Fulmer and Alden Win South Four-Ball

Date: February 26, 2023

Contact: Justin Guthrie, Texas Golf Association

Phone: (214) 468-8942

Email: [email protected]

Briefly: Austen Fulmer and Jonathan Alden overcome a two-shot deficit in final round to win the 2023 South Four-Ball. The duo from Cedar Park finished with a tournament score of 129, 15-under par, after rounds of 64 and 65. This was good for a one shot victory of a crowded leaderboard with 19 teams under par for the weekend.

Final Results

Golf Course: Vaaler Creek Golf Club, located off U.S. Highway 281 between Austin and San Antonio, opened in 2009 and was designed by Michael Lowry. The par-72 course played approximately 6,864 yards for this year’s South Four-Ball.

Weather: The weekend consisted of mostly cloudy and overcast skies during the South Four-Ball. Cool mornings and warmer afternoons were a consistent trend for the player. Along with a one hour and 15-miunte fog delay Sunday morning, players had to navigate wind gusts up to 30 mph.

Top Finishers: Fulmer and Alden finished the weekend bogey free while carding one eagle and 13 birdies. The pairs strongest golf came when it mattered most down the stretch on Sunday afternoon. Trailing by two strokes on the 14^th tee the team went birdie, birdie, birdie on holes 14, 15, and 16 to take a one-shot lead over the field. Back-to-back pars on the two closing holes was enough to take the clubhouse lead at 15-under par, and ultimately win the tournament.

Finishing one shot off the lead in second place was the team of Thomas Immenschuh and Sean Ferris. Round one leaders Carson Cooper and Grant Doggett finished in third place with a score of 131, 13-under par. Tied for fourth place was Colin Peck/Warren Smith and Marshall Roenigk/Nickolas Martinez. Both teams finished at 9-under par, 135.

Regional POY: South Player of the Year points will be awarded to the top finishers at the 2023 South Four-Ball. The winning team will receive 400 points, followed by 250 for second, 200 for third, 150 for fourth, and 100 for fifth. Points will be awarded to both players on the team individually. For Regional POY information, click here.

What’s Next: The South Regional Series will head to The Clubs of Kingwood for the 2023 South Mid-Amateur. The event will be played March 24-26 on the Forest Course.

Registration for the 114^th Texas Amateur is currently open and will close on March 29 at 5:00 PM. For more information and to register for the Texas Amateur, click here.

More Info: The Texas Golf Association extends its sincere appreciation to the staff and members of Vaaler Creek Golf Club as well as our volunteers for their integral part in making the South Four-Ball a memorable and successful event. For more information on the South Four-Ball, click here.

Regional Four-Balls Set for Feb. 25-26

The Texas Golf Association’s 2023 men’s tournament schedule kicks off with the North and South Regional Four-Ball Championships. The season openers will be held concurrently from Feb. 25-26.

The North Four-Ball will be played on The Courses at Watters Creek’s Traditions Course in Plano. Vaaler Creek Golf Club in Blanco will be the host site for the South Four-Ball.

Opened in 1986, the Traditions Course at Watters Creek was originally designed by Robert von Hagge and Bruce Devlin. It was remodeled by D.A. Weibring and Golf Resources Group in 2012. Vaaler Creek Golf Club, located off U.S. Highway 281 between Austin and San Antonio, opened in 2009 and was designed by Michael Lowry.

First played in 2003, Regional Four-Ball entries are open to two-player teams of male amateur golfers with each member of the team having an up-to-date WHS Handicap Index® not exceeding 8.4 issued through a member club of the TGA and residing in the region relative to their respective championship. The delineation between the North and South regions is the 31st parallel in Salado.

Both championships are conducted using the same competitive format. The starting field of 44 teams (88 players) will play 36 holes of four-ball stroke play over two days with no cut. Regional performance points, which are applied to the yearlong North and South Player of the Year races, are awarded to the top five team finishers.

