Robert Evans Birdies 17 And 18 To Win Spring Championship

Evan's first putt on 16 during final round of 2015 Spring Championship

Evan’s first putt on 16 during final round of 2015 Spring Championship

Robert Evans faced a difficult two putt on number 16 during Sunday’s final round of the 2015 Spring Championship.  His first putt, up and over a ridge to a hole location on the back right of the green, was exposed to a significant cross breeze from the right.  He managed to lag the 30 footer to within two feet and hole it for a par.
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After 16, Evans was at one under par for the tournament, tied with Paul Romero and Jeff Shell for the lead with two holes to play.  He was playing in the penultimate group ahead of the leaders and hit a good drive on 17, followed with a three wood to just short and right of the green.  A pitch over the bunker to four feet and a holed putt resulted in a birdie.  His drive on 18 came to rest in the fairway 100 yards from the pin.  A lob wedge to within two feet of the hole allowed him to tap in for birdie and what ultimately proved to be a two shot victory.

Robert Evans - Champion Beth Cleckler - Director of Golf at Morris Williams GC

Robert Evans – Champion
Beth Cleckler – Director of Golf at Morris Williams GC

This is the first local victory of note for Evans although he has had numerous high finishes and is a consistent contender.  It may prove to be a turning point in his future performance because he certainly has the game to become a consistent winner.  He commented that this was a learning experience in several ways.  For example, in the first round he shot 31 on the front nine and was standing in the middle of 10 fairway looking at another birdie opportunity.   He commented that he was not used to being in that position and as a result made three bogies on the back side.  However, his birdies on 17 and 18 Sunday proved that he can overcome the pressure and win.  Maybe this victory will help him believe.

Romero's 3rd to 17

Romero’s 3rd to 17

Unaware that Evans was making birdies, Romero and Shell were battling it out on 17 and 18.  On 17, Romero drove it left into number 2 fairway then played a wonderful second shot  to just short of the green.  He then pitched to about 10 feet short of the pin.  His birdie attempt missed and he settled for par.

Shell's 2nd on 17

Shell’s 2nd on 17

Shell drove the ball perfectly on 17 and was in position to make birdie or eagle.  However his second shot from the fairway was hooked to just left of the green and provided him with a difficult pitch shot to get close to the pin.

He chose to play a run shot and got it on the green but considerably short of the hole.  His birdie attempt of some 20 feet was a slightly downhill right breaker that he left a foot short.  He made the putt for par and remained tied with Romero at one under for the tournament.  Neither player was aware that Evans had birdied the last two holes so they thought they were playing for the championship.

Romero's 3rd on 18

Romero’s 3rd on 18

The 18th had it’s drama for both Shell and Romero.  Romero drove the ball wide right and was lucky to have a clear shot at the pin.  He dumped his second shot into the bunker, leaving him with a difficult up and down for what he thought was a shot at the title.  His explosion shot of 60 feet up and over a ridge was executed beautifully, leaving him with about five feet for par.  He made the putt.

Shell's 2nd to 18 at MW

Shell’s 2nd to 18 at MW

Shell was not so lucky with his tee shot when he barely missed the fairway to the right but wound up close to a newly planted tree that restricted his backswing.  He played a nice shot but it ran through the green.  He got it up and down for par.  Both players made five footers for what they thought might have been for the title.

The second place finish for Shell and Romero are excellent performances and will help both players confidence.  This is the second high finish of the season for Romero as he finished 4th in the San Antonio Regional event a couple of weeks ago.  When asked about his improved play he commented that he has overcome a back issue that occurred in 2010 and has been working hard on his game in an effort to make the Rudy’s I-35 Cup team.  He is off to a good start.

Shell has also had some success in the past in local events with several top ten finishes.  This second place finish will help his confidence.

Erik Henson and Jay Reynolds finished at one over par for the tournament and tied for fourth place.  David Bale’s 70 was the low round on Sunday and propelled him forward into a tie with Brian Noonan for 6th place.

In the first flight, Steve Trafton shot 78-74 to capture the title.

In contrast to last year, the golf course was in excellent condition, thanks to the efforts of Jason Chapman – Golf Course Superintendent – and his staff.  The greens, although very firm, had excellent putting surfaces.  They proved to be very challenging in the 20-25 mph winds that blew Sunday.  All the players were complimentary of the Golf Course and the way the tournament was administered.  Thanks to Beth Cleckler and all the staff at Morris Williams.

2015 Spring Championship

Front row L-R – Romero, Bales, Bhakta, Cleckler, Evans, Shell. Back row L-R – Reynolds, Hartenstein, Paterson, Henson

Shown here are some of the top finishers in the tournament posing with Evans and Beth Cleckler.  Congratulations to those with high finishes and all who participated in the tournament.

See more photos following the scores below.

