Players earn their way onto their respective teams by accumulating points throughout the year in designated TGA regional and statewide tournaments, as well as USGA national championships. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel. (The city of Salado, which is located approximately halfway between Austin and Waco, sits on the dividing line.)

Of the eight mid-amateurs (age 25 and older) selected from each region, four come from the TGA Statewide Player of the Year point standings and four from the Regional Player of the Year point standings. The top four North and South senior players (age 55 and older) are chosen based on the Statewide Senior Player of the Year point standings.

The player roster for the 2022 North and South Texas Teams is listed below. Lewis Stephenson of Burleson and Pat Youngs of San Antonio will serve as playing captains for the North and South sides, respectively.

The format for the Shootout includes foursome, four-ball and singles matches. A total of 24 matches will be played over the two days. Each match is worth three points – one point each for front nine, back nine and 18 – making for 72 available points. The first team to accumulate 36.5 points is the winner.

At the 2021 Texas Shootout, hosted by Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas, the North Texas Team defeated the South Texas Team, 38.5-33.5. It was the second win in a row for North Texas which now leads the overall series, 10-9.

Once the action gets underway from the 20th Texas Shootout at Grand Pines Golf Club, log on to the TGA website for match play pairings, starting times, live scoring updates and daily recaps.

2022 TEXAS SHOOTOUT NOTES:

North Texas Team: Colby Amparan (Fort Worth), *Neal Barfield (Dallas), Rob Couture (Celina), *John Derrick (Waco), Kevin Doskocil (Benbrook), *Chuck Gardner (Texarkana), Scott Maurer (Dallas), Seth Murphy (Flint), Josh Pasco (Midland), Jason Schultz (Allen), *Lewis Stephenson (Burleson), Team Captain, and Trey Todd (Abilene).

South Texas Team: Casey Carnes (Schertz), Dan Depasquale (Austin), Clay Fullick (Conroe), Austen Fulmer (Cedar Park), Andrew Grice (Austin), Joey Gullion (Spring), *Andy Hydorn (Houston), Randy Lance (Spring), Padden Nelson (Houston), *Sandy Pierce (Houston), *Jed Shreve (The Woodlands), and *Pat Youngs (San Antonio), Team Captain.

*Indicates senior player representative

Schedule of Events:

Friday, October 28

11:30 a.m. – Registration
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. – Practice Rounds (South)
12:40 – 1:10 p.m. – Practice Rounds (North)
6:00 p.m. – Cocktail Reception & Match Draw

Saturday, October 29

7:30 – 8:15 a.m. – Foursome Matches

12:00 – 12:50 p.m. – Four-Ball Matches
6:30 p.m. – Player’s Dinner

Sunday, October 30

7:30 – 8:58 a.m. – Singles Matches; Awards presentation following conclusion of play.

Texas Shootout Set for Nov. 15-16

The state’s top 24 amateurs from North and South Texas will gather at Royal Oaks Country Club for the 18th Texas Shootout from Nov. 15-16.

This will be the first Texas Shootout and sixth Texas Golf Association championship hosted by the renowned Dallas club.

“We are thrilled to be able to conduct this year’s Texas Shootout at Royal Oaks Country Club,” said Justin Guthrie, TGA Tournament Manager. “The club has been a tremendous supporter of amateur golf through the years and the challenging course is sure to provide a great deal of excitement for the event’s team match play format.”

Opened in 1969, Royal Oaks was designed by architect J. Press Maxwell, along with PGA Professionals Don January and Billy Martindale. The classic layout has undergone several restorations in the ensuing years. The most recent was in 2014 when Chet Williams supervised a complete redo of all bunkers, tees and greens, which included switching out turfgrasses on the putting surfaces from bentgrass to Mini Verde Ultradwarf bermudagrass.

First conducted in 2003, the season-ending Texas Shootout is by invitation-only and features the top 12 players (eight mid-amateurs and four seniors) from North Texas squaring off against their counterparts from South Texas in a Ryder Cup-style competition.

Players earn their way onto their respective teams by accumulating points throughout the year in designated TGA regional and statewide tournaments, as well as USGA national championships. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel (Salado, Texas).

Of the eight mid-amateurs selected from each region, five come from the TGA Statewide Player of the Year point standings and three from the Regional Player of the Year point standings. The top four North and South senior players are chosen based on the Statewide Senior Player of the Year point standings.

The format for the Shootout includes foursome, four-ball and singles matches. A total of 24 matches will be played over the two days. Each match is worth three points – one point each for front nine, back nine and 18 – making for 72 available points. The first team to accumulate 36½ points is the winner.

At last year’s Texas Shootout, hosted by the Traditions Club at Texas A&M in Bryan, the North Texas Team defeated the South Texas Team, 43-29. With the victory, North Texas took a 9-8 lead in the overall series.

Once the action gets underway from the 18th Texas Shootout at Royal Oaks Country Club, log on to txga.org for match play pairings, starting times, live scoring updates and daily recaps.

2021 TEXAS SHOOTOUT NOTES:

North Team: Gant Bills (Plano), Rob Couture (Dallas), Gary Ezmerlian (Fort Worth), *Chuck Gardner (Texarkana), Sean Heidrick (McKinney), Aaron Hickman (Tyler), Frederick Janneck (Fort Worth), Robert Johnson (Abilene), *Kyle Kelting (Amarillo), *Lee Sandlin (Dallas), *Lewis Stephenson (Burleson) and Chris Wheeler (Addison).