Starting times and pairings for the first round will be posted on the TGA website no later than Feb. 21. Live scoring updates and daily recaps will also be available online once the action gets underway from The Courses at Watters Creek and Vaaler Creek Golf Club.

At last year’s North Four-Ball, three teams were tied for the lead at 12-under-par 132 after 36 holes of regulation play at Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater. Bobby Massa and Christopher Wheeler would go on to capture the title with a birdie on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff. Ryan Haselden and Matt Williams carded rounds of 68-68 to win the 2022 South Four-Ball at Sterling Country Club in Houston. Their 36-hole, 8-under 136 total was good for a one-shot victory over Jason Coffin and Vincent Martino.

Williams and Haselden Win 2022 South Four-Ball

Houston – After two rounds of less-than-ideal playing conditions, the team of Matt Williams and Ryan Haselden went wire-to-wire to win the 2022 South Four-Ball at Sterling Country Club. The Houston duo shot back-to-back rounds of 4-under 68 to win by one stroke over Vincent Martino and Jason Coffin with a two-day total of 8-under par 136.

LEADERBOARD
1. Matt Williams/Ryan Hasleden -8 136
2. Vincent Martino/Jason Coffin -7 137
T3. John Hunter/Joey Gullion -6 138
T3. Toby Zeringue/Shawn Stoute -6 138
5. Logan Thomason/Sam Hochhauser -5 139
6. Todd Albert/Kevin Liberto -4 140

Final Results

Top Finishers – Williams and Haselden played consistent golf over the two round with just a single bogey during the first round. This is their first TGA victory and they will sit atop the Regional Player of the Year board with each player receiving 400 points for their victory. The Regional POY will issue points for the top five teams this week.

Martino and Coffin began the final round two shots back of the leaders and posted a final round 5-under par 67 for a 36-hole total of 7-under par 137. John Hunter and Joey Gullion finished in a tie for third place with Toby Zeringue and Shawn Stoute at 6-under par 138. Zeringue and Stoute won the 2020 South Four-Ball at The Clubs of Kingwood. The 2021 South Four-Ball champions Todd Albert and Kevin Liberto finished in solo 6th place.

Weather – Teams battled the elements during Saturday’s first round as temperatures never got above 43 degrees with a steady drizzle and winds out of the north. Sunday’s final round once again saw cold temperatures to begin play, but that gave way to sunny skies and low 50s as play wrapped up.

Course – This year’s South Four-Ball was contested at Sterling Country Club, set amid rolling hills in the northwest section of the city. Sterling CC was designed by Jeff Blume and opened for play in 2011; the private property is shared with Houston National Golf Club, one of Houston’s premier daily-fee facilities. Sterling CC has hosted numerous qualifying events as well as the South Mid-Amateur (2013) and the South Amateur (2019) for the TGA.

Next Up – The South Regional Series next event will be the South Mid-Amateur at Forest Creek Golf Club, March 18-20, 2022. For information, click here.

For more information on the Texas Golf Association, South Regional Series and South Four-Ball please visit www.txga.org.

TGA Regional Four-Balls Set for Feb. 26-27

The Texas Golf Association’s 2022 tournament season kicks off with the North and South Regional Four-Ball Championships. Both events will be held concurrently from Feb. 26-27.

The North Four-Ball will be played at Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater. Sterling Country Club in Houston will host the South Four-Ball.

Located about 15 miles west of Longview on State Highway 135, Tempest Golf Club re-opened in 2018 following a $20 million dollar renovation overseen by Jeffrey Brauer. Sterling Country Club, set amid rolling hills in the northwest section of the city, was designed by Jeff Blume and opened for play in 2011.

First conducted in 2003, the Regional Four-Balls are open to male amateur golfers who belong to a TGA Member Club, have a World Handicap System Index of 8.4 or less and reside in the region relative to their respective championship. The TGA uses the 31st parallel in Salado as the delineation between the North and South regions.

