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 12^th hole. Another birdie on the par-4 13^th 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)

Results

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.

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.

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.

Logan Pate and Hunter Bott Lead South Amateur

Briefly: Richmond’s Logan Pate and Hunter Bott of Montgomery are tied for the lead at the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf following opening rounds of 5-under-par 67. Five players are tied for third at 2-under par at Sterling Country Club in Cypress.
 
Leaderboard:
T1        Logan Pate                  Richmond                   -5         67
T1        Hunter Bott                Montgomery              -5         67
T3        Broc Haymon              Pearland                     -2         70
T3        Jess Bonneau              Houston                      -2         70
T3        Cody Banach              Houston                      -2         70
T3        Ross Mackay               Houston                      -2         70
T3        Jake Wade                  Magnolia                    -2         70
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 with gusts up to 13 mph.
 
In contention: Five players are tied at 2-under par 70: Broc Haymon, Jess Bonneau, Cody Banach, Ross Mackay and Jake Wade. Terrin Anderson sits in solo eighth place after an opening round 1-under-par 71. Brian Marchiori, Kevin Liberto and Tyler Uhling are tied at even par to round out the top ten.
 
What’s Next: Round 2 tee times start tomorrow at 8 a.m. off No. 1 & 10 tees.
 
More Info: For more information on the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf, you can visit the tournament homepage here.

Davis Wins South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf

Fair Oaks Ranch – Jacob Davis, of Cibolo, birdied the first playoff hole to clinch a comeback victory in the 2018 South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf with a final score of 67-68-70—205. Davis trailed Conroe’s Chad Sewell by one stroke entering the final round of the 54-hole tournament. Davis shot a final-round 2-under-par 70, while Sewell finished with a 71.

San Antonio’s John Keefer shot a final-round 71 to finish one stroke behind the leaders. Jack Randle of Shenandoah and Brandon Rougeau of Washington finished at fourth and fifth, respectively. Rougeau stormed back with a final-round 66, but came up just short.

The victory required one extra hole, but it was worth the wait for Davis.

“This just means a lot more because last year I had my colon removed,” Davis said.

He spent two months in the hospital and dropped down to 110 pounds, but he says that helped him gain a deeper appreciation for golf.  “It just feels different now,” Davis said. “I sort of fell in love with the game all over again.”

An attitude like that helped him navigate conditions that were the most difficult of the weekend. After relatively little wind during the first two rounds, the wind picked up during Sunday’s final round.

“The wind swirled like crazy today,” Davis said. “I struggled picking clubs.”

He credits a hot putter throughout the weekend for helping him cover up a few mistakes. He drained a few long putts on Sunday to help him make up some ground.  

After being tied at the turn, Davis and second-round leader Chad Sewell each fired a 33 on their back nine to force a sudden-death playoff. Each player birdied No.18 on their final hole of regulation, but Davis was the one who was able to repeat that feat to clinch the championship in the playoff. Sewell missed his birdie chance and made par.

“All I told myself was ‘I can do all things through Christ,’” Davis said of his mindset going into the playoff hole. “I even said it out loud on the fairway.”

It seemed only fitting that tournament would come down to No. 18, a hole that Davis and Sewell each played at 3-under over the weekend. Davis just happened to get the last birdie of the weekend.

“Chad is obviously a great player, but I guess somebody had to win,” Davis said.

The Texas Golf Association extends sincere gratitude to the membership, Director of Golf Phil Wiese and his staff at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club for their gracious hospitality throughout the week. The Live Oak Course provided a true test of golf for the competitors. 

This concludes the 2018 South Regional Series presented by Impact Precision Golf. Impact Precision Golf is a premier club fitter located in Spring, TX. The other three events, the South Four-Ball, South Mid-Amateur, and South Senior Amateur were all contested earlier on in the season. Players must reside in the southern part of Texas (31^st parallel, Salado, TX) to be able to compete in the South Regional Series presented by Impact Precision Golf. The Texas Golf Association would like to thank our partners, Impact Precision Golf, for their commitment to amateur golf.

