Valley View Invitational

Paul C. Gomez, Farmington, AR (May 13, 2013) After nearly 3 inches of rain, no one was quite sure how The Golf Club at Valley View in Farmington, AR would play, but the course drained well and the course that has hosted Hooter's events showed it's teeth.

Flight Winners:

Championship Flight (0-3.9) – Matthew McKown of Fort Smith, AR started the back nine on a mission. He wanted to shoot even par on a challenging nine holes to give himself a chance. He started with a bogey, then fired three birdies to finish -2 on the back and by one over Chas Goines of Rogers, AR. McKown was the first of many to come to comment on the exceptional quality of the greens.

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – Ten greens in regulation and 8 fairways resulted in an uneventful yet winning round for Allen Huffman of Holiday Island, AR. Huffman stated that he is loving the AM Tour after his second event. Wayne Baldwin of Russellville, and Brian Williams of Bella Vista, AR tied for second.

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – Joe Deere of Catoosa, OK turned in a stellar round in the Hogan flight with seven one putts and no doubles! Deere also loved the greens and took full advantage as he raced ahead of Allen Sawvel of Broken Arrow, OK by six strokes. Three birdies and 8 bogeys were enough for Deere to win his second event of the year.

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) – Starting with 5 GIR's was a good start for Matthew Howard of Benvontille, AR. A birdie on #15 also helped to stay any run from the field. Howard said his putting and short game helped him keep from having major breakdowns and he managed to win by 6 over his nearest competitor, Chad Wheeler of Muskogee, OK.

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) – Dennis Baxter of Bella Vista, AR won his 1st event of the 2013 season by hitting 12 fairways and avoiding big numbers! Baxter proved the addage that having fun helps you play well. Wayne Watkins of Benvontille, AR made a valiant effort by triple bogey on #16 made a comeback diffult. Watkins finished 2nd.

Snead Flight (20.0 +) – The only flight to require a sudden death playoff was the Snead flight with the last twosome of the day tying at 100. In the end, Douglas Lefebvre of North Little Rock, AR edged out David Dildy of Fayetteville, AR in a one hole playoff. Lefebvre said he managed to keep his focus and stay patient all day making shots when they were required. This is Lefebvre's first victory on the AM Tour!




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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

Stonebridge Meadows Classic

The Warmest Day of 2013 leads to Hot Contests!

Paul C. Gomez, Fayetteville, AR (March 16, 2013)  Seemingly out of nowhere, an 80º day blew into Fayetteville's Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club to welcome golfers to the first event of the Spring of 2013!

Flight Winners:

Championship Flight (0-3.9) – Being new to the tour proved no problem for Brett Hubbard of Alma, AR whose 5 birdies were enough to offset his triple bogey on #5 and give him a stroke victory over Al Smith of Midland, TX.

Palmer Flight (4.0-7.9) – Maybe not playing for nearly five months is the best way to start off the year! Wayne Baldwin of Russellville, AR laid off all winter and came back to play his non-chalant style of golf to win the Palmer Flight by 5.  Baldwin said that laying off for that long helped him ''get rid of all those bad thoughts'' and play well. Derek Goodson of Fort Smith, AR eeked out a 1 stroke 2nd place victory!

Hogan Flight (8.0-11.9) – It took him 3 tries, but Steven Sheldon of Rogers, AR won his first victory on the AM Tour.  He did have go overcome a hole-in-one by fellow competitor Rick McClain of Decatur, AR, but parring the last two holes gave him that extra cushion needed to secure the victory.   McClain won second place!

Matt Howard

Sarazen Flight (12.0-15.9) – Matthew Howard of Bentonville, AR won his second event in a row edging out John Hamilton of Hot Springs Village by one stroke.  Howard was only three over par in his final 8 holes and just escaped a strong finish by Hamilton who needed to par the final hole to go to extra holes.  

Jones Flight (16.0-19.9) – A very strong back nine finish by Wayne Watkins of Bentonville, AR earned him a first appearance victory on the AM Tour. Dennis Baxter of Bella Vista, AR made a valiant effort to catch Watkins, but just couldn't quite overtake him on the back nine.  

Snead Flight (20.0 +) – Chris Smith of Fort Smith, AR had more pars than his fellow competitors combined in the Snead flight and fourth Snead Trophy on the AM Tour in two years.  His 99 (+27) score was enough to cruise by David Pemberton of Huntsville, AR.

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