Jeff Strong Named STPGA Pro of the Year

From the STPGA:

Jeff Strong, who has served as the head golf professional and general manager of Mont Belvieu’s Eagle Pointe Golf Club since construction on the course began in 1999, has been named the 2009 Southern Texas PGA Golf Professional of the Year.

The honor has been presented annually for 42 years. The honor is the STPGA’s highest award and the recipient is chosen on the basis of his or her overall performance as a PGA golf professional, level of service to the Southern Texas PGA, leadership, image, ability to inspire fellow professionals and service to the region’s golf community. The first STPGA Golf Professional of the Year award went to the late Hardy Loudermilk, shortly after the STPGA’s creation in 1968.

"To receive this kind of recognition from my peers is incredible," Strong said. "To know you’ve done something for this game that we love so much is just indescribable. It brings me a lot of joy."

Elected to membership in the PGA of America in 1996, Strong has proven to be one of southern Texas’ most willing and able golf professionals. The Michigan native has been a very active participant in the Southern Texas PGA’s Junior Golf Program and it’s member tournament operations. He completed a two-year term on the STPGA’s Board of Directors in 2008, serving as the chairman of the Section’s Tournament Committee throughout that period. Amongst his many accomplishments as chairman of that committee was the creation of a series of pro-ams to help support larger purses at some of the STPGA’s member tournaments.

He also led the charge to re-invigorate the STPGA Senior Series operation, which is geared toward providing a slate of competitive events for golfers ages 50 and above.
He has hosted the Eagle Pointe Pro-Am for the past three years. The tournament is geared toward generating financial support for the Southern Texas PGA Foundation, through which the STPGA provides financial sustenance for its many junior golf and scholarship activities. The 2009 tournament raised $11,000, bringing the three-year total of funds donated to the STPGA Foundation to $34,500.

Strong is as active in the non-golf community as he is in the golf industry. He has donated over 1,000 rounds of golf to local charities while facilitating Eagle Pointe’s support of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, the United Way, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and others.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Strong accepted the assignment of Captain of the 2009 Southern Texas PGA Texas Joe Black Cup Matches and led his team to a 13-11 victory over their Northern Texas PGA counterparts. The win tied the Ryder Cup-style series at 14-14-1.

"Being Captain of the STPGA’s Texas Joe Black Cup Matches team was really one of the highlights of my career," said Strong. "I can’t tell you how much fun that was, or how much it meant to me."

A collegiate golfer at the University of Wisconsin, Strong spent the early part of his career working in Florida, where he started out as an assistant professional and quickly worked his way up to general manager status and responsibilities.

His career took on a global flavor in 1993, when he took on golf instructor duties at the International Golf Club Bonn in Germany. Three years later, he was named the head golf professional and general manager at River Oaks Golf Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

He made his move to Texas in 1998, taking the general manager position at Longwood Golf Club in Cypress, and then, in late 1999, was named head golf professional/general manager at Eagle Pointe, which was then under construction.

Strong took his career a step farther in 2001, when he founded Strong Sports Management, Inc., through which he operates Eagle Pointe, and in 2005, earned a maintenance contract with The Battleground at Deer Park.

In addition to his honor at the 2009 STPGA Golf Professional of the Year award, Strong is also the recipient of the 2009 Golf Professional of the Year honor from the Eastern Chapter of the STPGA.

He has previously been honored as the Southern Texas PGA’s 2008 Bill Strausbaugh Award winner and the 2007 and 2008 STPGA Eastern Chapter Golf Professional of the Year awards. His golf shop at Eagle Pointe received the STPGA’s 2009 Merchandiser of the Year Award (for public facilities)— the shop also received 2005 STPGA Eastern Chapter Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities award.

Strong credits his wife, Liz, and their daughters, Sharon (13) and Lauren (8) for providing the support he needs to fulfill the opportunities provided him in his personal and professional lives.

Strong and his fellow 2009 STPGA award winners will be formally presented with their honors during the STPGA’s 42nd Annual President’s Dinner, to be held Feb. 21 at Sweetwater Country Club in Sugar Land.

We'll publish the list of 2009 STPGA award winners tomorrow.

Humble's Cooper Claims STPGA Match Play

From the STPGA - Carl Cooper won a closely-contested final match against Lonny Alexander by a 1-up margin to take the victory in the 2009 TaylorMade-adidas Golf STPGA Match Play Championship at Escondido.

