GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour Louisiana / East Texas - Olde Oaks Battle on the Trail

Going low was the name of the game at this event.  Don Moore shoots the low round of the day for our GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour members with an outstanding 73.  John Oates of Diboll, Tx takes top honors in the Championship flight, with his son Mathew Oates playing as a guest, shooting our first round in the 60’s with a 69.  In the Sarazen flight Larry Meadows takes top honors shooting a very strong 78 and in the Jones flight Bruce Biddy fires the low round with an 85.

The Course:  Olde Oaks Golf Club, Haughton, La.  The course was in good condition with green fairways and rough.  Heavy rain the week of our event, created for some wet conditions with a few bunkers underwater.  The greens were smooth and rolling at a moderate speed.

The Weather:  A mix of sunshine, clouds and a brief shower half way thru the round.  The winds were constant, S 2-4 mph.

The Tournament: 

  

Championship Flight:  Top 5:  John Oates (77), David McElveen (78), William Loftin (79), Trey Scruggs (81), Matt Thomas (83)

 John Oates of Diboll, Tx captures his first tour win of the season by firing 77 to take top honors.  David McElveen of Lufkin, Tx claims the low front nine of the day with a 35 in the end just one shot back overall  to claim second place honors. William Loftin of Deridder, La takes third place just two shots back with a 79.  Trey Scruggs of Shreveport, La fired 81 to claim 4^th place.  Rounding out the top-5 is Matt Thomas of El Dorado, Ar with an 83.

 

Hogan Flight:  Top 5:  Don Moore (73), Dale Johnson (76), Doug Free Jr. (81), Derek Hammonds (81), Michael Garrett (83)

Don Moore of Texarkana, Ar. fired the low round of the day and captures another first place trophy with a blistering 73, 3 strokes better than the rest of the field.  Dale Johnson of Lufkin, Tx captures second place honors shooting 76.  Doug Free Jr. of Keithville, La captures 3^rd place honors in a scorecard playoff over Derek Hammonds of Queen City, Tx.  Doug’s 42 vs Derek’s 43 on the back decided the 3^rd place spot.  Rounding out the top-5 is Michael Garrett of Greenwood, La with an 83. 

Sarazen Flight:  Top 5:  Larry Meadows (78), Andy Vargo (79), John Blount (81), Sydney Harper (86), Gregg Williams (87) 

Larry Meadows of Hallsville, Tx captures first place honors by firing a 78 , just one stroke better than our newest member, Andy Vargo of Bossier City, La.   Andy takes home his first piece of hardware with a second place finish shooting 79 and giving the rest of the field a run for their money.  John Blount of Denham Springs, La. got off to a slow start, but turned things around on the back, firing a 39, 3 shots off the lead to secure 3^rd place honors.  Sydney Harper of Mount Pleasant, Tx captures 4^th place with an 86.  Rounding out the top five is Gregg Williams of Minden, La with an 87.

Jones Flight:  Top 5:  Bruce Biddy (85), Roy Allen (86), Randy Adcock (86), Rick Hagel (86), Gary Lee (89)

The competition was extremely strong in the Jones flight with several contenders vying for first place honors.  In the end, Bruce Biddy of Hooks, Tx. held off the rest of the field by shooting an 85, just 1 shot better than the next 3 contenders to capture 1^st place honors.  We had to go to the scorecards to decide 2^nd thru 4^th in this flight.  Roy Allen (86,43), Randy Adcock (86,44), Rick Hagel (86,45 )all contented for second place honors but after all the dust settled, Roy Allen finished second, Randy Adcock 3^rd and Rick Hagel 4^th.  Rounding out the top five was Gary Lee of Tyler, Tx with an 89.

In addition, to the flight winners, the follows players won the skills challenges.

Closest to the pin ($65 each)

Cypress Nine

Brandon Jones, #4

Dale Johnson, #7

Oaks Nine

Thomas Gray, #3

Don Moore, #7

Skins Winners Palmer, Hogan, Sarazen ($40 each)

Steve Session, #2

David McElveen, #5

Dale Johnson, #7

Mathew Oates, #10, 17, 18

Mark Kirby, #14

Prize Winners

Roy Allen, Hat

Danny Tackett, Callaway Towel