Chicago Championship Results

Prairie Landing Golf Club

Host of the 2011 Chicago Championship



The 2011 Chicago season ended a whole lot better than how it started.  Prairie Landing offered perfect conditions with the typical wind and as usual in great shape except for water damage to the right side of the 11^th hole.  The first hole at Prairie Landing increases the energy level that already exists with first tee jitters.  With a fairway that slopes to the right toward a large water hazard and winds that usually blow from left to right forcing player’s to play left.  If a player goes too far left, they end up with a blind shot to the green which is protected by a water hazard to the left front edge.  Those who had the courage and length will drive over the right hazard which requires at least a 230 yard drive to carry the hazard; a great starting hole for the Championship.

The Chicago Championship was visited by 50 Tour Members anxious to end the season as the Champion of Chicago within their respective flight.  There is nothing like the first tee when a player’s name is announced as they try to contain the nerves to hit a quality shot.  As many soon found out, success on the first hole did not mean success throughout the day.  Though the nerves may have calmed, there were still plenty of holes that presented challenges requiring well positioned tee shots.

For some, the tournament ended all too soon as players struggled to maneuver the first 6 holes.  Congratulations to all the Champions.   

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT: 2011 Champion – Jim O’Connor

The Championship Flight was contested by two players; Jim O’Connor and John Thom from the Milwaukee Tour.  Both competitors struggled on the first hole scoring a double bogey to start their Championship.  Joe Thom was unable to get anything going and had a stretch of bad holes that put him 6 strokes back shooting a 46 on the front nine.  The back nine didn’t fare much better except for a lonely birdie on the par three 14^th hole.  Joe closed out his first round scoring a nine on the par five 18^th hole for a round of 91.  Jim O’Connor managed to find a birdie on the par five 7^th but a bogey on eight gave him a front nine round of 40.  Jim went on to post a 39 on the back and increase his lead by 12 shooting a first round 79.  The second round started out the same way for Joe Thom as it did in round one with a double bogey and he needed a lot of help from Jim if he were to get back into the Championship.  Jim closed out the tournament shooting an 81 for a two day total of 160 to win the Championship.

PALMER FLIGHT: 2011 Champion – Steve Dlugosinski

Steve Dlugosinski got off to a fast start paring the first and birdying the second.  With a bogey on 8 and a par on nine, Steve went out in 36.  Jacob Honath birdied hole’s 6 and 7 to get his round to even par but closed the 8^th and 9^th at four over for a front nine of 40.  Jacob fought hard to stay within striking distance but a triple bogey on the par five 13^th pushed him four more strokes back when Steve birdied the same hole.  When round one finished, Steve Dlugosinski had a 7 stroke lead over Jacob Honath and nine stroke lead over Dan Steinman.  Steve, Jacob and Dan were in the final pairing in the Palmer Flight.  All three started their second round bogeying the first hole and paring the second.  Steve really poured on the pressure when he pared the next eleven holes followed by a birdie to get him back to even par after thirteen.  Steve cruised home with an easy victory and posted the low two day total with a score of 149.

HOGAN FLIGHT: 2011 Champion – John Mauck

John Mauck was not the early leader after the first two holes posting double bogies to start his Championship run.  When the front nine ended on day one, John Mauck, Jim Cannon and DeRell Durr were all tied at 42.  Brad Easterling was also in the hunt after four holes but was unable to stop the slide on holes five through nine posting a 49 on the front; seven strokes back.  Brad managed to post a 37 on the back but it was Jim Cannon who took the lead putting up a 39 to head into the final round one stroke ahead of John and five ahead of DeRell and Brad.  Jim Cannon, John Mauck and Brad Easterling were in the final group in the Hogan Flight.  DeRell Durr was in the group ahead of the leaders but his struggles continued and he quickly fell out of the hunt.  Jim posted a 48 on the front; 10 strokes back of John Mauck.  Brad Easterling posted a round of 77 which usually is a strong run at the leader, except on this day John Mauck posted the 2^nd lowest score of the day with a 75.  Over the two day tournament, John scored 7 birdies to finish with a winning two day total of 157.