 Click here for the full leaderboard and complete tournament information.

Sewell Retains Lead After Second Round of South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf

Fair Oaks Ranch – Chad Sewell fired a second round 2-under-par 70 on Saturday to maintain a slim lead after moving day at the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf. Sewell holds a one stroke lead over a very tight leaderboard. The 54-hole event looks to conclude on Sunday on the Live Oak course at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club.
 
Sewell, of Conroe, once again started quickly with four birdies in his first nine holes to help him turn at 3-under. However, he stumbled a little down the stretch with two bogeys in his final four holes. He played a strong enough round to hold off a charging field on moving day, though.
 
Sewell leads John Keefer and Jacob Davis each by one stroke. Keefer, of San Antonio, cut Sewell’s overnight lead in half after carding a 3-under-par 69. After a bogey-free 66 on Friday, Keefer carded only one bogey on Saturday on his way to his 69. The lone bogey came on his first hole of the day, the par-4 10th. He recovered to rattle off four birdies from there and pick up a stroke on Sewell.
 
Davis, of Cibolo, backed up his strong opening-round 67 with a 68 on Saturday. Davis only recorded two bogeys on his way to his 4-under-par 68. That moved him up to share a tie for second at 9-under-par, 135 overall. Keefer and Davis are paired together with Sewell and will start the final round at 9:21. 
 
Calvin Ross tied for the low round of the day with a 66 to help him surge up the leaderboard into fourth place at 137 overall heading into Sunday’s final round. Jack Randle rounds out the top five at 138 overall, just four strokes off the lead.
 
Players had to navigate a different set of playing conditions on Saturday after thunderstorms rolled through Fair Oaks Ranch overnight. Heavy rain soaked the course making it softer than Friday’s first round. The overnight rain softened the greens, which rewarded strong wedge play and putting. Although the fairways had less run to them, players were still able to attack the Live Oak course. Many players saw rewards to their aggressiveness, with 15 players scoring in red numbers.
 
Sunday’s final round looks to be action packed with six players within five strokes of the leader. And with No. 18 scoring so favorably all weekend, the tournament could very well come down to the last putt on Sunday.
 
The final round of the South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf starts off Sunday morning at 8:00 am. The leaders will tee off last from Hole 1 at 9:21 am. Click here for more information, pairings, and the full leaderboard.

Sewell Leads After First Round of South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf

Fair Oaks Ranch – Chad Sewell of Conroe leads the 2018 South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf after shooting a first-round 8-under-par 64 at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club. Sewell carded ten birdies on Friday to propel him to the top of a leaderboard that has seventeen golfers in red numbers. San Antonio’s John Keefer fired a 66 to put himself well within striking distance. This year's championship is being contested on the Live Oak Course at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club in Fair Oaks Ranch, TX. 

Sewell, a sophomore at UT-San Antonio, started his opening round with a bogey on the 546-yard par-5 1st hole, one of only two bogies on the day. He recovered quickly, though, with birdies on three of his next four holes and never looked back. Sewell roared to a 6-under 30 on his back nine, finishing with a birdie on the closing hole to come into the clubhouse with plenty of momentum after Round One. Sewell, was the 54-hole leader at the 107th Texas Amateur back in 2016. Sewell will look to learn from past experience and put together another solid round on Saturday. 

Following closely behind Sewell is John Keefer, of San Antonio. Keefer sits just two strokes off the leading heading into Saturday's second round. Prior to Sewell’s finish, John Keefer shot a bogey-free 66 to take a brief lead into the clubhouse. Keefer also started his round on No. 1, just a few groups ahead of Sewell. He got under par quickly with a birdie on the second hole and continued his strong play throughout the round. He shot 33 on both his front and back nine, finishing with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole. No. 18 proved to be a solid scoring hole all day, with several players playing it under par. Jacob Davis used an eagle on No. 18 to kickstart a run that saw him play a five-hole stretch at 6-under. 
 