Cooper was one hole down after Alexander birdied the 10th hole in the finals, but came back to go 2 up after the 14th hole. Alexander pulled back within a single hole after on the 15th, but both took pars on the remaining holes and Cooper had the championship.

"It was kind of like a window opened up for me and it was my time," said Cooper of his victory. "I've been working very hard on my putting and it paid off. Tim Thelen told me after our semi-final match that I had played the best he’d seen me play. I think it was really the best golf I've played since I had my Tour card."

"To win five matches against the kind of golfers I was playing against is tough," Cooper said. "I stayed patient and the golf gods rewarded me."

The win in the finals marked the second time in the tournament's five rounds that Cooper had been pushed to the final hole before defeating his opponent. He earned his slot in the finals by defeating Tim Thelen 4&3 in the semi-finals. Alexander gained his position in the final match with a 3&2 win over David Von Hoffman.

Cooper earned $1,200 for the championship and Alexander took home $800 as the runner-up. The losing semi-finalists received $500 each and the losing quarterfinalists and second-round players received $300 and $200 each, respectively.

Cliff Bounds, ousted from the Championship Division in a 5&4 first-round loss to Cooper, won the Championship Division's Consolation Bracket with a 3&2 conquest of Chase Watson in the finals.

Bounds took home $600 as winner of the Consolation Bracket. Watson received a check for $400 as the runner-up, and the professionals who lost in the quarterfinals and semi-ifinals won $200 and $150 each (respectively) for advancing past the first round.

Larry Degenhart won the tournament's Senior Division, taking a 2&1 victory in the finals over Garry Rippy.

Degenhart gained the finals by taking a 4&3 win over Babe Hiskey in the quarterfinals and then winning a 21-hole match against Wayne Mitchell in the semi-finals.

Degenhart's winnings were $800; Rippy earned $500 in runner-up money. All the golfers who won their first and quarterfinal matches received $200 and $300, respectively.

"I didn't expect I was going to win when I entered, but it looked like a good chance to win a check in a good tournament," said Degenhart. "When I saw I was playing Marty Fleckman in the first round, I joked that they were trying to eliminate me early."

"I had Garry four holes down by the 12th hole of the final match. He came back, but I managed to hold on," Degenart said. "I'm a Life Member of the PGA and I've been a member of several Sections, but this is the first time I've won anything at the Section level, so it's pretty special."

Fleckman took the Senior Division's Consolation Bracket with a 3&2 win over Ralph Harris in the finals. Fleckman was eliminated from the Senior Division by Degenhart in a 1-up decision, but never played past the 16th hole in three matches in the Consolation Bracket.

Fleckman earned $450 for his effort, while Harris took home a runner-up share of $250. The losing semi-finallsts received $150 each.

2010 PGA Tour Texas Dates

The 2010 PGA Tour schedule is out, and here are the Texas dates:

• April 1-4: Shell Houston Open
  
• May 13-16: Valero Texas Open
  
• May 20-23: HP Byron Nelson Championship
  
• May 27-30: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
  

As you can see, the Texas Open, Nelson and Colonial are in back-to-back-to-back weeks, forming nice Texas triangle. Also of note is that the Texas Open is officially listed as moved to TPC San Antonio, where it will be played on the Greg Norman-designed course.

The Spirit Returns to Whispering Pines

Thanks to Golf Babes for reminding me of this: If you're going to be anywhere in the vicinity of Trinity this week, head out to Whispering Pines Golf Club and check out The Spirit International.

Since its founding in 2001, The Spirit has become one of the premiere international competitions for young amateur golfers - usually college-age, sometimes younger. Countries send four golfers - two women, two men - who compete both individually for men's and women's titles, plus as teams for men's, women's and overall titles.

This year, the American team is captained by Paula Creamer, and the players on Team USA are Jordan Speith, the No. 1-ranked junior boys player in the U.S.; college star Ben Martin, runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Amateur; college freshman Jennifer Johnson, the runner-up at the U.S. Women's Amateur this year; and 14-year-old phenom Alexis Thompson, the No. 1-ranked girls junior who has played very well in a handful of LPGA appearances.

Other notables this year include Caroline Masson, one of the top amateurs in Europe, playing for Germany;and Matteo Manassero, who won the 2009 British Amateur at age 16, playing for Italy.

