The inaugural season for the Amateur Players Tour, Tulsa Chapter reached its endgame this past Saturday and Sunday as thirty-six devoted APT players tee’ d it up at the spectacular Shangri-La Golf Club at Shangri-La Resort looking to win the coveted Player of the Year awards. It was if the stars aligned as forecasted 100-degree days were replaced with high 80 to low 90-degree temperatures with a cool morning breeze rolling across the “Grand Lake”. The event was highlighted by five of the six divisions coming down to the last nine holes to determine not only the Chapter Finals Champion but Player of the Year winner as well. And if that wasn’t enough, then the dramatic playoff in Division 4 on the 18th hole in front of a large gallery of players and family, surely put the icing on the cake.

Division 1 looked like a two-horse race between Sajan Patel of Tulsa and Rick Coatney of Fort Smith, Ar. Lurking quietly in third with an outside shot at the POY, was Kiefer Oklahoma’s Andy Proctor. Each player was a winner in 2023 in Division 1 with Patel and Coatney, each winning twice and Proctor winning once. Patel put on a clinic on day one with a solid 1-over 73 while Proctor stayed within striking distance with a 76. Coatney all but eliminated himself from the D1 race as he struggled to an opening round 84. Through nine holes on Sunday, Patel maintained his 3-stroke advantage, but Proctor was just getting hot. Kyle Peterson, who had taken the lead after slow starts by both Patel and Proctor, stumbled late as Proctor closed with a 38 to win the title and overtake Patel for the POY.

Division 2 also saw plenty of drama on the closing day of the tournament. Season long points leader Josh Linn surprised everyone by stumbling out of the gate with an 81, opening the door for new APT chapter owner Keith Tilghman to take a peek. However, Linn came out firing darts on Sunday and closed out the POY race by posting a fabulous 1-under 71, to finish second at the Finals to Heath, Texas native Tom Lorenz. Lorenz picked up his second win of the year by surrounding 2 bogies with 4 birdies on the closing nine to edge out Linn for the Finals victory. Stonebridge Meadows winner Bryan Hawkins steady play, posting 77 on both days, resulted in a 3rd place finish. Riley Reed had the round of the day by posting 69 to move up the leaderboard and finish 4th.

Division 3 was again a thrilling race from start to finish. Points leader TJ Toney fell flat with an opening 94 to give Bruce Yi and Chris Meyers hope on the final day of competition. Yi and Meyers battled tooth and nail for 36 holes with Yi making par on the final five holes while Meyers bogeyed the last two to lose by one. Toney fired the best round of the day with a 78 but it was too little too late to catch YI who snuck away with the Finals title and the POY prizes.

Division 4 was arguably the most exciting Finals division of them all proving you don’t have to have a large number of players, just the right ones to put on a show, and did they put on a show. Patrick Goodnight of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma had all but settled the POY in Division 4 when the event began which allowed him to focus squarely on winning the Finals tournament. Neil Hill and Khurram Pervaiz would make it a challenge as they both looked to take home the Finals trophy and top prize money. Hill ended day one with a single shot lead over Goodnight and five shots clear of Pervaiz. But Sunday morning is when things got good. Pervaiz limited the damage in route to an eleven-shot improvement from day one and had a chance to win it all on number 18 but missed a 4-footer, sending the Finals into a playoff with Goodnight. It was there that the magic happened. With a large gallery watching the only match left on the course, both players hit good shots to the green, with Goodnight some 60 feet away and Pervaiz from about 25 feet. As Pervaiz looked over his birdie putt, Goodnight hit the shot heard round the Shangri-la Resort, sending it up and over the hill and to the center of the cut for the birdie. Pervaiz showed great sportsmanship as he walked over and high fived Goodnight for the outstanding putt. Pervaiz then gave it a go from 25 feet but left it just short as Goodnight and friends congratulated the Finals and POY winner for the effort. Pervaiz walked away in second place but with his head held high from a day where the underdog nearly pulled off the big upset.

Division 5 was settled on day one as Trip Montgomery took matters into his own hands and quickly and decisively disposed of all comers to take both the Finals and POY awards. It should be noted that Division 5 was set up for a battle between Montgomery and points leader Brodey Young but Young, who won the “Most Improved Player” award, was bumped to D4 after his last event due to his outstanding play over the last few months.

The inaugural season for APT Tulsa Chapter has ended and fittingly at a course with so much more to offer than just golf. The staff at Shangri-La Resort and Golf Club were fantastic, as were all the staff at each facility we had the pleasure of playing at. As we look forward to the North American Championship next week at Myrtle Beach, South Carlina, the 2024 season is just around the corner. Registration for the upcoming season is now underway. See you all soon and Thank You, for being a part of APT Tulsa Chapter.