After 68 holes, it seemed like the win would be up from grabs for at least 3 players, including eventual winner Ben Curtis. At that point, Curtis, and Matt Every were tied for the lead, and John Huh was one back.
Though Huh came close on the finishing holes, none of the birdie attempts found the bottom of the cup.
For Every, a bogey on the par 4 15th (the 69th of the round), dashed his chances at a PGA Tour victory.
At 16 and 17, the final group all had pars, and so it came down to #18, the 72nd of the tournament, to see if Curtis could hold on to the lead.
As Every and Huh could only manage to par the 72nd hole, Curtis sank his putt for a birdie to win by 2 shots.
However, even though the Curtis win is a great story itself, the story of Huh finishing in a tie for 2nd. His first 9 on Thursday he seemed to be out of even making the cut. Yes, that early. He shot a 44 on the back side of the AT&T Oaks course at TPC San Antonio, his first 9. However, he rallied after the turn to a 33 for a total of 77, at that time 14 shots back from Round 1 leader, Matt Every.
Every, as you remember, shot the course record 63 on Thursday, and tied for 2nd.
During a Valero Texas Open tradition, Rudy's on the Range, I am fortunate to lunch with many players, caddies, media, sponsors, and volunteers. This year, I was able to lunch with Curtis' caddy, Ricky Elliot. We discussed how been had been playing lately, and also how he liked the course.
At that point, he had only played 10 holes, and Elliot said "Ben should do well this week. He's strking the ball well, and staying out of trouble." I did, of course ask, do you think he has a chance to win? As any good caddy would say "Well, of course!". Good on you Ricky!
Tony Vaught is an international golf writer based in Texas. He currently serves as Vice President of the Texas Golf Writers Association and has been a special contributor to Golfer’s Guide for over 10 years.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Valero Texas Open - 54 Holes Summary
Live from the Valero Texas Open --- Ben Curtis holds on to the lead after 54 holes with a score of -9. Matt Every, who shot a course record 63 in the opening round is 3 back, and John Huh, Seung-Yul Noh, and Charlie Wi sit at -4.
From PGA TOUR Media: The third round is now in the books on what was an incredibly difficult day of scoring in which TPC San Antonio played well over par. Ben Curtis started the day with a two-shot lead, shot a 1-over 73 and now leads by three. That’s about as good an example as you’ll find when it comes to showing how tough a course played.
When asked how he felt being in this position going into the final round (shooting +1, but still having a 3 shot lead), Curtis chuckled "It's better than being 3 down."
With all the excitement of watching paint dry, we scribes scurried back to our laptops to get the last remaining words down before calling it a night.
This evening, there is a Valero Texas Open tradition -- a free concert. Robert Earl Keen and Wade Bowen will take to the stage momentarily, however this writer will leave that to "young folk".
After a day of being more "PC" than ever before (that story will come out next week -- stay tuned), a couple of cold Shiner Bock at home on the back porch sounds so inviting right now.
From PGA TOUR Media: The third round is now in the books on what was an incredibly difficult day of scoring in which TPC San Antonio played well over par. Ben Curtis started the day with a two-shot lead, shot a 1-over 73 and now leads by three. That’s about as good an example as you’ll find when it comes to showing how tough a course played.
When asked how he felt being in this position going into the final round (shooting +1, but still having a 3 shot lead), Curtis chuckled "It's better than being 3 down."
With all the excitement of watching paint dry, we scribes scurried back to our laptops to get the last remaining words down before calling it a night.
This evening, there is a Valero Texas Open tradition -- a free concert. Robert Earl Keen and Wade Bowen will take to the stage momentarily, however this writer will leave that to "young folk".
After a day of being more "PC" than ever before (that story will come out next week -- stay tuned), a couple of cold Shiner Bock at home on the back porch sounds so inviting right now.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Bigger In Texas? Golf in the Big Bend National Park area proves ‘It is So’.
This is the first in a series of articles about Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa
When our group first arrived at Lajitas International Airport my first thought was “Where in the world are we?” Then next was, let’s hit the golf course!