Pos Player Thru Total R1 R2 Total
1 Robert Evans F -3 70 71 141
T2 Paul Romero F -1 69 74 143
T2 Jeff Shell F -1 69 74 143
T4 Erik Henson F +1 73 72 145
T4 Jay Reynolds F +1 73 72 145
T6 David Bales F +2 76 70 146
T6 Brian Noonan F +2 73 73 146
T8 Chris Hartenstein F +3 75 72 147
T8 Manny Bhakta F +3 74 73 147
T8 David Backus F +3 72 75 147
T8 Steve Paterson F +3 69 78 147
T12 Christopher Ferraro F +5 74 75 149
T12 Chris Benestante F +5 74 75 149
T14 Jonathan Alden F +6 75 75 150
T14 Brett Egge F +6 75 75 150
T16 Tommy Norris F +7 75 76 151
T16 Steven Siers F +7 74 77 151
T16 Rodney Thompson F +7 73 78 151
T19 Steve Trafton F +8 78 74 152
T19 Josh Luongo F +8 78 74 152
T19 Matt Fisher F +8 76 76 152
T19 Joe Ramos F +8 76 76 152
T19 George “Bubba” Sykes F +8 73 79 152
24 Tosch Lucas F +9 77 76 153
T25 Nathan Shilling F +10 79 75 154
T25 Greg Smith F +10 78 76 154
T25 Matt Riley F +10 74 80 154
T28 Lee Krassner F +11 79 76 155
T28 Chris Lyles F +11 77 78 155
T28 Matthew Wahl F +11 77 78 155
T28 Gene Black F +11 74 81 155
T28 Brandon Phillips F +11 73 82 155
T33 Mark Baldree F +12 81 75 156
T33 John Perez F +12 76 80 156
T33 Adam ONeal F +12 75 81 156
T33 Craig Cyr F +12 76 80 156
T37 Ben Carter F +13 78 79 157
T37 Rob Ormand F +13 77 80 157
T37 Randy Reynolds F +13 75 82 157
T40 Jeff Minton F +14 78 80 158
T40 Kelly Cramer F +14 81 77 158
T40 Alex Woodward F +14 81 77 158
T40 Peach Reynolds F +14 80 78 158
T40 Mike Allen F +14 78 80 158
T40 Daniel Alba F +14 77 81 158
T46 Trevor Spring F +15 84 75 159
T46 Mark Schnabel F +15 82 77 159
T46 Robert DuCharme F +15 78 81 159
T46 Mike Harkins F +15 84 75 159
T50 Kevin Dahl F +16 81 79 160
T50 Bryan Mann F +16 80 80 160
T50 Paul Moore F +16 84 76 160
T50 Barrett Sandefur F +16 83 77 160
T50 James Gustafson F +16 80 80 160
T50 Thomas Barry F +16 78 82 160
T56 Bart Antle F +17 81 80 161
T56 Vince Brunssen F +17 82 79 161
T58 J P Scott F +18 82 80 162
T58 Josh Swanson F +18 82 80 162
T58 Greg Jones F +18 80 82 162
61 Jerry Thorn F +19 83 80 163
T62 Bob Whitlock F +20 80 84 164
T62 T. Ross Henry F +20 83 81 164
T62 Johnny Jeffers F +20 83 81 164
T62 Steve Sassman F +20 81 83 164
T66 Kevin McCalla F +21 83 82 165
T66 Tim Elbrecht F +21 84 81 165
T66 Jason Stoddard F +21 80 85 165
T69 Sean Durkin F +22 80 86 166
T69 Scott Romig F +22 85 81 166
T69 Paul Canas F +22 86 80 166
T72 Robert Specjal F +23 84 83 167
T72 Clint Howell F +23 83 84 167
74 Michael Goldwater F +24 81 87 168
T75 Patrick Giles F +25 85 84 169
T75 Garrett White F +25 84 85 169
77 Myron Jordahl F +28 88 84 172
78 Phillip Boyd F +29 87 86 173
T79 Russell Brightman F +30 89 85 174
T79 David Griffin F +30 86 88 174
T79 David Gammie F +30 86 88 174
82 Jan Douglass F +31 86 89 175
83 David Brader F +33 93 84 177
84 Jim Strickland F +34 88 90 178
85 Jared Norrell F +35 89 90 179

For those of you who are interested in golfing technique, here are a few swing sequences from some of the leaders.  First, Steve Paterson’s tee shot on 17.

Paterson on 17 - 2015 Spring Championship - Missed right

Paterson on 17 – 2015 Spring Championship – Missed right

Paterson’s Tee Shot on 18.  This swing resulted in a fairly straight shot down the right side of the fairway.

Paterson's Tee shot on 18 at MW. 2015 Spring Championship.

Paterson’s Tee shot on 18 at MW. 2015 Spring Championship.

Jeff Shell’s Tee shot on 18.  Ball flight was slightly right to left and finished just right of the fairway.

Jeff Shell's tee shot on 18 in 2015 Spring Championship.

Jeff Shell’s tee shot on 18 in 2015 Spring Championship.

Paul Romero’s tee shot on 17.  This ball finished left of 17 fairway.

Paul Romero's tee shot on 17 - 2015 Spring Championship

Paul Romero’s tee shot on 17 – 2015 Spring Championship

 

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