Stableford Championship Visits Paradise Valley, Ezell and Nelson Victorious

   Peter Ezell of Evanston won the men's flight and Lana Nelson of Wheatland won the women's flight in the second playing of the WSGA Net Stableford Event at the par 71 Paradise Valley Country Club on June 25th and 26th.
    The Stableford is a unique format where competitors try to gain points based on their hole by hole score and the winner is the competitor with the highest total over the 36 hole Championship. Competitors could gain anywhere from 0 to 6 points on a hole. Points are awarded as follows: 0 for a net double bogey or worse, 1 for net bogey, 2 for net par, 3 for net birdie, 4 for net eagle, 5 for net double eagle, and 6 for net four under par.
The men's flight was tight after the first 18 holes, with four competitors amassing impressive totals over 40 points. Leading the way was Don Vialpando at 42 points. He was leading Peter Ezell at 41, Rex Bell at 41, and Larry Benson at 40, setting up for an exciting final 18 holes.
    Vialpando extended his lead with an outstanding chip in for net eagle on the first hole of round two, however, the trio of Vialpando, Ezell, and Bell all made the turn within one stroke of each other, setting the stage for a battle to the finish on the back nine.
    Ezell was a model of consistency as he only carded one net bogey to go along with two net birdies and a net eagle on the back nine. His day two total of 41 points for a total of 82 points helped him cruise to a comfortable 4 point victory over Vialpando's 78 points. Bell finished another stroke back at 77 points. Ezell was ecstatic after earning his first individual WSGA Title.
    In the women's flight, point total's were high as many of the women put together spectacular rounds on day one, with Rachelle Pearson, her daughter Ashlynn Pearson, both from Gillette, and local Debra Bell leading the field with matching totals of 46 points.
    However, it was Lana Nelson who came out on top with 44 points on day one followed by another high total of 46 for a two day total of 90 points, three clear of runner up Ashlynn Pearson who finished at 87, four ahead of her mother Rachelle, who finished at 83 points.
    This was also Nelson's first career WSGA Title, joining Ezell as a first time winner. Both will keep the coveted WSGA Stableford Championship Trophies at their respective home clubs for the following year.
    The most talked about moment of day two was fourth place finisher Penny Steever's hole in one on the 15th hole, her second ace on that hole in the last year, as she won a car on the same hole with an ace last year.
    The WSGA would like to thank the staff at Paradise Valley for all their help and cooperation throughout the event and looks forward to seeing all the competitors at future WSGA events.

Juniors Battle in WJGT Central Regional

            Bad weather left Casper just in time Monday morning for Wyoming’s junior golfers to enjoy a nice afternoon round followed by a beautiful Tuesday morning that saw the scores improve dramatically as 7 champions were crowned in their respective age divisions at Paradise Valley.
            Kamrin Allen, fresh off an exciting week where he qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur through a qualifier in Billings, continued his dominant summer with a 13 stroke victory in the boys 16-19 division behind rounds of 72 and 70 for an even par 142 total. Austin Hinchey, the only other player in the division to break 80 both days, played in the final group with Allen firing rounds of 77 and 78 for a 155 total, good enough for second place. Conner Morton threatened on day two with a 77 after a first round 83 to secure the third place spot.
            Haley Shackelford dominated the girls 16-19 division as she cruised to victory with rounds of 85 and 80 for a 165 total, 32 shots clear of her nearest competitor. Savanah Green used her home course knowledge to shoot rounds of 96 and 101 for a 197 total and the runner up position. Ashlyn Pearson was not far behind with rounds of 90 and 113 for a 203 total in third place.
            Competitors in the boys 13-15 division indicated that the future is bright for Wyoming junior golf. Danny Davis captured the title after following up a 78 on day one with a spectacular day two 73 for a 151 total. Although Quintin Pope had to settle for second place with a 154 total, his phenomenal second day 2 under par 69 made him a player to watch over the next few years in Wyoming junior golf. Pax Mitchell shot back to back rounds of 78, totaling 156, to grab third place.
            Jandey Shackelford joined sister Haley in the winner’s circle after she won the girls 13-15 division behind rounds of 89 and 93, giving her a 182 total. Caitlyn Skavdahl and Sarah Schroefel rounded out the top three with two day totals of 195 and 203, respectively.
            The boys 10-12 division was the tightest division of the tournament with 4 players within one stroke of each other atop the leaderboard after day one’s nine holes. Alec Richardson shot 44 while Kirby Coe-Kirkham, Chase Cochran, and Jared Edeen were all just one stroke back at 45. Coe-Kirkham pulled away from the field with a day two 42 for a total of 87 and a two shot victory over Richardson, who finished at 89. Finishing in a tie for third place was Cochran, after matching his first day total of 45, giving him a total of 90, as well as Dallas Millin, who recovered from a 48 on day one with a 42 on the second day, tied for the lowest round of the day.
            In the girls 10-12 division, Kayla Allen followed older brother Kamrin’s example as she captured the title with a total of 90 backed by rounds of 46 and 44. She was followed by Victoria Owings who was 9 strokes back after rounds of 52 and 47 for a total of 99.
            The boys 7-9 division had arguably the most exciting finish of the tournament as Hardy Johnson and Brock Bomar needed 19 holes to determine a winner after the two were tied at an impressive 85 following 18 holes of regulation. The two headed to the par 4 tenth hole for a sudden death playoff where they both hit the fairway off the tee. Their approach shots were both greenside so it came down to the young boy’s short games to determine a champion. Hardy calmly chipped to 2 feet and Brock followed by hitting his chip 5 feet to the right of the hole. Brock’s par putt lipped out leaving Hardy a 2 foot putt for the title. He confidently drained it, earning his second consecutive victory after winning in Kemmerer last week as well.
            The WSGA thanks all volunteers and parents for their help at the tournament, as everyone had a great time. We look forward to seeing the juniors at the next WJGT event at Sheridan Country Club on July 11th and 12th.