Shortly after wheels up in Addison, we arrived in Lajitas. The approach to the airfield was breathtaking in of itself. We were met at the plane by some of the outstanding crew that makes Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa such a special place. We loaded up the vehicles and made the short trip to the resort.
Upon checking in and getting to our rooms (more on the resort accommodations in an upcoming article), we met up for a nice quick lunch and headed to the golf course.
I’ve been fortunate to play a variety of courses around the globe, and from my experience, there is no other golf course like Black Jack’s Crossing anywhere in Texas. I only know a bit about the former layout that was washed away for good in the “500 year flood of 2008”, which was the third in less than 100 years! From what I have been told, the previous layout was very flat and unexciting. I can tell you this, the Lanny Wadkins version is neither!
There are at least seven elevated tees, where you can what seems to be hundreds of miles in almost every direction. The mountains, buttes, mesas and other rock formations (lajitas means flat stones) are breathtaking. The tee shots are exhilarating, and Wadkins created a golf course where every hole is memorable. The 7,400-yard course – named for General John “Black Jack” Pershing, who reportedly chased Pancho Villa around in these parts–is unique indeed.
Tony Vaught is an international golf writer based in Texas. He currently serves as Vice President of the Texas Golf Writers Association and has been a special contributor to Golfer’s Guide for over 10 years.
When our group first arrived at Lajitas International Airport my first thought was “Where in the world are we?” Then next was, let’s hit the golf course!
 |
| Thanks to Mr. Warren for his hospitality |
Now, let’s back up just a bit. I was among a group of journalists and marketing folks invited for a special preview of the recently redesigned and renovated Black Jack’s Crossing Golf Club, which is part of the redeveloped Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa.
Lajitas is not easy to get to, but it’s well worth the trip. We were fortunate to be able to hop a ride on one of the private jets in the fleet belonging to Kelcy Warren, who is the owner of Lajitas.
Our group met up at the Million Air Executive Terminal in Addison, Texas for the short flight to Lajitas. If you are offered the opportunity to fly on a private jet, I highly recommend it. Lucky for us that this was a short trip, though, as the Lavatory could not be accessed due to all of our golf gear being in the way. And with our duly appointed in-flight bartender taking care to ensure no empty glasses, a longer flight might not have been so friendly.
Lajitas is not easy to get to, but it’s well worth the trip. We were fortunate to be able to hop a ride on one of the private jets in the fleet belonging to Kelcy Warren, who is the owner of Lajitas.
Our group met up at the Million Air Executive Terminal in Addison, Texas for the short flight to Lajitas. If you are offered the opportunity to fly on a private jet, I highly recommend it. Lucky for us that this was a short trip, though, as the Lavatory could not be accessed due to all of our golf gear being in the way. And with our duly appointed in-flight bartender taking care to ensure no empty glasses, a longer flight might not have been so friendly.
 |
| What a group! |
Shortly after wheels up in Addison, we arrived in Lajitas. The approach to the airfield was breathtaking in of itself. We were met at the plane by some of the outstanding crew that makes Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa such a special place. We loaded up the vehicles and made the short trip to the resort.
 |
| The GPS says the golf course is just over there! |
Upon checking in and getting to our rooms (more on the resort accommodations in an upcoming article), we met up for a nice quick lunch and headed to the golf course.
I’ve been fortunate to play a variety of courses around the globe, and from my experience, there is no other golf course like Black Jack’s Crossing anywhere in Texas. I only know a bit about the former layout that was washed away for good in the “500 year flood of 2008”, which was the third in less than 100 years! From what I have been told, the previous layout was very flat and unexciting. I can tell you this, the Lanny Wadkins version is neither!
Tony Vaught is an international golf writer based in Texas. He currently serves as Vice President of the Texas Golf Writers Association and has been a special contributor to Golfer’s Guide for over 10 years.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa
Ok, so I am using this as a teaser for the upcoming series of articles I am doing on Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa and Black Jacks Crossing Golf Club.
Stay tuned ... really!
Stay tuned ... really!
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