The Fianna Hills Open

Saturday, November 17, 2012
Players from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas compete for the Fianna Hills Open title!  Arkansas took two trophies, Oklahoma took one, Missouri took one, and Texas took one.

Fort Smith, AR - What started as a chilly morning culminated in perfect Arkansas River Valley weather.  Overnight temperatures dipped low enough to make the already fast greens at the Fianna Hills Country Club even a little more firm!  If that wasn't enough, the changing fall colors made golf balls difficult to find.  Read on to see how the battles shaped up.

Flight Winners:  

Michael Dryer

Championship Flight  (0-3.9) – One of the largest fields for the Championship Flight in Arkansas AM Tour history yielded some great matches.  Matthew McKown of Van Buren, AR responded with heart to what could have been a devastating opening quad with six birdies!  Of all the players in contention, Michael Dryer of Bella Vista, AR had the fewest birdies with only one.  Dryer, however, had only 3 blemishes on his card - and they were only bogeys.  McKown was leading with two holes left to play but stumbled.  Steady play (14 pars) and ''a little luck'' (finding a tee shot after hitting two provisionals) are what Dryer credits to his victory.  Even par on the back nine was crucial! One trophy for Arkansas.

Roland Lewis

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – Roland Lewis  of Tulsa, OK played well enough on the front nine to  survive a string of bogeys on the back nine which gave Chris Blankenship of Stigler OK a chance to get close! A three over par front nine gave Lewis the cushion he needed to hold off Blankenship's five over par back nine.  Statistically, the two played a very close match - an equal amount of pars and near equal amount of bogeys.  It was the 'others' that cost Blankenship a run to the title.  It was an Oklahoma all the way kind of day in the Palmer flight - one trophy for Oklahoma.

Bill Matthews

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – Can you say ''déjà' vu all over again?''  When Bill Matthews of Houston, TX finished his round, he didn't think an 83 would hold up.  Since there were 13 players in the field, he'd have to wait for awhile to learn that he was going to be in a playoff - again - with Pat Weaver of Germantown, TN.  It was a replay of the finish of the Red River shootout at Winstar in June of 2012 when Matthews and Weaver tied after two days and Weaver won in a sudden death playoff.  It tok “three career shots” in his round to get him there, and Matthews was not going to squander the opportunity.  After two holes, Texas would walk away with a trophy and Matthews would have his revenge.

Matt Howard

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) –   With four holes left, it was anybody's tournament.  Kirby Rogers of Muldrow, OK held a one stroke lead over Steve Rutherford of Bella Vista, AR.  Matthew Howard of Bentonville was four strokes out, but finishing strong only one over par let him come back for his first win on the AM Tour.  Sinking a couple of long par putts kept him in it and proved to be the difference.  Two trophies for Arkansas.  

Dean Anderson

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) – Most golfers have the 'if only for one hole' story, but for Craig Merrill of Roland, AR, it was that one hole that may have kept him from a chance for victory.  Dean Alexander of Appleton City, MO did, however, earned his first victory on the AM Tour with a couple of birdies on the front nine.  Alexander said he played conservatively by hitting lots of irons off the tee and not 'going for' par 5's when he could have.  Since the greens were so fast, he felt that laying up would be a winning strategy.  It proved to be a four point strategy and he brings a trophy home to Missouri.

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For a complete list of results and pictures visit our GCAT Facebook Page or go to the  results site or go to our  Picasa web site .

For more information about the GCAT of Arkansas:
Paul C. Gomez
Arkansas Director, Golf Channel AM Tour
917-553-3814
pgomez@GCAmTour.com

Tribute to Payne Stewart

Sunday, November 3, 2012
Fast greens and ominous hazards result in challenging conditions!

Branson, MO - The greens were immaculate and lightning fast, rolling at a 13!  Add to that two of the hardest opening holes anywhere, the true winner was the Payne Stewart golf course!  Holes #1, #2, and #17 all played 2.66 strokes above par on average!  Only one hole, the short par 4 #13 played even par across the entire field.  Read on to see how each flight performed.