WJGT Stops at Kemmerer

            Twelve junior golfers made their way to Kemmerer on June 13-14 to vie for the titles in their respective age divisions in the WJGT’s Southwest Regional. As usual, the wind was blowing both days for the competitors as they attempted to conquer the challenging par 36 nine hole layout.

            The boys 16-19 division saw two competitors battle for the title with Daulton Grube of Rock Springs ultimately emerging victorious. He came back from a day 1 round of 91 with a solid 85 for a 176 total. Landers’ Tyson Sollars shot rounds of 93 and 95 for a 188 total.

            The most competitive division of the tournament was the boys 13-15 division, with five junior golfers competing for the crown. Green River’s Nathan Green, a runner up last week in Cody as well as the runner up in the first flight at the state match play, continued his solid summer grabbing the title. He shot rounds of 88 and 79 for a 167 total. Casey Winger of Lander captured the second spot with consistent rounds of 89 and 88 for a 177 total. Jesse Mcmanis rounded out the top 3 shooting 96 and 86 for a 182 total.

            The boys 10-12 division was won by Rock Springs’ Garret Phillips, who shot matching nine hole rounds of 51 for a total of 102. Lyman’s Dustin Corun followed him at 113. Rounding out the top 4 were Caleb Decroo of Thermopolis at 121 and William Bartholomew of Thermopolis at 143.

            The boys 7-9 division was over before it even started with only Hardy Johnson making the trip to Kemmerer. However, Hardy took on the challenge of playing with the boys in the 10-12 division and played great golf with rounds of 55 on both days for a total of 110.

Hornbeck Captures First WSGA Individual Title at Match Play

John Hornbeck of Saratoga birdied the 18th hole at Douglas Golf Club to seal the victory in a thrilling final match against Jackson’s Eddie Stewart to win the 35th WSGA Match Play Championship.
Hornbeck clinched his spot in the final with a win over Douglas local Chandler Andreen via a 4 & 3 victory while Stewart’s path to the final was a bit more challenging with his match against Sheridan’s Kamrin Allen coming down to the final hole where he emerged victorious with a 1 up lead after a tricky par save on 18.
Hornbeck and Stewart battled all afternoon with neither player gaining more than a 1 up lead at any point throughout the match. After trading wins on the first two holes and halving holes three and four at par, Hornbeck set the tone for the rest of the day sticking his tee shot to 8 inches on the par 3 fifth hole and gaining a 1 up lead. Stewart was able to get that hole back with a birdie on the challenging par 4 eighth and the match went to the turn all square.
The match heated up on the back nine when holes eleven and twelve were halved with birdies and neither player could win a hole until the par 5 fifteenth, where Stewart suffered from a bad lie on his third shot and Hornbeck took advantage and went to the sixteenth with a 1 up lead. However, Stewart responded by nearly driving the green and chipping to close range prompting Hornbeck to concede the birdie and square up the match.
A brief lightning delay followed so the competitors had approximately 30 minutes to think about their difficult tee shot at the downhill 243 yard par-3 17th hole. Stewart came up short with a 5 iron however, Hornbeck was not phased and hit his tee shot to 8 feet. Stewart chipped to 15 feet and confidently drained the putt to put the pressure on Hornbeck, whose putt slid by the top side of the hole, sending the match to the 18th all square.
Both players striped their tee shots down the middle of the fairway, leaving about 60 yards to a back hole location on the elevated green. Stewart hit first, coming up a touch short and leaving 20 feet for birdie. Hornbeck’s wedge shot skipped past the hole and checked up leaving him 8 feet downhill. Stewart’s putt missed right and all he could do was watch as Hornbeck calmly sank his birdie putt to secure the victory and his first individual WSGA title.
The victory guarantees him a spot with Todd Griffin as Wyoming’s representatives at the Pacific Coast Amateur in late July. The final spot will go to the winner of the 2011 Wyoming State Amateur in July.
For full field results click HERE.