SENIOR HOGAN FLIGHT: 2011 Champion – Mike Coble

Jeff Bassett had to withdraw with a back issue and the field was reduced to four competitors.  Ron Hoxsey took a strong lead posting a front nine 40 and a 7 stroke lead over Mike Coble.  Tom Ward and Rick Wilson were unable to get anything going to challenge Ron and until the back nine, it appeared Ron was in control of the tournament.  Mike Coble came charging back on the back posting a score of 36 to go along with his front nine 47 for a first round 83.   When the first round came to an end, it was a two man race between Ron Hoxsey and Mike Coble who were tied at 83.  With a 9 stroke lead the pair new one of them should emerge the champion.  Mike Coble managed only 5 pars in his second round shooting a closing round of 85, but the key was he never put up a crooked number.  Ron Hoxsey was not so fortunate as he drop 5 strokes back with a triple on hole number two and a nine of the par four 5^th hole.  Mike avoided the big numbers and finished with a score of 85 for a two day total of 168 to win by 6 strokes.

SARAZEN FLIGHT: 2011 Champion – Chuck Gleason

Mark Titone is headed to the National Championship as a Sr. Hogan and has been the dominant force in the Sr. Sarazen ranks in his rookie year.  It was Chuck Gleason who took the early lead by two strokes posting a 42 on the front while both Mark Titone and Richard Wright posted 44’s.  Mark Titone made a charge on the back nine shooting an even par 36 for a first round lead by two strokes with a score of 80.  Richard Wright finished his first round 5 strokes back shooting an 85.  Chuck Gleason shot two strokes better on the back but ended the day two strokes back with a first round score of 82.  The final pairing was Chuck Gleason, Mark Titone and Richard Wright.  Richard started out strong firing a birdie on the first hole but for the next twelve holes fell fast and out of the race.  Chuck Gleason took over the lead with a birdie on hole 4.  When the front nine ended, Chuck Gleason now had a two stroke lead over Mark Titone.  When the pair reached the 34^th hole, they were both tied.  Chuck took charge again with a birdie on 16 and a Par on 17 for a two stroke lead and a winning two day total of 159.

JONES FLIGHT: 2011Champion - Thomas Jankowski

Tom Jankowski and John Carrato both finished their first round with a score of 96, eleven strokes back.  Jorge Arteta (85), Solomon Ardison (88) and Randy Simonson (90) appeared to be in charge of the flight with their first round scores.  John Carrato posted a final round of 88 and a glimmer of hope.  Unlike the lower flights, an eleven stroke lead might seem daunting, but in the Jones flight things can change quickly.  Tom Jankowski finished strong and turned in a closing score of 85 for a two day total of 181 and John Carrato finished with a closing score of 184.  When Tom was summoned from the restaurant area, he thought he was coming to collect Skins money.  When it was announced that he had won the Championship in the Jones Flight, he was stunned.  The leaders Jorge Arteta (102), Solomon Ardison (98) and Randy Simonson (104) hit a wall and were unable to stop the slide they were on.  In a 36 hole tournament, anything can happen and it was Tom Jankowski who improved his first day round by 11 strokes giving him a shot.  He would have never expected all three leaders to close with the low score among them to be a 98.

SNEAD FLIGHT:  2011Champion – Clay Koenig

Don Fiets was in the house early with a 94 with a one stroke lead over John Pacheco (95), three ahead of Dan Locke and a five stroke lead over Bryce Hanson and Clay Koenig who both shot 99.  Even Brian Booker (103) and Tom Lally (108) were still in the hunt because just like the Jones Flight, things can change fast in the Snead Flight.  Don Fiets was in the very last group of the day and was unable to finish his round due to back pain.  Don withdrew for fear of making things worse and with National’s a couple weeks away, he did not want to risk further damage.  Little did Clay Koenig know that Don had dropped out of the competition or the troubles that john Pacheco and Dan Locke were having behind him.  Clay posted a final round of 91 but didn’t believe it would be good enough to catch the leaders.  When Clay saw Don at the scoring area, he was the leader in the clubhouse with two players yet to come in.  John Pacheco triple bogied three holes and a quad on the par five 4^th hole to lose by two strokes with a final score of 97.  Dan Locke never got anything going and was unable to make a run and finished third with a two day total of 195.  Clay Koenig was standing around the scoring area hoping he finished in the money and won some skins.  His reaction was similar to Tom Jankowski and one in disbelief that he had won the Championship.  Clay posted the low round for the Snead Flight with a 91 for a two day total of 190.