Flight Winners:

Jared Jordan

Championship Flight (0-3.9) – The three championship flight scored 8 over par on the first hole and 8 over on the next par 3.  A rough first nine was going to reward whoever could settle down and score.  After starting with a triple-bogey on the first hole, Jared Jordan of Rolla, MO finished the last six holes of the course only two over to win his first event on the AM Tour.

Don Karl

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – It was back and forth all day between Don Karl of Lees Summit, MO and Wayne Baldwin of Russellville, AR.  A birdie on the difficult par 3 by Karl and a double by Baldwin on thee same hole.  A birdie by Baldwin on the difficult #17 wasn't enough to recover and Karl pulled away with a victory by 3. 

Chad Schuschmann

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – It looked like Michael Quesenberry of Wentzville, MO was going to recover from a shaky start by making nine pars in a row from #8 to #16.  Chad Schuchmann also scattered eight pars throughout his round with one birdie.  The two most important ones were the finishing two which gave him the three stroke margin which surpassed Quesenberry's faltering finish.  Schuchmann's final score of 84 was the low round of the day and was good for his second victory in a row.  Schuchmann said the key to his victory was his ability to “get up and down” well all day long.

Matthew Holden

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) –  Nathan Holden of Raymore, MO shot his consistent 80's kind of round by staying focused and thinking only about one hole at a time.  It proved to be the correct strategy as he won his first event on the AM Tour.  Holden never carded anything more than a double bogey.  An 86 was enough to beat the field by seven strokes.  Matthew Howard of Bentonville, AR played well enough to finish 2nd among the ten Hogans.  It was his best finish in two tries.

Mitchell Gustin

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) – Eight pars and a birdie gave Mitchell Gustin of Story City, IA his a first place finish in the field of seven.  With only one "other" on his card, Gustin was eight strokes better than his nearest competitor, Dean Alexander of Appleton City, MO.  Gustin's scoring average was just better than bogey golf which is an excellent performance considering the difficulty of the golf course.

Eric Thomas

Snead Flight (20.0 +) – Eric Thomas of Bonner Springs, KS said that good shot placement below the hole was key to his success on Saturday.  Having twice as many pars as anyone else in his flight was also a good strategy.  Even at 5800 yards didn't make the difficult course less challenging.  It was his his first win in 13 tries on the AM Tour.  Congratulations, Mr. Thomas!






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Giant Skins

You may remember that we intended to pay out both flight skins and giant skins.  It was well intentioned, however, when I paid out the flight skins I used the spreadsheet with the payout based on $20 flight skins.  Meaning that the flight skins paid out assuming a $20 per player pot not a $15 per player pot leaving no money left for a giant skins payout.  So, just for information, here's how the seven giant skins earned would have been awarded (one to each flight, by the way):

•  Chris Smith (Snead), birdie on #1
• Kirby Rogers (Sarazen), birdie on # 4
• Chad Schuchmann (Hogan), birdie on # 9
• Mitchell Gustin (Jones), birdie on # 12
• Michael Dryer (Championship), birdie on # 15
• Don Karl (Palmer), birdie on # 16
• Wayne Baldwin (Palmer), birdie on #17

For a complete list of results and pictures visit our GCAT Facebook Page or go to the  results site or go to our  Picasa web site .

For more information about the GCAT of Arkansas:
Paul C. Gomez
Arkansas Director, Golf Channel AM Tour
917-553-3814
pgomez@GCAmTour.com

Four State Amateur Championship

Sunday, October 20, 2012
Beautiful Fall Golf for the Four State Amateur Championship

Joplin, MO - It looked like it would be a blow out - that is a wind blown event.  However, the winds settled and the conditions were perfect for a fall golf competition at the Eagle Creek golf club of the Downstream Casino.  Players from five states came to compete for the Four State Amateur Championship!

Flight Winners:

Matt McKown

Championship Flight (0-3.9) – It was a day to go low for the Championship flight where Matthew McKown of Van Buren, AR delivered a smooth even par 71 to win by four!  McKown holed out on a par 4 to offset a double bogey.  A birdie offset a bogey to keep the round even par.  McKown said the abilityt o convert his misses to pars in the windy conditions was the key factor for his first victory on his first attempt on the AM Tour. 

