News
Nelson Wins South Amateur
Galveston: Houston’s Padden Nelson comes from behind to win the 2021 South Amateur by five strokes. Two strokes were all that separated 36-hole leader Joshua Lim of San Antonio and Nelson heading into the final round. Nelson who was solo second after 36-holes knew he would need a strong final round to overcome Lim who had been playing flawless golf through the first two rounds.
The final group started on the par-5 first hole where Nelson made a 35-foot eagle putt to get his day started. After a par on the par-3 second hole, Nelson again picked up a stroke over the field when he made birdie on the par-4 third hole. A trio of pars followed before another birdie rolled in for him on the par-4 seventh hole. Nelson’s lone bogey on the day immediately followed as he made four on the par-3 eight hole. With a par on the par-4 ninth hole he turned at 3-under par for day, 7-under par for the tournament. His 3-under par front nine was enough to take a two-stroke lead over the field with nine to play.
After making the turn Nelson started with a pair of pars before making another birdie on the par-5 12th hole. Another birdie on the par-4 13th got him to 5-under on the day. Nelson would finish the round with five pars and post a final round score of 5-under par 67 and claim the South Amateur title.
Leaderboard
1- Padden Nelson – 207 (-9)
2 – Joshua Lim – 212 (-4)
T3 – Hayes Hamilton – 215 (-1)
T3 – Broc Haymon – 215 (-1)
T3 – Niko Nebout – 215 (-1)
6 – Holden Hamilton – 216 (E)
Top Finishers: Finishing in solo second behind Nelson was 36-hole leader Joshua Lim of San Antonio. Lim played his first 36-holes with just one bogey and was 6-under par for the tournament. A difficult final round of 2-over par 74 put Lim at 4-under par 212 for the tournament. In a three-way tie for third place at 1-under par 215 was GCC host club exemption Hayes Hamilton, Broc Haymon and Niko Nebout. Hamilton’s twin brother Holden, also a host club exemption, finished in sixth place for the tournament at even-par 217.
Weather: After six inches of rain leading up to the South Amateur, Friday’s first round saw overcast skies and scattered thunderstorms. Due to the morning forecast starting times were adjusted to a 10:00 am start off both Nos. 1 & 10. Saturday’s second round had blue skies with a high of 90 and a “feels like” high of 103 degrees. During Sunday’s final round the gulf wind picked up and players were tested with wind gusts up to 25mph. The skies remained blue and clear with highs in the low 90s and a “feels like” high of 105 degrees.
Golf Course: Galveston Country Club, which traces its roots back to 1898, moved to its current location at Pirates’ Beach in 1946 and was designed by Carlton Gipson and Ralph Plummer. The course has undergone several renovations over the years, most recently in 2003 overseen by Jacobsen Hardy Golf Design. With strong winds coming off the coast, the course layout is stern and demanding testing all aspects of the game.
Next Up: The 2021 South Regional Series comes to an end with the conclusion of the South Amateur. Three of the four TGA Men’s Majors are next on the schedule including the Texas Four-Ball, Texas Mid-Amateur and Texas Senior Amateur.
For more information on the Texas Golf Association, South Regional Series and South Amateur, please visit www.txga.org.
News
Cody Banach Wins South Amateur
Briefly: Cody Banach broke away from a crowded leaderboard to win the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf Sunday afternoon at Sterling Country Club in Cypress. Banach saved his best for last as he shot a tournament low 6-under 66 for a 54 hole total of 13-under par 203 to win by five strokes over Tyler Uhlig. Banach went bogey free in his final round, which included four birdies on the front nine and two birdies on the back nine.
Leaderboard:
1 Cody Banach Houston -13 70-67-66 203
2 Tyler Uhlig Magnolia -8 72-67-69 208
3 Logan Pate Richmond -7 67-70-72 209
4 Broc Haymon Pearland -6 70-71-69 210
T5 Jess Bonneau Houston -5 70-67-74 211
T5 Ross Mackay Houston -5 70-67-74 211
South Amateur Leaderboard │ South Amateur Pairings
Golf Course: Designed by native-Texan Jeffrey D. Blume, Sterling Country Club opened in the fall of 2011 and is the 18-hole private facility at Houston National Golf Club. The private course is sprawled out over 190 acres and features rolling terrain and slick greens. This is the second Texas Golf Association South Regional Series event to be conducted at Sterling Country Club, with the first being the 2014 South Mid-Amateur.
Weather: Mostly sunny skies with a high of 100 and a slight breeze out of the southwest at 9 mph. Today’s heat index reached 110.
In contention: Uhlig used a final round 3-under par 69 to claim runner-up to Banach. Uhlig posted four birdies and a single bogey in his final round. Logan Pate, who shared a piece of the lead in each of the first two rounds, finished in solo third after a final round of even par 72 and a three-day total of 7-under par 209. Broc Haymon rounded out the top four with a 6-under par 210 for three days. Jess Bonneau and Ross Mackay, part of the four tied for the lead heading into the final round, finished in a tie for fifth place after 2-over par 74s to finish the weekend at 5-under par 211.
What’s Next: The South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf completes the 2019 Regional Series schedule. The first regional event for 2020 will be the South Four-Ball in late February.
More Info: For more information on the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf, you can visit the tournament homepage here.
News
Four Players Tied At The South Amateur
Briefly: They are bunched up at the top of the leaderboard as four sit in a tie for the lead at the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf at 7-under par 137 following the completion of the second round. First round leader Logan Pate is joined by Jess Bonneau, Cody Banach and Ross Mackay atop the leaderboard at Sterling Country Club in Cypress heading into Sunday’s final round.
Leaderboard:
T1 Logan Pate Richmond -7 67-70 137
T1 Jess Bonneau Houston -7 70-67 137
T1 Cody Banach Houston -7 70-67 137
T1 Ross Mackay Houston -7 70-67 137
5 Tyler Uhlig Magnolia -5 72-67 139
South Amateur Leaderboard │ South Amateur Pairings
Golf Course: Designed by native-Texan Jeffrey D. Blume, Sterling Country Club opened in the fall of 2011 and is the 18-hole private facility at Houston National Golf Club. The private course is sprawled out over 190 acres and features rolling terrain and slick greens. This is the second Texas Golf Association South Regional Series event to be conducted at Sterling Country Club, with the first being the 2014 South Mid-Amateur.
Weather: Mostly sunny skies with a high of 98 and a slight breeze out of the southwest at 9 mph. Today’s heat index reached 106.
In contention: Pate, who opened the South Amateur with a 5-under par 67 posted a second round 2-under par 70 to reach 7-under par 137 after 36 holes. Bonneau, Banach and Mackay, who entered the second round in a tie for third, all posted 5-under par 67s in the second round to enter the four-way tie with Pate. Uhlig, in solo fifth place, also posted a 5-under par 67 to sit two shots back of the leaders at 5-under par 139.
What’s Next: Final round tee times start tomorrow at 8 a.m. off No. 1 & 10 tees. A brief awards ceremony will take place at the clubhouse following the conclusion of play to recognize our 2019 South Amateur champion.
More Info: For more information on the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf, you can visit the tournament homepage here.