Around the Green

The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.

Wayne Wright Wins 2021 Texas Super Senior Am

FORT WORTH – Wayne Wright of Aledo shot a final round 2-over-par 73 to win the 2021 Texas Super Senior Amateur on Wednesday at Ridglea Country Club’s North Course.

Wright stayed consistent all week and held onto his second-round lead. His final round 73 put him at 3-over 216 for the week, good for a six-shot victory.

“Just winning is great,” Wright said. “I mean, I love to win.”

This marks the second time Wright has won Texas Super Senior Amateur. He previously won it in 2017 at Pine Dunes Resort in Frankston. Wright also previously won the 2019 North Senior Am at Ridglea CC’s Championship Course.

“You know, it just seems like when the competition starts, things kind of fall into place,” he said. “I really played well this week.”

Wright carded three birdies en route to victory.

“I am really pleased with the way I played,” Wright said. “I started putting a little bit better today.”

A combination of weather and Ridglea CC’s North Course proved to be challenging to the field this week as only four rounds came in under-par.

John Grace and Mike Booker both finished with under-par final rounds to share second place at 9-over 222. Ed Brooks carded a final round 73 to finish in fourth. Rounding out the top five were Chuck Gardner and Steve Moran tied at 11-over week.

Mike Rice of Houston won the Legends division by carding the low round of the week for his respective division, a 3-over 74. His 16-over 229 total edged out runner-up Denny Alexander’s 17-over 230.

Ford Cartwright and Jamey Freisleben were crowned Super Senior Am net winners after tying at a 221-total net. Butch Vaut captured the Legends division net win after finishing with a 218-total net.

The Ridglea CC North Course demanded precision from every player throughout the tournament with its rolling fairways and smaller greens that were breaking subtly. Overseeding created a beautiful lush green course as Ridglea CC was in great shape for all three rounds. The Super Senior division, for amateur men ages 65 and older, played from a total yardage of 6,229. The Legends division (75 and older) played from 5,827 yards.

Four of the past five Super Senior Amateur champions were in the field, including Odessa’s Mickey Jones, who won the event in 2018. The 2020 Super Senior Amateur was canceled because of COVID-19.

The 112th Texas Amateur is next up on the championship schedule for the TGA. The top amateurs in the state will be tested at beautiful Midland Country Club in Midland on June 17-20. For more on the 2021 Super Senior Amateur, click here.

Around the Green

The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.

Martin Wins Fall Series – Hill Country

Briefly: Trace Martin, of San Marcos, finished atop the leaderboard after three rounds at the TGA Fall Series – Hill Country at Vaaler Creek Golf Club in Blanco. Martin capped off the two-shot victory over Truett Burns with a final round 3-under par 69. Martin and Burns were the only two players to finish under par for the championship, posting 6-under 210 and 4-under 212, respectively.

Leaderboard:

 Rank  Name  City  To Par
R1 R2 R3 Total
1 Martin, Trace San Marcos -6 71 70 69 210
2 Burns, Truett Fredericksburg -4 76 68 68 212
T3 Koricanek, Wyatt New Braunfels 2 74 69 75 218
T3 Rome, Michael Austin 2 74 72 72 218
5 Kenny, Declan Dallas 4 72 81 67 220

Full Leaderboard

In Contention: Wyatt Koricanek and Michael Rome finished in a tie for third at 2-over par 218. Rome was victorious in the TGA Fall Series – Houston at The Clubs of Kingwood in October. Declan Kenny finished with the low round of the tournament when he posted a 5-under par 67 in the final round to finish in solo fifth place.

Golf Course: Vaaler Creek Golf Club, located inside the Rockin’ J Ranch development in Blanco, opened in July 2009. Designed by Michael Lowry, Vaaler Creek features well-placed bunkers and beautiful water-features that provide a challenging, yet relaxing round of golf for players of all skill levels.

Tournament Format: The TGA Fall Series is a 54-hole individual stroke play event with no cut. The tournament field features 17 participants in the Men’s Division playing from approximately 6,800 yards.

Weather: Overcast skies each morning gave way to sunshine for the first two rounds, which saw temperatures reach the low 70s. The final round began with dense fog and a misting rain throughout the day.

What’s Next: The final TGA Fall Series – DFW #2 will be held at Hackberry Creek Country Club on November 16 – 18. The Texas Golf Association would like to extend our appreciation to the staff and members of Vaaler Creek Golf Club for hosting this year’s TGA Fall Series – Hill Country.

For more information about the TGA Fall Series – Hill Country, click here.

Around the Green

The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.

