Oh Deer, 2012 Golf Channel Am Tours of Cleveland and Pittsburgh Open Season

     Wheeling, West Virginia- The 2012 Golf Channel Am Tours of Cleveland and Pittsburgh got their season kicked off on Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 with the inaugural Oglebay Fall Classic held at the Oglebay Resort's Robert Trent Jones Course at Spidel Golf Club.  The event was held on an overcast cool morning with temps only in the 40's to low 50's as the crowds of grazing deer were an interesting gallery addition.  23 players battled the cold temperatures and little to no roll on very wet grounds to see who would win the 4 flights in competition.

     In the Palmer Flight, it was Jeff Mast who picked up where he left off in the 2011 season as he won his 1st event in the Palmer flight by 6 shots over D. J. Shaffer.  Mast shot an 11-over par 83 to Shaffer's 89.  Jeff Mast took an early lead on the par-3 4th hole by making birdie and gained a quick 4-stroke advantage as Shaffer made a triple-bogey.  Mast then held on to the comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the round.  Tom Betras finished in 3rd place with a 91. 

     The Sarazen Flight, saw a most entertaining finish as 4 different players had at least a share of the lead at some point during their round.  The 4 players battled to the last hole as they all finished only 2 strokes apart at the end.  Daniel Wood and Ben Hall ended up tied at 13-over par 85 and headed to a playoff for the championship.  Charles Blasdel finished in 3rd place 1 shot back at 86.  Charles held the lead going into the last hole, but was unable to par the par-5 18th.  Blasdel triple-bogied the last hole and that slipped him to his 3rd place finish.  Jeff Esper finished 4th with an 87, but he cleaned up on the skin money as he won 2 of the 3 flight skins and also one of only two giant skins awarded on the day.  And after a playoff... Daniel Wood was the winner of the Sarazen flight over Ben Hall.

     In the Jones Flight, Jerry O'Brien was trying to start the new season off on the right foot as he had built a 4 stroke lead well into his round.  John Neff however, had other ideas as he stood on the 15th tee.  Neff down by 4 on the 15th hole chipped away at O'Brien's lead by winning the 15th and 16th holes by 1 stroke each.  Then on the par-4 17th hole Neff made par to O'Brien's triple bogey and that 3 shot swing was all that was needed to give Neff the 1 stroke victory.  John Neff won with an 87 and Jerry O'Brien finished 2nd with an 88.  Mark Bobak finished in 3rd place with a 93. 

     And in the Snead Flight,  Ron Shoemaker and Charles Burger resumed their friendly rivalry on the course as the two battled out for the top 2 positions in the Snead flight.  It was Shoemaker (96) who bettered his friend Burger (101) by 5 shots.  Jim Laprade finished in 3rd place with a 106.

     It was a great day to start off the 2012 Golf Channel Am Tour season for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh tours.  We hope to see you soon when the full schedule is announced and local play will resume in April.  Please enjoy the winter season majors which are scheduled between now and then. 

     They are: December- Innisbrook Resort Island and Copperhead Courses (Home of the Transitions), January- TPC Sawgrass Stadium and Dye's Valley Courses (Home of the Players Championship and Winn-Dixie Classic), February- Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas, March- Myrtle Beach Regional at Caledonia and True Blue Golf Courses.

Please check out www.gcamtour.com/cleveland or www.gcamtour.com/pittsburgh for all the schedule information and scores. 

Golf Channel Am Tour of Cleveland and Pittsburgh Make Donation Goal!

The Golf Channel Am Tours of Cleveland and Pittsburgh made their goal of $2000 raised to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  The money will be donated at the Cleveland JDRF's Walk for Diabetes event on Sunday, September 18th, 2011 at the Cleveland Zoo.  Anyone who wishes to attend can contact Matt Blum and we can make sure you get a ticket for the event. 
There will be a short check presentation around 9am when the walk kicks off at the zoo. 

Thank you to all the players who helped make our goal and our donation of $2030 will be much appreciated!

Tour Championship a Splendid Way to End...