Rocky Jones

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – It was a test of survival in the Palmer flight to produce a victor.  In the end, Rocky Jones of Platte City, MO had a string of pars that proved to be the difference maker in this flight.  Jones shot an 81 to best his nearest competitor, Andrew Ganey of Saint Louis, MO, by 7.  This makes Jones' 5th victory on tour since 2010.  Jones said he just “tried to stay within [his own] capabilities” today and that's what yielded his win. 

Mike Quesenberry

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – Michael Quesenberry of Wentzville, MO finished strong by going one under in his last six holes with a dramatic birdie finish on the 18th, shooting an 81, to overtake David Price of Pawhuska, OK by one!  Price had an equally dramatic start to the day with five straight pars.  It wasn't enough to hold off the Quesenberry's charge who “persevered” through his slow front nine start. Quesenberry has been playing the AM Tour since 2009!  Timothy Wilcoxon of Lenexa, KS placed 3rd in the flight with an 84. 

Stan Emerson

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) – Stanley Emerson of Topeka, KS and Jay Williams of Van Buren, AR were tied at 60 through twelve holes on Saturday.  Both players had a couple of stumble holes coming home, but Emerson was able to hold on and win by one with a 91.  Emerson said he felt lucky to win since he struggled on the back nine, but loved the course and had fun.  Evidently so, as Emerson has been playing the AM Tour since 2009!

Vernon Livergood

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) –Vernon Livergood of Kansas City, MO turned in a record round in beautiful conditions to beat the rest of his flight by 12!  This makes his 50th event since joining the tour in 2009 and his first tournament score in the 70's!  Livergood said he hit his driver exceptionally well and had a nice little draw on his irons that just worked for him!  Congratulations Vernon!

Rick Henthorn

Snead Flight (20.0 +) – It took a one hole sudden death playoff for Rick Henthron of Yukon, OK to defeat Paul Fromm of West Des Moines, IA. Both players turned in a 102 after eighteen holes with Fromm making 1 of only 3 of the birdies in the entire flight.  Henthorn nearly drove away from the premises when called in for the playoff.  He said the key to his victory was simply to “never give up.”






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For a complete list of results and pictures visit our GCAT Facebook Page or go to the  results site or go to our  Picasa web site .

For more information about the GCAT of Arkansas:
Paul C. Gomez
Arkansas Director, Golf Channel AM Tour
917-553-3814
pgomez@GCAmTour.com

Northwest Arkansas Fall Championship

Sunday, September 22, 2012

Perfect weather! Great course!

Rogers, Ar – The GC AM tour of Arkansas kicked off the 2013 season in perfect weather and a fantastic golf course in great condition. Shadow Valley Country Club is well know for being challenging but fair from any tee box. It didn't disappoint on Saturday under ideal conditions.

Flight Winners:

Matt McClain

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – Matt Mcclain of Decatur, AR and Scot Carter of Bella Vista, AR were neck and neck all day until the final few holes when McClain took advantage of a couple of stumbles by Carter and finished three strokes better than Carter. With this, McClain wins his second tour event.

Lee Siler

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – Even though it seemed like Lee Siler of Rogers, AR had securely established a lead in the Hogan flight, David Price of Pawhuska, OK tried to take advantage of some late round jitters. In the end, Siler won his first event since 2010 on the AM Tour.

Jay Williams

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) – Jay Williams of Van Buren, AR made tour history, again!, by making a hole in one on #6! Williams gripped down on a pitching wedge to the 125 yard pin, threw it passed the hole, and sucked it back into the hole. He needed that cushion to win by 3 strokes over Danny Neal of Springdale, AR.

Craig Merrill

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) – Craig Merrill of Roland, AR had a sufficient enough lead that his one ''blow up'' hole didn't cost him the tournament. Merrill finished 5 better than Dennis Baxter of Bella Vista, AR to claim the first victory of the 2013 season!

