Golf: Making the turn + Chip Shots

Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser, June 20, 2012

Some of Lafayette’s best amateur golfers are already aiming toward late July and one of the area’s historic events, and with the flighted system now in place for the City of Lafayette Championships, any golfer can take part and compete for top honors.

The City Championships, an event that dates all the way back to 1928, is scheduled Saturday-Sunday, July 21-22. The first day will be played at Hebert Municipal and the final day will be staged at The Wetlands as part of the tournament’s rotation among the city’s three municipal courses.

Obviously, the championship flight will draw the top players, trying to claim the title that went to Ted Weber by a one-shot margin last year. But with the flights in place, the competitive field will be level for players of all abilities.

"We’ll have as many flights as the entries call for," said David Gary, head professional at The Wetlands. "We’ll also have the senior flight and the ladies flight "» we’ve had great participation in the ladies flight over the past couple of years and we really hope that continues."

Championship flight play will award gross winners only but gross and net winners will be named in the other men’s flights as well as the seniors (age 62 and over) and ladies flights.

The city championship provides one of the few opportunities for locals at a true medal-play event. The 36-hole stroke-play event will begin at 9:30 a.m. each day, with players paired by committee on the first day and paired by results for the final round.

A USGA handicap index is required to compete in the event, but residency in Lafayette or Lafayette Parish is not required. The event is open to all amateurs, and ties will be broken by sudden-death playoff in the championship flight and by USGA formula in the other flights.

"We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of very good players take part," Gary said. "It’s made it a very competitive event."

Last year was an example "» and last year also added a seventh city title award to the Weber family trophy case. Ted’s two-putt bogey on the final hole at The Wetlands was good enough for a one-shot win over brother Todd — a five-time winner of the city championship — while brother Thad shot a final-day 69 to finish tied for fifth. Thad had won the city crown in 1998.

Entry forms for the tournament are available at all three municipal courses or by calling Gary at The Wetlands at (337) 291-7151. Entry fee is $120 for the two days which includes all fees, carts (to speed place of play, all players must ride carts), range balls and food and beverages after each round.

Entries are due by Wednesday, July 18, but Gary urged players who plan to participate to enter early so that an approximate number of flights can be arranged. Awards in each flight will be pro shop certificates at The Wetlands.

"It’s our city championship, so we’re hoping that golfers will come out and take part," Gary said. "We’ve tried to schedule it where people can play more easily (the event was held for years over the Labor Day weekend), and we’re going to do whatever we can to make it a first-class event."

"Making the Turn" appears each Wednesday. Clubs, courses and individuals with information about local golf events may email Dan McDonald, editorial director at Golfballs.com, at danmcdonald@cox.net, FAX to (337) 857-8763 or call (337) 857-8754 and leave a message with phone number. Listen to the "Making the Turn" radio show each Wednesday from 8-9 a.m. on ESPN Sports Radio 1420.

Chip Shots

AT THE OPEN: New U.S. Open winner Webb Simpson may not have many Louisiana connections, but several with state ties were prominent during last week’s national championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Both David Toms, the state’s foremost ambassador in the game, and recent LSU standout and NCAA national champion John Peterson posted top-10 finishes. Toms finished only two shots back of Simpson in a tie for fourth at three-over 283, and that was with a struggling 76 on Saturday. A stroke here and there in the third round, and the Sheveporter might have another major title on his resume’ after a final-round 68 "“ the second-low round of the day behind Michael Thompson’s sterling 67.
Peterson had the same score as Toms, and a double-bogey at the par-five 16th on Sunday may have cost him a shot at what would have been an upset for the ages. His finish did get Peterson into this week’s Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour "” and into the Masters next April.
But they weren’t the only folks with state ties to grab high finishes. Current Chitimacha Louisiana Open champ Casey Wittenberg, who wowed the Le Triomphe crowds in grabbing that Nationwide Tour title by a record margin in March, tied for 10th at five-over 285. Wittenberg posted a 67 on Saturday and was even-par 70 on Sunday, playing his final 16 holes in two-under.
The Nationwide’s Aaron Watkins, a regular in the Louisiana Open for three years, tied for 15th at six-over 286.

BACK IN ACTION: Lafayette’s Brian Rowell didn’t play like he had hoped in his first-ever "major" appearance last weekend, posting rounds of 86-82 to miss the cut. Rowell had qualified for the Open field by winning a playoff for one of the final spots at the Open’s sectional qualifying in Houston two weeks before the Open.
Rowell will be right back to work this week, though. As the leading money winner on the Adams Pro Golf Tour this year (including two wins and five top-fives in seven tournaments), he earned an exemption into this week’s Wichita Open on the Nationwide Tour. That $600,000 event tees off Thursday over the Crestview Country Club course in Wichita, Kan.

