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!