Chris Smith

Snead Flight (20.0 +) – Chris Smith of Fort Smith, AR hung on to win the Snead flight while carding the only birdie in the flight. Smith avoided any double-digit numbers which secured him a confident lead over his competitors. This makes his third victory on the AM Tour since joining last year.

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For a complete list of results and pictures visit our GCAT Facebook Page or go to the results site or go to our  Picasa web site . 

For more information about the GCAT of Arkansas:

Paul C. Gomez

Arkansas Director, Golf Channel AM Tour

917-553-3814

pgomez@GCAmTour.com

2012 Season Recap

First, let me say thank you to all of you who played, supported, and made the GC AM tour of Arkansas a great experience. Great new venues will be coming your way for the launch of the 2013 season this fall – stay tuned!

Here's to the FLIGHT CHAMPIONS of each flight:

Championship Flight: Michael Dryer

Palmer Flight: Derek Goodson

Hogan Flight: Josh Hinojosa

Sarazen Flight: Jay Williams

Jones Flight: Brandon Walters

Snead Flight: Chris Smith

Senior Championship Flight: Al Smith

Senior Hogan Flight: Pat Weaver

Senior Sarazen Flight: John Hamilton

Senior Jones Flight: Dennis Baxter

Senior Snead Flight: Vicki Lynch

Here's to those on our tour who qualified (and are eligible) for nationals by coming in 1^st through 3^rd place at a major:

Wayne Baldwin: T3 at the Lake of the Ozarks Classic

Al Smith: 2^nd at Texas Masters at Horseshoe Bay

Pat Weaver: 1^st at the Red River shootout at Winstar Resort

John Hamilton: 1^st at the Emerald Coast Amateur at Sandestin

Here's to those who won three events in their flight:

Championship: Mike Dryer

Senior Sarazen: Craig Merrill

Here's to those qualified (and eligible) by being in the top 25% of their flight:

Champ: Michael Dryer (exempt)

Palmer: Derek Goodson, Wayne Baldwin (exempt)

Hogan: Josh Hinojosa, Brad McConnell

Sarazen: Jay Williams

Snead: Chris Smith

Sr Champ: Al Smith (exempt)

Sr Hogan: Pat Weaver (exempt), Kirby Rogers

Sr Sarazen: John Hamilton (exempt), Jerry Robinson, Michael Petersen

Sr Jones: Dennis Baxter (exempt)

Sr Snead: Vicki Lynch

Here's to those qualified by winning the Summer Series:

Palmer Flight: Matt McClain

Hogan Flight: Brad McConnell

Sr. Hogan Flight: Richard Ainsworth

Sr. Sarazen Flight: Danny Neal

Now please encourage and support our tour players going to Nationals at TPC Sawgrass:

Wayne Baldwin

Derek Goodson

Al Smith

Pat Weaver

John Hamilton

Jerry Robinson

Craig Merrill

Sunday, July 21, 2012

Hot and Windy in Danville, Arkansas

Danville, AR – Chamberlyne Country Club boasts the honor of being in John Daly's backyard and seeing him play here regularly. So the AM Tour of Arkansas came to town to try their hand on a course Daly has regularly played. Continue reading for results.

Flight Winners:

Palmer Flight – After six holes it didn't look like Roland Lewis of Tulsa, OK was going to be able to overcome a rough start. He finally settled down and and shot even par for the last 12 holes to pass by the three players ahead of him and win by four strokes. It's a course he likes and the conditions suited him well. Good putting and finding real trouble only once was his key to victory. Derek Goodson of Ft. Smith Arkansas placed second.

Sarazen Flight – Once again a steady finish proves to be the determining factor for a win. With six holes to play, John Hamilton of Hot Springs Village, AR led Jay Williams of Van Buren, AR by 3 strokes and Danny Neal of West Fork, AR by 2 strokes. However, Neal played the last 6 holes in just 3 over par allowing him to eek his way past both Williams and Hamilton. Neal stated that trying to stay steady and avoiding big numbers were key to his victory.

