Logan Thomason Wins South Mid-Amateur

Briefly: Logan Thomason, from Montgomery, overcame a two-shot deficit heading into the final round of the South Mid-Amateur to win by one stroke over four players. Thomason navigated his way around the Forest Course at The Clubs of Kingwood at three-over par 219 for three days, all while battling a different golf course each day due to the early spring weather in Kingwood. This is Thomason’s first victory with the Texas Golf Association.

Final Results

Golf Course: The Forest Course at The Clubs of Kingwood, considered the most challenging of the five layouts at the 90-hole facility, opened in 1992 and was designed by the architectural firm of Finger Dye Spann, Inc. The par-72 layout along the San Jacinto River played approximately 6,825 yards for the week. Portions of this year’s championship course were used in the 1996 major motion picture Tin Cup starring Kevin Costner.

Weather: Players dodged scattered showers during Friday’s opening round. After a brief fog delay to start round two, players enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80’s. Sunday’s final round again brought scattered showers and cooler temperatures with a high in the low 70’s.

Top Finishers: Thomason posted rounds of 72-74-73 over his three days which included a key birdie on the 17^th hole in the final round to secure his one stroke victory. Thomason began the final round at even par as he turned to the final nine holes, where he doubled the par 5 10^th hole. Steadying the ship, he birdied the next two holes to get back to even par for the day en route to his victory.

Finishing one shot off the lead in a tie for second place were Humble’s Logan Boatner, John Hunter and Juan Salcedo Signoret, both of The Woodlands, and Richmond’s Otto Iskandar. Tied for sixth at 5-over par 221 were Joey Guillon and Randy Lance, both of Spring. Rounding out the top eight at 6-over par 222 were Houston’s Brett Battson and Todd Albert, of Katy.

Mid-Master Recognition: Otto Iskandar finished the South Mid-Amateur as the low Mid-Master (the lowest player in the field following play over the age of 40 years old) with his tie for second place.

Regional POY: South Player of the Year points will be awarded to the top finishers at the 2023 South Mid-Amateur. The winner will receive 900 points, followed by 750 for second, 650 for third, 600 for fourth, and 550 for fifth. The top 30 finishers (and ties) will earn South Player of the Year points. For Regional POY information, click here.

What’s Next: The South Regional Series will head to Gus Wortham Park Golf Course for the 2023 South Senior Amateur. The event will be contested April 4-5 on the recently renovated historical 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 The Clubs of Kingwood as well as our volunteers for their integral part in making the South Mid-Amateur a memorable and successful event. For more information on the South Mid-Amateur, click here.

Robert Gwin Wins South Mid-Amateur

MONTGOMERY – Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s own Robert Gwin claimed the South Mid-Amateur title after shooting even-par 72 on the final day, for a three-day score of five-under-par on the Weiskopf Course at Bentwater Yacht & Country. Entering the final round, Gwin was one stroke behind Cypress’ Kevin Liberto, who finished tied for second going three-over-par 75, for a tournament score of three-under-par. Tied with Liberto was Todd Albert, of Katy, who fired a four-under-par 68 final round. John Hunter, The Woodlands, and Padden Nelson, Houston, finished tied for fourth with three-day scores of two-under-par. With Nelson’s final round two-over-par 74, he claimed Mid-Master Award, which recognizes players in the field that are 40 years of age or older.  Clay Fullick, from Conroe finished one stroke behind Nelson, while Cypress’ Kurtis Lilley was two strokes behind Nelson in the Mid-Master Recognition.

 

LEADERBOARD

 

1. Robert Gwin, Montgomery                             69-70-72 – 211

T-2. Todd Albert, Katy                                          73-72-68 – 213

T-2. Kevin Liberto, Cypress                                  72-66-75 – 213

T-4. John Hunter, The Woodlands                     72-71-71 – 214

T-4. Padden Nelson, Houston                             70-70-74 – 214

 

FULL LEADERBOARD

 

Top Finishers – Robert Gwin finished the first round leading by one stroke, only to find Kevin Liberto one stroke ahead of him after the second round of play. Gwin’s birdie on the par four 16 on Sunday provided enough cushion to take a two-stroke lead after Liberto bogeyed that same hole. Todd Albert battled the windy conditions and was able to climb up the leaderboard to finish in a tie for second following his four-under-par 68 on the final day. John Hunter’s one-under-par 71 on Sunday allowed him to move into a tie for fourth with Padden Nelson.

 

Notable Moment: Michael Glisan, from ­­­­Houston, had a hole-in-one on the par three hole 3 from 197 yards during the second round play on Saturday. This was Michael’s first career hole-in-one.

 

Weather: The sun shined across clear skies for the first round of play on Friday as the temperature rose to around 85 degrees by mid-afternoon. Saturday morning began with overcast skies that lingered for much of the second round, with the high for the day at 82 degrees. The course wasn’t the only challenge for the field on Sunday, as wind was a big factor with gusts reaching 24 mph by noon. Light rain fell early in the afternoon while the temperature eventually got to 65 degrees as the final round finished.

 

Host Course: Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery features 36-holes across the Miller and Weiskopf courses. The 18-hole Weiskopf Course at is a collaboration between Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Rolling fairways and TifEagle greens are surrounded by thick forests of hardwood and pines. The 14th hole par three offers a picturesque setting, perched on the water’s edge from tee to green.

 

Next Up: The South Regional Series next event will be at the South Senior Amateur at Kissing Tree Golf Club in San Marcos on April 5-6.

 

Registration for the 112^th Texas Amateur at Midland Country Club is open until Wednesday, March 31. Players can register for a qualifier by following this link.

 

For more information on the South Regional Series and South Mid-Amateur, please visit www.TXGA.org.