With the possible exception of Dawie van der Walt, PGA Tour players with Southeast Texas ties figure to be overjoyed that this week’s Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles is the final event of the 2015-16 wraparound season in the Western part of the United States.
Plagued to varying degrees by the poa annua greens that are prevalent on the West Coast, Lamar exes van der Walt, Chris Stroud, Shawn Stefani and former Port Neches-Groves/Arkansas star Andrew Landry have made a collective 11 of 32 cuts in the new season. Van der Walt, who has made 5 of 9 cuts and finished tied for 26th at Pebble Beach, is the only one of the quartet having any success.
Stroud, after being two shots off the cut line at Pebble, has missed 5 of the last 6 and 6 of 8 on the season. Stefani, coming off by far his best season as a pro, has missed 3 straight and 6 of 9. Landry, after going home early five straight weeks, technically made his first cut at Pebble Beach but didn’t get to play the final round.
Because PB is a pro-am, meaning several amateurs are on the course the final day, the 54-hole cut doesn’t include the top 70 and ties, as in most PGA events. Only 60 pros, excluding those who made the pro-am cut, play the final day. Landry, who was T70 at even par after 54 holes, got credit for a made cut and received a check for $13,330.
Stroud and Stefani are entered at Riviera while Landry and Van der Walt are taking the week off. All four are no doubt thrilled that the tour will be moving to Florida next week for the Honda Classic. That starts a stretch of 14 events in the South, with five each in Texas and Florida.
Hopefully the more familiar grasses on those greens will help all our guys get on track.

CHIP SHOTS

PN-G ex Braden Bailey is having a solid freshman season for Baylor and area fans who would like to watch him in action have a great opportunity this weekend at the Golf Club of Houston.

On the site of the Shell Houston Open, which is only five weeks away, Bailey and the Bears are in the
field for the Friday through Sunday All-American Intercollegiate. Also in the field for the tourney co-hosted by Rice and the University of Houston are Arkansas, South Carolina, SMU and a half-dozen other schools.

Bailey is coming off a ninth-place overall finish in Baylor’s victory at the UTSA Invitational at Oak Hills in San Antonio last week. The Bears beat Oklahoma by five strokes, as Bailey carded rounds of 78-67-73. He was second low for Baylor. …

Southeast Texans won 6 of 8 flights Saturday in the second stop on the Texas-Louisiana Junior Tour at Idylwild Golf Club. PN-G’s Karlei Hemler became one of three players to win outright for the second straight week, firing a 75 to best teammate Brynna Bailey by 10 strokes in the Girls 16-18 group. Also going back-to-back was Jack Burke of Little Cypress-Mauriceville with an 80 in Boys 12-13. He finished 11 strokes clear of Drew Ainsworth of Lake Charles.

The third player to win again was Mackenzie Leduff of Lake Charles with a 95 in Girls 12-13. Blake Thibodeaux of Groves won Boys 16-18 with a 79 to edge Tyler Feemster by one stroke.

Other winners were Timothy Feemster of Port Neches, shooting a 93 to clip William Latta of Lake Charles by a shot in Boys 14-15; Kenzie Dukes of Groves (102 in Girls 14-15); Ross Anderson of Lake Charles (44 in Co-ed 10-11 to edge Xander Parks of Orangefield by two strokes) and Lincoln Parks of Orangefield with a 26 in Co-ed 7-9. Luke Wainright of Moss Bluff, Louisiana, was second with a 30.

Next event is Saturday at The National Golf Club in Westlake, Louisiana. …

It is always a thrill for a golfer to shoot his age, a feat which Roy Martinez authored last Wednesday at Babe Zaharias. Martinez fired a 77, with nines of 36-41. …

Amazing feat of the week at Zaharias belonged to Craig Geoffroy of Port Neches. Geoffroy rolled in eight birdies and an eagle on the way to a 66 in the Friday 2-ball game. That helped his team of Mike Brown, James Shipley and Dilliard Darbonne win a share of the front with a minus 5 and take the back
with minus 6. Also posting minus 5 on the front was the team of Earl Richard, Joe Gongora, Tom LeTourneau and Jerry May and the foursome of Bob West, Bobby Wactor, Don MacNeil and Ralph Childress. …

The Super Saturday Game at The Babe was played in a best 2-ball format. On the front, the team of Cap Hollier, Gongora, LeTourneau and John Ramsey won with minus-4. The back ended in a tie at minus-3 between the foursome of Ed Holley, Thad Borne, Larry Johnson and Dan Flood and the team of Adam Noel, Rick Pritchett, John Williams and Bobby Kimball. …

The Thursday Senior Game at The Babe was played in a four-person points format. Tying for first at plus four was the team of Pritchett, Harold Wilkinson, Harrell Guidry and Johnson and the foursome of West, Bob Moore, Childress and Paul Duplantis. Closest to the pin winners were Charles Leard (No. 2), Bill Jones (No. 7), Hollier (No. 12) and Larry Thompson (No. 15). …

The team of Gongora, LeTourneau, Jim Cooper and Jess McPhillips rolled up 21 points to win the Babe Zaharias DogFight. Second with 19 points was the foursome of Noel, Tommy Duhon, Duplantis and Allen Suire. Closest to the pin winners were Gary Whitfill (No. 2, No. 12), Jones (No. 7) and Gary
Anderson (No. 12). …

The Feb. 8 Senior 50 Plus Game at the Babe was played in a 2-ball format and ended in ties on both sides. Finishing at even on the front was the team of Richard Briggs, Cecil Norris, Billy Thillet and May and the foursome of Whitfill, MacNeil, Larry Foster and Charles Huckaby. On the back the team of Craig Fontenot, Dennis Walsh, Mike Norris and Paul Brown matched the even par posted by Noel, Hollier, Duplantis and Robert Lutrell.
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