2011 Horseshoe Bay Inviatational

Nicholas Cristea shot 70-71 on Slick Rock and Ram Rock at Horseshoe Bay to successfully defend his title as the Horseshoe Bay Invitational Champion.  The two under par total was good for the victory by several shots.  Under clear skies with northerly winds at 10 mph the players enjoyed beautiful weather and ideal playing conditions over the weekend.  The golf courses were in great shape.  General Manager Glenn Lee,  Head PGA Professional Jesse Horner and the entire staff at Horseshoe Bay provided a well run tournament.  The players expressed their appreciation for the quality event.

Cristea started the day with a one shot lead over Johathan Davidson and six other players within six shots.  On the front nine Davidson had the lead but Cristea rallied with a two under par 33 on the back nine to capture the champtionship with a comfortable seven shot margin .     Cristea's swing, decision making, and putting won the day.  Click on the image below to view Cristea's swing sequence.

Ram Rock, as always, presented the players with significant challenges and punished wayward shots.  Most of the scores in the open division were in the upper 70's and low 80's.  Players reported playing well most of the round but when missing shots suffering double, triple and qualdruple bogeys on the exacting shots and difficult green complexes.  Steady shotmaking, good decisions and good putting were required to post a score near par.  Only Cristea and Alex Ellis could match accomplish the task of shooting 71 at Ram Rock. 

Johnathan Davidson finished second with Manny Bhakta and Alex Ellis tied for third.  Click here for the scores of the full field.

Johathan Davidson, Champion Nicholas Cristea, and Manny Bhakta are shown here. 

 

 

In the Senior Division, Aaron Billings fired 70-72 to capture the Senior Division title by nine shots over Jeff Opheim.  Steve Trafton finished third..