Warren, OH- Avalon Lakes Country Club has had a great history of hosting a few big events in its time.  They have hosted the LPGA's event in Northeast Ohio for many years.  For the last 3 years now, the Country Club has hosted the Tour Championship for the Golf Channel Am Tour of Cleveland and Pittsburgh.  This 2-tour combined year end championship looked to send as many players as possible to the upcoming 2011 National Championships at PGA West in a few weeks. 

Under great sunny weather with temps in the 80's play on the course was pristine.  Many of the pins were tucked near water and other trouble that made it a great test of golf before the season ended. 

In the Palmer Flight, it was John Hilinski who shot an 85 to defeat Dustin Cramer (90) by 5 shots.  Hilinksi built an early lead but couldn't hold it around the turn as his lead twice went down to 1 shot early on the back nine over Cramer, but then lengthened it out over the final few holes and was able to take home the trophy.  Tom Betras finished in 3rd with a 94.

In the Hogan Flight, it was Jeff Mast who took the title shooting an 80.  Abram Boyd (81) finished 2nd 1-shot back and Dale Thompson (83) was 3-shots back.  It was Thompson who had the early round lead taking a 2-shot lead at the turn.  As the 3 players headed down the stretch they were all tied going into the 14th hole where Mast closed by making 2 pars down the stretch while Boyd was only able to make 1.  That amounted to the difference in the score and Mast held on.  It was James Huber who took the Senior Hogan Flight by shooting a 91. 

The Sarazen Flight saw Ben Hall victorious by shooting an 86 which was 2-shots better than Chris Ramaglia (88) and 3 better than Matt Blum (89).  Both Ramaglia and Blum saw their rounds undone by triple bogeying the par-5 11th hole.  But they were still only 1-shot back going into the closing holes.  It was Hall who edged them both out on the last hole with a par. 

In the Senior Sarazen Flight, it was Charles Blasdel and Charles Worth Jr. who would need extra holes to decide who was the Tour Champion.  both players shot 89 on their regulation round then played the 1st, 18th, and then the 1st hole again in a 3-hole playoff that finally decieded the title.  It was Charles Blasdel who came out on top of the 3-hole playoff.  Keith Miller finished in 3rd place with a 91.

The Jones Flight saw Johnny Owens shoot an 84 to clinch his Tour Championship trophy by 6 shots.  Tied for 2nd was Pat Herron and Charles Dozier

And rounding out the competition the Senior Snead flight was captured by Ronald Shoemaker who defeated Charles Burger by 1-shot.  Burger held a 5-shot lead during the round that Shoemaker cut into on the closing holes to tie the match going to the 18th.  It was Shoemaker who bogied the last hole to win and take home the trophy. 

Thank you to all players who came out and played this season on the tour.  Much fun was had by all and we look forward to having those who qualified during the season do well out at PGA West in La Quinta, California September 18-27th. 

Good Luck! And for those who did not qualify or can't go to Nationals, we shall see you soon for the start of the 2012 season in October!

Remember the 2012 season starts at Oglebay in October.

Pittsburgh Tour seeks revenge on the Castle... Olde Stonewall Recap

Ellwood City, PA- The Golf Club at Olde Stonewall was the venue this weekend for the Pittsburgh Golf Channel Am Tour once again as a fall event was added to the schedule.  Those players who attended the spring season opener were looking to better their scores or seek revenge on the course as they prepare to close out the season and look forward to nationals.  A dreary morning of heavy fog blanketed the area and at times only allowed players who would have been playing early morning rounds just limited visibility on the hilly course.  The fog would subside however before our event started and play would be held in beautiful weather and moderately warm temperatures.

In the Hogan Flight, Michael Yates shot an 86 to win the flight.  He was playing with David Faller, a guest at the event, who's wife is a regular in the Sarazen Flight.  Faller also shot an 86 on the very challenging course. 

The Sarazen Flight saw Nora Faller shoot a great medalist round of 79 to take the win coasting over her male counterparts.  Daniel Woods was 12 shots back in 2nd place with a 91.  Matt Blum finished in 3rd place with a 98.  Faller was very consistent in her round making 10 pars and had a streak of 5 pars in a row during her front 9 leading to her 3-over 39. 

