|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Greg Sonnier
Home:
Work:
Home Phone: -- Golf: Former Cajun ties for eighth Sonnier’s first time to make Nationwide cut Dan McDonald BROUSSARD – Greg Sonnier more than reached his original goal at this weekend’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open. His stunning nine-under 62 on Saturday and a follow-up one-under 70 on Sunday left him tied for eighth in the field at 11-under 273, earning him $14,000 – easily his biggest-ever pro check. “I’m hoping I can build on this,” Sonnier said Sunday. “Every year there are one or two guys that get out here (on the Nationwide Tour) through an exemption and play well enough to stay out here. That’s what I’m hoping for this year.” Sonnier entered the day five strokes behind front-running Skip Kendall, and finished up five back after Kendall and Claxton tied at 268. Sonnier had to make some difficult choices during Sunday’s final round that included 15 pars and two birdies with a lone bogey on the 10th hole. He obviously wanted to be in the hunt, but he also didn’t want to jeopardize a top-25 finish and a spot in the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championships beginning Thursday near San Francisco. “I knew I’d have to go around five-under to be in contention,” he said. “There was pressure to catch them, but I didn’t want to take too many chances and go crazy and not finish in the top 25.” And when was he comfortable knowing he was in that 25-player group? “When I hit it in the middle of the fairway on 18,” he said. SHOWING THE WAY: Sonnier may have indirectly helped a former Louisiana Open champion come close to being the tournament’s first two-time winner. On both the 17th and 18th holes, Sonnier and Claxton each had birdie putts. Both times, Sonnier was outside of Claxton’s ball but on a similar line including a very close line on the par-four 18th hole. Sonnier missed his two putts, but Claxton rolled in a six-foot birdie on the 17th hole and a twisting 22-footer on the 18th to eventually put him into the playoff. “Greg was right on my line both times,” Claxton said after the round. “I had a good feeling about both putts and seeing Greg’s putts confirmed what I thought. But it was nice to see one on a similar line.” LOCAL UPDATE: Each of the five Open players with local ties that made the cut finished in the top 40 out of 81 cut-makers, the most upper-division finishers by local players since the event became part of an established pro tour in 1992. Baton Rouge’s Scott Sterling, a winner already this season on the Nationwide Tour in the Jacob’s Creek Open in Australia, finished 26th at seven-under 277 after a 68 Sunday. Lafayette native Kris Cox, Open runner-up in 1999, and Chris Riley each finished at six-under 278. Cox had a strong five-under 66, one stroke off the day’s low round, and Riley had an even-par 71 on Sunday. Lake Charles resident, Rayne native and former UL player Mike Heinen was one more stroke back at five-under 279. Heinen, who had an even-par 71 Sunday, played in the only other playoff in Open history in 2002 when he lost to Steven Alker in a two-hole playoff. Originally published in the Daily Advertiser, March 26, 2007 Golf: Former Cajun Golfer Leaps to 5th Locally linked Sonnier makes cut, then leaps to 5th Players near cut ‘all high-fived’ after 2nd round Dan McDonald BROUSSARD – Friday evening, Greg Sonnier wasn’t even sure he’d be playing in the Chitimacha Louisiana Open on