LGA GOLF: The deadline for entry in the Louisiana Golf Association’s annual Junior Amateur is Tuesday, July 3, for the event to be held July 11-13 at Links on the Bayou in Alexandria.
That event is open to male players between age 10-17 (must have turned 10 and must not have turned 18 by July 13), and players may choose to participate in age-group competition (36 holes) or compete for the overall title (54 holes). The event is open to the first 160 players to enter, either on the LGA’s web site at www.lgagolf.org or by calling (337) 265-3938. Entry fee is $75 for the event.
In addition to the tournament, the LGA will stage both a rules clinic during a hamburger cookout the evening prior to play, and will have a panel discussion featuring many of the state’s college coaches (including UL’s Theo Sliman) on how to prepare for potential collegiate careers.
In addition, the top finishers will this year be invited to play in the second Louisiana-Mississippi Junior Cup matches set for September in Greenwood, Miss. Last year’s first staging of the Ryder Cup-style event was at Southern Pines in Calhoun.

ACES: Bill McFarlin of Lafayette never had a hole-in-one in almost 40 years of playing, and now he has two this year.
McFarlin used a wedge and a Titleist ProV1 ball to ace the 134-yard second hole at Hebert Municipal on Tuesday. The 71-year-old, who had a 10 handicap, was playing in a group with Roland Delahoussaye, Jackie Jerrette and Ernest Roger.
Jim Venable of Lafayette also had a June ace, using a 7-iron and a Titleist ProV1 ball to hole out on the 135-yard 13th hole at The Wetlands on Saturday, June 9. Venable was playing in a group with Bill Johnson, Gus Castrillo and Paul Rushing.

MIKE OPEN: One of the area’s largest and most successful fundraiser events is now taking entries, with the annual "Mike Open" set for July 16-17 at Les Vieux Chenes. The event is hosted annually by district attorney Mike Harson, and is a major fundraiser for local charities and especially youth groups throughout the Acadiana area.
The event has both morning and afternoon tee times on both Monday and Tuesday and normally fills its 576-player capacity each year (144 players each for the four rounds), so players who plan to take part should submit entries as soon as possible. Tournament organizer Ken Franquez said the afternoon rounds, which are more popular, are already filling up. Entry information is available at Les Vieux Chenes or from Franquez at kfranq@cox.net or at 207-4288.

THIS WEEK: Several events for and involving local golfers are scheduled this week:
The monthly Vieux Chenes Men’s Senior Golf Association tournament, washed out last Thursday, is rescheduled for Thursday (tomorrow) at Les Vieux Chenes. Sign-up begins at 7:30 a.m. with a start just after 8 a.m. Senior players interested in taking part or joining the group may contact Les Vieux Chenes at 837-1159.
A fundraiser tournament to raise support for LARC and the Acadian Village is scheduled for Friday at Hebert Municipal. The four-person scramble has a 1 p.m. shotgun start following check-in at 11:30 a.m. Entry fee is $125 which includes food and drink on the course, and entry deadline is noon tomorrow with entries and information available from Ken Franquez at kfranq@cox.net or at 207-4288.
the USSSA Golf Junior Tour hosts its Norman Swanner Memorial meet Saturday-Sunday at LaTour in Matthews. The event is open to boys and girls age 9-18 with the 12-14 and 15-18 age groups playing 36 holes and the 9-11 age group playing 18 holes (nine daily). Entry fee is $150 for the two older age groups and $75 for the youngest group. Entries are available online at www.usssa.com or from Robert Boudreaux at (337) 278-8431.

PENECOSTAL GOLF: The Pentecostals of Lafayette will stage their inaugural TPOL Classic on Saturday, June 30, at Abbeville Country Club. The four-person scramble has an 8 a.m. shogtun start with registration beginning at 7 a.m. and prizes to the winning team, long drive and closest to the hole. Information and registrations are available at www.tpolchurch.com, from tyler@tpolchurch.com or by calling 981-9300.

LAGNIAPPE: Twelve players who took part in the Nationwide Tour’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open at Le Triomphe in March played in last week’s U.S. Open "» Cart staff and part-time outside operations positions are currently available immediately at Les Vieux Chenes. Applicants may come by the club or call Todd Robertson or Bane Luquette at 837-1159.