And in the Jones Flight, Peter Gitnik proved that home course knowledge paid off as he took the title in his flight.  Gitnik, a member who plays Olde Stonewall many days a week, shot an 85 and won by 11 strokes over Charles Burger who shot 96.  Ronald Shoemaker and Jerry O'Brien tied for 3rd place shooting 97's.  The key to Peter Gitnik's round was his back to back birdies on the par-4 8th hole and par-5 9th hole to close his front nine in 42.

Thank you to all the Pittsburgh Tour members who have played this season on tour.  We have really enjoyed your support.  We close out our season on Saturday, August 27th at Avalon Lakes Golf Club in Warren, Ohio.  The course at Avalon Lakes is a very popular course which use to host the LPGA when they came to Northeastern Ohio.  It is another challenging layout that is a great warm-up for those who plan to attend the 2011 National Championships.  The highest placed finisher in each flight who has not already qualified for the 2011 Nationals will earn a spot in the Championships from this event. 

A Grand Time at Greenbrier...

White Sulphur Springs, WV-18 players on the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Tours of the Golf Channel Am Tour went to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia to test their skills against other amateurs and the PGA Tour.  The Old White TPC and Greenbrier Courses at the Greenbrier Resort hosted the Greenbrier Open Major the weekend of August 13-14th.  It was just 2 weeks after the PGA Tour came to town for the Greenbrier Classic, and the course showed no wear.  Players were anxious to see how they compared versus the Tour. 

In the Hogan Flight, Jeff Mast and Michael Yates competed and it was Jeff Mast who was consistent in his 2 rounds shooting a pair of 78's (156) from the blue tees and winning the Greenbrier Open in his flight!  Jeff had previously qualified for nationals with a 3rd place finish at the Swan Lake Major in the Sarazen flight, but now further validated his move to the Hogan flight with this win.  Michael Yates shot rounds of 85-88 (173) to finish in a tie for 12th. 

In the Sarazen Flight, Christopher Casto and Matt Blum were competing and although both had bad rounds on one of the 2 days of the tournament they still had lots of fun.  Casto shot rounds of 103-90 (193) for an 18th place finish and Blum shot 93-107 (200) for a 22nd place finish. 

In the Jones Flight, Jerry O'Brien competed and was tied for the lead after day 1 with a 91.  He couldn't hold on to the lead as he played the more difficult Greenbrier Course and shot a 2nd day 100 (191) which was still good for 5th place. 

In the Snead Flight, K Steven Wiley and Ben McDonald competed.  Both fared well on the courses and Wiley shot rounds of 106-94 (200) which was good enough for 3rd place earning him an automatic qualifying spot in the 2011 National Championship.  McDonald wasn't far behind as he shot rounds of 107-108 (215) as he finished in 9th place.

In the Senior Hogan Flight, James Huber shot consistent rounds of 89-88 (177) to finish in a tie for 8th place.

In the Senior Sarazen Flight, Keith Miller, Nora Faller, and Dallas Kelley all competed.  Miller and Faller had good showings as they finished 5th and 6th place respectively.  Miller shot rounds of 85-94 (179) and Faller was 1-stroke behind at 91-89 (180).  Dallas Kelley withdrew after a 1st round 94.    

In the Senior Jones Flight, Russ Hittle had a stellar weekend as he shot rounds of 89-93 (182) to take 2nd place.  He earns a 2011 Senior National Championship automatic qualifier spot for his play.  Peter Gitnik had solid rounds of 92-97 (189) to finish 6th.  Johnny Owens was 4 strokes back of Gitnik as he shot rounds of 96-97 (193) for a tie for 8th place.  And Jon Neff was 12th with scores of 102-97 (199). 

And in the Senior Snead Flight, Ronald Shoemaker earned a 3rd place finish shooting rounds of 96-107 (203) and earning his 2nd automatic qualifying spot of the year to the 2011 Senior National Championship after finishing in the top-3 of the Swan Lake Major.  Michael Scuro finished with rounds of 100-106 (206) to finish in 5th place.  And Charles Burger rounded out the competition with scores of 113-94 (207) to finish in a tie for 6th place.

A great time was had by all Cleveland and Pittsburgh Tour players at this great facility.  We look forward to finishing the season in the next couple of weeks and wish all those who qualify for the 2011 National Championships good luck as they travel to La Quinta, California in September.