the weekend. Nice 30th birthday present. Sonnier, one of the sponsor’s exemptions into the tournament, posted the low round of the day in Saturday’s third round at Le Triomphe, returning to a familiar track and posting a 9-under-par 62 that vaulted him among the tournament leaders. Sonnier’s first tournament thrill came at approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday, when he was sitting at 1-under par for the tournament after 70-71 opening rounds and figuring he was headed back to his Lake Charles home. “I was thinking about how I was going to get my locker cleaned out,” he said. “I was sitting at Theo’s (friend and fellow pro Theo Sliman), and my wife and I were trying to decide if we were going to go eat or if we were heading home.” That’s when he got word that Chris Nallen had double-bogeyed the 18th hole, effectively moving the cut line from two-under to one-under and putting Sonnier and 20 other players into the field for the weekend. “We all high-fived,” Sonnier said. The former UL standout and a regular on mini-tours over the past several years made the most of that chance, birdieing four of his first eight holes including three putts of 10 feet or more. He then holed out from 140 yards with a 9-iron on the par-four 15th for an eagle, and birdied the 17th and 18th including a 7-iron to eight feet on the final hole. He had only 23 putts during the round. “Greg threw up a great round today,” said fellow pro Scott Sterling of Baton Rouge. “Nine-under is a heck of a round.” That 18th-green putt was markedly similar to one he had while a freshman at UL, on that same green in 1996, when he birdied to claim a share of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament medalist honors along with current PGA Tour pro Heath Slocum. “I was happy just to make the cut,” Sonnier said. “There’s a lot left to play, but I’m just thankful that the Open gave me this chance.” LOCAL UPDATE: Sonnier’s stunning round was the highlight of the local contingent in Saturday’s third round, but all of the other four locals have a chance at getting themselves into the top 25 in today’s final round. Chris Riley, husband of Lafayette’s Michelle Louviere and a member of the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team, had his third straight 2-under 69 Saturday and is tied for 24th at 6-under 207. “I haven’t played this course in probably 10 years, so I can’t complain,” said Riley, who had his only bogey of the day on the 18th hole. “The 18th is a tough hole for me, but I putted good all day. It’s going to be a fun Sunday.” Rayne native and Lake Charles resident Mike Heinen, like Sonnier a former UL standout, had an even-par 71 after Friday’s 66, and is tied for 28th at 5-under 213. “The first day I hit it awesome and didn’t make anything,” Heinen said. “Yesterday I made some putts. Today it was tough with the wind blowing and it was hard to get close. I shot two-under on the front and it could have been four-under, and I was two-over on the back and could have been under there. “There’s a lot of birdies still out there. I’ve just got to try to shoot as low as I can tomorrow.” Sterling, a winner already on the Nationwide Tour this year with a win at the Jacob’s Creek Open in Australia, was two-under Saturday in matching his opening round. He is tied for 38th at 4-under 209 after birdieing three of the first four and the last two surrounding three bogeys mid-round including the tough 13th-14th stretch. “I had a good