Rob Porter goes even par in his final 7 holes to capture his first major and is the 2016 PGA Champion!
The World retains the cup for the 4th time! The Board will have to wait until 2018 for another shot at their first.
Jonas Rodriguez rewrites the GPT history books and completes the career Grand Slam.
McElhaney claims second career Baltimore Open with impressive 84 on a difficult Woodlands Golf Course.
Jonathan Leon battles Mike Azzara down the stretch and shoots 78 to claim first GPT Open title.
Jonas Rodriguez, the 2016 Players Champion
Deixler shoots 81 to claim impressive 2nd victory of 2016, now has momentum heading into the important summer stretch of golf.
Hasny Wins Langston By a Lip-Out
As he stood on the 18th green on Sunday, Tom Hasny knew he had to dodge one more bullet to claim his first victory of the 2016 GPT season, and he was breathing much easier after Rich Deixler lipped out a par putt to tie it from 7 feet.
Hasny carded a solid 84 to win the WGC Breadsoda event at Langston by one stroke and hoist the coveted giant purple ashtray.
A missed par-putt on the last hole gave Deixler, who won Kapalua earlier this year, a second place finish.
Rounding out the top three was David Coppins, who shot an 86, and has now come tantalizing close to the winner’s circle in back-to-back tournaments.
Perhaps the biggest surprise on Sunday, though, was the play of the old veteran, Sam Sacks who carded an 87 and finished in the top 5 for the first time in as long as people can remember. Dusting off the ol’ “stack and tilt” swing that won him a GPT championship in ’10, Sacks was in the hunt on the back nine, but got derailed on the Par 5 16th hole after putting two shots in the woods.
It was a tough day, meanwhile, for GPT board member Sean McElhaney, who finished in seventh place with a 94. McElhaney was forced to take a 2-stroke penalty after his round, following some controversy on hole 1.
Distracted by loud chatter of a fellow golfer on tour (who shall go unnamed so as not to impugn any gentleman’s integrity), McElhaney nearly whiffed his opening tee shot, hitting a topped dribbler a few feet in front him. Rather than playing on McElhaney inexplicably took a mulligan and re-teed it up without taking a stroke—a violation of GPT rules.
“It was a lapse in judgment,” McElhaney admitted after the round, accepting the two-stroke penalty.
No rest for the weary on the GPT tour. Golfers head to Falls Road next week for the last tune-up tournament before the Masters.
Deixler Nabs Kapalua in a Chip Off
It took more than 18 holes to determine the winner in the GPT’s first contest of the year, and when it was finally all settled, a familiar face was wearing the lei.
Rich Deixler fired off a back nine 40, which was good enough to secure a first place tie with upstart golfer David Coppins at the end of regulation on Sunday. Coppins led most of the tournament, including holding a one stroke advantage going into 18. However an out of bounds tee shot forced him to make a great 10 footer to force the playoff.
During the sudden-death chip off, Deixler rolled in an 8-foot putt to seal the match.
“I wasn’t wearing my jacket this time around!” Diexler yelled, walking off the practice green—a reference to his poor play last week, which he blamed on cooler temperatures forcing him to wear a swing-altering jacket.
Deixler and Coppins sit atop the first two spots in the new standings released after the tournament. Storied GPT golfer, Jonas Rodriguez, played steady for a third place finish.
Also collecting big chunks of points was tour newcomer Sean Pender who shot a 4th place 89. Adam Clark finished in 5th place with a 90—not a bad finish considering it took the former GPT Champion 3 shots to get his ball beyond the ladies tees on the opening hole.
Boardmember Sean McElhaney looked to be sitting pretty after playing his last three holes on the front 9 at one-under par. But a triple-bogey 8 on hole 10 led to a disastrous 52 on the back-nine—and tumbled McElhaney to an 11th place finish.
A couple of disappointing results for early favorite Evan Friedman and last year’s champion Jonathan Leon. Friedman couldn’t crack the top-5, finishing in 6th place with a 91. Leon, meanwhile, was left out of the top-10. He carded a 95, good enough for 12th place. Also tumbling farther than most expected was Sam Sacks—once a GPT champion—who is now struggling to break 110 and is looking to tee off from the White tees at Langston. He finished toward the back of the pack in a tie for 21st place with Jim O’Grady—three strokes behind Will Benjamin, who still thinks he’s on the verge of his first GPT victory.
“I’m on the come-up, man!” Benjamin shouted after the match.
The tour takes next weekend off before heading to the historic links of Langston for the WGC Breadsoda Open April 30.
History Made at the Clambake, Friedman an Early Favorite Heading into New Season
The Glover Park Tour kicked off its 2016 campaign Sunday at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC, host of the annual Bing Crosby Charity Scramble Tournament. And let’s just say a lot was learned.
Top GPT players were on hand, including previous cup winners Jonas Rodriguez, Adam Clark, and 2015’s champion, Jonathan Leon. But it was a man who has yet to win the tour’s top honors (or any big tournament, for that matter) that made the most noise at Haines Point: Evan Friedman.
“The guy was firing missiles at flagsticks all day long,” said 2010 GPT Champ Sam Sacks, who was paired with Friedman as the two steamrolled the field to win the Clambake. “One of the best displays of iron work I’ve seen on tour.”
For Sacks, it was his third Clambake win—a record mark. He was able to roll in two out of the five birdies set up by Friedman on Sunday to get the team to -2, and a three-stroke victory over second place duo Rodriguez and Brian Cartlidge.
“I felt reaaaallly good out there,” Friedman said after the round, fighting back against a toothy grin. “I think I figured it out,” he added, suggesting there’s a chance he might run the table and win all the tournaments slated for the year.
The experts have taken notice. Both Nick Faldo and Ian Baker Finch are predicting Friedman takes the cup this year. Curtis Strange, meanwhile, thinks Leon can repeat. The other golf prognosticators are split, with Frank Nobilo leaning toward Jonas Rodriguez to reclaim his top spot. And after a night of very, very heavy drinking—and allegedly some mind altering substances—Gary McCord was rumored to have picked Sacks, who hasn’t won a regular season tournament since 2010, to re-climb the mountain in 2016.
On Sunday, it looked grim at the start for Friedman and Sacks when the team bogeyed hole 1 after two poor approach shots, followed by two equally as bad chips. But then the pair righted the ship, playing the next 12 holes at three-under-par.
After a bogey on 16, and a birdie by Rodriguez/Cartlidge on 14, it looked like the leaders may let some of the field back into it. But then Friedman lasered his third shot approach on the par-5 17th to within twelve feet, and gently rolled in the birdie putt on the team’s first look at it.
Some other big names on tour rounded out the top-5 at the charity scramble. Clark, paired with GPT newcomer Pete Filacamo finished at +3, as Clark struggled from within 4-feet all day long. They ended up tied with the field’s only trio of Hasny, Coppins, and Dan Ward, who returned after a long absence from the tour.
Will Benjamin is still seeking his first GPT win, but came up short even though he was paired with last year’s top golfer, Jonathan Leon. The two finished at +4, tied with McElhaney/O’Grady and Cuda/Pender. Cuda was unable to capitalize off his Breadsoda putt-putt win, which earned the team a mulligan.
It was a disappointing outing for 2014 GPT champion Rich Deixler and crafty veteran Lance Linebaugh. The pair finished in 8th place, with Deixler blaming the weather. “I can’t play golf in a jacket,” he told the media after the round.
John McCafferty and Rob Porter snuck into 9th place on Sunday. And rounding out the field was the team of Craig Burton and Jeff Nichols.
The tour heads to Pleasant Valley golf course next week for Kapalua—the first point’s tournament of the year.
