2012 National Championships

Club House at TPC Sawgrass

15 golfers from the 2012 Golf Channel AmTour Buffalo Tour made the trip to Ponte Vedra, Florida to compete for a national title in the 2012 Championships and all came away with what can only be described as the "experience of a life time".  Just the act of qualifying is a feat in itself as the right is earned by performing well in a number of events over the course of the entire 2012 season. The National Championships are contested over 4 days on 4 separate courses and bring together over 1,100 golfers from all over the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The 1st week saw the Senior Division players arrive for the challenge. The player dinner featured the Golf Channels resident humorist David Feherty who entertained the golfers and their guests with a heart warming and humorous diatribe about his experiences regarding the charity that he founded, the "Troops First Foundation". The AmTour presented him with a check for $63,450 for his foundation, raised during the season from 50/50 raffles at all the Major Events.



David Feherty

Feherty addressed the golfers in attendance with a little pep talk to help them through the arduous week ahead.  "The tournament starts tomorrow, but I just want you to know this," Feherty said. "This is golf.  You're meant to suck and you will suck this week."



Infamous 17th

Once on the golf course, the atmosphere changed from relaxed to serious.  The infamous par 3 17th at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, greeted it's competitors with a challenge from 138 yards.  To say the least, some found it to be more of a task than others as one golfer carded a "32" and another a "24."  Regardless, the games were on and before weeks end, 6 Senior Champions would be crowned in 6 separate flights contested over the 4 days on the TPC's Stadium and Dye Valley courses and the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club's Ocean and Laggon courses.

Competing from the Buffalo Tour were 2009 National Champion Pekka Ojapalo from Oakvill, Ontario, 2010 3rd place finisher in the Senior Snead Flight Robert Zehler of Williamson, NY, Rick Stein of Cheektowaga, ken alexander from Henrietta, Jack Potter from Macedon, Donald Sheldon of Honesdale, Pa, and Dwight Trafford of Toronto, Ontario.  Rick Stein led the Senior Sarazen Flight entering the final round but was unable to keep the lead and finished in 7th place.

Stephie Sparks and Charlie Rymer co-hosted opening festivities for the Open Division of the National Championships on the 2nd week.  At a dinner welcoming a record 636 players to the 2012 event, four of the dozen women of this year's Big Break Atlantis were special guests and shared their experiences, hopes and dreams with the packed ballroom at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa, which was the host hotel and headquarters for the event.



Brian Davis of Amherst made the biggest news of the week by finishing tied for 5th place in the Palmer Flight and earning an exemption into next year's National Championships at PGA West in San Diego. Ken Englert of Tonawanda, Chris Dolce of Buffalo, Chris Dopp from Collingwood, Ontario, Carl Assini from Brighton, 2011 National Champion Bradley Bishop of Alden, David Yackoff from West Henrietta, and Tom Pettinella of Batavia, also competed representing the Buffalo Tour.

 

Though a few of our local participants may have walked away feeling a little disappointed with their game this week, all were treated to a first class experience and a time they will not soon forget.

 

As a closing note, I'd like to thank all golfers who competed this past season on the GCAmTour - Buffalo.  You helped make this the best season I've had since taking over the helm for the tour. Your loyalty was a big assist in helping me be named "Director of the Year' for the Northeast Region.  Again, thank you.

Paul

Potter Wins In Playoff to Capture Wildwood Classic

Jack Potter

Chris Jerge of Buffalo used a clutch par save on the 18th hole to forge a tie with Jack Potter of Macedon, NY in the Wildwood Classic and force a sudden death playoff in the Jones Flight. A well placed tee shot on the 1st playoff hole, the par 3 5th hole, resulted in a 2 putt par and the resulting victory for Potter, a multi-winner on tour this year. Battling back problems all season, Potter used the event as a warm up for the 2012 National Championships.

 

 

Ken Englert

Finishing the year with a flourish, Ken Englert of Tonawanda, New York, used steady play on the challenging Wildwood layout to claim his second tour win of the season by a one stroke margin over Steven Wedekind of Barker in the Palmer Flight.  With several 2nd place finishes on the season, Englert made the triumph his second in a row after capturing the 2012 Peninsula Lakes Open 2 weeks ago.

 

 

 

 

Tom Pettinella

Winning has become quite a habit for Tom Pettinella of Batavia, New York as he captured his sixth title of the season in the Sarazen Flight.  His dominance on the tour this year earned Pettinella a promotion to the Hogan Flight for the upcoming National Championships this September at TPC Sawgrass. Consistant play week in and week out has been the hallmark of Pettinella's play and the promotion is well earned.

