Tournament Champions
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The Oklahoma City Amateur Players Tour opened its 2027 season on Saturday, October 17 at John Conrad Regional Golf Club in Midwest City, Oklahoma for a premier amateur golf tournament. A field of 40 players competed across five divisions, with two net games running alongside them, in the first of the new season’s Oklahoma City amateur golf tournaments. Players are flighted into divisions based on their APT Tournament Index.
John Conrad Regional, which dates to 1971 and was renovated in 2022, played to a par of 72 and held up remarkably well given what had fallen on it — the golf course was in great shape even after six inches of rain. Wet ground meant the chapter played lift, clean and place, and the scores reflected players being able to move the ball to a preferred lie. The greens were some of the best the chapter plays on all year. Even so, the par-4 10th refused to give anything back, surrendering not a single birdie all day and playing better than a stroke and a quarter over par.
Conditions overhead were ideal once the morning chill lifted. A cool start turned into a nice day with temperatures in the 60s and winds of only about 5 mph, taking the weather out of the equation and leaving the scoring to the players.
This season opener also revealed that Rhino Roofing, out of Edmond, OK, would once again be the Player of the Year sponsor, and with their help the Oklahoma City Amateur Players Tour will have one of the best Player of the Year packages out of the APT Chapters. T & T Realty Group sponsored the closest-to-the-pin contest, adding $50 to the pot and turning it into a $180 winning shot. Our thanks to Rhino Roofing and T & T Realty Group for supporting the chapter.
In Division 1, Taylor Gossett of Oklahoma City, a five-time winner during the 2026 calendar year, picked up in the new season exactly where he left off in the old one. Gossett posted a 2-over 74 built on four birdies against three bogeys, opening with a birdie at the par-4 1st and going out in 1-over 37. He came home in the same number but saved his best for the finish, birdieing the par-5 12th, the par-5 16th and the par-4 18th to play his last three holes in 2-under and his closing six in 1-under.
Division 2 produced the low round of the day. Jacob Shumway of Oklahoma City has now won his second APT tournament in two tries, signing for a 1-under 71 that was the only sub-par round anywhere in the field. Shumway made three birdies, dropped only two shots and filled the rest of the card with 13 pars, turning in 1-under 35 before coming home in even-par 36. He birdied the par-5 4th, the par-4 7th and the par-5 12th, and the middle one of those mattered: the 7th gave up just two birdies all day and played better than a shot over par. Bradly Jefferson of Arapaho, OK had the other one. Jefferson took runner-up honors with a 3-over 75, out in 1-over 37 and back in 2-over 38, and was only one behind after six holes before Shumway pulled three clear by the turn for home. Japheth Bennett of Oklahoma City finished third at 4-over 76, playing his closing six holes in even par with a birdie at the par-5 16th to round out the money positions. Three players finished within five of the lead.
Division 3 belonged to Blaine Lira, the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter member from Cache, OK, who won by two with a 4-over 76. Lira made four birdies — the most of anyone in the division — at the par-5 4th, the par-3 5th, the par-5 8th and the par-4 14th, going out in 1-over 37 and home in 3-over 39. It did not stay comfortable. John Brill of Edmond trailed by four after six holes, birdied the par-5 12th and had drawn level by the time twelve were in the books, only to fall a shot back through fifteen and finish second at 6-over 78. Bryan Jennings of El Reno took third at 7-over 79 after a 5-over 41 on the front, repairing the damage with a 2-over 38 inward nine that included a birdie at the par-5 16th. Four players finished within five strokes.
Division 4 went to Justin Gates of Oklahoma City, who collected his second win of the 2026 calendar year — the first having come at the elevated APT Open Championship in August. Gates controlled the division from the start and won by seven with a 10-over 82, matching 5-over 41s on each nine and making birdies at the par-5 12th and the par-4 14th to stretch the margin over the closing stretch. Jared Cogburn of Blanchard finished second, having closed to within a single shot through twelve holes, and his birdie came at the par-4 9th. Bill Chilson, the Augusta chapter member from Aiken, SC, was third at 19-over 91.
Division 5 needed more than 18 holes to settle. Coby Albro of Edmond, David Carnes of Oklahoma City and Robert Tyndall of Oklahoma City all signed for 22-over 94, and Albro won the three-man playoff with a par at the first extra hole. He got there the hard way: Tyndall was five strokes to the good through twelve and Carnes two clear, before Albro turned the division around with a 5-over 41 on the inward nine, birdieing the par-4 17th along the way. Four players finished within two of the lead, the tightest division of the day.
The Mid-Am Net completed a double-dip for Taylor Gossett, who followed his Division 1 win by beating the rest of the Mid-Am Net field with a net 2-under 70, two clear. John Behrend of Yukon pushed him hardest, leading by two after twelve holes and drawing level again with three to play before settling for a net even-par 72 and runner-up honors. Ryan Miller of Edmond was third at net 3-over 75.
The Senior Net went to Bryan Jennings, who earned a promotion to Division 3 after winning Player of the Year in Division 4 during the 2026 season, and who continued his run of strong play with a net 6-under 66 — the lowest number of any kind posted on the day. Michael King of Bixby, OK, playing out of the Tulsa chapter, was level with Jennings after six holes and a shot ahead after twelve before Jennings closed it out by five, King taking second at net 1-under 71. Lewis Eades of Ardmore finished third at net 2-over 74.
One more card is worth noting: Michael Jefferson made the day’s only eagle, a 3 at the par-5 4th, the most generous hole on the property and one that also gave up six birdies.
Closest to the pin came at the par-3 13th, which played anywhere from 120 to 160 yards depending on the tee, with a slight north wind making it difficult for players to hold the green at all. Bill Chilson stuck the best one and collected $180.
Next up in the Oklahoma City chapter — the Lakeview Classic on Saturday, October 31. Space is limited and registration closes October 26. The Fall Classic at Lincoln West follows on Saturday, November 7, with registration closing November 2.
