FORT MYERS' MARINELL CLAIMS WFGT SUMMER TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Additional photos can be viewed here

Martin Ureta on 18th green at
Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Sarasota, Florida

With dark clouds billowing overhead, the incessant patter of raindrops on the bill of your cap or bare head, grips damp if not wet, and absolutely no roll beyond your carry, it’s tough to display your A-game in the final round of a championship event, right? Well I thought that might be the case, at the West Florida Golf Tour Summer Tour Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Sarasota, Florida yesterday (Wednesday, 9/17/14).

You might also expect that the venue would be hard-pressed to put its best foot forward under those conditions as well. Without the brilliant sun highlighting the various hues of the impeccable landscaping, and

glinting off the water of myriad lakes, without the birds chirping their usual choruses, even a lovely course might appear as humdrum as the weather. Such was not the case, with neither the venue nor the players.

Ross Hanson presents winner's check to Chase Marinell
& caddy Andy Richardson

Most of the players proved that the adverse conditions were no match for their powers of concentration and their ability to manage challenging circumstances. But what else should we expect? After all, like the commercial says, “These guys are good!” And none was better this day than Chase Marinell of Fort Myers. I’ll get to Chase in a minute, but first some perhaps useless facts (I just enjoy numbers)…

Kevin Roy of Tampa, Florida- 5th

On Day 1, of the 66 players in the field, 21 broke par, and eight finished even, which equates to 44% of the field finishing at par or better. Before the second-round cut (still 66 players) saw 20 players under par and five even, for a total of 39% at par or better. In the final round, after the cut, of the 38 players who completed the round, 18 players (47%) turned in sub-par rounds and just one was even par! Are you kidding me? I guess that’s why these guys made the cut.

I’m not sure at what yardage the tees and pins were set, but I don’t think the Ritz-Carlton’s picturesque Tom Fazio layout, listed at 7414 from the tips,

Christian Bartolacci- WFGT Tour President &
Tournament Director

was a pushover, certainly not in the rain, and not with the setup that Tournament Director Christian Bartolacci put in place for the championship round. Heck, it was a credit to the course and the course superintendent that the event could be completed with the constant rain. Even the sand traps were playable.

Champion Chase Marinell of Fort Myers, Florida
dropping birdie putt on 18

In any event, it was obvious that these guys were good, and as I said, none better than Marinell, who used a “bomb” on No.10 to jump start his birdie blitz on the back side. Marinell carded five birdies on the back, including one on the difficult, dogleg right, 473-yard par-4 finishing hole. Steph and I hung out near the 18^th green for several groups and Marinell’s birdie was the only one we saw. In fact, of the 38 players who made the cut, 15 made bogey or worse on 18, and Marinell had the only birdie.

David Branshaw of Tampa, Florida- 2nd

I guess you could say he really earned that “W!” When Marinell teed it up on No.18, he held a one-shot lead over 2^nd-place finisher, David Branshaw of Tampa, Florida, a seasoned tour veteran who has won on the Web.com tour when it was still known as the Nationwide Tour, and who has been a PGA Tour member.

Andy & Chase line it up on 18

Chase apparently was not phased, and when he and caddy Andy Richardson lined up that final 15-footer for birdie (I believe the closest Steph and I had seen to the pin), you just knew that it was gonna fall. Marinell stepped up, stroked the putt and it tracked right in the jaws, notching his seventh bird of the day, and capping off an amazing 66 to win by two. It was, and rightfully so, the low round of the day, tying Bradenton Florida’s Doug Letson’s low round of the tournament…and in foul weather.

David Branshaw putting on No.9

When the final round began, Branshaw was tied for the lead with Brandon Lee of Fort Myers, Florida at 9-under, one shot in front of Marinell. When they made the turn, Lee had opened a two-shot lead on Branshaw, who shot even par on the front, and Marinell, who had reached -9 to tie Branshaw.

