Raleigh, NC  (August 1, 2011)  -  The exclusive, Arnold Palmer Signature, Brier Creek Country Club hosted it's first Senior Amateur Golf Tour Event today amid rave reviews from Tour members.  Even the continuing hot temperatures couldn't dampen the players enthusiasm for this exceptional venue.  Some players put together exceptional efforts as well, starting with the C Flight. 

Durham's Al Forte, who entered today's play with a certified Tour Handicap of 15.2, and a scoring average of 92.8, went wild.  He posted a remarkable 78 and needed almost every stroke, barely beating Raleigh's Richard Glick by 2 strokes and Raleigh's John Hall by 3.  "Al always has a good time playing with us, and he makes sure that his playing partners have a good time too", said Tour Director Bruce Hallenbeck.  "It's good to see a good guy break out like this".

Brent Massey of Raleigh cruised to a 4-stroke victory in the A Flight over Zebulon's Dale Casey - 71 to 75.  A pair of Pinehurst guys - Steve Smith and Gil Ro were at 76. The B Flight was tighter with Durham's Tom Whatley and Raleigh's Doug Shank both posting 78s.  Normally the players would go back out for a sudden death playoff, but considering the heat, they opted to let a card playoff determine the outcome with Shank prevailing as the victor.

The Championship Flight saw 2 shots separate the top 3 spots as Cary's Steve Linton, with a 75, nipped Raleigh's Doug Michal (76) and Greensboro's Bob Gardner (77) for top honors.

The next Senior Amateur Golf Tour event will be held next Thursday, August 11, at Grandover Resort in Greensboro - any amateur golfer over 50 interested in competing in a Senior Tour event can contact Hallenbeck at 336-495-6556 or by email at behgolf@aol.com.  

THE SENIOR AMATEUR GOLF TOUR
BRIER CREEK COUNTRY CLUB EVENT
TOP FIVE SCORES BY FLIGHT  

CHAMPIONSHIP  (6518 yards)
Steve Linton, Cary  75 Doug Michal, Raleigh  76 Bob Gardner, Greensboro  77 Jose Vigil, Raeford  91  

A  FLIGHT  (6298 yards)
Brent Massey, Raleigh  71 Dale Casey, Zebulon  75 Steve Smith, Pinehurst  76 Gil Ro, Pinehurst  76 Jim Hatfield, Apex  77  

B  FLIGHT  (6298 yards)
Doug Shank, Raleigh  78 Tom Whatley, Durham  78 Bryan Hedrick, Hillsborough  79 Ron Caulder, N Myrtle Beach  80 Pat Kelly, Greenville  80  

C  FLIGHT  (6298yards)
Al Forte, Durham  78 Richard Glick, Raleigh  80 John Hall, Raleigh  81 Bill Wilkerson, Rolesville  82 Brad Becken, Chapel Hill  87