2027 Season Kickoff @ Eagle Creek

The Indianapolis Amateur Players Tour opened its 2027 season on Saturday, November 7 at Eagle Creek Golf Club – Sycamore in Indianapolis, Indiana for a premier amateur golf tournament. A field of 52 players competed across five divisions, with two net games running alongside, in one of the first Indianapolis amateur golf tournaments of the new season — players are flighted into divisions based on their APT Tournament Index.

The 2027 Season Kickoff began on frosty ground at Eagle Creek before the sun took over, and the golf brightened right along with it. By the time the leaders reached the inward half, the Sycamore course was showing its full character. Pete Dye never disappoints in his designs, and the scenic, challenging Sycamore layout tests every shot in the bag, blending hilly terrain, tree-lined fairways and water holes with a more traditional links-style flavor that adds real variety to the championship layout. It defended itself early, too: the par-5 2nd surrendered not a single birdie all day and played nearly a shot and three-quarters over par, making it the toughest assignment on the property.

Division 1 belonged to Barney Sutley, who began the new season exactly as he ended the last one — defending his Division 1 title and picking up the win. The Frankfort, Kentucky player posted a 5-over 76, the low round of the day, and never trailed. Sutley turned in 1-over 37 with birdies at the par-4 4th, the par-5 5th and the par-4 8th, and he came home in 4-over 39 for a four-shot win. Nathan Stotler of Selma, Indiana took runner-up honors with a 9-over 80, and he made the closing stretch a fight: five adrift after six holes, he had trimmed it to four by the turn of the race at twelve and still sat four back with three to play after a birdie at the par-5 14th and a 3-over 38 on the inward nine. Cassidy Jackson, visiting from the Michigan chapter and playing out of Kalamazoo, finished in 3rd.

Division 2 produced the story of the morning. John Blackburn of Greenwood, Indiana, who finished 2026 as the chapter’s Local Player of the Year and ended the year as the national runner-up in Division 3, broke through for his first career victory to start the 2027 season. Blackburn went out in 4-over 40, picked up his birdie at the par-5 5th, and tightened everything on the way in with a 3-over 38 for a 7-over 78 and a three-shot win. He led after six, after twelve and after fifteen, and the margin only grew. Chase Kelso of Indianapolis gave chase and fell short, but his day is worth the telling — 7-over through the front nine, he flipped the switch and played the back in 3-over 38 to sign for a 10-over 81. Chris Van Spankeren, in from the Central Illinois chapter and Minonk, Illinois, matched that inward 3-over 38 with birdies at the par-4 11th and the par-4 18th for an 11-over 82. Five players finished within five shots of the lead.

Division 3 went to Mike Paubel of the St. Louis chapter, who made the trip over from Lake St Louis, Missouri and made it pay. Paubel opened with a birdie at the par-4 1st, added another at the par-4 9th and turned in 2-over 38, the best outward nine in the division, before closing out a 10-over 81 and a three-shot win. It was tighter than the final margin suggests: Keith Love of Lafayette, Indiana was within one after six holes and still within two at twelve before Paubel pulled clear over the last six. Rex Meyer of Brownstown, Indiana claimed runner-up honors at 13-over 84, birdieing the par-4 9th and playing the last three holes in even par. Love and Ben Minnich of Greenwood shared 3rd at 14-over 85 apiece.

Division 4 was the day’s best back-and-forth. Jason Walling of Indianapolis trailed Joseph Gaafar, also of Indianapolis, by two after six holes and by two again after twelve, then answered where it mattered most. Walling birdied the par-4 13th, played the final six in 2-over and came home in 3-over 38 to post a 9-over 80 and win by four. Gaafar, who had led the race for twelve holes and birdied the par-3 6th, finished runner-up at 13-over 84. Wade Cole of Indianapolis was a shot ahead of Walling early as well before settling for 3rd at 14-over 85, a card that carried nine pars and only four bogeys.

Division 5 came down to the final three holes. Lee Fuller, visiting from the Michigan chapter out of Olivet, and James Enriquez of the Kentucky chapter, from Louisville, were dead level after six holes, after twelve and still after fifteen — and Jacob Wiseman of Beech Grove, Indiana, three back at the turn in the race, had pulled all the way even by twelve and stayed there through fifteen. It was a three-man race to the house. Fuller got there first, signing for a 20-over 91 and a two-shot win after going out in 8-over 44. Enriquez took runner-up honors at 22-over 93, with Wiseman a stroke further back at 23-over 94 after a birdie at the par-4 9th — the most generous hole on the course, which gave up six birdies on the day.

Jason Walling completed the double-dip in Mid-Am Net, posting a net 3-under 68 to win by four. He led wire to wire in that race as well. Jacob Wiseman finished second at net 1-over 72, and Nathan Stotler was third at net 3-over 74, making it two trips to the results page for the Division 1 runner-up.

Senior Net was the tightest contest of the day and ended level. Jose Escamilla of Shelbyville, Indiana and Mike Paubel both signed for a net 2-over 73 to share the title, the points and the purse — Paubel’s second piece of silverware after his Division 3 win, a clean double-dip. Rex Meyer came within a single stroke at net 3-over 74 for 3rd, also doubling up after his Division 3 runner-up finish. Six players finished within two shots of the lead in a division that stayed bunched all afternoon.

The par 3s were worth playing on Saturday. Rob Cary stuck his tee shot to 11’7″ on the par-3 3rd, Nick Delso went closest of anyone at 8’11” on the par-3 6th, Adam Cohen put one to 13’6″ on the par-3 10th, and John Pfeifer finished the set at 11’8″ on the par-3 16th.

Pfeifer had a second reason to smile: he won the 50/50 split the pot for $32, with Folds of Honor receiving $33 from the day’s drawing.

That is one stop down in the 2027 season for the Indianapolis chapter, with Sutley defending his Division 1 crown and Blackburn opening his season with a maiden win. Keep an eye on the chapter schedule for the next tee sheet.