Congratulations to the winners of their respective flights and thank you all for a wonderful season!

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT

160 (79-81)

Jim O’Connor

Champion $60 Gift Card & Trophy

PALMER FLIGHT

149 (76-73)	Steve Dlugosinski	Champion $150 Gift Card & Trophy
165 (85-80)	Dan Steinman	$70 Gift Card
173 (83-90)	Jacob Honath	$20 Gift Card

HOGAN FLIGHT

157 (82-75)	John Mauck	Champion $130 Gift Card & Trophy
163 (81-82)	Jim Cannon	$50 Gift Card
163 (86-77)	Brad Easterling	Lost to Jim Cannon in score card playoff for 2nd

SENIOR HOGAN FLIGHT

168 (83-85)	Mike Coble	Champion $110 Gift Card & Trophy
174 (83-91)	Ron Hoxsey	$30 Gift Card

SARAZEN FLIGHT

159 (82-77)	Chick Gleason	Champion $200 Gift Card & Trophy
162 (80-82)	Mark Titone	$120 Gift Card
174 ( 85-89)	Richard Wright	$60 Gift Card
175 (95-80)	Mark Giebelhausen	$40 Gift Card

JONES FLIGHT

181 (96-85)	Tom Jankowski	Champion $130 Gift Card & Trophy
184 (96-88)	John Carrato	$50 Gift Card

SNEAD FLIGHT

190 (99-91)	Clay Koenig	Champion $170 Gift Card & Trophy
192 (95-97)	John Pacheco	$90 Gift Card
195 (97-98)	Dan Locke	$50 Gift Card
198 (103-95)	Brian Booker	$30 Gift Card

Ken Larney Qualifies for US Senior Amateur Championship

Qualifying for the US Senior Amateur is no easy task and one that has eluded Ken Larney until now.  Ken entered the qualifying round at Onwentsia Country Club in Lake Forest and competed against a field of 85 players on August 15^th, 2011.  The top five qualify for the stroke play portion of the US Senior Amateur Championship which will be held at Kinloch Golf Club in Virginia September 10 -15, 2011.  Ken posted a leading score of 69 to secure his place in the championship.

Ken Larney has been one of the most dominant players on the Golf Channel AM Tour - Chicago South.   He has an impressive tournament resume which includes numerous wins at the local level, 2011 Major Champion at TPC Deere Run and three time National Champion in the Senior Championship Flight (2007, 2009, 2010).  Due to a scheduling conflict, Ken will try his hand against a younger field when he competes in the 2011 National Championship (under age 50).

It is exciting to have a Chicago Member qualify for such a prestigious event and be a representative of the Golf Channel AM Tour.  Mark your calendars and follow Ken as he tries to reach the Match Play portion of the US Senior Amateur Championship. 

Good Luck and congratulations on qualifying for the US Senior Amateur Championship.

John Downey

Andrew Dobreff was the Honorary Guest at Prairie Isle GC for the last regular season tournament on the Chicago North Tour schedule.  Andrew aspired to being a Pro one day but an auto accident shattered his dreams as it had his left arm.  A surgically constructed titanium elbow allowed Andrew to keep his left arm but render it useless for almost any activity, especially golf. 

Under the guidance of a teaching pro who understood Alexander's challenges, has managed to get Alexander back on the course hitting the ball straight and with some distance.  Alexander wanted to showcase his talents and be an inspiration to all golfers who have physical issues that make playing the game of golf a challenge.  His ultimate goal is to spark enough interest to develop a tour for the handicap golfer.

Thank you to John Babcock PGA Teaching Pro and Director of Golf at Prairie Isle for the special exemption waiving the greens fees.  In addition, all fees were waived which allowed Alexander to participate as a guest.  On behalf of myself and the Golf Channel AM Tour, we wish Alexander great success fulfilling his dream.  