Both events are contested using the same tournament format. The 40-team starting fields will play 36 holes of four-ball stroke play over two days with no cut. Regional performance points, which are applied to the yearlong North and South Player of the Year races, are awarded to the top five team finishers.

Live scoring updates and daily recaps, as well as tee times and pairings, will be available at txga.org once the action gets underway from Tempest Golf Club and Sterling Country Club.

At the 2021 North Four-Ball, Derek Abel of Dallas and Christopher Wheeler of Addison captured the title on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff against Colby Amparan and Gary Ezmerlian, both of Fort Worth. The two teams were tied at 11-under-par 133 after 36 holes of regulation play on the Masters Course at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. Todd Albert of Katy and Kevin Liberto of Cypress carded rounds of 68-65 to win the 2021 South Four-Ball on the El Dorado Course at Quail Valley Golf Course & City Centre in Missouri City. Their 36-hole, 9-under 133 total was good for a two-shot victory over Casey Carnes of Schertz and Zan Terry of San Antonio.

Albert and Liberto Win 2021 South Four-Ball

Missouri City – Trailing by one stroke heading into the final round, Todd Albert of Katy and Kevin Liberto of Cypress battle back to win on the Eldorado Course at Quail Valley Golf Course. A seven-under par, 65, in the final round was one stroke off the course low score for the day as players battled the elements. In the first round, Albert and Liberto posted a 4-under par 68 which had an eagle on the par-5 seventh and two birdies on the par-3 eights and par-5 tenth on the scorecard. 4-under par 68 was good enough to get Albert and Liberto into the final group and tied for second. To start the final round, Albert came out hot as he birdied six of the first seven holes on his own ball. Albert kept it rolling on the backside as he carded another three birdies. Liberto was steady throughout the day and provided when the team needed. Liberto had one birdie on the day on the par-4 fifteenth. The teams strong final round was enough to secure them a two stroke win and nine-under par tournament total, 133, and the South Four-Ball crown.

LEADERBOARD

1. Todd Albert/Kevin Liberto, -9 (133)

2. Zan Terry/Casey Carnes, -7 (135)

T3.  Jess Bonneau/James Bartell, -5 (137)

T3.  Ryan Clarke/Cade Roberts, -5 (137)

T5.  Jason Swanson/Travis Stiegman, -3 (139)

T5.  John Braniff/Titus Harris, -3 (139)

T5.  Scott Kulcak/Will Orr, -3 (139)

Final Results

Top Finishers – Zan Terry of San Antonio and Casey Carnes of Schertz finished solo second with a tournament total of seven-under par, 135 (70-65). The teams final round highlight came from Carnes as he carded a 6-under par, 29, on his own ball to start the round. Tied for third place at five-under par was Jess Bonneau and James Bartell of Houston and Ryan Clarke of Houston and Cade Roberts of Cypress. Clarke and Roberts were the leadings going into the final round after an opening round of 67, five-under par. Three teams finished in a tie for fifth place at three-under par, 139.

Weather: Thursday’s first round reached a high of 73 degrees with mostly clear and sunny skies into the afternoon. The afternoon consisted over overcast skies and wind gusts up 16 mph. Players battled the elements during Friday’s final round. Temperatures again reached a high of 73 degrees on Friday with overcast skies producing rain on and off throughout the round.

Course: The South Four-Ball was contested on the El Dorado course at Quail Valley Golf Course in Missouri City. Designed by Jack Miller, Jay Rivere and Jeffery D. Blume, the El Dorado course features Bermuda Fairways and Greens. The layout of the course includes rolling terrain, unique undulations and numerous lakes and creeks.

Next Up: The South Regional Series next event will be the South Amateur at Galveston Country Club, August 6-8, 2021. For information, click here.

For more information on the Texas Golf Association, South Regional Series and South Four-Ball please visit www.txga.org.