Some of the young golfers hitting Whispering Pines this week are guaranteed to be stars down the road; you only have to look at the list of players who've played The Spirit in the past to know that. Those past players include Nick Flanagan, Martin Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker, Ross Fisher and Michael Sim on the men's side; Lorena Ochoa, Minea Blomqvist, Na Yeon Choi, Hee Young Park, Jane Park, Joo Mi Kim, Aree Song and Yani Tseng on the women's side.

Plus the American captain this year, Paula Creamer.

Practice rounds are on Tuesday (Nov. 3); the tournament starts Wednesday (Nov. 4) and runs through Saturday (Nov. 7). Parking and admission is free for spectators.

Don't Leave It Short

On the other hand, it was a 60-footer. Clip of a Waco local news anchor trying to win $10,000 by making a 60-foot putt.



Hat tip to Jay Busbee via Twitter.

PGA Tour First Stage Qualifiers in Texas

One first-stage qualifier for PGA Tour Q-School is over, another one comes next week. On Saturday, play wrapped up at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club in McKinney. The full scores can be found here, but we'll list the 23 golfers who advanced into the second round:

Nick Mason, Cave Creek, AZ, 278
Jacob Rogers, Tucson, AZ, 280
Allen McFerran, Fayetteville, AR, 281
William Doughtie, Amarillo, TX, 283
Jess Daley, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 284
Tom Kalinowski, Scottsdale, AZ, 284
Randy Lowry, Spring, TX, 285
Nick Killpack, St. George, UT, 286
Pierre Relecom, Belgium, 286
Madalitso Muthiya, Albuquerque, NM, 287
Colin Biles, Columbus, OH, 287
Josh Broadaway, Dothan, AL, 287
Blake Sattler, New Philadelphia, PA, 287
David Suggs, Orlando, FL, 288
Bobby Hutcherson, Memphis, TX, 288
Jong Yoon, San Ramon, CA, 289
Jorge Campillo, Spain, 289
Darren Angel, Northridge, CA, 289
Matt Rosen, Tucson, AZ, 289
David Morland, Winter Garden, FL, 290
Rob Rashell, Scottsdale, AZ, 290
Travis Hampshire, Zephyrhills, FL, 290
Nemanja Savic, Raleigh, NC, 290

Coming up Oct. 27-30 is another first-stage qualifier in Texas, this one at Lantana Golf Club. And in that field is hotshot 20-year-old Rickie Fowler who - as I write this - is tied for the lead in the PGA Tour Frys.com Open. If he wins there, he won't have to bother with Q-School.

The field also includes Tony Finau, currently a cast member of "Big Break Disney Golf" on the Golf Channel; as well as some of the top golf professionals (club pros and mini-tour players alike) in Texas including Stuart Deane, Jaxon Brigman, Martin Flores, Kelly Grunewald, Vince Jewell and Adam Rubinson.

Tiger and the Cowboys

Tiger Woods spent some time in Dallas this week, presumably getting in some work with Hank Haney. But El Tigre was also getting in some R&R, attending a U2 concert at the new Cowboys stadium and sitting in a private suite with Tony Romo and Jason Witten.

The next morning, Tiger pumped iron in the Cowboys' weight room, surprising those Cowboys players who showed up.

The Dallas Morning News had this quote:

"He's the greatest athlete of all time in my opinion," reserve QB Stephen McGee said. "There's a lot to learn from Tiger. He's got a lot of major characteristics. He was in the weight room showing that work ethic you always hear about. He was really cool."

Yes, let's hope that these Cowboys learn something from Tiger ... and that Tiger learns nothing from these Cowboys!

Tiger and Tony are apparently big buds. And Romo was named this month by Golf Digest as the best golfer among professional athletes with a +3.3 handicap. How many years until Romo is on the Champions Tour?

Boot Ranch Foreclosed On; Sutton Out of the Picture

Hal Sutton's Boot Ranch project just outside Fredericksburg has been beset by problems throughout its short life. Despite that, the golf course drew raves.

Now, alas, it has drawn a foreclosure notice. Lehman Brothers - itself undergoing bankruptcy proceedings - is liquidating a $73 million loan to Boot Ranch to raise money for its creditors, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The facility is expected to remain open and operating throughout the foreclosure, until new ownership can be found. But that means that Hal Sutton's involvement - and Boot Ranch was his baby all the way - is over.