Prairie Isle Results

The final regular season tournament took place at Prairie Isle and was in excellent condition.  The season began with bad weather and so too did the last tournament end with a thunderstorm that halted play for nearly an hour.  The weather didn’t dampen the player’s spirits who all were ready to get back on the course.  The low round of the day was turned in by Jim O’Connor who shot a 74.  Mark Titone hit two shots from the trees on holes 12 & 13 that would have made the highlight real had camera’s been running. 

The top story of the day was Alexander Dobreff of Lemont, IL.  An auto accident rendered Alexander’s left arm useless and he had to relearn the golf swing playing only with his right arm.  Alexander contacted Tour Director, John Downey asking to participate as a guest in the tournament.  It was decided that Alexander would be treated as an Honorary Guest; John Downey (Tour Director – Chicago North/Milwaukee Tours), Golf Channel AM Tour (National Director Colin Turner) and John Babcock (PGA Pro of Prairie Isle) gave a full exemption to Alexander so he would be able to participate and showcase his ability.    

Alexander is a 23 year old young man, a true gentlemen and very appreciative of the opportunity to participate in a Golf Channel AM Tour event.  He made no excuses for his physical inability and reacted just as most golfers do when they hit a poor shot.  Alexander felt the same emotions as anyone when he heard his name announced on the first tee, he was visibly nervous.  He managed to hit a perfect drive about 230-240 yds on the par five 1^st hole down the middle and in the fairway.  Alexander’s goal is to inspire others to play golf and hopefully have a tour for the physically challenged golfer’s.   

PALMER FLIGHT:

Mike Anderson turned in another solid score (77) but fell three short of Jim O’Connor.  Both Jim and Mike were tied going into the 9^th hole, but a triple bogey by Mike Anderson on the 9^th hole was the difference in the end.  Both player’s shot even par on the back and Jim O’Connor didn’t give any ground to allow Mike Anderson to get back in the running.

HOGAN FLIGHT:

The Hogan Flight was interesting because players threw up big numbers on a few holes but pulled it together to turn in decent scores.  On the first hole Mike Caithamer shot a 9 on the par five 1^st hole and ended up 10 over par for the front nine.  Bruce Pate looked like he was going to run away with the win when he reached the par 3 fifth hole at one under, but Bruce posted an 8 on the par three and opened the door for the field.  When the front nine had ended Bruce Pate and Brad Easterling were tied at 41, 5 strokes ahead of Mike Caithamer.    It was Mike Caithamer who made a strong run on the back when he pared the first 6 holes which put him out in front after being 5 strokes back.  However, he closed with a bogey on each of the last three holes and finished one stroke back to Bruce Pate who went on to win shooting an 84.

  

SARAZEN FLIGHT:

Mark Titone once again hoisted the trophy and is the leading player in the Sr. Sarazen Flight.  Mark Giebelhausen had a one stroke lead going into the back nine, but fell two strokes shy of the win.  The difference was two fantastic recovery shots from the trees on holes 12 & 13.  Mark had hit his drive right into the trees and did not have a straight shot to the green.  Not knowing there was OB across from him, he attempted a slice through the trees with a 6 iron on hole twelve and used a hybrid to duplicate the same type of shot on 13.  When Mark’s ball landed 15 feet from the pin on the twelfth hole the group including myself thought that was pretty amazing.  Then he did the same type of shot but deeper in the trees with a hybrid on hole 13.  Not only did Mark pull off a similar shot on hole 13, but his ball ended up 10 feet from the cup.  It was those two holes that enabled mark Titone to win by two strokes over Mark Giebelhausen who shot 85.

Sr. JONES FLIGHT:

John Carrato looked as though he was going to run away with the trophy in the three man flight when he posted a 39 on the front nine.  Then he started the back nine by birdying the par five 10^th hole.  John Carrato was 2 over par after 10 holes but soon ran into trouble and finished the last 8 holes 9 over par.  John Goldenne was four stroke back after nine and 6 strokes back after ten holes.  As John Carrato was beginning to falter, John Goldenne was slowly gaining ground but John Carrato held on to win by two strokes.

