The Arkansas Major Championship at Hot Springs Village

Paul C. Gomez, Hot Springs Village, AR (June 6-7, 2015)

One hundred ninety players came from all over the country to compete in the regional major in Hot Springs Village -  The Arkansas Championship.  The Arkansas Tour had home field advantage and didn't disappoint, dominating the field and bringing home four crystal vase trophies.  Every winner and players tied for third qualify for the 2015 National Championship tournament in La Quinta, CA. in September.

Bob Brooks

Bob Brooks of Bella Vista, AR fired five birdies on his opening round on the Ponce De Leon golf course with only one bogey to end the first day of the two round competition at four under par 68.  He led the Senior Championship flight by five after day one.  That lead was never really threatened even though he didn't perform as he would have liked on the Granada golf course shooting a two over par 75.  The 68-75 (143) total score is his best two-day total on the AM Tour since joining in 2013.  Brooks, the 2013 Senior National Champion, had just won the one-day local event on the Cortez golf course.  Bella Vista resident Rick Guptil placed third in the Senior Championship flight.

Tom Stephens

The Senior Sarazen flight is for players with a tournament index from 12.0 to 15.9.  Tom Stephens, of Bella Vista, AR fought his way to a day one tie during a tough first round at Ponce De Leon.  Four players were only two strokes apart at the end of day one.  It came down to the last nine holes on Granada and Stephens had to hold on to the lead he had established after 27 holes.  He finished the last four holes at even par with one bogey and one birdie to win the flight by five strokes and a two day score of 81-82 (163).   This victory earns him his second victory in the 2015 season.

Steve Rutherford

The Jones flight is for players with a tournament index from 16.0 to 19.9.  After day one at Ponce De Leon, Steve Rutherford of Bentonville, AR was in fifth place and seven strokes behind the leader.  He would have to make a charge to challenge the leader.  He opened the second round at Granada with a seven pars to shoot a thirty-nine!  When he finished the last two holes five over par he just knew he had shot himself out of the championship.  He didn't know that he was only three back after 13 holes and that his two closest competitors would have even higher finishes.  Rutherford's 95-85 scores totaling 180 earned him a one stroke victory and his first victory at a major championship.

Dennis Baxter

Dennis Baxter of Bella Vista, AR plays in the Senior Jones flight for players from 16.0 to 19.9.  He finished day one on Granada two strokes behind the leader after a two over par 38 on the back nine for a total of 85.  Duplicating the 8 par-one birdie performance would be difficult on day two on the Ponce De Leon course.  Day two would see only one par and one birdie and Baxter slid into a playoff with a round two score of 94 totaling 179 for the event.  No stranger to playoffs, Baxter outlasted his opponent to earn his first major championship since his last playoff victory in 2013 at the Winstar casino major.  

The Hot Springs Classic at Cortez

Paul C. Gomez, Hot Springs Village, AR (June 5, 2015)

Sixty Nine players from Hawaii to Florida and from Canada to Texas settled onto the Natural State for some competitive golf at the Cortez golf course in Hot Springs Village.  The first event of the year that felt like summer had arrived with only a temporary visit from Spring.  The warm conditions facilitated some hot competition.

Bob Brooks

The Championship Flight (tour index ranging from 0 to 3.9) could have been anybody's trophy to win with all players close after 9 holes.  Rick Guptil of Bella Vista, AR looked like he was going to run away with the title of champion when after 11 holes he led Bob Brooks of Bella Vista, AR by five strokes.  However, after a steady streak of pars by Brooks and a series of missteps by Guptil it came down to the last hole. Brooks bogeyed the hole to give up the one stroke lead he had and a playoff ensued with a tie at 78.  It took two holes, but Brooks survived the battle and won his fifth event of 2015.

The Palmer  Flight (tour index ranging from 4.0 to 7.9) was on  

Allen Huffman

fire at the shot-making Cortez golf course with three players scoring lower than the Championship fight!  In the end, a very steady back nine by Allen Huffman of Holiday Island, AR with 8 pars and one bogey gave him a one stroke victory over John Price of Whitney, TX who led by two after nine holes.  Huffman's 38-37 was the best score of the day against the entire field.  Ryan Cummings of Stillwater, OK came in third place only one stroke behind Price.  Huffman earned his first victory of 2015 and turned in his best score since one round at the 2014 National Championship.

