Savannah Quarters played host to the local season opener for the Hilton Head-Savannah Tour. The day started off fine but then the sky opened up and it turned unbearable. The tournament ended up being cold, windy and rainy. One player stated that it was the worst weather he had ever played in. Regardless of the weather and the conditions, all 42 golfers took to the course to get the season started and every group finished in less than 5 hours. Not bad given the conditions we played in!
The Championship flight started off with a solid group of 4 players, only two were able to finish the round however. Two players withdrew from the tournament before they finished their rounds due to the conditions of the day. In the end Josh Rogers and Alex Kiproff were the two that finished all 18 holes of the tournament. Josh, playing out of the Columbia Tour, was able to keep his score in the 70's to claim the top spot. Josh fired a round of 78 in brutal conditions and from 7,000 yards. Great round of golf Josh!
The A flight saw 7 players competing for the top spot. Another player from the Columbia Tour, Wade Porter, came into Savannah Quarters with hopes of winning. Well it took one extra hole to do it but Wade did win. Roger Demarco came in with the same score as Wade, 87, and forced a playoff. Though it only took one hole to declare a winner, it took a big putt from Wade to finish it off. Nice playing by both players.
The biggest flight of the day was the B flight consisting of 16 golfers all ready to brave the weather and shoot for the season opening trophy. The top three players in the B flight were separated by just three strokes. Making the B flight a very strong and competitive flight. In the end it was Ashley Mcglohon firing a very solid 88 to take home the top spot. An 88 from 6,550 yards in those conditions was a very impressive round of golf. Coming in second with an 89 was long hitting Radek Klauda. Darrell Bazemore rounds out the top three with a 91 on the day. Nice playing by the top three.
The C flight had 11 players competing today. The C flight is another flight that will be very competitive this year. Solid play by everyone in the flight led to a very impressive round by Todd Purcell. Todd came to play Savannah Quarters from the Augusta tour. He walks away with a trophy and a win. Todd fired a 90 on the day to claim a one stroke win over Armando Oropeza. Noel Coolican finishes in the top three with a 94 on the day.
The D flight saw 7 players compete in the season opener. Joe Ammons was the first D flight player to post a score. It looked like he was going to hold on to the top spot until Paul McGee, who was the last score to post, came in with a score two strokes better than Joe. It was a close battle in the D flight and I'm sure it will be the same way all year long. Rounding out the top three was Jimmy Bryson.
I would like to thank everyone that came out and played. The season is off and running and we are very excited about what the 2913 season has in store. We have already passed the total members from 2012 (61) and we are only 36 members away from hitting 100 members. Spread the word about the tour. The more players we have, the bigger the prize pool will be.
Our next event is March 9th at the Arthur Hills course on Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island. Register soon to secure your spot in the tournament.