Glengarry Recap...

Latrobe, PA- Across town from Arnold Palmer's house and club lies Glengarry Golf Links.  A course with extremely wide fairways and tall fescue grass to ease the golfers shots stands as this weeks host for the Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh.  An interesting par-69 layout with a handful of deep bunkers and water comming into play on just 7 holes was a treat for the 13 participants.

In the Hogan Flight, it was a 2-way battle between James Huber and Michael Yates.  Both went back and forth grabbing the lead from each other but never were able to lead by more than 2 strokes.  The match was again tied going into the 16th hole where Yates was steady and finished with 3 straight pars while Huber bogied the 16th and 17th before trying to rally and made birdie on the 18th hole.  This gave Yates the 1-stroke victory shooting a 78 while Huber was just behind finishing with a 79.

The Sarazen Flight saw Christopher Casto pick up his 1st win as he carded an 83.  Casto took the lead away from Jeff Meyers (85) and Mike Trupo (90) on the 13th hole with a par and finished on a streak of 6 straight pars to defeat Meyers by two strokes for 2nd and Bob Swann by 4 strokes (89) for 3rd place.  Trupo finished in 4th.  

And in the Jones Flight, it came down to the closing par-5 18th hole again as Steven Wiley held a 2 stroke lead on Johnny Owens and Jerry O'Brien.  Wiley was able to make par while both Owens and O'Brien weren't able to and took triple bogies to allow Owens to win by 2 over them.  Owens shot an 84 to take the win.  Wiley finished 2nd with an 85 and O'Brien shot 87 which earned him 3rd place.

We hope to see everyone at our last regular season event on Saturday, August 20th at Olde Stonewall.  A good way to finish the regular season back where we started it all on this challenging layout to prepare for nationals. 

Don't forget the Tour Championship is Saturday, August 27th at Avalon Lakes Golf Club in Warren, Ohio.  Please sign up for this event.  The highest finisher not already qualified in their flight will earn an exemption to the 2011 National Championships at PGA West in La Quinta, Californina. 

Mylan Classic comming up very soon... Volunteer!

Look who made the email of the day yesterday!  Looking forward to seeing everyone there volunteering or watching the tournament action.

JDRF Donations Nearing Season Goal!

With 1 month of tournaments left, JDRF fundraising for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh tours are almost to completion of their seasonal goal.  A goal of $2000.00 was set by tour players and as of August 1st, $1550.00 has been raised which corresponds to 77 percent of the goal.  The donations raised will be given to JDRF of Cleveland during their Walk for Diabetes being held September, 18th at the Cleveland Zoo.  All who wish to attend the walk please contact tour player Matt Blum for more info.

Let's please push to make the goal in this final month and also support the regional majors fundraising efforts as they exceed their large goal of $25,000 towards Orlando, Florida charity Give Kids The World.  Give Kids The World is a local Orlando charity near Golf Channel Headquarters that is similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

2 Weeks of Majors have Am Tour Players Ready for Finish.

The last 2 weekends have provided an off weekend for some and for others it was a way to test their game as a higher level of competition as Regional Majors were on the schedule.  On the weekend of July 16-17th 2 players went down to challenge TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, while 4 more golfers challenged 2 courses at the Turning Stone Resort on the weekend of July 23-24th. 

Down at TPC Sawgrass, Sarazen Flight player Matt Blum and Senior Hogan player Kevin Muehring were up for the task of taking on the challenging course and conditions at the Stadium and Valley Courses. Playing in sunny and 90 degree conditions, the courses were in great condition with very thick rough throughout.  The rough made for tough decisions on the course cause many of the errant balls that found the rough did not get good lies.  None the less both had lots of fun playing the challenging layouts.

In the Senior Hogan Flight, Kevin Muehring shot scores of 100 (Stadium) and 87 (Valley) to total 187 and finish tied of 8th place.  One of his great memories on the weekend was probably hitting the famed 17th green and taking his par. 