Brandon Lee of Fort Myers- 3rd

Lee could only manage even par on the back, while Branshaw carded three birdies of his own to shoot 69. It wasn’t enough to stop Marinell from…uh…”chasing” them down with those five birdies. Lee placed solo 3^rd with an 11-under total, and just missed carding three rounds in the 60s with his final round 70.

Doug Letson of Bradenton, Florida- 4th

Letson, last week’s winner had positioned himself well after his second-round 66, sitting just two off the lead. Unfortunately for Doug, his two birdies on the front were offset by two bogeys, and his 3-under back nine was just not enough. First and 4^th in consecutive weeks isn’t something to sneeze at however, and it would be interesting to see what Letson does if he tees it up in the Sarasota Open, the final major of the year for the West Florida Golf Tour.

Chris Kennedy of Bradenton, Florida- 19th

Although there are several events yet to play in the WFGT’s 2014 season, Chris Kennedy of Bradenton, Florida and Doug Letson have made the Order of Merit race practically a two-man contest. Kennedy leads Letson by just over 23,000 points, and he leads Marinell, the next closest competitor (who jumped up the Order of Merit board from 6^th to 3^rd with this week’s win) by almost 90,000 points.   

Hampton Ballard of Bradenton, Florida- Tie 7th

A few other players in the Top-10 of the Order of Merit rankings, Travis Hampshire (4^th), Hampton Ballard (5^th), Branshaw (6^th), and Goodykoontz (7^th) are at least in range-finder contact with Kennedy, and have a theoretical, if not practical, chance of finding themselves atop the Order of Merit at season’s end.

Kenny Goodykoontz of Fort Myers Beach, Florida- Tie 9th

But that’s a little ways away. As for the Summer Tour Championship at the Ritz-Carlton, Chase Marinell walked away with the event win, but Chris Kennedy and Kenny Goodykoontz came away with significant victories as well. Kennedy claimed the top spot in the Summer Tour points-race and Goodykoontz finished second, both pocketing $2500 and amassing considerable points (25,000) in the Order of Merit race.

Kennedy finished 19^th in the Summer Tour Championship which netted him $310 and 3100 points, while Goodykoontz finished tied for 9^th netting $610.66 and 6016 points in the Order of Merit race. That additional $2500 is to be used for Latin America qualifying school, another building block in the players’ construction of a professional golf career. Congrats on the accomplishment guys!

Speaking of congrats, let’s knuckle-up to a couple guys who did what no one else did in the event:

Tom Bittner of Atlanta Georgia- Tie 28th

Adam Hogue of Lakewood Ranch notched a hole in one on No.16 during the final round, which helped him to a final round 69, and a tie for 9^th. Tom Bittner of Atlanta, Georgia had the only eagle scored on No.6, a 571-yard par-5, during the tournament. A number of others had eagles on No.4, but only Tom took the measure of No.6.

Adam Hogue of Lakewood Ranch, Florida

Jared Kobren of Lakewood Ranch, Florida missed the cut by one shot, but  scored the only eagle on the back nine in the entire event. That accomplishment came on the 559-yard, par-5  No.15 in the first round.Andrew Seeman of Bonita Springs, Florida eagled the par-4 fifth hole in the first round and that was on the heels of a birdie on the par-5 fourth. Despite a -2 finish to that first round, Andrew struggled in the second and missed the cut.

Ernesto of Ritz-Carlton staff

As always, nothing happens without the integral components behind the scene. Without the Tour sponsors, the cooperation from the venue, such as that provided by Mike Miller (Ritz-Carlton Tournament Coordinator) and his staff (thanks Ernesto!), delivering a quality event like the Summer Tour Championship would be unlikely. 

Ross Hanson- WFGT Am Tour Director
& Tournament Coordinator

If Ross Hanson didn't take care of business getting the data for the 9-hole live scoring entered, and without Christian Bartolacci's help and cooperation, Steph and I couldn't do what we do nearly as effectively. We appreciate it guys! 