Read the full story from the Express-News

Adams Tour Championship This Week; Lowry Wins in MS

The Adams Golf Pro Tour Series is headed to it season-ending tour championship this week. And Randy Lowry of Houston heads into that tour championship off a victory.

Lowry won the First Tee of Meridian Classic, played at Northwood Country Club in Meridian, Miss., over the weekend. Lowry surged to the title on the strength of a final-round 66, pipping Jaxon Brigman by one stroke at the end. Lowry finished at 17-under 267 and Brigman at 16-under.

Lowry is a 22-year-old rookie who had finished high multiple times previously in the season, but the Meridian is his first victory. And with that victory, Lowry took the lead on the tour money list.

Top Finishers
Randy Lowry, Houston, 67-68-66-66--267
Jaxon Brigman, Abilene, 67-65-65-71--268
Brett Lederer, Long Beach, Calif., 65-66-68-70--269
Mark Walker, Hurst, 66-66-67-71--270
Colby Beckstrom, Muskegon, Mich., 71-66-69-66--272
Full Scores

This week, Wednesday through Saturday, is the Island View Casino Resort Tour Championship at Windance Country Club in Gulfport, Miss. Brigman is the defending champion.

New Putter Company in Utopia Offers Unique Design

How in the world did little, tiny Utopia, Texas - population 3000; gateway to Garner and Lost Maples state parks; home of some great pie, although I can never remember the name of the cafe serving it; home of Kinky Friedman's dog ranch - become a golfing hotbed?

The latest golf news to emerge from Utopia is the putter company, Utopia Golf Products, which has a couple unique designs that it is currently working to get into pro shops and other retail outlets across the country.

The press release is posted below, after a couple more images. But you can immediately spot what's different about the Utopia putters - that ridge running across the face. Well, in reality, that thin ridge is the face - it's what strikes the ball. Some insight into the design is included in the press release, and you can also check out the Utopia Golf Products website.





Here is the press release:

Utopia Golf Products Launched with Award-winning Putters

UTOPIA, Texas (September 28, 2009) – Utopia Golf Products, maker of finely-milled performance-based putters, made its official début at the PGA Fall Expo Sept. 1-2 in Las Vegas with welcome fanfare and highly successful results. Winner of a "Best New Product" award at the Expo, Utopia Golf Products is attracting the attention of golf instructors, equipment buyers, shop owners and players who appreciate the appealing putter designs with built-in performance features, in addition to the accomplished workmanship and high quality of the clubs.

"We are delighted with the great response we have had to our putters from the very start," says Scott Saunders, president of Utopia Golf Products. "It is a pleasure to know we will have the opportunity to enhance the enjoyment and performance of golfers who discover how our putters can help improve their games."

Each Utopia club is designed, milled, hand-assembled, painted and polished to exact standards at the company's manufacturing facility in Utopia, Texas, under the watchful eyes of putter designers Scott Saunders and Michael Hillis.

The Utopia TXR I cavity-back blade putter and TXR II heel-shafted cavity-back mallet putter feature a ridge that acts as the face, creating a thin leading line the company refers to as "The Edge." The purpose of "The Edge" is to give "true roll" to the ball, allowing it to move smoothly along the intended line to the hole and reducing the probability of a mis-hit. Utopia putters are designed to strike the ball just above its equator to provide instant forward roll without skidding, hopping, skipping, side- or backspin.

Utopia Golf Products was founded this year by Bill Deichler, Mike Hillis and Scott Saunders, all residents of Utopia, Texas, a town of under 300 residents located about 80 miles west of San Antonio in Texas Hill Country. Inspired by their own putting woes and their love of the game, they set out to create putters that would offer the pleasure of improved performance to golfers of all skill levels. With the twin goals of striving to perfect their own play and providing opportunities to others to improve their games, the founders decided to name their company "Utopia Golf Products," both in honor of their beloved little hometown and to reflect the unlimited potential of their creations.

Utopia putters will be available at pro shops, green-grass retailers, sporting goods retailers and other golf retail outlets across the U.S, as well as on the company Web site. The putters can be imprinted with club, corporate or organization logos. They make perfect tee and tournament prizes or great gifts any time of year.