Radler Wins Mountain Valley Junior Girls Match

Micah Radler of Fayetteville won three of the first five holes agaubst Libby Croom of Russellville and cruised to a 6&5 victory in the finals of the ASGA Mountain Valley Junior Girls Match Play Championship at Foxwood Golf Club in Jacksonville. Radler received custody of the Mary Perrin Trophy from Foxwood PGA Professional Rick Jenkins. Perrin won numerous state championships back in he 1950s and is a member of the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame.

At the closing ceremony Jenkins congratulated both players and said they will remember this day their whole life. He also shared a story about the 1976 ASGA Junior Match Play where this blogger defeated Jenkins in the semi-finals and Rick said he still remembers lots of things about that match. I lost in the finals to Donny Davis of Fort Smith.

Nick Zimmerman of North Little Rock faces Ethan King in the boys finals Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Zimmerman won the 2008 ASGA Mountain Valley Junior Stroke at Pine Bluff Country Club and has the chance to complete the "Zimmerman Slam." The winner will receive the Fred Gordy trophy. To see either bracket, scroll down at www.asga.org

Medalists Eliminated in Junior Match Play

Co-medalist in the ASGA Mountain Valley Junior Boys Match Play, Richard Zimmerman of Mountain Home, was eliminated by Tim Netherton of Conway 2&1 in the round of 32 this morning at Foxwood Golf Club. "We just ran into a buzz-saw," Lang Zimmerman, father of Richard, and managing partner of Big Creek Country Club in Mountain Home, said. "Tim played great and made a bunch of birdies." Zimmerman did not leave Foxwood empty handed and was presented the medalist trophy by ASGA Intern Josh Wright. Big Creek hosted the ASGA Match Play earlier this year.

The other co-medalist, Andrew Flesher of Little Rock, survived a scare winning 1-up over Austin Eoff of Benton.

The medalist in the ASGA Mountain Valley Junior Match Play, Katie Webb of Heber Springs, was eliminated 1-up by Madison Talley of Clarksville. Defending champion Summar Roachell cruised into the semi-finals with a 6&5 win over Little Rock's Grace Grubb. Micah Radler of Fayetteville also advanced to the semi-finals with a 7&6 decision over Stephanie Leake of Little Rock The girls finals will be Wednesday morning at 8:45.

Zimmerman, Flesher Earn Medalist Honors

Richard Zimmerman of Mountain Home and Andrew Flesher of Little Rock shared medalist honors, each with a two-under par 70 at the ASGA Mountain Valley Junior Boys Match Play Championship at Foxwood yesterday. Both players advanced into the second round with first round victories Monday afternoon. Often considered a grueling endurance quest, the qualifying round was an 18-hole shotgun start Monday morning at 8:00 a.m., the 64-man bracket was determined and first round matches were played Monday afternoon. The last first round match teed off about 4:00 p.m. Two matches will be played today (Tuesday) with the quarter-finals and semi-finals on Wednesday and the finals Thursday morning.

In the ASGA Mountain Valley Junior Girls Match Play, Summar Roachell begins defense of her title she won last year at the age of 13. As the defending champion and #1 seed, Roachell was exempt from qualifying. Katie Webb of Heber Springs earned medalist honors and the #2 seed with a 79. Grace Grubbs of Little Rock defeated Kaitlyn Duncan of Melbourne on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to get the 8th and final seed and faces Roachell this morning. The girls semi-finals are this afternoon and the championship match will be Wednesday morning.

McNulty Wins State Am in OT

Wes McNulty birdied the first hole of sudden death to win the 95th ASGA Stroke Play Championship at Pine Bluff Country Club Sunday afternoon. In the playoff, both players found the center of the fairway on the reachable par-5 1st hole. McNulty's second shot found the greenside bunker and Payne's second was long over the back of the green. Both played nice third shots to within 12 feet. Payne missed and McNulty made as approximately 35 people watched, many of them members at PBCC. Both players finished regulation at 11-under par. McNulty found himself three down with four holes to play, before birdies at 15 and 17 and a bogie (3-putt) by Payne at 15 sent the duo into overtime. The pro shop was overflowing for the trophy ceremony, including McNulty's longtime teacher and former PBCC Professional for more than 37 years, George McKeown. George is a member of the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame and it was nice to have him there for the presentation. In the first ever mid-senior division, John Siratt won by three strokes over Tracy Harris and David Shirey. Hats off to Cary Maddox, PGA Golf Professional and his staff and to Garland Tynes, Superintendent and his staff for all their hard work. Thunderstorms the first two rounds caused more than 5 hours of delays. The golf course was in outstanding shape, especially considering the May rains had a large part of the golf course under water, including the 11th green, which was more than 4 feet under water for afew days.

