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Andy Cooper and Bob Hullender
Come from Behind to Win Carlton Woods Invitational
| THE WOODLANDS, TX (May 26, 2006) - Andy Cooper of The Woodlands,
TX posted a 1 under 71 to finish 2 over for the tournament to win the Inaugural
Carlton Woods Invitational Mid-Am division by 2 strokes over Jerry Ledzinski of
Carmel, CA. Bob Hullender of San
Antonio, TX shot his age today to post a 69 for the low round of the tournament and won by two
strokes over reigning US Senior Amateur Champion, Mike Rice of Houston.
Cooper got off to quick start to overcome Ledzinski's
two stroke lead by making birdie on the 1st hole while
Jerry took a bogey 5. "I got off real fast. I hit a
really good drive on 1 and hit it about 6 feet and made
the putt. The flow of the round went well for me early.
Jerry made bogey and we were even after 1" said Cooper.
From there, Andy built a comfortable 5 stroke lead by making pars on the 2nd, 3rd
and 4th holes, followed by a birdie at number 5. Ledzinski
played the same holes at 4 over par. Jerry birdied the 8th hole to cut the lead to 3 and followed
up with a birdie on the 12th to pull within 2. |
Andy Cooper, 2006 CWI Champion |
After playing the first 12 holes 2 under, Andy
stumbled with a bogey on the 13th and made double bogey on the 15th
to fall back into a tie with Jerry. He came right back with a birdie on 16 and a par on 17 to take a two
stroke lead into the 18th after Jerry missed his par putt on 17. With a two stroke lead, Andy went for the par
5 18th hole in two and landed it softly on the green about 20 feet
from the hole to two-putt for the birdie
and the win. Andy commented "I had every
intention of laying up on 18 but when I got up there I had the
absolute perfect yardage. The wind was a
little in my face and I had a five wood which I had been hitting well all week. So I went for it."
Bob Hullender, Senior CWI Champion |
In the Senior Division, Bob
Hullender started the day 1 shot back and quickly pulled
into a tie with Mike Rice after making birdie on the 2nd
hole. Mike Rice responded with a birdies on the 3rd and
4th to open up a two stroke lead which he held until
making bogey on the 9th to turn the front with a 1 shot
advantage. Hullender turned the match in his favor with
birdies on the 13th and 14th holes to go up by 1 stroke
and added another stroke to his margin with a par on the
17th. Heading into the 18th with a two stroke lead,
Hullender birdied the hole as did Mike Rice but it was
not enough to over take Bob's tournament record score of
69. "I really enjoyed the day. When you are playing
against a quality player like Mike Rice who is our
National Senior Amateur Champion you know you have to
play well |
to stay in the game," said Hullender. "Fortunately, I
was able to shoot my age today and beat him but if that's all I can do in a
couple of years, I'm going to be in trouble."
The Club at Carlton Woods hosted its first ever
Invitational Tournament in the private, gated community of Carlton Woods in The
Woodlands, Texas. The field enjoyed some of the nation's elite amateurs.
Veteran tour caddie, Rabbit Dyer, who worked this year's Carlton Woods Invitational after
caddying 20 years for Gary Player and becoming the first black caddy to win in the British Open summed it up
by saying, "These are two beautiful golf courses. You can tell anyone that Rabbit said these
are the best two golf courses I've ever been on."
Final results and course statistics are available in the Results section of the Carlton Woods Invitational website.
Marchand joins the CWI as Guest Speaker as Carlton Woods Receives its Latest Accolades
THE WOODLANDS, TX (April 28, 2006)--The Club at Carlton Woods has announced that Paul Marchand will be the Guest Speaker for the Carlton Woods Invitational, speaking at the Official Tournament Dinner after Round One.
Marchand has long been an instructor for Fred Couples, with whom he attended the University of Houston, and has worked with other touring professionals like Colin Montgomerie, and avid golfers like President George Bush. His education in golf instruction was forged by his exposure to great teachers like Sam Carmichael, Jackson Bradley, Charlie Epps, Dick Harmon, Jim Flick, and Carl Lohren. After serving as Head Professional at Houston Country Club for ten years, Marchand now holds the same position at Shadow Hawk Golf Club in Houston. Marchand was the Assistant Captain to the 2000 U.S. President's Cup Team and was named a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher.
The announcement comes amid the news that the the Nicklaus Course at The Club at Carlton Woods has been ranked as the #2 course in Texas for 2006 by the Dallas Morning News, up one spot from last year's ranking. The recently-opened Fazio Course will not be eligible for ranking until 2007.
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