Juniors Kick Off WJGT Schedule in Cody

The WJGT began its 2011 season in Cody on June 6th and 7th at Olive Glen Golf Club with 34 players vying for the titles in their respective age divisions.
Scoring conditions were ideal on day one with warm temperatures and only a light breeze. The situation was not the same as the juniors teed off early in the morning on day two with high winds and temperatures only in the 50’s, and the scores went up as a result.
Kamrin Allen, the 2010 WJGT Player of The Year, led the way in the boys 16-19 division, firing rounds of 68 and 76 on his way to an even par 144 total. Chris Cremer and Taylor Spiegelberg rounded out the top 3 spots with rounds of 71-87 and 73-87, respectively.
The boys 13-15 division came down to the final hole as Pax Mitchell (76-88), Nathan Green(73-90), and Jordan Costello (73-89) battled all of Tuesday morning with Costello finally prevailing after closing the tournament with a birdie at the par 5 ninth hole.
Amanda Hinchey came out on top in the girls 13-15 division with rounds of 89 and 100 for a 189 total. Not far behind were Sydney Gunn (109-99) and Sarah Schroefel (104-113).
In the 12 and under divisions, the Bomar family made their presence known for the 2011 season as Brock won the boys division and sister Peyton won the girls division. Brock shot 9 hole rounds of 41 and 45 for a total of 86 with Dallas Millin (44-49) and Alec Richardson (47-49) cracking the top 3 and threatening throughout the tournament. Peyton prevailed with an exciting playoff victory over Kayla Allen (52-54) with competitor Sabrina Schroefel rounding out the top 3.
A great time was had by all and the WSGA looks forward to the upcoming WJGT schedule after a successful tournament in Cody.

2011 WSGA Champion Entries Open May 2nd

2011 is another exciting summer full of great WSGA Championship Venues and even more opportunities for players of all ages to compete.  General entries for all WSGA Championships will open on Monday, May 2nd at 9AM.  Priority entries for WSGA Championships will be available on Monday, April 18th at 9AM for those participants who competed in the specific event in 2010.  2010 participants will receive an an email or mailed invitation with instructions on how to sign up during the priority registration period.  Players are encouraged to enter online, however printable entry forms will be available.

2010 WSGA Players of the Year Named

Three repeat Players of the Year were announced to end the 2010 Championship Season.

The Powder Horn Caps Off 2010 Season

It was one of the most anticipated WSGA Championships in recent memory and The Powder Horn did not disappoint. 160 players competed in seven age divisions on September 18th and 19th in Sheridan.

Though she has a solid resume of amateur golf in the state of Wyoming, Sue Edwards of Powell had never laid claim to a WSGA Title. That all changed on Sunday when she followed up an opening round 77 with a 76 on Sunday to put her four shots ahead of 2000 Senior Amateur Champion, Maureen Humphrys of Sheridan (76-81—157). Defending champ, Falinda Hall of Cody, finished in solo-third place with rounds of 84-81—165.

The Men’s overall division came right down to the 36th and final hole of the championship. After birdies on 15 and 16, Kent Jesperson of Cheyenne all but had his second WSGA Senior Amateur Championship wrapped up. Jesperson was four under par for the day and two under par for the championship as he headed to the par-3 17th hole, three shots ahead of clubhouse leader, Pat Fernandez of Cheyenne. However, after a three-putt, double-bogey five, Jesperson’s lead was back to one shot with one hole to play. Jesperson was able to right the ship at the par-4 18th and after a solid tee shot and a pitch to 20 feet, two putts later he was holding the WSGA Senior Amateur Trophy for the second time in three years.

For complete results of the 11th WSGA Senior Amateur Championship, click HERE.

WSGA Four-Ball Championship Wraps Up at Lander GC

One way to navigate the severely sloped 18th green at Lander Golf Club is to avoid putting on it at all. That is exactly what Dean Lehmkuhler did when he holed his 80 yard wedge shot for an eagle two on the final hole of the 2010 WSGA Four-Ball Championship, September 11th and 12th. Lehmkuhler and his partner, Charlie Mercer , came to the home hole trailing by two shots behind Mark Doebele and Colin Hopkins. Lehmkuhler’s eagle, coupled with a bogey by Doebele and Hopkins, led to a three-shot swing and the first WSGA Championship for the team from Lander. Click here for final results.