SNEAD FLIGHT:

The Snead Flight was the closest contested flight with only 5 strokes separating first from last which is not a big lead in the Snead Flight.  Mike Teegen was one stroke back at the turn and then took a one stroke lead when he birdied the par five 10^th hole.  Mike followed his birdie on ten with an 8 on the par four 11^th.   Double bogies on 12 & 13 totaled 8 over on three holes but others had similar issues not taking advantage of the opportunity.  John Pacheco was also tied after nine but an 8 on the par 5 tenth and a 9 on the par 4 tenth pretty much knocked John out of contention.  Brian Kirschner reclaimed the lead when Mike Teegen put up too many double bogies as Brian went on to win by one stroke over Mike Teegen.

Palmer Flight

74	Jim O’Connor	$100 Gift Card & Trophy
77	Mike Anderson	$40 Gift Card

Hogan Flight

84

Bruce Pate

$100 Gift Card & Trophy

Sarazen Flight

83	Mark Titone	$120 Gift Card & Trophy
85	Mark Giebelhausen	$60 Gift Card

Sr. Jone Flight

83

John Carrato

$60 Gift Card & Trophy

Snead Flight

99

Brian Kirschner

$100 Gift Card & Trophy

Clubbing at The Brute - Tournament Results

Chicago North and the Milwaukee Tours combined to compete in Lake Geneva at the Grand Geneva’s The Brute course.  Aptly named, The Brute provided uneven lies, rolling hills, water, trees and blind shots.  The finishing three holes would decide several of the outcomes in the tournament.

The field consisted of 8 Flights with two being Senior Divisions.  The best round of the day was turned in by Kirk Leitzen who has been on fire lately shooting low scores in the Championship Flight.  Don Sanford posted another round in the 70’s which has solidified his graduation to the Palmer Flight.

The day started with a mishap on the driving range when Don Sanford clubbed Bob Sherry who had bent down to get a club.  The teeing areas on the range as told by the member’s was an accident waiting to happen.  The good news is that Bob Sherry received medical attention from the Paramedics, Fired Dept and police who patched him.  Fortunately there was plenty of time to get the all clear and make his tee time.

Bob Sherry just joined the tour a week ago and playing in his first tournament.  Not exactly the way a person wants to start their rookie season.  Bob collected himself and posted a birdie on the first hole to start out his day.  Don Sanford was visibly concerned when he came to the first tee but collected himself enough to post a 78 to win his final round as a Hogan.

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT:

Kirk Leitzen has been playing solid golf the last few weeks.  Eric Barden  tried to make a move when he eagled the Par five 11^th but Kirk gave little ground when he birdied the same hole.   Eric soon went into a tail spin and was not able to get anything together while Kirk took control by shooting even par on the back to win by 7 over Eric.

PALMER FLIGHT:

The Palmer Flight was the most contested flight with only 5 strokes separating last to first place.  Terry Periman had a one stroke lead making the turn.  Bob Sherry, despite being hit in the head, while on the range from a back swing, managed to post 5 over with a birdie on the first hole. Bob Sherry, Garrett Patten and Jack Dempsey were only one stroke back at the turn.  Bob Sherry took a 2 stroke lead going into the final three holes and closed with four over to fall one stroke back of Terry who played steady after the 12^th hole to win the Palmer Flight

  

HOGAN FLIGHT:

Don Sanford continued his winning streak in the Hogan Flight by posting another sub 80 round with a score of 78 to win by 2 strokes over Matt Maudlin.  Don has played his last tournament as a Hogan and graduated to the Palmer Flight with a new tour index of 6.7.  When the player’s all turned the corner, it looked like it would be a two man race but John Bauer made a run shooting a 39 on the back and finished three strokes back.  John Lindfors passed Don Sanford and caught Matt Maudlin to head into the final three holes tied for first.  Holes 16, 17 and 18 were great finishing holes which turned out to be the holes that decided the outcome in several flights.  Don Sanford managed to par the last 5 holes to win the Hogan Flight.

SR. HOGAN FLIGHT:

John Williams took a four stroke lead over last week’s winner; Tom Joy who shot a 74 at Blackstone GC.  Tom however made a strong run posting a back nine of 38 as he gave chase.  John was on the verge of posting his own 38 as he approached the 18^th hole but double bogied for a final score of 81 and 2 strokes ahead of Tom Joy.