Payne, McNulty Duel for State Am Title at PBCC

Jordan Payne of West Memphis and local favorite Wes McNulty of Pine Bluff are only separated by one stroke heading into the final round of the ASGA Stroke Play Championship at Pine Bluff Country Club. Payne leads at 10-under par 132 after rounds of 67-65 and McNulty is 9-under after 69-64. Jeff Jenkins of Conway is in third after 71-69. For full field scores, log onto www.asga.org
Mother Nature has reared her summer-time head with more than 5 hours of delays for thunderstorms. Play was halted twice on Friday, with the final group completing play at 8:30 p.m. Lightning and heavy rain causes almost a two-hour delay in the second round, with the final group finishing near 7:30 p.m. The winner Sunday will earn custody of the E.B. Gee Trophy and be the 95th ASGA State Amateur Champion. In the first ever mid-senior division, John Siratt of Donaldson, leads at 143 after rounds of 69 and 74. Todd Martin of Cabot and Rodger Bates of Hot Springs trail by three strokes at 146. Keep your fingers crossed for no weather delays in Sunday's final round!

Has McNulty Scared Off the Field at PBCC?

Has the defending champion Wes McNulty scared off the field at this weekend's ASGA Stroke Play Championship at Pine Bluff Country Club? Sure, McNulty won 8 of 9 tournaments last year including the Stroke, Match and ASGA Player of the Year (and is a member at PBCC). Does that make him unbeatable? Some think so. "I don't think Tiger Woods could beat Wes McNulty at Pine Bluff C.C.," one prominent player said. A few (a very few) aren't afraid of McNulty (left) including 2007 ASGA Player of the Year Ron Mangold, who has his head in his hand in this photo. Forty-four players will tee it up Friday in the amateur division, with 20 in the Mid-Senior Division! Are 43 players all playing for second place, or will someone knock McNulty from his throne, including Kirk Brown, the 2009 ASGA Match Play Champion or Nicklaus Benton, current leader in the ASGA Player of the Year standings. The ASGA has paired all three players together at 9:11 a.m. on Friday, June 12th and 12:50 p.m. on Saturday, June 13th. Tee times will be posted at www.asga.org on Tuesday, June 9 - Good Luck to all Players!

Congratulations Mac & Vena for 45 Years!

Kudos, hats off and congratulations to Mac Stubbs and his lovely wife Vena, who are celebrating their 45th anniversary today (June 5) and I do not think it is unkind to list the number of years. I know they are proud - for a boy from Melbourne and a girl from Calico Rock to be together for 45 years (they got married young!) They have two wonderful children - Shelly and Tim and two grandchildren they adore! Mac has been working like a slave lately preparing for the ASGA Monk Wade Father & Son Tournament. With more than 400 players in four shotgun starts over two days, it takes a lot of time and energy from computer input to pairings to cart signs to score cards. And just when you think everything is ready to go, a team withdraws and he has to make the changes. Congratulations Mac and Vena - go celebrate 45 years of marriage! Hope you have many more!

Hardscrabble Hosts U.S. Am Qualifying Aug. 11

Historic Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith will host the U.S. Amateur Qualifying on Tuesday, August 11th. Shown is the 17th hole during the 2007 ASGA Mountain Valley Hickory Open. The entry deadline is July 8 and the fee is $125. For online entries, click here:
https://champs.usga.org/info.asp?ID=13 or go to www.usga.org and click on "Championships," then "Apply to Play" and scroll down to U.S. Amateur to download the application and mail it. The U.S. Amateur will be played at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa August 24-30. If you want a close look at Hardscrabble in championship condition and the future PGA Tour stars check out the Nationwide Tour's Fort Smith Classic June 18-21. Log onto www.fortsmithclassic.com or call 479-782-3410 for tickets - $10 daily or $25 for a weekly pass!

Hogs Lose NCAA on Final Hole of Final Match!

Congratulations to the Arkansas Razorback Men's Golf Team - runner-up in the 2009 NCAA Tournament at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

To see a wrap-up of the NCAA Tournament, watch this seven minute Golfweek video here:

http://www.golfweektv.com/index.asp?ID=5496

Some are calling the shot that beat Andrew Landry on the final hole the greatest in NCAA history. Landry and his Texas A&M opponent came to the 18th hole all square in the final match of the day with the score tied 2-2. It was definitely an heroic shot - especially since Landry had won four consecutive holes.

The Razorbacks did enact a small measure of revenge in the semi-finals defeating Georgia, the 2009 SEC Champions, as the Razorbacks finished as the runner-up.