 

 

 

Next up for many of the golfers will be the 2012 Golf Channel AmTour Nationals in early September at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida. I'd like to wish all the qualifiers the best of luck and thank all tour players for making the 2012 season the best on record.

Englert Captures 1st Title at Peninsula Lakes Open

After multiple second place finishes on tour this year, Tonawanda police officer Ken Englert finally broke through to the winners circle in the Palmer Flight of the Golf Channel AmTour.  Standing at 5 over par after 5 holes, Englert caught fire and carded even par over the final 13 holes for a 77 to take a 2 shot victory over his closest rival, 4 time winner Brian Davis.  Englert's victory assures him a place in the field for the 2012 Nationals.  Great job Ken!

Oakville, Ontario native Jeff Bossack wouldn't let a sore back stand in his way of taking home the silver in the Hogan/Sarzen Flight as his 2 over back nine propelled him to an 18 hole round of 79 and a 2 stroke margin of victory.  In pain most of the day, Bossack smartly maneuvered his way around the picturesque peninsula Lakes Quarry and Hillside nines and afterwards stated that "maybe I should get hurt more often".  I personally don't think that's a great idea but regardless, great round Jeff.

Trips to the winners podium are nothing new for AmTour veteran Pekka Ojapalo of Oakville, Ontario. The 2009 Senior Snead National Champion added more hardware to his collection by blistering the field in the Jones/Snead Flight with an 89 and his 2nd victory of the 2012 season. 

AmTour Golfers Get Best Of Arrowhead

 After 2 years of trying, Senior Hogan golfer Kenneth Alexander of West Henrietta finally broke through to the win column, netting his first AmTour victory on the Arrowhead Golf Courses links style layout.  Consistentency was the key to his win as he fashion identical nines of 40 for a final total of 80 to outdistance his nearest competitor by 4 strokes.

Also stepping into the winners circle for the first time was Senior Sarazen player Richard Stein from Cheektowaga, New York, whose blistering 39 on the front nine paved the way to a final 80 and a 2 stroke victory over Chris Dopp of Collingwood, Ontario.  By winning, Stein solidifies his place in the 2012 Senior Nationals being held at TPC Sawgrass in September.

The best battle of the day was between Robert Zehler of Williamson, NY and Donald Sheldon of Honesdale, Pa in their battle to claim the year long Order of Merit race in the Jones Flight. Trailing Sheldon by 4 strokes at the turn, Zehler carded a 40 on the back nine and eked out a one shot victory as both golfers outdistanced the rest of the Jones field by a sizable margin.

The best round of the day was turned in by 4 time winner Brian Davis of Amherst, New York in the Palmer Flight with a 35 - 37 for a score of even par 72.  The score stands as the lowest round shot this year on the Buffalo Golf Channel AmTour.  Standing at 3 under par with 4 holes remaining, Davis was unable to maintain his earlier momentum.  Regardless, congratulations to Brian on a great round.

Next up for the local edition of the AmTour is the Turning Stone Classic in Verona, New York, a 2 day test of skill on the Kaluyet and Shenandoah courses.  In total, 19 local tour players are registered in the field as they battle their way to gain a spot in the 2012 Nationals

Pettinella Makes It 5 For 5

With 5 victorys in 5 starts, Tom Pettinella continued his dominance of the Sarazen Flight on the 2012 GCAmTour season and it appears that his steady play seems to be the key to his winning ways.  Trailing both Jeff Bossack of Oakville, Ontario and Richard Stein of Cheektowaga, New York by 2 two strokes after nine holes in the Battle of Mill Creek, held at the Mill Creek Golf Course in Churchville, NY, Pettinella avoided any large numbers and waited for the competition falter, the end result was a one stroke victory and to date an undefeated season.

A bad back that prompted a two month layoff from the game and a long 5 hour drive wasn't enough to prevent the 2010 Senior Hogan National Champion, Don Miller of North Bay, Ontario from blistering the Mill Creek layout with a 77 and earn him the crown in the Hogan Flight.  Alex Kurilovitch of Oswego, New York and Robert Davis of Nunda, New York finished second and third respectably.