Ridglea Country Club to Host Women’s Senior Stroke Play Championship

FORT WORTH – The 2020 Women’s Senior Stroke Play Championship will be played Sept. 28-30 at Ridglea Country Club’s Family 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.

“We are very honored to be hosting this event,” Ridglea Head Golf Professional Scott Adams said. “As a father of two golfing girls, there is a special place in my heart for women’s competitions.”

Scheduled for 54 holes of individual stroke play, the 96-player field will be split into flights following Round 2 based on 36-hole scores. Though the entire field will compete for the overall Championship, there will be five separate divisions for the final round. Competitors between the ages of 65-70 will compete for the Women’s Super-Senior Stroke Play Championship, while players 71 and older will compete for the Women’s Super-Super-Senior Stroke Play Championship.

At the 2019 Women’s Senior Stroke Play, Anna Schultz of Heath claimed her third Women’s Senior Stroke Play title. The decorated amateur golfer carded rounds of 74-71-71 at Pebble Creek Country Club to hold off Marilyn Hard of Magnolia by three strokes. Marian Barker of Lubbock, who won the 2018 Women’s Senior Stroke Play, captured the Women’s Super-Senior Division with rounds of 74-74-75, while Pam Almandoz of Houston defended her title in the Women’s Super-Super-Senior Division.

Schultz, who was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 2013, is among this year’s field and is looking to win her fourth title. But there will be plenty of other decorated players on hand determined to make their own history. The list includes 2019 runner-up Marilyn Hardy, decorated amateur golfer Jewell Malick, 2018 Super-Senior Champion Jan Rapp and TGA President Leslie Henry.

“We are fortunate to have a large group of talented senior women golfers in the state of Texas and the TGA is looking forward to showcasing one of the premier clubs in North Texas,” Director of Women’s Operations Amy Worthington said. “This year’s field includes some of our best players who love competing at a high level and we are excited for a safe and competitive championship.”

For more information about the Women’s Senior Stroke Play Championship, click here.

ABOUT THE TGA: Founded in 1906 as the governing body of amateur golf in Texas, the TGA is an official representative of the United States Golf Association and the only licensed distributor of USGA GHIN Handicaps. We serve all golfers across Texas with elite competitive championships and recreational playing opportunities for men, women, seniors and juniors. The TGA is represented by hundreds of public and private facility Member Clubs throughout the state. It is our honor and responsibility to promote, protect and grow the game of golf on all levels. To learn more, click here.

Around the Green

The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.

Women’s Four-Ball Set for Aug. 10-11

MIDLAND – The 2020 Women’s Four-Ball  will be played Aug. 10-11 at Midland Country Club.

“The TGA is very excited to return to Midland Country Club,” TGA Director of Women’s Operations Amy Worthington said. “Since the event was started, the field has continued to get stronger and stronger and showcase some of the most talented players in the state.”

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). Midland Country Club Head Golf Professional Evan Dunkerson says the membership and staff is excited to welcome some of the top female amateur golfers back to West Texas.

“To be selected to host any TGA event is an honor,” Dunkerson said. “But to be selected to host an event as unique as the Women’s Four-Ball is special.  We look forward to hosting a great field of talented and competitive women from all over the state of Texas.”

Scheduled for 36 holes of four-ball stroke play, the Women’s Four-Ball will feature two sets of tees for the second consecutive year. The TGA wants to encourage women’s participation at every stage, from juniors to collegiate players to senior amateurs of all skill levels. The 10 teams with the lowest combined WHS handicap indexes will be required to play in the Championship Flight. All other teams have the choice to select which flight they would prefer to compete in.

“The separate tees will allow for a better playing experience for all of our players and makes this championship more competitive,” Worthington said.

The first Women’s Four-Ball was held in 2007 at Redstone Golf Club. Now in its 14th playing, the Women’s Four-Ball continues to attract some of the state’s best female amateur golfers.

Last year, Faith Delagarza of Midland and Amari Smith of McKinney fired a closing 9-under-par 63 at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s Miller Course. Delagarza and Smith, who are teammates at Dallas Baptist University, will look to defend their title this year at Midland Country Club.

For more information about the Women’s Four-Ball, click here.

ABOUT THE TGA: Founded in 1906 as the governing body of amateur golf in Texas, the TGA is an official representative of the United States Golf Association and the only licensed distributor of USGA GHIN Handicaps. We serve all golfers across Texas with elite competitive championships and recreational playing opportunities for men, women, seniors and juniors. The TGA is represented by hundreds of public and private facility Member Clubs throughout the state. It is our honor and responsibility to promote, protect and grow the game of golf on all levels. To learn more, click here.