Six players were tied at 37 in the Hogan Flight (tour index

Robert Simpkiss

ranging from 8.0 to 11.9) after nine holes.  The back nine proved to be a challenge for the Hogans with none of the leaders turning a better back nine than their front. Robert Simpkiss of Palmer, MA carded one birdie and finished with three pars to shoot 76 and earn a one stroke victory over Dale Dennison of Honolulu, HI.  Two strokes behind that was the third place winner, Bob Hunter of Lee's Summit, MO.  This victory made the third straight first place finish by Mr. Simpkiss.


There were thirteen birdies in the field of 21 Sarazen Flight (tour index ranging from 12.0 to 15.9) players and four of

Stan Wilson

them belonged to Bob Moreau of Rockwall, TX.  Stan Wilson of Wichita Falls, TX had none, but his 11 par round proved to be the winning strategy.  Moreau's back nine charge led to a tie on the 18th tee box with both players sitting on a 76. Wilson was in the pairing directly behind Moreau and could not have known that he needed only to par to win after Moreau's double bogey on the final hole.  Mr. Wilson's steady play and par par par finish earned him his second victory in 14 tries in the 2015 season. 

Lloyd C. Reid, Jr. of Dallas, TX champion of the Jones Flight (tour index

Lloyd C. Reid, Jr.

ranging from 16.0 to 19.9) demonstrated that avoiding big numbers will always keep you in the competition.  Six pars, eleven bogeys and one birdie produced a 41-41 score of 81 and a five stroke victory over Tony Taylor of Saint Cloud, FL.  Mr. Reid earns his first victory of 2015 and his first since his last victory in 2014 also on the Arkansas tour.


It could have been a stress free victory for Tim Bray of 

Tim Bray

Greenwood, MO in the Snead Flight (tour index ranging from 20.0 up).  After three holes, he led the flight to the end. However, after a big number on hole thirteen, he created an opening for Evan Taylor of Saint Cloud, FL who got to within three strokes as they came to the fourteenth tee together.  Taylor finished the last five holes with 3 bogeys and 2 pars and trailed by only one after Bray bogeyed the final hole.  This is Bray's second victory on tour and his first in 2015.  

The Stonebridge Standoff

Paul C. Gomez, Bella Vista, AR (May 23, 2015)

Wet and windy conditions made the already difficult to manage Stonebridge Meadows golf course even more demanding.  Carts on path meant a lot of walking and long approach shots.  Still, the AM Tour of Arkansas played and produced new winners!

The Hogan Flight (tour index ranging from 8.0 to 11.9) was a battle of buddies to the finish.  Marvin Light of Farmington,

Jeff Loafman
Hogan Flight Champion

AR and Jeff Loafman of Rogers, AR tied the front nine at 43. Rex Clarkson of Edmond, OK actually had the low front nine at 40.  Loafman trailed Light for most of the back nine catching up only to fall back again.  The turning point was the intimidating par 3 #17 over water.  The watery grave was unfriendly to Light while Loafman parred the hole to flip the lead and go two up over Light.  Mr. Loafman went on to win by one on the final hole and wins his first event in three tries!


The Jones Flight (tour index ranging from 16.0 to 19.9)

Brandon Walters
Jones Flight Champion

continues to have tough competition with players used to fights to the finish! Only four strokes separated 5 of the 6 competitors after 9 holes. Craig Merrill of Roland, AR and Brandon Walters of Springdale, AR started separating themselves from the field on the back nine and found themselves tied after 13 holes.  Then Walters took advantage of a couple of missteps by Merrill and added a birdie to boot to come to the 18th hole five strokes up!  Even a birdie by Merril and a triple by Walters was not enough to steal the victory.  With this victory, Walters wins his first event of 2015 after playing well enough to finish second in two prior events this year.

David Dildy
Snead Flight Champion

The Snead Flight (tour index ranging from 20.0 up) also saw three players play very closely to the end.  David Dildy, formerly of Fayetteville, AR but now living in Sulphur Springs, TX came home to play a course very familiar to him.  Not long hitting, but rarely in trouble to the left or right, Dildy plodded his way to victory by three strokes over Scott Bundrick of Little Rock, AR.  