After 3 second place finishes on the season, Michael Pogor of Burlington, Ontario finally claimed victory by carding his best round on the 2012 GCAmTour season and tying the lowest score of the day with a 77.  What makes his feat notable however is that he recognized that he had a crack in the crown of his driver on the second hole of play.  Undaunted his solid and consistant play earned him his first victory of the year in the Championship Flight.

When he puts his mind to it, Steve Wedekind of Newfane, New York can play some pretty good golf and he proved it again yesterday with his third triumph of the year in the Palmer Flight.  The victory also earned him a spot in the 2012 GCAmTour National Championships this fall.  Brian Davis of Amherst finished 2 shots back in second and Christopher Dolce earned the third spot.

A winding 20 foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole led Macedon, New York resident Jack Potter to his first win of the year in the Jones/Snead Flight.  For fellow competitor Bob Zehler of Williamson, it was his second consecutive playoff defeat.

Weather Doesn't Deter Golfers at Diamond Hawk Classic

Occasionally heavy downpours, strong, gusty winds and two lightning delays didn't prevent the field of GCAmTour golfers from completing their competition on the difficult Diamond Hawk Golf Course in Cheektowaga, New York.  Leading the way was Steve Butcher of Newfane, who bested Gary Ragar on the first playoff hole to claim his inaugural victory in the Hogan Flight.  The score of 84 shot by the 2 golfers proved to be the day's lowest on a long and miserable day.

A much coveted seed into the GCAmTour 2012 National Championships at TPC Sawgrass was granted Brian Davis of Amherst by virtue of his third victory of the season in the Championship/Palmer Flight.  His victory margin of 8 strokes proved to be the day's largest.  The rain-soaked course made scoring difficult and the multiple delays proved to be frustrating as conditions worsened as the afternoon wore on.  After an opening 9 of 41, it became a matter of just taking what the course offered as on this day Davis proved to be the better.

Tom Pettinella of Batavia, New York is making quite a habit of winning on the 2012 GCAmTour season regardless of the playing conditions and this day was no different.  Claiming his fourth crown in four tries, Pettinella's consistency proved to be too much in the Sarazen Flight as he edged his nearest competitor, Jeff Bossack of Oakville, Ontario by a 2 shot margin.

2009 Senior Snead National Champion, Pekka Ojapalo of Oakville, Ontario had to work overtime to earn his first victory of the season in the Jones/Snead Flight.  Tied with Bob Zehler of Williamson, New York, after 18 holes of play, Ojapalo proved that par can be a good score as he parred the 1st playoff hole to claim his win.  Pat Brooks of Orchard Park finished one stroke back of the leaders.



Ravenwood Classic Crowns Four Champions

An automatic seed into the 2012 GCAmTour National Championships this September at TPC Sawgrass accompanied his third victory of the season as Tom Pettinella used a blistering front nine to claim the crown in the Sarazen Flight at the Ravenwood Classic.  His 18 hole tally of 78 provided a 13 stroke margin over his nearest competitor as he cruised to the win on a mild and sunny afternoon at the Victor, NY golf facility.  His final score also proved to be the days lowest.

A heavy heart after the Amherst High School varsity baseball team that he coaches was eliminated from the Section VI playoffs the night before didn't prevent Brian Davis from claiming his 2nd victory of the season in the Championship/Palmer Flight.  His final score of 79 was just enough to hold off a hard charging Michael Pogor of Burlington, Ontario and Ken Englert of Tonawanda, NY.  Though proud of his victory, it wasn't much consolation for the feelings he holds for his young charges.

The 2011 GCAmTour Sarazen National Champion, Bradley Bishop of Alden, NY also garnered his 2nd crown of the season in the Hogan Flight. His steady play on the final 9 holes provided him with a 2 shot margin over Steve Butcher of Newfane, NY after making the turn even with each other.  The old adage "fairways and greens" was the key to his victory as he consistently kept the ball in the shorter grass.

After a 2011 season that saw the 2010 GCAmTour Senior Snead Order of Merit Champion go winless, Bob Zehler of Williamson, NY finally returned to the victory circle by shooting 40 on the back nine and cruising to victory in the Jones/Snead Flight.  After reputedly his worst year on tour, Zehler has once again found the consistency necessary to once again return him to the top of the leaderboard on a regular basis.

Congratulations to all the Ravenwood Classic winners for a great event.