Jones Flight - In the final flight of the day, all cards but two had a double digit score except for two. Through 13 holes Patrick Emerson of Oletha, KS and Craig Merrill of Roland, AR were tied – when the double digits got to Emerson. Merrill played those last holes only two over par which gave him a comfortable victory over Emerson and over Vicki Lynch of Fort Smith, AR.

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For a complete list of results and pictures visit our GCAT Facebook Page or go to the results site or go to our Picasa web site .

For more information about the GCAT of Arkansas:

Paul C. Gomez
Arkansas Director, Golf Channel AM Tour
917-553-381472
pgomez@GCAmTour.com

Sunday, June 3, 2012

A Picture Perfect Day at The Highlands in Bella Vista

Bella Vista, Ar - It was a Chamber of Commerce's dream for weather, not to mention great publicity for the future site of the AJGA's Stacey Lewis Open.  The AM Tour players that came from Kansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and of course, Arkansas enjoyed the challenging layout and perfect weather.   In only a few weeks, the best of junior golfers will be visiting the same course and playing from the new tees which stretch out the course!

Flight Winners:

Carter

Championship Flight (0-3.9) –  Scot Carter of Bella Vista, AR and Brent Boland of Hector, AR battled back and forth all day in the championship flight while playing half of the new tees from the tips (#1) and the other half from the blue (#2) tees. In the end Carter made some putts and separated himself as the round finished to win 1st place. It's Carter's first victory on the AM Tour since winning four events in 2009!

Smith

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – Second through Fourth place were only a stroke apart each in the Palmer flight.  However, Brian Smith was not to be denied.  Smith pulled out the driver only once and missed only one fairway to shoot the low round of the day 74.  One birdied and three bogeys on the par 4's and even par on the par 3's and par 5's from the same tees the Championship flight played was enough to dominate the field.  The first place finish is Smith's first in five tries in 2012.

Ainsworth

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – Apparently The Highlands Golf Course is a course that Richard Ainsworth from Maumelle, AR loves.  Ainsworth successfully defended his 2011 title by edging out Michael Quesenberry of Wentzville, MO by two strokes while shooting 77 - the second best round of the day.   Quesenberry made three birdies to none by Ainsworth, but a double bogey on #18 broke the tie they shared through 16 holes.  Ainsworth credits his victory to a couple of good bounces going his way on top of “getting up and down” really well all day!

Hamilton

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) – The Sarazen flight played a combination of blue and white tees to experience the Highlands.  Retirement has apparently been good for Hot Springs Village resident John Hamilton's golf game.  He credits his seven stroke victory to the newly found time he has for practicing and to a back to the basics strategy inspired by reading Ben Hogan!  Hamilton's 83 was a comfortable margin of victory over second place finisher Danny Neal of West Fork, AR.  

Merrill

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) – Stanely Emerson of Topeka, KS was eight strokes behind Craig Merrill of Roland, AR with six holes to play.  Emerson made a charge finishing even par in the last six holes with Merrill struggling in the finish.  Merrill's “play it safe” strategy paid off to win by two while shooting an 86.  This makes Merrill's second victory of 2012.

Lynch

Snead Flight (20.0 +) – The Snead flight made history on the Arkansas AM Tour!  Vicki Lynch of Fort Smith, AR becomes the first woman to win on the Arkansas AM Tour.  It's also the first event where two women played on the Arkansas AM Tour.  Jeanette Potter of Bella Vista AR led the flight by six strokes with 3 holes left to play.  Lynch would finish one under in the last three holes to defeat Potter and Chris Smith of Fort Smith, AR.


 Lynch said winning was made easier by having a great time playing with great people.  Her testimony to the camaraderie found on the AM Tour is shared by players in all flights. 

Potter and Lynch

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For a complete list of results and pictures visit our GCAT Facebook Page  or go to the results site  or go to our Picasa web site . 