There is much more to the West Florida Golf Tour than we can cover here, but we’ll get to as much as we can. We’re looking forward to covering the final major of the WFGT season: The Sarasota Open at Laurel Oak Country Club, September 25 - 28. The event will be played on one of the two Gary Player-designed championship tracks on the property, the West Course, which was redesigned by Rees Jones in 2005. Stay tuned…

T. A. & Steph

WFGT 2014 SUMMER TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: BRANDON LEE STILL LEADS

Ah, back at the West Florida Golf Tour's Summer Tour Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Sarasota. If you enjoy beautiful environments, you will be envious of the guys battling for the title on that titillating track! Since we didn't make it back up today for player photos, it's a great opportunity to share some of the beauty of the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club that Steph captured yesterday. Photos from final day will be available tomorrow. On to the golf...

First-round co-leader Brandon Lee of Fort Myers, Florida fired off five birdies on the front side, including four consecutive tweeters, to offset his one bogey on the opening nine. When he birdied No.10, it seemed as though he was poised to go low, having birdied six of his last seven holes.

But the birdie train screeched to a halt with bogeys on No.11 and No.12, but Lee steadied the ship and offset one of those bogeys with a bird on No.14 and held onto par on the way in for a 4-under round that kept him atop the leaderboard.

I hate to jinx him, but my pick for the event, David Branshaw of Tampa, Florida, did what he could to keep pace with Lee on the front side, picking up three feathery creatures of his own on holes four through six. Branshaw added three more birdies on the back side, but carded his only blemish in two rounds: a bogey on the par-3 16^th. His 5-under 67 was good for the second lowest round of the day, and enough to tie him for the lead with Lee at -9 going into tomorrow’s final round.

Doug Letson of Bradenton, Florida, he of the record-setting second round at Old Corkscrew last week, also notched four birdies on the front nine to keep pace with Lee, whom he trailed by four shots coming into Round 2.

Letson’s 4-under going out vaulted him up the leaderboard from 16^th to solo 5^th at the turn. Doug added two more birds on the back, had no missteps throughout the round, and carded his second 66 on Day 2 in consecutive events. That 6-under gem, again low round of the day and tournament, eased him into 4^th place, just two off the lead going into tomorrow.

The other first-round leader, Chase Marinell of Fort Myers didn’t quite keep pace with Lee and Letson on the front side, but he carded a -1 going out to share a piece of 3^rd place after nine with Kevin Roy of Tampa, who posted a 2-under front side. Marinell may not have matched his torrid first round 67, but his single-bogey, four-birdie 69 was good enough to keep him just one back of the leaders, in solo third. Marinell has already won multiple times on Tour this summer, so he is definitely one to watch coming down the back nine.

Kevin Roy of Tampa, Florida, whose first-round 68 had tied him with three others after Round 1, carded a 69 in Round 2, courtesy of five birdies and two bogeys. Roy had a clean card with four birdies through No.15 before finishing bogey, birdie, bogey. His 3-under round was enough to forge a tie for 4^th with Letson and keep him in the hunt for the title. He’ll be in the third-to-last group in the final round.

Order of Merit points-leader, Chris Kennedy of Bradenton, Florida climbed eights spots up the leaderboard, from 22^nd to a tie for 14^th, with a 2-under 70. Anything is possible, but coming from seven shots back to win with the quality of the field is a very, very long shot. Kenny Goodykoontz of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, second in the Summer Tour points-race, used his five-birdie, two-bogey performance to inch his way up the leaderboard from a tie for 8^th into 7^th alone.

Case Gard of Lakeland, Florida is moving quietly along in 6^th alone after a pair of 69s. If Gard maintains this level of consistency tomorrow, he could have his highest finish of the season. Gard should have a good example to follow tomorrow as he’ll be paired with Letson.

