The Golf Channel Amateur Tour - Lousiana / East Texas 2008

It's Official - The 2008 Season is just around the corner and the schedule will be ready soon. If you are interested in joining a competitive tour where you can compete against other golfers of your ability, this is the tour for you.

Take a look at some of the venues for next year:

Brentwood CC, Beaumont, Tx

Stonebridge CC, Bossier City, La

Koasati GC, Kinder, La

Blackbear GC, Delhi, La

Olde Oaks GC, Haughton, La

Gray Plantation, Lake Charles, La

Eagle Bluff CC, Bullard, Tx

The South Central Region now has 2 National Champions and 4 Runner-ups

Golf Channel Amateur Tour Crowns 12 National Champions

Oklahoma's Travis Drain Bests Largest Field in Tour Championship History to Take Overall Title. The 2007 GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour National Championship Week concluded with over 750 golfers descending on Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla. to vie for the title of National Champion in each of their respective flights.

Palmer Flight Champion, Travis Drain representing the Tulsa Tour. After 72 holes of fierce, competitive golf, Travis Drain of Broken Arrow, Okla. emerged as the Palmer Flight Champion with the low four-round total of the event. Drain's final round 74 was highlighted with a 1-under 35 on the front nine. Drain's tournament total of 288 bested first round leader Chase Barnes of Houston, Tex. by four strokes. A 1-under 70 on the Copperhead layout in round three proved to be not quite enough for 2006 National Champion, Jeff Hunter of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Hunter finished third with a four-round total of 297.

It was "like father, like son" in the Nicklaus Flight. Jeremy Smith of Wildomar, Calif., son of 2006 National Champion in the Hogan flight, Greg Smith, cruised to the title with a nine-shot margin (316 total) over Miami, Fla.'s Won Paek. Taking third place with a total of 331 was Jack Savage of Louisville, Ky.

In a one-hole sudden death playoff victory, Ryan Bondio of Largo, Fla. took top honors in the Hogan flight. Bondio's stellar final round 81 pushed him into a 72-hole tie at 331 with Daryl Laurange of Ellicott City, Md.

Just missing a shot at participating in the playoff was West Haven, Conn.'s David Scalia who ended up one stroke back.Glen LaPlante of St. Petersburg, Fla. may have called on his experience as a former professional boxer to knockout Chad Tatge of Lake Park, Fla. in their one-hole playoff in the Sarazen flight. LaPlante's long par putt was enough to nab the title after both players battled all week to matching 345 totals. Alfredo Garza of Jacksonville, Fla. finished 4 strokes back to take third place honors.

The west coast managed another championship trophy when Cedric Coleman of Foothill Ranch, Calif. held off a charging Paul Joseph of La Plata, Md. in the Jones flight. Third place honors went to Robert Duggan of Langhorne, Pa.

The third National Championship trophy hoisted by a Floridian was Sarasota's own Douglas Morgan who battled James Laws of San Diego, Calif. the entire tournament. Morgan managed to edge Laws in the final round by two strokes after the players matched each other round for round the first 54 holes. Justin Horodecki of Park Ridge, Ill. took third.

In addition to six Mid-Am medalists, there were also National Champions crowned in each flight of the Senior division. Ken Larney of Tinley Park, Ill. won the Palmer Senior flight in a playoff over Steve Hancock of Dallas, Tex. and Joe Robertson of Wetumpka, Ala. finished third.

David Mitchell of Prospect, Ky. took top honors in the Nicklaus Senior flight over David Givens of Yuma, Ariz. and Terry Galbraith of Euless, Tex.

The title of Hogan Senior Flight Champion went to Augusta, Ga.'s own David Harbeson. Al Ryan of Louisville, Ky. and James Provins of Chandler, Ariz. finished second and third, respectively.

Scott Mraule of Orangevale, Calif. took home the hardware in the Sarazen Senior flight over Robert Lakey of Sayre, Okla. and Bill Mathews of Houston, Tex.

Greg Phillips of Denton, Tex won the Jones Senior flight over Phil Stempnick of Winnipeg, Manitoba and James Johnson III of Enterprise, Ala.

Joseph Golan of North Bellmore, N.Y. bested Mike Murphy of Corrigan, Tex. and Jerry Pascoe of Walnut, Calif. to take top honors in the Snead Senior flight.

For the fifth consecutive year, the 2008 season of the GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour will kick off February 7-9 at the Duel in the Desert in Mesquite, Nev. More information on the event in the coming weeks.