As for Matt Blum in the Sarazen flight, it was a big celebration for him as he got to celebrate his 33rd birthday by getting the tournament underway on the Stadium Course on Saturday.  His tee shot, which was the first stroke of the tournament, sailed down the right rough about 130 yards away from the hole.  Much of the rest of the weekend was enjoyable, but he felt bad he didn't bring his "A" game to the course.  He shot 105 (Stadium) and 107 (Valley) for a 212 total and finished in 20th place.  Bright spots in his round were that he made a nice 12 footer for birdie on the 13th at the Stadium course and took home a skin as well as nearly driving #16 in two and getting a par.  He also hit the green on #17 in one, but found himself on the wrong section of the green and had to take a 3-putt bogey. 


In upstate New York, the 4 players that went to Turning Stone Resort had a swell time also. Led by the play of Hogan flight player Brandon Wang who finished 5th in his flight.  Wang shot rounds of 84-81 to finish at a 2-day total of 165 and was only 4 shots back of the lead.  He posted the medalist round on Sunday with his 81 in the Hogan Flight. 

Snead flight player Ben McDonald shot 120-107 for a 227 total and finished 18th in his flight.

Senior Palmer John Smallenburg finished with a steady 2-day total of 163 (82-81) and was 6 strokes back of the lead in 8th place.

And rounding out the players who went to a regional event these past 2 weekends was Senior Sarazen flight player Peter Gitnik who shot a pair of 101's to total 202 and ended up in 13th place. 

We hope to see everyone out on tour for the summer finish as we make the final push to qualify for the 2011 National Championships at PGA West in La Quinta, California September 18-27.

Birdsfoot Recap

Freeport, PA-  A small field traveled to Birdsfoot Golf Course July 16th, for the Pittsburgh Am Tour event.  In the Palmer Flight, it was Ryan Longhi who defeated D.J. Shafer in a playoff for he victory.  Both players shot 81's and Dustin Cramer finished 3rd with an 88.

In the Hogan Flight it was James Huber (83) who defeated Michael Yates (87) by 4 strokes.  Huber built a nice lead and held on to down the stretch to take the win. 

In the Sarazen Flight, it was Dallas Kelly (83) taking the victory over 2nd place Jeff Esper (88) by 5 shots.  Peter Gitnik and Jerry O'Brien tied for 3rd place with 93's. 

And in the Snead Flight, it was Michael Scuro who shot a 96. 

We hope to see everyone at our next Pittsburgh event Sunday, August 7th at Glengarry.

Totteridge Recap

Greensburg, PA- The Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh this weekend held an event at Totteridge Golf Club which is a Rees Jones course design.  A links style layout featuring rolling hills and fast greens made for an interesting set up in the hills of Pennsylvania.  Another beautiful day was enjoyed by all as it was another warm day on the course.

In the Palmer Flight, it was a 2-man battle between Ismail Dawood and Ryan Longhi.  Dawood (84) defeated Longhi (88) by 4 strokes. 

In the Hogan Flight, it was 3 players who were battling it out for placings and were only separated by 2 strokes.  Paul Rovnak took the win with a 93.  Kevin Muehring followed up with a 94 and James Huber placed 3rd with a 95.  It was Muehring who held the lead by 1 going into the last hole in a very close race for the win.  But Rovnak made par on the last to take the victory and Huber birdied the 18th as he was charging at the end only to run out of holes. 

In the Sarazen Flight, the top 5 places were only separated by 3 strokes as Dallas Kelley was the winner shooting an 86.  In a tie for 2nd was Tom Brashear and Chris Casto with 88's.  Kelley was never in the lead by more than a few strokes throughout his round but kept the distance late and held on for his win. 

In the Jones Flight, Jon Neff (98) defeated Troy Norrid (102) by 4 strokes.  The turing point in the match was the par-5 12th hole as both players were tied going into that hole.  Neff was able to get a 4 stroke advantage off that hole and held on for victory. 

In the Snead Flight, Ronald Shoemaker shot a 98 to take a 9 stroke victory over his competition.  Dwayne Lewis shot 107 for 2nd place and Steven Wiley finished 3rd with a 108. 

We thank all players who came out for this event and look forward to seeing everyone at our next event on Saturday, July 16th at Birdsfoot. 

Am Tour of Pittsburgh is at the Heartland Open...

Plymouth, IN-  The Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh is at the Heartland Open at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth.  2 tour players are competing for Pittsburgh as mostly sunny skies with a little cool breeze made for a pleasant day on the course with temps in the 80's.