Alex Kurilovitch Tops Field

Wind gusts upwards of 40 mph made scoring a bit difficult as the GCAmTour teed it up on the picturesque Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club in Lewiston, NY.  Leading the scoring for the day was Alex Kurilovitch of Oswego, NY with an 83 as his birdie on the par 4 15th hole fueled a strong finish and led him to a one stroke victory over Chris Dopp of Collingwood, Ontario and Richard Stein of Cheektowaga, NY in the Hogan/Sarzen Flight and claim his 1st win of the year.

Steve Wedekind from Newfane, NY claimed his second victory of the season with a one stroke win over second place finisher Ken Englert of Tonawanda, NY in the Palmer Flight.  Playing on his home course provided little advantage as the hard charging Englert made a game of it but just couldn't quite catch Wedekind.

A strong back nine finish led Chris Jerge of West Seneca to a 3 shot margin of the field in the Jones/Snead Flight to claim his 2nd victory of the season.  Robert Zehler of Williamson and Marty Ground of Akron, NY finished second and third respectably.

George McLaughlin  (not shown) of Friendship, NY carded his second win of the year, cruising to a 5 shot margin over his nearest competitor in the Championship Flight

Brian Davis Tops Field at Lockport Town & CC Classic

Amherst High School baseball coach Brian Davis blistered the field in the Lockport Town & Country Club Classic with a 78 to out-distance the field in the Palmer Flight by 9 strokes over runner-up Ken Englert of Tonawanda. A total of 32 competitors, spread across 5 separate handicap flights, were greated by sunny skys and mild temperatures as they challenged the historic layout presented them by this fine private facility.  Fast greens proved to be the biggest challenge facing the golfers as many struggled to get the speed.

In the Championship Flight, George McLaughlin from Friendship, NY bested Michael Pogor of Burlington, Ontario by a mere 2 strokes in the days closest contest.  In the Hogan Flight, Gary Rager of Buffalo, used a strong finish to out duel Larry Kavanaugh of West Seneca and win by a comfortable 3 strokes.  Tom Pettinella of Batavia continued his domination of the Sarazen Flight by taking home his 2nd trophy with a hard fought victory over Dwight Trafford of Brampton, Ontario. Chris Jerge of West Seneca gained his first victory of the season in the Jones Flight by a 3 stroke margin over Donald Sheldon of Honesdale, Pa.

Tough Conditions Greet Opening Event

Absolutely horrendous weather conditions greeted the Golf Channel AmTour as they teed off at Terry Hills GC on Saturday for the seasons opening event. A 34 degree wind chill and steady rain deprived everyone of any comfort and added an additional challenge to the course layout and fast greens.  Low score of the day was turned in by Steven Wedekind of Newfane in the Championship/Palmer Flight with a sterling 77 to eke out a one stroke victory over George McLaughlin of Friendship, NY.  2 birdies on the back nine proved to be the deciding factor.

In the Hogan Flight, last years Sarazen National Champion, Brad Bishop of Alden didn't let a double bogey closing hole prevent him from taking the victory with a solid 79 over Alex Kurilovitch of Oswego.

Tom Pettinella of Batavia held off a strong challenge from Jeff Bosasack of Oakville, Ontario and Dwight Hubbard Sr. of Rochester to take home the trophy in the Sarazen Flight recording an 85 to provide a 2 shot victory.

A solid 44 on the back nine propelled Donald Sheldon of Honedale, Pa with enough margin to make the long drive worth it and take the title in the Jones Flight.  In the Snead Flight, Orchard Park's Mark Rzotkiewicz's 104 was enough to lead him to victory.

A lot can be said about the toughness displayed by all the golfers in the event as conditions contributed to some pretty ugly holes for some of the particpants.  I saw a lot of class displayed by everyone and am proud to be affiliated with this group of golfers.

Next up is the Lockport Town & Country Club Open on Sunday, May 6th.  Deadline to register for this event is midnight on April 30th.

2012 Local Season to kick off April 21st

The Buffalo edition of the GCAmTour will kick off it's 2012 campaign on April 21st at Terry Hills GC in Batavia, New York.  With the addition of 19 new members this year, the battle for qualifying spots for the National Championships at TPC Sawgrass will be intense.  Returning this year will be 2011 Sarazen National Champion Bradley Bishop and 2009 Senior Snead National Champion Pekka Ojapalo.  Registration for this event closes at midnight on April 16th.

I am really looking forward to this year's campaign as each year we have grown a slight bit and each year more and more of our local members participate in at least one Major Championship.  The GCAmTour is the nations largest amateur tour with tours in approximately 50 cities. 

I wish to take this time to thank all our new and returning members and wish all of you a great and successful season.