start and a good finish,” Sterling said. “I had several more chances. Thirteen and 14 are tough for me … I hit two good shots on 13 and three-putted. But birdies on 17 and 18 left a better taste in my mouth.” Lafayette native Kris Cox had a 1-over 72 Saturday and stands at 1-under 212 in his first tournament of the year after the birth of twins in February. He started with three bogeys in the first seven holes but had a string of three straight birdies on 10 through 12. “I played terrible on the front,” Cox said. “I didn’t hit it well or putt well. I didn’t have my game today, but it’s coming around. I played stretches of holes really well, so I’m happy with that.” HOW TIME FLIES: Louisiana Open executive director Danny Jones had an up-close encounter with third-round leader Skip Kendall back in the tournament’s formative years. Jones was a 15-year-old spectator at the 1994 Open, only the third year the event was affiliated with an established professional tour. Kendall was in his third year on what was then the NIKE Tour, after playing the PGA Tour in 1993, and was on the way to the first of his three straight top-15 finishes at Le Triomphe from 1994-96. “He gave me my first golf autograph,” Jones said. “I was standing at the ropes next to 18 and Skip signed a glove for me. I can probably still find it if I looked hard enough.” Chitimacha Louisiana Open final round pairings and tee times All off No. 1 Tee 7:40 a.m.: Steve Jones, Chandler, Ariz. 7:46 a.m.: Kenneth Staton, Ormond Beach, Fla.; Garth Mulroy, Raleigh, N.C. 7:54 a.m.: Jim Rutledge, Victoria, British Columbia; Chris Nallen, Tucson, Ariz. 8:02 a.m.: Mario Tisizni, Shorewood, Minn.; Miguel Carballo, Buenos Aries, Argentina 8:10 a.m.: Jay Delsing, St. Louis, Mo.; Aron Price, Sydney, Australia 8:18 a.m.: Jason Enloe, Dallas, Texas; Curtis Malm, Naperville, Ill. 8:26 a.m.: Mike Capone, Cranston, R.I.; Jeremy Anderson, Las Vegas, Nev. 8:34 a.m.: Tee McCabe, Marco Island, Fla.; Bryce Molder, Conway, Ark. 8:42 a.m.: Kris Cox, Dallas, Texas; B. J. Staten, Dallas, Texas 8:50 a.m.: Jimmy Walker, Cibolo, Texas; Marc Turnesa, Jupiter, Fla. 8:58 a.m.: Elliot Gealy, Lake Mary, Fla.; Camilo Benedetti, Orlando, Fla. 9:06 a.m.: Ron Whitaker, Little Rock, Ark.; David Mathis, Raleigh, N.C. 9:15 a.m.: Michael Boyd, Tulsa, Okla.; Justin Bolli, Atlanta, Ga. 9:24 a.m.: Brad Fritsch, Ottawa, Ontario; Jeff Brehaut, Los Altos, Calif. 9:33 a.m.: Greg Kraft, Belleair, Fla.; Chris Baryla, El Paso, Texas 9:42 a.m.: Nicholas Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla.; Gary Christian, Birmingham, Ala. 9:51 a.m.: Todd Fischer, Pleasanton, Calif.; Bob Burns, Valencia, Calif. 10 a.m.: Chris Thompson, Lawrence, Kan.; Kyle Reifers, Sea Island, Ga. 10:09 a.m.: Brian Smock, Coronado, Calif.; Tim Wilkinson, Coral Gables, Fla. 10:18 a.m.: Scott Sterling, Baton Rouge; Jason Caron, Jupiter, Fla. 10:27 a.m.: Patrick Sheehan, Warwick, R.I.; Vance Veazey, Memphis, Tenn. 10:36 a.m.: Rick Price, Jupiter, Fla.; Steve Bowditch, Perigian Beach, Australia 10:45 a.m.: Nick Flanagan, New South Wales, Australia; Jeremy Tucker, San Diego, Calif. 10:54 a.m.: Mike Heinen, Lake Charles; Matt Hansen, Atwater, Calif. 