Sam Chavez of Bradenton, has been nothing if not consistent, carding his second 2-under round of the event, carding three birdies and one bogey for the second consecutive day. Sam maintained his 8^th-place position going into the final round. Chavez is coming off a second-place finish in the Southwest Florida Open at Old Corkscrew last week, and is poised for his second consecutive Top-10 finish. [Note: Sam is my sentimental favorite since he has the chutzpah to play with a yellow ball! How ya like that Mike Curran- wink?]

Order of Merit contenders Hampton Ballard (4^th) of Bradenton, Florida, Logan Blondell (7^th) and Brad Klapprott (8^th), both of Lakeland, Florida all posted better rounds today and moved incrementally up the leaderboard. Ballard made the strongest move with a 69, and is now tied with Klapprott (-2) for 12^th.  Blondell shot 1-under today and climbed from a tie for 22^nd with Ballard into a tie for 18^th.  

Fort Myers locals, Aaron Sherry (28^th), Tyler Merkel (24^th), and Jeremy Wells (32^nd) all slipped down the leaderboard, but all made the cut and will have one more day to earn a check to cover expenses. Steph and I will be heading up to the event tomorrow for the final

day, and I’m looking forward to it almost as much as though I were playing the event myself! How can it not be thrilling when at least three of the top five going into tomorrow have already won this season, two of them (Marinell and Letson) multiple times. Yeah, tomorrow will be a blast! Stay tuned….

WFGT SUMMER TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER WAY AT RITZ-CARLTON GOLF CLUB IN SARASOTA

View additional photos by Steph here

Ritz-Carlton Clubhouse

Sixty-six players from 5 countries and 10 states teed it up on the first day of the 2014 Summer Tour Championship of the West Florida GolfTour (WFGT) at the exclusive Ritz Carlton Golf Club, and two players from Fort Myers, Florida, Chase Marinell and Brandon Lee, closed the first round atop the leaderboard with torrid 5-under 67s. The Tom Fazio-designed track is no pushover, with a 75.6 course rating and slope of 133, But Marinell and Lee had its measure today.

In fact, a full third of the field (22 players) managed to break par on Day 1, and another eight finished even par, suggesting that scoring conditions and perhaps pin placements were ideal for scoring on the opening day of the WFGT’s Summer Tour Championship. Summer Tour, and Order of Merit points-leader Chris Kennedy of Tampa, Florida was among those who finished even par, but he has such an overwhelming lead on the rest of the eligible players in the field for the Summer Tour bonus, that it appears to be his regardless of his finish.

Kenny Goodykoontz

Kenny Goodykoontz of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, whom I understand sits in 2^nd behind Kennedy in the Summer Tour race due to eligibility requirements, carded a 2-under 70, which was good enough to tie for 8^th with seven other players. Goodykoontz trails Kennedy by over 60,000 points in that particular race and there aren’t enough available points for him to overtake Kennedy, but a good showing in the Championship could vault Goodykoontz into the Top-5 in the 2014 Order of Merit race.

Chase Marinell- photo courtesy of WFGT website

Marinell, despite earning the third highest dollar total during the Summer Tour Series, wouldn’t be eligible for the summer bonus, even if he could have amassed sufficient points to pass Kennedy. However, he has quite a stake in finishing atop the leaderboard in this event, as he holds down the 6^th slot on the Order of Merit leaderboard, and a strong finish would surely vault him into the Top-5 and position him for a run at the Order of Merit honors.

David Branshaw

Another player with much to gain at the Summer Tour Championship is David Branshaw, who shot a 4-under 68 on opening day. Branshaw has the fourth highest earnings on the Summer Tour money list, and sits 5^th in the current Oder of Merit race, fewer than 300 points ahead of Marinell. Branshaw appears to be peaking at the right time, as he was one of just three players to break par at Old Corkscrew on the final day of the Southwest Florida Open last week.

Mark Iwinski & Doug Letson

Speaking of Old Corkscrew, did you catch the news that one of the most renowned tracks in Southwest Florida garnered the top rating in GOLFADVISORS’ power rankings for September? That’s No.1 in the country! Very sweet! Kudos to Mark Iwinski (General Manager), Mike Holland (Head Golf Professional), Chris Hughes (Golf Course Superintendent) and the entire staff at OC. But I digress, Couldn’t’ help that. Old Corkscrew holds a special place in this wannabe golfer’s heart.