For more information about the GCAT of Arkansas:

Paul C. Gomez

Arkansas Director, Golf Channel AM Tour

917-553-3814

pgomez@GCAmTour.com

The Cherry Springs Challenge

Beautiful Weather - Tight Races

Paul C. Gomez, Tahlequah, OK (May 12, 2012)  Eyes were glued to radars in anticipation of rain and storms, but the AM Tour was spared downpours and instead enjoyed near perfect conditions.  This joint event of the Oklahoma Tour and the Arkansas Tour brought players from four states to this eastern Oklahoma city to compete for eight trophies.  Out of eleven (11) Arkansas tour members, (31) Oklahoma tour members, and one (1) Dallas tour member, Arkansas won three trophies, and Oklahoma won five trophies.  Congratulations to all our winners.

Flight Winners:

Championship Flight (0-3.9) – It was a back and forth battle all day between Michael Dryer of Bella Vista, AR and Curt Howard of Sapulpa, OK.   After 9 holes, Howard was even par leading Dryer by one even after a double-bogey start.  Dryer bounced back and brought it back to a dead heat through 15 holes.  It came down to the last putt on hole 18 when Howard missed the putt to save par and send the match to a sudden death playoff.  The victory is Dryer's third consecutive of the 2012 season.

Allen Sawvel

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – The Palmer flight came down to a sudden death playoff between Allen Sawvel of Broken Arrow, OK and Chris Blankenship of Stigler, OK.  Blanenship put on a impressive display of scoring being one under par after 14 holes.  One brief stumble on #'s 15 and 16 gave Sawvel the opportunity to make up the 3 strokes necessary to force a playoff.  It only took the first hole for Sawvel to take advantage of his momentum and win his first victory of the 2012 season.

Jim Crawford

Senior Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – For Jim Crawford of Tahlequah, OK the clear advantage of “local knowledge” saved him the one stroke he needed to win his first victory of the 2012 season.  Both Clayton Badger of and Darren Montgomery of had an opportunity to send the Senior Palmer's to a sudden death playoff, but neither parred the hole. Crawford's one point victory was a testament to the tight race among the Senior Palmer's.

Mitch Day

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – “Hitting a lot of greens” was what gave Mitch Day his first victory on the AM tour.  Day's 78 was four strokes better than Gary Hayes of Chickasha, OK who came in second.  Days' consistent play of +2 and +4 on the front and back gave him some breathing room.  

Allan Barnett

Senior Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – Ten Senior Hogans competed in a very tough and hard fought contest that separated each place by one stroke through the top 9 finishers! Three Senior Hogans tied for second at 82 - Mike Johnson of Tahlequah, OK,  Jimmy Roe of Neosho, MO, and Tim Mathis of Edmond, OK. In the end, however, it was Allan Barnett of Cheyenne, OK who held on to win with an 81 even with a bogey on the final hole.  Barnett gave credit to his putter for the victory.  A 40 foot putt for bogey on the final hole kept him from being in a playoff and gave him his first victory of 2012! 

Jay Williams

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) – Danny Neal of West Fork, AR made a valiant effort to catch Jay Williams of Van Buren, AR one under par in the last six holes, but it wasn't enough.  Williams' three three birdies and better than average GIR's gave him a two stroke victory with an 83.  David Price of Pawhuska, OK also had a chance in the flight up until the final hole.  Price finished third.

Loyd Welch

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) – Loyd Welch of McAlester, OK shot his second best score on the AM tour to claim his fourth victory of the 2012 season!  Welch missed his first ace on tour and only his second ever by mere inches on the par 3 #4.  It was his second birdie of the day!  Brandon Walters of Springdale, AR placed second.

Chris Smith

Snead Flight (20.0 +) – Chris Smith of Fort Smith, AR gave all the credit to his dependable and safe 3 wood for his two stroke victory over Dion Casto of Parker, TX.  Casto had a very consistent bogey round of golf going and really only one big number on the final hole.  Smith was a bit more streaky, but six pars were enough to give him the cushion he needed to win his second event in 2012.

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For a complete list of results and pictures visit our GCAT Facebook Page  or go to the results site  or go to our Picasa web site . 

For more information about the GCAT of Arkansas:

Paul C. Gomez

Arkansas Director, Golf Channel AM Tour

917-553-3814

pgomez@GCAmTour.com