11:03 a.m.: Jess Dailey, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; D. A. Points, Pekin, Ill. 11:12 a.m.: Matthew Every, Daytona Beach, Fla.; James Driscoll, Brookline, Mass. 11:21 a.m.: Todd Demsey, Scottsdale, Ariz.; David Hearn, Brantford, Ontario 11:30 a.m.: Larry Mize, Columbus, Ga.; David McKenzie, Melbourne, Australia 11:40 a.m.: Hunter Haas, Fort Worth, Texas; Jeff Overton, Evansville, Ind. 11:50 a.m.: Brad Adamonis, Cumberland, R.I.; Chris Riley, Las Vegas, Nev. Noon: Ryan Blaum, Miami, Fla.; Hank Kuehne, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 12:10 p.m.: Jason Schultz, Dallas, Texas; John Cook, Windermere, Fla. 12:20 p.m.: Scott Dunlap, Duluth, Ga.; Craig Lile, Cape Town, South Africa 12:30 p.m.: Chad Collins, Cloverdale, Ind.; Jaco Van Zyl, San Diego, Calif. 12:40 p.m.: Martin Laird, Glasgow, Scotland; Matt Hendrix, Greenville, S.C. 12:50 p.m.: Aaron Watkins, Mesa, Ariz.; Brenden Pappas, Ocala, Fla. 1 p.m.: Peter Tomasulo, Long Beach, Calif.; D. J. Brigman, Albuquerque, N.M. 1:10 p.m.: Jay Williamson, St. Louis, Mo.; Chris Tidland, Stillwater, Okla. 1:20 p.m.: Greg Sonnier, Lake Charles, La.; Paul Claxton, St. Simons Island, Ga. 1:30 p.m.: Tag Ridings, Westlake, Texas; Tom Byrum, Richmond, Texas 1:40 p.m.: Skip Kendall, Keene’s Pointe, Fla.; Jarrod Lyle, West Melbourne, Australia Third-round leaderboard Purse: $500,000 Yardage: 7,004; Par: 71 Third Round Skip Kendall 66-66-66 – 198 Jarrod Lyle 68-70-63 – 201 Tag Ridings 67-70-64 – 201 Tom Byrum 67-67-67 – 201 Greg Sonnier 70-71-62 – 203 Paul Claxton 71-68-64 – 203 Jay Williamson 69-70-66 – 205 Chris Tidland 68-71-66 – 205 Peter Tomasulo 72-66-67 – 205 D.J. Brigman 68-70-67 – 205 Aaron Watkins 66-68-71 – 205 Brenden Pappas 60-74-71 – 205 Martin Laird 71-69-66 – 206 Matt Hendrix 69-70-67 – 206 Chad Collins 70-69-67 – 206 Jaco Van Zyl 67-71-68 – 206 Scott Dunlap 70-67-69 – 206 Craig Lile 70-67-69 – 206 Jason Schultz 69-68-69 – 206 John Cook 68-68-70 – 206 Ryan Blaum 69-67-70 – 206 Hank Kuehne 68-67-71 – 206 Brad Adamonis 66-69-71 – 206 Chris Riley 69-69-69 – 207 Hunter Haas 69-68-70 – 207 Jeff Overton 68-69-70 – 207 Larry Mize 66-71-70 – 207 David McKenzie 69-72-67 – 208 Todd Demsey 72-68-68 – 208 David Hearn 70-70-68 – 208 Matthew Every 67-72-69 – 208 James Driscoll 68-71-69 – 208 Jess Daley 68-70-70 – 208 D.A. Points 69-69-70 – 208 Mike Heinen 71-66-71 – 208 Matt Hansen 66-70-72 – 208 Nick Flanagan 69-66-73 – 208 Jeremy Tucker 68-73-68 – 209 Rick Price 70-71-68 – 209 Steven Bowditch 70-71-68 – 209 Patrick Sheehan 71-69-69 – 209 Vance Veazey 66-74-69 – 209 Scott Sterling 69-71-69 – 209 Jason Caron 72-67-70 – 209 Brian Smock 66-73-70 – 209 Tim Wilkinson 69-72-69 – 210 Chris Thompson 71-70-69 – 210 Kyle Reifers 72-69-69 – 210 Todd Fischer 69-72-69 – 210 Bob Burns 68-72-70 – 210 Nicholas Thompson 67-71-72 – 210 Gary Christian 69-69-72 – 210 Greg Kraft 70-67-73 – 210 Chris Baryla 71-70-70 – 211 Brad Fritsch 70-70-71 – 211 Jeff Brehaut 68-72-71 – 211 Michael Boyd 71-68-72 – 211 Justin Bolli 64-75-72 – 211 Ron Whittaker 70-69-72 – 211 David Mathis 67-71-73 – 211 Elliot Gealy 67-70-74 – 211 Camilo Benedetti 71-70-71 – 212 Jimmy Walker 67-74-71 – 212 Marc Turnesa 71-70-71 – 212 Kris Cox 69-71-72 – 212 B.J. Staten 70-69-73 – 212 Tee McCabe 70-69-73 – 212 Bryce Molder 69-72-72 – 213 Mike Capone 70-71-72 – 213 Jeremy Anderson 70-68-75 – 213 Jason Enloe 70-71-73 – 214 Curtis Malm 69-72-73 – 214 Jay Delsing 73-67-74 – 214 Aron Price 69-70-75 – 214 Mario Tiziani 70-69-75 – 214 Miguel Carballo 69-67-78 – 214 Jim Rutledge 70-71-74 – 215 Chris Nallen 70-71-76 – 217 Kenneth Staton 70-71-76 – 217 Garth Mulroy 74-67-76 – 217 Steve Jones 69-72-77 – 218 Originally published in the Daily Advertiser, Mar. 25, 2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