Doug Letson

The winner last week and now course-record-holder (66) at Old Corkscrew, Doug Letson, didn’t scorch the turf at the Ritz-Carlton, but he did card a very respectable 1-under 71, which puts him in a tie for 16^th. It was Letson’s second-round 66 that staked him to a three-shot lead last week, so we’ll have to see what he has in store for us at the Ritz-Carlton.

Chris Kennedy- photo courtesy of  twitter.com

Letson, who sits in 2^nd in the Order of Merit race, appears to be the only player with a realistic chance at snatching the Order of Merit away from Kennedy. He leads Kennedy in this event by just one shot, and there are two round to go, so I’m looking forward to the next two days of play. Wouldn’t it be good to see the two going head to head on Wednesday?

Brad Klapprott

Other players in the field who inhabit the Top-10 in the Order of Merit race include Hampton Ballard (4^th) of Bradenton, Florida, Logan Blondell (7^th) and Brad Klapprott (8^th), both of Lakeland, Florida. Klapprott carded a 1-under 71 to tie for 16^th after the first round, while Blondell and Ballard are tied for 22^nd with even-par rounds.  

Of additional interest to Fort Myers locals include Aaron Sherry, who was 14^th in the Summer Tour standings coming into the Championship,

Aaron Sherry

Jeremy Wells, and Tyler Merkel, all of whom shot even par on Day 1. With such a strong international field, a good showing in the Summer Tour Championship and the upcoming Sarasota Open (final major of the season), would bode well for the future of these young aspirants of the PGA Tour. Stay posted for second and third round recaps…

LETSON CLAIMS WFGT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA OPEN AT OLD CORKSCREW

Additional photos can be viewed here

Mark Iwinski & Doug Letson

The final round of the Southwest Florida Open, the latest stop on the West Florida Golf Tour (WFGT), played at Old Corkscrew Golf Club in Estero this week (September 8 – 10), was a case of “come get me,” and Doug Letson was who the rest of the field had to go get.

Treacherously contoured 15th green

Anyone who knows anything about golf courses in Southwest Florida knows that Old Corkscrew is a track that tests even the skills of professionals of the highest proficiency, so catching a hot player with a three-shot lead would be no mean feat.

Doug Letson gets sandy on 14

Hot is precisely what Doug Letson of Tampa, Florida has been in 2014, and a three-shot lead is what he held after 69, 66 the first two rounds. I don’t think it’s a stretch of the imagination to consider three tournament victories and eight (seven top-five) top-ten finishes “hot,” do you? Oh, and did I mention that Old Corkscrew presents a serious golf challenge? Well, that didn’t mean much to Letson, who put the screws to Old Corkscrew for that course record 66 on the second day of competition.

Chris Kennedy-
photo courtesy of  Jason Dill

The almost 24-year-old Florida State alum, who turned pro in 2013, was up to the challenge, extending his three-shot lead to six with an even-par final round. In addition to his check for $3k, Letson picked up 30,000 “Order of Merit” points, and now sits second to Chris Kennedy of Sarasota, Florida (and Ice bucket challenge fame) in the current year Order of Merit race.

Doug putting from fringe on 17

Unfortunately for Letson, there’s only one event remaining in the Summer Tour Series, and he will not have played the required nine events to qualify for the Summer Tour bonus, which goes to the player with the most points over the 13 Summer Tour events.

Getting up & down on 18

However, the full season is winding down, and Letson is well within reach of Kennedy’s lead for the Order of Merit, for which he will be eligible. With the Summer Tour Championship next week and the season’s final major (2014 Sarasota Open) coming up later this month, finishing higher than Kennedy in both would go a long way toward Doug claiming the Order of Merit. But Kennedy is atop the standings for good reason, and I suspect he will have something to say about who earns the Order of Merit at season's end. Only time and strokes will tell.