South Team: Todd Albert (Katy), Coy Breen (San Antonio), Casey Carnes (Schertz), *Gary Durbin (Houston), Clay Fullick (Conroe), Rob Gwin (Montgomery), John Hunter (Spring), Kevin Liberto (Cypress), Paul McNamara (Austin), *David Ortego (Spring), *John Pierce (San Antonio) and *Jed Shreve (The Woodlands).

*Indicates senior player representative

Schedule of Events:

Sunday, November 14

11:30 a.m. – Registration
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. – Practice Rounds (North)
12:40 – 1:10 p.m. – Practice Rounds (South)
6:00 p.m. – Cocktail Reception & Match Draw

Monday, November 15

7:30 – 8:15 a.m. – Foursome Matches

12:00 – 12:50 p.m. – Four-Ball Matches
6:30 p.m. – Player’s Dinner

Tuesday, November 16

7:30 – 8:58 a.m. – Singles Matches; Awards presentation following conclusion of play.

North Team Wins Texas Shootout

BRIEFLY: The North Team, captained by Mike Peck, captured the Texas Shootout Sunday afternoon at Traditions Club in Bryan after holding on to their Saturday lead. The 43-29 victory was the first time the North Team has won since 2018 at The Clubs at Houston Oaks. Since the beginning of the Texas Shootout in 2003, the North Team has now won the Texas Shootout 9 times.

The Ryder Cup style event continued to follow the pattern from the Saturday Matches with the North Team establishing their dominance in the Singles Matches.

POINTS SUMMARY
Foursome           Four-Ball             Singles                 Total

North Team       11.5                          11.5                           20                             43

South Team       6.5                            6.5                            16                             29

GOLF COURSE: Designed by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II, Traditions Club opened for play in 2004 and serves as the home of the Texas A&M Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams. Nestled hard against the banks of Turkey Creek, the Nicklaus duo seamlessly incorporated the native hardwoods, rolling hillsides and natural water features into a stunning layout, one that demands precision tee shots and approaches, as well as a steady hand on the quick undulating greens.

WEATHER: The weekend weather saw highs around 80 degrees with sunny skies and just a slight breeze. Sunday morning’s Singles Matches were delayed by one hour and twenty minutes due to heavy fog in the area.

SATURDAY FOURSOME MATCHES: The North Team stormed out to an early lead in the Foursome Matches with three of the matches sweeping three points apiece. The South Team had one match sweep to bring the morning set 11.5 for the North Team to 6.5 for the South Team.

SATURDAY FOUR-BALL MATCHES: Mirroring that of the morning matches, the afternoon Four-Ball Matches once again saw the North Team post three sweeps of three points. The South Team was able to sweep the first afternoon match to bring the Four-Ball Matches to 11.5 for North Team and 6.5 points for the South Team. Heading into the Sunday Singles Matches, the North Team had 23 points posted to the South Team’s 13 points.

SUNDAY SINGLES MATCHES: With the North Team holding a 23 to 13 lead heading into Sunday, they expanded on their lead winning the Singles Matches 20 to 16. Eight of the twelve matches resulted in sweeps, 3-0, with the North Team posting five of them to the South Team’s three.

MORE INFO: The Texas Shootout started in 2003 and quickly became a favorite on the TGA Schedule. The match play event wraps up the 2020 men’s championship season. Please visit www.TXGA.org for more information on the Texas Shootout.

Texas Shootout Set for Nov 6-8

The state’s top 24 amateurs from North and South Texas will gather at the Traditions Club at Texas A&M for the 17th Annual Texas Shootout from Nov. 6-8.

This will be the first Texas Shootout and third overall Texas Golf Association championship held at Traditions Club. Previously, the club was the site of the 2017 Women’s Texas Amateur, won by Maddie McCrary, and the 2014 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, won by Mike Peck.

“We are extremely excited to be able to host this year’s Texas Shootout at the Traditions Club,” said Ian Davis, TGA Tournament Director. “The golf course is extremely challenging and will test every aspect of a player’s game. The layout features many risk-reward options, which will add a great deal of excitement and suspense to the Shootout’s team match play format.”

Designed by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II, Traditions Club opened for play in 2004 and serves as the home of the Texas A&M Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams. Nestled hard against the banks of Turkey Creek, the Nicklaus duo seamlessly incorporated the native hardwoods, rolling hillsides and natural water features into a stunning layout, one that demands precision tee shots and approaches, as well as a steady hand on the quick undulating greens.

First conducted in 2003, the season-ending Texas Shootout is by invitation-only and features the top 12 players (eight mid-amateurs and four seniors) from North Texas squaring off against their counterparts from South Texas in a Ryder Cup-style competition.

Players earn their way onto their respective teams by accumulating points throughout the year in designated TGA regional and statewide tournaments, as well as USGA national championships. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel (Salado, Texas).

Of the eight mid-amateurs selected from each region, five come from the TGA Statewide Player of the Year point standings and three from the Regional Player of the Year point standings. The top four North and South senior players are chosen based on the Statewide Senior Player of the Year point standings.

“Traditions Club is excited to open its doors for the 2020 edition of the Texas Shootout,” said Ryan Briggs, Tradition Club’s Head Golf Professional. “We are honored to host 24 of the top amateur golfers in the state of Texas for two days of intense competition. These players have pushed all year to qualify for their respective teams, and we will no doubt give them a great stage to battle for the title.”

The format for the Shootout includes foursome, four-ball and singles matches. A total of 24 matches will be played over the two days. Each match is worth three points – one point each for front nine, back nine and 18 – making for 72 available points. The first team to accumulate 36½ points is the winner.

At the 2019 Texas Shootout, hosted by Willow Brook Country Club in Tyler, the South Texas Team snapped a two-year losing streak by defeating the North Texas Team, 37-35. The overall series is now tied 8-8.