The Bella Vista Championship

Paul C. Gomez, Bella Vista, AR (April 18, 2015)

Overnight flooding closed two of the six Bella Vista courses.  Morning thunderstorms and more rain threatened to close Dogwood Hills golf course and cancel yet another Arkansas AM Tour event.  Somehow, the skies cleared and players went off as scheduled and play went on.  The course drained amazingly well and good scores were going to follow!

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\The Palmer Flight (tour index ranging from 4.0 to 7.9): Four players finished one stroke apart from first to fourth in the

Palmer flight.  After 14 holes two Palmers were tied at 56 and two tied at 58.  The closing holes challenged all of them and it could have been anyone's day.  In the end, Kent Busch of Shawnee, KS finished with only two bogeys and held on for a one stroke victory over Wayne Baldwin of Russellville, AR.  

The Hogan Flight (tour index ranging from 8.0 to 11.9) had

two players have stellar rounds going out with a one over par 37.  They remained tied through 15 holes.  New tour member Marvin Light of Farmington, AR played the second nine also one over par and earned his first tour victory with a two over par 73. Light played conservatively off the tee all day and also chipped and putted well given the course conditions.  Chad Schuchmann of Springfield, MO also had a great round shooting a five over par 75.

The Sarazen Flight (tour index ranging from 12.0 to 15.9) saw  some great scoring on a day with wet fairways and soft

greens.  Michael Martori of Newburg, MO and Chris Johnson of Wind Lake, WI both had record from nines shooting even par and two over par.  Just when it looked like Johnson was going to make a move, Martori finished the last 5 holes one over par, recorded his best round not the AM Tour, and secured his third victory in the 2015 season!

The Jones Flight (tour index ranging from 16.0 to 19.9) has

had its share of close competitions and playoffs.  This round was no different.  It took 21 holes to produce a winner in the flight.  Carl Imhof of Rogers, AR turned in his lowest 9 hole score on the AM Tour with a 3 over par 39, four ahead of Bobby Deaton of Holiday Hills, AR.  But, after 14 holes, they were tied with four to go.  They both parred the treacherous par 3 #18 to find themselves in a playoff.  So they played it again. And again!  Finally, they had to go to the #1 hole for Deaton to secure his first victory on the AM Tour since his last victory on the same course!  Deaton said that although he didn't get off the tee well, his iron play and putting was good enough to earn the victory!

The Farmington Open

Paul C. Gomez, Farmington, AR (March 28, 2014)

Even though the calendar says it's spring, "old man winter" has held on for as long as possible in Northwest Arkansas.  The final group of the morning teed off at 40º with a 35º real feel.  The course was wet from a morning rain, and the blowing wind made the bones brittle.  Still, players from across the state came to compete at the Golf Club of Valley View.

The Palmer Flight (tour index ranging from 4.0 to 7.9): Allen Huffman of Holiday Island, AR had a 3 footer to win on the final  

hole, but it just wouldn't drop.  So, Huffman and Wayne Baldwin of Russellville, AR went off for a playoff on the treacherous 18th hole.  And then they had to do it again.  Finally, Baldwin's persistence paid off and he prevailed on the second playoff hole. Even with "ball in hand" it was a good test of golf for all skill levels.  

The Hogan Flight (tour index ranging from 8.0-12.9): Three new players to the Arkansas tour, one Texan, and one 

Coloradan filled out the Hogan flight.  Sometimes playing without preparation pays off.  Doyle Wofford of Montgomery, TX ran to the first tee and left all the stress in the parking lot.  It was a good thing, because he was trailing Tony Ambrose of Aurora, CO and Marvin Light of Farmington, AR with three holes  left to play.  The entire flight was very close to the end with only 5 strokes separating first and last place.  In the end, Wofford finished with three pars while his competitors stumbled coming in.  Wofford earned his first championship since 2013 with this victory and he won with a Srixon ball earning him a free box of golf balls.

The Jones Flight (tour index ranging from 8.0-12.9): Six players who are no strangers to competing together went at it

again on the soggy Farmington terrain.  Early on it looked like Derek Middlebrooks was going to run away with it turning a stellar front nine, but a challenging back nine took him out of the competition.  Bobby Deaton of Holiday Island, AR and Jeff Thompson of Farmington, AR made a great run with low back nines, but just couldn't overcome the front nines.  Craig Merrill of Roland, AR held on to win another Jones flight event by a hair.  Merrill also won with a Srixon golf ball.