Ross Hanson presents Jason Burstyn with winner's check at
TPC Prestancia- photo courtesy of WFGT

Those who were challenging Letson for honors at the Southwest Florida Open found Old Corkscrew quite uncooperative that final round. Nine players had broken par in Round 2, but only three managed to reach red figures on Day 3, and two of those were by just one shot. Miami native and 2013 University of Colorado graduate, Jason Burstyn made the best move of anyone chasing Letson, shooting 69 to claim low round of the day honors.

Jason Burstyn- photo courtesy of  www.dailycamera.com

With that 3-under round, Jason buffaloed his way up the leaderboard from 9^th at the start of the final round to a tie for 2^nd by the time the last putt had rattled the cup. His strong finish is no surprise as Jason has notched several top-10 finishes and a win on the WFGT this season. Unfortunately for Jason, he was 9 shots back when the final round began, and his -3 finish was not enough to catch Letson, who maintained his unruffled demeanor throughout the round.

Brad Brunner teeing off on 18

Brad Brunner of Tampa was the closest challenger to Letson coming into the final round, sitting just three back, and playing with the leader. However, Brad was one of the many players who were “Corkscrewed” on Wednesday, and finished with a 76. Given the scores on some of the holes Brad played, a 76 was a pretty good score to turn in... good enough to finish 5^th. One example of Brad’s resilience was Hole 15, where he put his second shot into the bunker short right of the green, only to card a birdie from the sand.

Dave Branshaw

The other two players who managed under-par rounds, Fort Myers Beach, Florida resident Kenny Goodykoontz (71) and Tampa’s David Branshaw (71), started the final round in 8^th (8 shots back) and 11^th (11 shots back) respectively, so they needed a much kinder, gentler Old Corkscrew than the one they faced on Day 3 to make up the required ground. Hopefully shooting the second best scores of the day was some consolation.

All was not lost for either though, since Goodykoontz moved up the leaderboard to 5^th and Branshaw to 8^th. Branshaw

Kenny Goodykoontz

also sits in 5^th position in the Order of Merit race, so every spot up the leaderboard for him is a plus. Tour President Christian Bartolacci noted that, based upon eligibility, despite being listed as 5^th, Goodykoontz is really 2^nd in the Summer Tour bonus race.

Dan "Da Man" Mazziotta

Two other players improved their positions in the top-5, and, considering their historical results, neither was a surprise despite not being fully pleased with their final round performances. Daniel Mazziotta of Fort Myers, Florida moved from 5^th into a tie for 2^nd with his final round 73, and Sam Chavez of Bradenton, Florida also moved into a tie for 2^nd from a tie for 3^rd with a final round 74. 

Sam Chavez

Chavez could have finished in solo second had he made a putt on 18, but a tie for second ain’t bad huh Sam? I'm sure you didn't feel that way when you launched that ball into the lake :). Both Chavez and Mazziotta have had several top-10 finishes on tour this season, but both are still seeking their first win of 2014. They’ve got time and opportunity over the next couple of months.

All in all, encountering the West Florida Golf Tour at Old Corkscrew was a gem of an experience. The golf was great, the venue awesome, and the people top-notched.

The staff at Old Corkscrew generally offer a pleasant experience, so that was not new, but our new acquaintance with WFGT officials, Christian and Ross was also quite positive. Steph and I are looking forward to our next encounter with the players and organizers of the WFGT.

Ross Hanson & Christian Bartolacci &
event champion Doug Letson

By the way, if you are a hacker like I am, who likes to put your skill level to the test, the WFGT also offers an Amateur Tour with a 13-event schedule. I’m not sure how to make time during tennis season to play any golf, much less compete, but the West Florida Am Tour surely has me thinking about it! Congrats to Doug Letson once again and thanks to all, especially the sponsors, who make it all happen. Until next….

T. A. & Steph