Peter Gitnik is in 30th place of the Senior Sarazen Flight after he shot a 109 and Greg Nemchick is in 14th place of the Senior Snead Flight after a 114.  Both players will be on the tougher Black Course at Swan Lake Resort tomorrow. 

We wish them good luck on Sunday as they try to move up their respective flight leaderboards and hope to see them back in local events soon. 

Nationwide Tour Comes To Pittsburgh Area... Volunteer Opportunities!



            As we go out each weekend to the course and play for fun with friends or in our Golf Channel Am Tour events, many of us envision making a shot that would win us a prestigious event on the professional level.  Whether it be for the US Open, The Masters, or just the local PGA Tour event in our hometowns, each of us has the desire to know what it is like to be a professional golfer.  Well in September, we can find out what it is like to be a professional golfer by volunteering in the Nationwide Tour's Mylan Classic, which is going to be held September 1st-4th at the Southpointe Golf Club in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania. 

We may have played professional level tournament courses in our golfing career, so we may know what course conditions to expect for these skilled golfers to attack, but have you ever been able to see what they do and think from inside the ropes?  As members of the Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh and Cleveland, we have the distinct opportunity to be hole marshals on the 1st hole of the Southpointe Golf Club during the Mylan Classic Golf Tournament of the PGA's Nationwide Tour. 

We will be able to hear what its like to be announced on the 1st tee during a professional event, and hear some of what the caddie/player exchanges might be if they hit their tee shots wayward into the rough as we guard them from the patrons of the golf tournament, and see them hit some great and maybe not so great shots on the golf course.  It will be a fun time to work at a professional event. 

Last year, Larry Hoffman, Peter Gitnik, and Matt Blum worked during the weekend of the tournament and had a blast in doing so.  The experience gained by these 3 people in working the professional event and learning what the pros do was invaluable.  Matt even got to meet Honorary Chairman of the tournament Arnold Palmer who is serving as a host to the Mylan Classic.  Matt as a volunteer got to shake Mr. Palmer's hand and had a small chat with him as Mr. Palmer made his way around the course while following his grandson Sam Saunders who was a participant.

So won't you show the Nationwide Tour your volunteer spirit and help us marshal the 1st hole of this wonderful Pittsburgh area tournament?  If you would like to sign up as a volunteer please contact either Mr. Larry Hoffman or sign up online at    https://events.r2it.com/volunteer/mylan/2011/ and mention that you are with the Golf Channel Am Tour and would like to marshal on the 1st hole. 

We look forward to seeing you there and watching the next stars on the PGA Tour in action in the Pittsburgh Area! 

Oglebay Recap

Wheeling, WV- The Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh took its show on the road this weekend across the border into Wheeling, West Virginia to play at the Oglebay Resort.  The Robert Trent Jones Course was the stage for this weeks battle of 16 players in 4 flights. 

In the Sarazen Flight, it was James Huber finding the winner's circle for the 1st time as he carded an 84.  That was 3 shots better than Peter Gitnik who shot 87 for 2nd place.  Jeff Esper finished in 3rd with a 90.  James got out to a big lead by shooting 2-over on the front nine and then holding it on the back for the win. 

In the Jones Flight, Jerry O'Brien found the winner's circle for the 4th time this season as he carded an 85 defeating John Neff (98) by 13.  David Pauling was 3rd with a 106.  O'Brien kept his foot on the gas as he kept lengthening his lead throughout the round for a comfortable win. 

In the Snead Flight, Steven Wiley shot a 91 to claim the title defeating Ronald Shoemaker (102) by 11 strokes.  Ben McDonald was 3rd with a 103.  Wiley went down early, but turned the tide in the middle of the front side, then lengthened his lead, and capped it with a birdie 4 on the par-5 18th.

Thanks for all the players comming out to Oglebay.  We look forward to seeing those going to Swan Lake this weekend for the Heartland Open Major in Plymouth, In.  The Pittsburgh tour is off this weekend and next for the 4th of July weekend.  We will resume play at Totteridge on Sunday, July 10th.

The Penn Hills Are Alive...