SARAZEN FLIGHT:

Matt Dillingham was running away with the Sarazen Flight shooting a 39 on the front, 3 strokes ahead of Michael Kill and 5 strokes ahead of Tim Schabb.  Once again the closing 4 holes proved to give player’s the fits and the player who could manage those holes would emerge as the victor.  Tim Schabb gave it a good run shooting 5 over on the back to close to within one stroke.  Matt collapsed on the closing 4 holes shooting 7 over but managed to win by one stroke over Tim Schabb and Michael Kill.

SR. SARAZEN FLIGHT:

Another closely contested flight with four player’s within a stroke of one another: Tim Wenzel, Mark Titone, Bruce Gallo and Mark Giebelhausen.  Tim Wenzel and Bruce Gallo were tied as they made the turn with Mark Giebelhausen only 2 strokes back.  Mark Titone didn’t even factor in going 12 over par and 6 strokes back, but it was the back nine that Mark really stepped up his game posting a 40 on the back to finish 3 strokes back and tie for 2^nd with Bruce Gallo.  Tim did what many struggled doing and that was paring the 17^th & 18^th holes which enabled him to win by three strokes.

JONES FLIGHT:

James Francey was matched up with John Hipp who is the leading flight winner of the Milwaukee Tour and as the pair turned the corner, one stroke separated the pair.  Ken Oppenheimer was only two strokes back in a flight where scores can change quickly.  John Hipp took the lead when James triple bogied the 10^th.  Ken Oppenheimer did not quit even after his triple bogey on 11 which he followed up by birdying the par 4 twelfth.   James did not allow the 10th hole bother him as he went 6 over for the last 8 holes.  AS was the case with many others, John Hipp faltered on the closing six holes and fell two strokes back giving James his back-to-back win and his third on the year.

SNEAD FLIGHT:

Dan Guzzle finished his round one stroke ahead of Dan Locke.  Dan has waited all year to see his name on top and anxiously waited for the final group to come in.  Dan Guzzle was so excited when it was confirmed that he had won that he did not want to get his picture taken until he saw his name scroll up on the live scoreboard.  Dan Locke and Dan Guzzle were tied after 10 holes but Dan Locke quickly fell 5 strokes back when he posted a 9 on the par five 11^th and a triple bogey on the par four 12^th.  Once again the 17^th & 18^th holes were pivotal as Dan Guzzle dropped 7 strokes giving Dan Locke an opportunity to catch Dan G.   A bogey on 18 spoiled Dan Locke’s attempt to at least Tie Dan Guzzle.  Dan Guzzle who is a Sr. Snead beat the young Snead player’s for his first win on tour.

Championship Flight

73

Kirk Leitzen

$100 Gift Card & Trophy

Palmer Flight

82	Terry Periman	$100 Gift Card & Trophy
83	Bob Sherry	$50 Gift Card
84	Garrett Patten	$25 Gift Card
84	Jack Dempsey	Lost scorecard playoff for 3rd

Hogan Flight

78	Don Sanford	$120 Gift Card & Trophy
80	Matt Maudlin	$60 Gift Card
81	John Lindfors	$20 Gift Card
81	John Bauer	Lost scorecard playoff for 3rd

Sr. Hogan Flight

81	John Williams	$110 Gift Card & Trophy
83	Tom Joy	$50 Gift Card

Sarazen Flight

84	Matt Dillingham	$100 Gift Card & Trophy
85	Tim Schabb	$50 Gift Card
85	Michael Kill	$25 Gift Card

Sr. Sarazen Flight

85	Ti Wenzel	$125 Gift Card & Trophy
88	Mark Titone	$75 Gift Card
88	Bruce Gallo	$25 Gift Card

Jones Flight

90	James Francey	$100 Gift Card & Trophy
92	John Hipp	$50 Gift Card
93	Ken Oppenheimer	$25 Gift Card

Snead Flight

94	Dan Guzzle	$100 Gift Card & Trophy
95	Dan Locke	$50 Gift Card