Mid-Amateur Championship

August 5, 2007                         Choudrant, LA

 

Covington’s Tommy Brennan won his third Louisiana Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship in a row, and sixth overall, on Sunday, besting first and second round leader Robby McWilliams of Bossier City by one shot. Trailing McWilliams and Robert Shelton of Lafayette by one shot entering final round play, Brennan fired a three-under par 69 to take the title over McWilliams for the second time in three years. They battled in a playoff for this Championship at Bayou DeSiard CC in Monroe in 2005, with Brennan emerging victorious on the second playoff hole. Brennan finished at four-under par 212, with McWilliams one shot back after a final round 71. 

 

Lafayette’s John Davis finished alone in third at two-under 214 after his two-under 70 on Sunday. Davis made an early run on Sunday, shooting four-under par on the front side before giving three shots back early on the back nine. McWilliams and Brennan, playing together in the final group, battled the entire day, with McWilliams shooting a three-under par 33 and Brennan a two-under 34 on the front, McWilliams taking a one shot lead over Davis, and two over Brennan with nine holes to play. The turning point occurred on the par 5 11^th, hole when Brennan made birdie and McWilliams took a double bogey, flip-flopping the lead to Brennan by one, as Davis, playing in the group ahead had also made bogey on #10 and #11. A bogey on #12 and a birdie on #13 by McWilliams matched two pars by Brennan. Pars on #14 led to the shot of the tournament on #15 for Brennan. Faced with a decision to go for the green or pitch out to the fairway from the heavy rough, Brennan chose the conservative route, hitting a sand wedge to 100 yards, then another sand wedge to 15 feet. After McWilliams got up and down from just off the green for his par, Brennan rolled in his twisting putt for a huge par save to maintain his one shot lead.

 

McWilliams chipped up for a tap-in birdie on the par five 17^th to tie for the lead going to the 18^th tee, Brennan having made an easy par. After pulling his drive into the left rough, McWilliams hit a tree with his second and had almost the same shot for his third, hitting it to 7 feet for par. Brennan, having hit his second shot just over the flag to the back fringe, two-putted, making a two-footer for par, putting the pressure squarely on McWilliams to make his putt for the tie. The putt slid by on the low side and Brennan had his sixth, and third consecutive, LGA Mid-Am title.

 

Rounding out the Top Ten were: 3. John Davis, Lafaytte/214, 4. Robert Shelton, Lafayette/215, 5. Bo Stewart, Lake Charles/220, T6. Robby Going, Lake Charles/223, T6. Rod Baronet, LeCompte/223, T6. Bob Cooper, Monroe/223, T6. Billy Gabbert, Sulphur/223, and T6. Preston Tuberville, West Monroe/223   

The Tom Fazio-designed Squire Creek track continues to draw accolades from this field of the top 25 and older players in Louisiana. Playing to a par of 72 at just under 7,000 yards, the course is gaining a reputation as an extremely challenging, but fair test. Sunday’s play was again conducted under extremely hot and humid conditions.

 

All scores to follow.

 

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