Tournament Champions
It was a tough battle with the cold and windy conditions, and with an unusual lack of rain for weeks, the course was in fantastic condition, but played like a bit of a links course the firm and fast conditions. This made some shots very uncomfortable, with pins tucked just over bunkers, front of the greens, and runouts into hazards that are normally not in play.
Jacob Bruhn and Jake Englebrake seemed to handle it the best in Division 1. Players traded blows in the first round, with Bruhn besting Englebrake on the front 9, but Englebrake fighting back to within 1 shot on the back 9 after day 1. Day 2, it was a bit of a pillow fight with neither player really getting anything going. A few birdies sprinkled in with some mediocre play was the name of the game. But in the end, Bruhn’s performance was enough for the win, besting Englebrake by 4 strokes to take the first win of the season.
Division 2 saw some solid play by multiple players, with Cliff Austin leading narrowly after a great day 1. Matt Thorman, and Robert Whittaker from Kentucky were right on his heels. Day 2 turned into a battle between Austin and Thorman, but Austin was able to hold on to a small lead and take the victory by 1 over Thorman.
Division 3 was another hard fought battle, with Paul Stanton and Aaron Hetherington having a 1 stroke difference and seeing Stanton in the lead. Day 2 was back and forth, and when Stanton stumbled on hole 17, the players were tied going into the tough 18th hole. Stanton managed to roll in a birdie while Hetherington made a par, giving Stanton a 1 stroke victory in a hard fought battle.
Leroy Barnes, Thomas Kass, and Roy Thavaraj started within a few strokes of each other after day 1, with Kass having a small lead over both players. On day 2, Leroy fought and clawed back, besting Kass by 2 strokes on the front 9 and drawing things level as Thavaraj fell a few strokes back. Kass and Barnes would tie on the back 9, forcing a playoff. It only took one hole for Leroy to the win, and claim his second victory on the APT.
Cliff Austin III had a comfortable lead after his best round ever in competition, despite all the odds of the bad weather. He had a comfortable lead going into day 2, but one that wasn’t feeling so comfortable after a few stumbles on the back early on. His 9 shot lead dwindled to just a few, but he get it together and finished it out and racked up another victory in D5. Another father/son duo win in D2 and D5!
Allen Strausbaugh had a heck of a day 2, maybe inspired by his fiancé being with him, but it led him to tie Paul Stanton for the senior net trophy!