Course: Raven Nest Golf Club,
Huntsville, Tx - Home of the “BearKats” for
Sam Houston State University Weather: Saturday June 7, 2008 – Temps. Low 76 – High 93 humidity at 85% wind from the SE at 15mph.
Raven Nest is one of those courses that challenges at every turn. On paper, this course plays to the upper end of distance scale for each of our flights. At just under 7000 yards from the Black tees, this course is not the longest on our tour, but it may be one of the most challenging. The tees were moved slightly forward for each flight at this event with the Championship/Palmer flight playing 6856 yards, Hogan/Sarazen at 6257 yards, and the Jones flight approached 5800 yards.
Most of the holes on this course require an accurate tee shot with plenty of length to get a good look at the pin. If you missed the fairway by very much, you were left with a difficult shot or two out of the tall native grass, assuming you could find your ball. There were very few places to safely bailout on this course and when the wind blows, those places become hard to find. Once on the green, it became apparent that the greens have a lot of undulation and grain. In the end, consistent ball striking and good putting made the difference in the results at this event.
Tournament Results:
Seniors take top honors in the Hogan Flight
Today the seniors proved they can compete against their younger competitors. Don Moore of Texarkana, Tx and Dale Johnson of Lufkin, Tx tied for first place honors in the Hogan flight. Do they hit shots as far as the younger competitors on tour? In most cases, the answer is “No”. (I think I heard Dale say he hit (19) 3-woods during this event.) But, don’t let that fool you, these seniors can downright play. The fact is the seniors on this day proved you don’t have to be the longest hitter in the group to do well in your flight.
Don Moore of Texarkana, Tx and Dale Johnson of Lufkin, Tx (both seniors) received promotions from other flights earlier in the season. These two senior “competitors” tied for first place at this event and then went back to the course to decide the ultimate winner. In the end, Don won the playoff on the second hole over Dale.
Congratulations on a job well done!!!
Championship Flight: Top 3: - David McElveen (80), Frank Wallace (81), John Oates (84).
David McElveen (80) of Lufkin, Tx captured his first tour victory of the season by narrowly defeating Frank Wallace (81) of Lufkin, Tx. McElveen got out to a big lead on the front by firing a 37, leading Wallace by eight shots. Wallace regrouped on the back by making birdies on 12, 13, and 17 in an attempt to catch McElveen in the final holes. A skulled wedge approach by Wallace to the 18th green created a costly bogey and kept any hopes of an on-course playoff from every materializing. In the end, McElveen captured his first win of the season. Rounding out the top three and capturing one of the Big Skins on 16, was John Oates of Diboll, Tx (84).
Palmer Flight: Top 3 - Robert Corbello (80), J.K. Miller (82), Collier Nolte (84).
Robert Corbello of Vidor, Tx (80) captured another first place trophy in the Palmer flight with his consistent play over J.K. Miller of Lumberton, Tx (82). J.K. attempted to close the gap after a costly 8 on the 5th hole but couldn’t quite make up enough ground to capture first place from Corbello. Collier Nolte of Sour Lake, Tx (84) captured 3rd place honors over Rodney Conerly of Vidor, Tx (84). Collier got off to a strong start by recording birdies on 1, 6 and 9 to shoot 38. Rodney’s 37 on the front showed a lot of promise but in the end, Collier’s lower score on the back nine decided the tie for 3rd place.
Hogan Flight: Top 3: - Donald Moore (82), Dale Johnson (82), Kevin Turner (84),
Don Moore (82) of Texarkana, Tx captured top honors in an on-course playoff over Dale Johnson (82) of Lufkin, Tx. These two went back to the course to decide the winner with Don coming out ahead on the second playoff hole. Kevin Turner (84) of Vidor, Tx captured 3rd place in a scorecard playoff over Daryl Epperson (84) of Houston, Tx.
Sarazen Flight: Top 3: - Jeff Green (81), Michael Walker (84), Paul Whitehead (86).
Jeff Green (81) of Coldsprings, Tx captures another 1st place trophy and earned top honors over Michael Walker (84) of Covington, La. The scores continue to get better in all of our flights and this one is no exception. Paul Whitehead (86) of Nederland, Tx rounded out the top 3 and continues to show great improvement.
Jones Flight: Top 3: - Sam Bible (84), Leonard Peterson (85), Michael East (89).
Sam Bible (84) of Woodville, Tx breaks thru and wins his first event of the season to take top honors over Leonard Peterson (85) of Lufkin, Tx. These two have shown great improvements in recent weeks. Sam appears to have made a full recovery from an earlier incident with a snake and Peterson’s extended amount of practice is beginning to pay off. Michael East (89) of Lufkin, Tx rounded out the top 3 taking home another piece of hardware for his trophy case.
In addition to the flight winners, the following players won the skills challenges:
$ Skins $ - $50 each
Dale Johnson - #4 with a 2
Bill Mathews - #15 with a 3
John Oates - #16 with a 3
Frank Wallace - #12, with a 3 and #17 with a 2
$ Pins $ - $50 each
Hole #4 – Paul Whitehead
Hole #6 – Collier Nolte
Hole #8 – Mike Walker
Hole #11 – Mike Morton
Hole #17 – Frank Wallace
Congratulations to everyone that played well and won their flights. Keep working on your games. Our National Championship event will be here before you know it. Our courses going forward are some of the best in the area and if you want to know what it’s like to play at Nationals, these courses will give you a good idea.
