With a full field of 95 locals and a sprinkling of out of town players, the 2019 Course Championships was greeted with fantastic weather, following a big storm that left the course a little wet but in otherwise great condition for the 3-round, two-day tournament.
The first round saw a hot start by veteran Open player David Devine who topped the field with a 14 under and set the pace for the 25-person MPO field. The Master’s field got off to a competitive start with Mike Westerman and Oscar Garcia starting off with respective -7 on the first round. The two would continue to duel it out over the next two rounds, with Westerman ultimately winning the division by just two strokes. The MP50 division saw a very competitive field, with all 8 players within 4 strokes of one another after the first round. Reigning champion Rianne Hamilton saw some close competition, as she took a two-stroke lead with a -2 for the Round 1 of the tournament.
In the Am divisions, Shane Jonas set the pace with a -9 with Tadas Mizukis and Nicholas Soto just one and two strokes behind. Daniel Quezada had the hot start in Intermediate, shooting a -6 for the first round, while incredibly consistent John Maki was 3 strokes behind (and ultimately finishing 2nd).
The second round, the most difficult setup we have at Morley, was a challenging afternoon for many players. But defying the odds was reigning Men’s open champion Clint Calvin who set a new course record for the layout with an -8, while Carlos Caballero got himself back in the top group with a -6. Notable performances in this extremely challenging layout came from MP50 winner Mike Lamb who shot an impressive -2 (besting the field by 9 strokes that round) and Corey Ross, the ultimate winner in Advanced, with a -1.
The 3rd round, a short course, saw some great scores across the board, with Shane Jonas pulling away in Advanced with a -10 and Rianne solidifying her lead for a 5th Women’s Open title with a -5. In the Open division, Clint Calvin, was also solidifying his lead shooting a personal best -16 that gave him an 8 stroke lead going into the safari Final 9.
The safari Final 9 consisted of a new layout unknown to the top 4 players, led by Clint Calvin with Jet Tydingo and Nick Newton holding a one stroke lead for second over Carlos Caballero. The safari layout offered the top Pro’s an opportunity to showcase their skills and really open up on some of the 450+ foot long holes with Clint Calvin putting on an absolute clinic and gaining another 4 strokes on the field. The battle for 2nd place lasted until the final hole, with Carlos and Jet ultimately tying and Nick Newton just one stroke behind to finish 4th.
Congrats to all our division winners and everyone that participated for bringing such positive attitudes and a fun weekend for all involved! Til next year!