Lexington, NC (May 19, 2011) - Beautiful Sapona Country Club was the site of the 2011 season's 2nd Major Championship Event for the Senior Amateur Golf Tour. Over 90 golfers tee'd it up for Major honors and a chance at automatic qualification to the season-ending National Championship held in Pinehurst in mid November.
Senior Tour members can get a bid to that event by finishing high in the season long Points Standings race, or by winning their flight in one of the Tour's 4 Major Events held during the season. Sapona is a challenging course, and while the overall scoring was modest by Tour standards, the winners of each flight posted some very impressive numbers. Two of the four flights had to go extra holes in a sudden-death format to determine a winner.
In the A Flight, 3 members posted 2-over 73s. In the ensuing playoff Gibsonville's Turner Church was able to get past both Doug Masters of Clemmons and Laurinburg's James McMillan. Jerry Tilley of Pfafftown took advantage of an errant tee shot on the 1st hole of sudden death to down Advance's Ron Alligood for the C Flight crown after both posted regulation 83s. Madison's Rob Leggett was 1 stroke back in 3rd.
Lewisville's Mike Smith, no stranger to the winner's circle, shot an even-par 71 on the 6,157 yard track to gain top honors in the Championship Flight. Two players finished 3 shots in back of Smith - Tim Hunter of Pinehurst and Eden's Jim Gammon.
A visiting player from the Charlotte Tour - Tom Minor - was the class of the B Flight with a 76, narrowly edging Greensboro's Tony Johnson by a single stroke. Tim Letchford of Kill Devil Hills and North Myrtle Beach's Ron Caulder were 1 back of Johnson.
The Tour is taking a 2-week break from competition and will resume play with an event on June 9 at 12 Oaks Country Club in Holly Springs. Openings are available for that tournament. For information, call Tour Director Bruce Hallenbeck at 336-495-6556 or email him at behgolf@aol.com.
THE SENIOR AMATEUR GOLF TOUR
SAPONA COUNTRY CLUB EVENT
TOP FIVE SCORES BY FLIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP (6,157 yards)
Mike Smith, Lewisville 71
Tim Hunter, Pinehurst 74
Jim Gammon, Eden 74
Chuck Latham, Vass 77
David Coolidge, Greensboro 78
Bob Gardner, Greensboro 78
A FLIGHT (6,157 yards)
Turner Church, Gibsonville 73
Doug Masters, Clemmons 73
James McMillan, Laurinburg 73
Brent Massey, Raleigh 74
Bob Boettner, Charlotte 76
B FLIGHT (5,866 yards)
Tom Minor, Charlotte 76
Tony Johnson, Greensboro 77
Tim Letchford, Kill Devil Hills 78
Ron Caulder, N Myrtle Beach, SC 78
Tom Handy, Fuquay-Varina 79
C FLIGHT (5,866 yards)
Jerry Tilley, Pfafftown 83
Ron Alligood, Advance 83
Rob Leggett, Madison 84
Richard Payne, Kernersville 85
Elby Hatfield, Archdale 86