Jacob Davis, of Cibolo, and Tyler Walsh, of Fair Oaks Ranch, carded a 67 and a 68 respectively and sit in third and fourth place. Sitting at 3-under 69 and in a tie for 5th place are Logan Davis, Jake Wade, and Nicholas Duggan. 

The red numbers came in early and often on Friday, starting with Jake Wade’s 69 in the first group to score. Low scores continued to pour in throughout the round, leading to a crowded leaderboard. With six players all within five strokes of the leader, there should be plenty of action on moving day.
 
The TGA South Regional Series is presented by Impact Precision Golf. The South Amateur is the fourth and final South Regional event for 2018. The other three events, the South Four-Ball, South Mid-Amateur, and South Senior Amateur were all contested earlier on in the season. Players must reside in the southern part of Texas (31^st parallel, Salado, TX) to be able to compete in the South Regional Series presented by Impact Precision Golf.

The 2018 South Amateur presented by Impact Precision Golf continues at 8:00 am on Saturday, August 11^th. For first round scores, second round pairings, and additional tournament information, please click here.

Simmerman Comes From Behind to Win the South Amateur

LOST PINES – Danny Simmerman comes from behind to claim the 2016 South Amateur Championship at Wolfdancer Golf Club in Lost Pines, and his second South Regional Championship of the season. With a 54-hole total of 4-under par 212, and a final round score of even par 72, Simmerman sealed a four stroke victory.
 
Simmerman, of Shavano Park, started his round one back of the overnight leader Brady Price. Simmerman attributed his stellar play to his attitude. “I didn’t get a chance to play a practice round so I tried to stay conservative and learn the golf course”. Simmerman carded two birdies and a bogey on his opening nine to turn at 1-under par on the day, 5-under par for the Championship. “The ball striking got a little shaky on that back nine.” Simmerman began his second nine with a bogey on the par four 10^th and he followed it up with another on the par four 13^th. “I was able to hang around to make some putts. I was able to close it out with my short game.”
 
Simmerman’s fellow competitors in the final pairing left the door wide open for him. Price and Andrew Jacobe carded a 78 and 77, respectively. Both Price and Jacobe finished in a tie for third place with Nicholas Cristea, of Houston.
 
The overnight leader, Price kept his momentum going and got to 6-under for the Championship with a birdie on the par five third, but the wheels fell off after that. Price, of The Woodlands, would go on to double his next hole, the par three fourth. He went on to bogey three of the remaining five holes on his opening nine. Price’s struggles continued on his second nine with two more bogies. He was able to get something going with birdies on holes 14 and 16, but he gave the strokes right back with a double bogey on the par three 17^th.
 
 Jacobe, of Houston, started his round of one stroke back of Price and tied with Simmerman. Jacobe didn’t get off to a good start and he bogeyed his opening two holes. He went on to birdie the par five third but he couldn’t keep it going. Jacobe carded nine total bogies and finished with a 54 hole total of 217.
 
Austin’s Jake Hendrix posted a final round even par 72 to finish in second place alone at even par 216. Hendrix had three bogies to go along with three birdies in his final round to move up the leaderboard. Hendrix, a member of the Stephen F. Austin State University Men’s Golf Team, began the final round in solo 6^th before making his climb to Runner-Up.
 
Simmerman is the first individual in the Texas Golf Association South Regional Series to hold both the South Amateur title and the South Mid-Amateur title in the same year. Simmerman claimed this year’s South Mid-Amateur at Eagle Pointe Golf Club, in Mont Belvieu. “Winning both of them is special for me. Thursday was the two year anniversary of my dad passing away. I was thinking of him out there all day today.”
 
The Texas Golf Association extends their appreciation to the membership and staff of Wolfdancer Golf Club for their gracious efforts in hosting this year’s championship.
 
For final results and additional information from the 2016 South Amateur Championship, click here.