Griffin/Bowman Repeat at WSGA Mid-Am

Todd Griffin of Casper (72-67-74—213) and Sarah Bowman of Parkman (79-78-78—235) completed successful defenses of their Wyoming State Golf Association Mid-Amateur Titles at Olive Glenn Golf & Country Club in Cody on Sunday. Griffin now claims five WSGA Mid-Amateur Trophies and Bowman has four.

2010 Wyoming Junior Championship Wraps up in Worland

For Bri Sweeny, it was déjà vu all over again as she successfully defended her Girls Junior Amateur Championship on her home turf, Green Hills Golf Club in Worland. With rounds of 76-78—156 she was able to finish ten strokes clear of the field. Haley Shackleford of Gillette (80-84—164) finished in second place and Madisen Price of Thermopolis (101-98—199) was in third.

In the boys overall division, the last player into the field ended up taking home the title. Kyle Fanning (73-68—141) made it into the Championship on Tuesday afternoon after a withdraw made room for him in the round one pairings. The senior-to-be from Cheyenne shot a four-under par 68 in the final round to overtake Cameron Lindell of Sheridan (68-74—142). Lindell had a 15 foot birdie putt from just off the edge of the green on the 36th hole, but it slipped by to give Fanning his first WSGA Title. Defending Champ, Kamrin Allen of Sheridan (72-71—143) finished two shots back.

Maier Successfully Defends at WSGA Amateur

With a birdie on the 54th hole of The Championship, Gabe Maier (65-69-71—205) completed his successful title defense in the 88th playing of the Wyoming State Golf Association’s Amateur Championship. Maier was able to hold off 2008 WSGA Amateur Champion, Steve White of Jackson (72-67-70—209), who evened up the Championship after a birdie three on the par-four tenth hole. Maierregained a one-shot edge after holing out from just off the front edge of the green par-five 11th for an eagle three. White missed his five foot eagle attempt to fall one shot back, which remained the margin as the two competitors traded pars for the next five holes. On the par-four 17th, White made an untimely double-bogey when he was forced to punch out after his tee shot found the left rough. Maier made par and took a three shot lead to the final hole where he made birdie to claim his second consecutive WSGA Amateur Title.

Click Here for Final Results

Familiar Faces Win in Gillette

It seemed like Christmas in July at Bell Nob Golf Club for the WJGT Northeast Regional Stoke Play. Rain and temperatures in the 50's greeted competitors in round 2, but boys and girls ages 7 through 18 played on. Kamrin Allen of Sheridan once again laid claim to a WJGT Title with rounds of 69-74--143. Allen finished in front of Caden Rosin of Douglas and Taylor Reed of Sheridan. In the Girls' Overall Division, Bri Sweeny was challenged by Haley Shackelford of Gillette as they fired rounds of 80 and 81, respectively. However, Sweeny was avail to hold Shackelford off with a second-round 84 to hold on for a four-stroke victory. Click HERE for full results in the 13 and over divisions, and HERE for results in the 12 and under division.

The Golf Club at Devils Tower Hosts Three Person Championship

It was a tail of two rounds at the WSGA Three Person Championship in Hulett on July 3rd and 4th. On Saturday, the field was treated to Chamber of Commerce weather and the scores reflected it. One team in each the Men's and Women's/Mixed Divisions broke 60, with 13-under par 59. Eugene, Sandy and Wendy Routledge accomplished the task in the Women's/Mixed Division while Jared Petrino, Colin Hopkins and Josh White shot 59 in the Men's Division.
Sunday was a different story, however, as heavy rains began early and remained in the area for most of the day. Team Routledge seemed unphased by the weather as they hung on for a 4-stroke victory with a second round 62 over Rick, Jenny and Billy McElroy of Gillette.

In the Men's Division, the team of Pat Fernandez, Dave Blyth and Kyle Nuss bettered their first round 61 with a second round 60 to come from two strokes back and win by five. For full field results and other information on this event, click HERE.

Mansor Lays Claim to 1st Net Stableford Championship

WJGT Central Regional at Three Crowns

State Match Play Semifinals Set

After battling it out in the first round Friday morning and quarter finals in the afternoon, Semifinal matches are set for Saturday morning at Douglas Golf Club.  Kamrin Allen of Sheridan, Eddie Stewart of Jackson, Chandler Andreen of Douglas and John Hornbeck of Saratoga will vie for the 35th WSGA Match Play Title.  Allen, a senior-to-be at Sheridan High School, took down ’92 Champ, Todd Griffin, on the 19th hole with a 25-foot, downhill, double-breaking birdie putt.  Stewart defeated University of Wyoming teammate, Michael May, 3 and 1, Andreen took down David O’Connell 2 and 1 and John Hornbeck made his way into the semi’s by way of a 3 and 2 victory over Morgan Splichal.

Matches start at 8AM tomorrow in Douglas.  For full results of the 35th WSGA Match Play Championship, click HERE.

Championship Flight Set for State Match play