Pittsburgh, PA- Highland Country Club was the venue for this weeks Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh local event.  The course must take its name from all of the Pennsylvania hills that surround the Pittsburgh area as there are not many flat spots on the golf course.  Many holes feature rolling hills in which players have to either tee off from an elevated tee box down to a rolling fairway to the hole, or the converse and tee off to higher ground and continue to the green.  For the severe undulation that is played on this course, the course equalizes that out by only "tipping" out at just under 5800 yards.  This set up for many of the players thinking that a shoot-out could ensue when they saw that the course was playing to such short yardage. 

The many undulations and small greens however did not play well into the hands of the Palmer Flight, where it was Woody Burch's 89 defeating Fred Favorite (93) by 4-strokes.  The back and forth match between the 2 players was tied going into the final 2 holes where Burch made a birdie on the par-4 17th to claim the lead for good. 

In the Sarazen Flight, 12 players fought it out for the title where Jeff Esper shot 80 to defeat James Huber (83) by 3 strokes.  Matt Blum and Michael Yates tied for 3rd place with 84's.  Esper made 10 pars on his card and enabled him to take the lead midway through the round and hold on for victory.  A memorable note to the days rounds was a birdie-birdie finish for Matt Blum on his front 9.  Blum birdied the par-5 8th and then the 225-yard par-3 9th by sinking a long putt and cashing both in for 2 skins on the day. 

The next event will be played Saturday, June 18th, at the Oglebay Resort's Robert Trent Jones Course in Wheeling, WV.  It is a fabulous venue as we look forward to hosting our next Pittsburgh Tour event.  We hope to see you there!   

Pittsburgh Tour Member Spotlight: June 2011

Member Spotlight: June 2011

Fred Favorite

Senior Hogan

In just his 2nd year on the Golf Channel Am Tour Fred Favorite is making a name for himself in Pittsburgh.  His 1st year in 2010 saw him play in 5 events and winning once.  In 2011, he has found the winner's circle 3 times including at Bedford Springs, Conley Resort, and at the Cleveland/Pittsburgh Challenge at Oak Tree.  He has also finished 2nd in his only other appearance thus far. 

Favorite Tournament:

The Greenbrier Open

As a member of The Greenbrier Resort, it's no wonder why this is his favorite tournament.  Fred shot a 79 on the Old White course in 2010's Greenbrier Open which annually hosts the PGA Tour's Greenbrier Classic. 

Pittsburgh Tour Member Spotlight: May 2011

Member Spotlight: May 2011

Jerry O'Brien

Jones Flight

This is the 2nd year on tour for Jerry O'Brien who in his 1st year played in 10 events and won one event and qualified for the 2010 National Championship at TPC Sawgrass.  Jerry in the 2010 season thus far has found the winner's circle three times including at the Pittsburgh Season Opening Event at Olde Stonewall, Bedford Springs, and St. Jude in 5 events played. 

Jerry can often be found on the course brightening up the spirits of his fellow playing partners as he is a great competitor to play with.  He even brings out the humor in how he displays his trophies as referenced in the photo above.   

Pittsburgh Member Spotlight: April 2011

Member Spotlight: April 2011

Peter Gitnik

Senior Sarazen

Peter Gitnik is a Golf Channel Am Tour veteran as he first started playing on tour in 2007.  A frequent traveler, Peter, can be seen caravanning all over the country to play in events each weekend.  Proof of that is shown when Peter amassed a total of 49 tour rounds in his 2010 season including the 2010 Senior National Championship at TPC Sawgrass. 

Peter is also a member of the Golf Channel Am Tour Player Advisory Board which is a group of players nationwide who are elected to serve on a board giving the Am Tour feedback from the player's prospective on how to make the tour better. 

In the 2011 season thus far, Peter's best finish is a 4th place at the Pittsburgh Opening Event at Olde Stonewall.  Olde Stonewall is Peter's home course. 

Favorite Tournament:

Puerto Rico Open

Peter's favorite tournament is the 2011 Puerto Rico Open which was played at the Trump International Golf Club.  The event was played in a mixture of rain and sun and seasonably warm weather.  A rainbow was spotted over the course during the tournament, but Peter did not find his pot of gold at the end of it as he finished 7th. 

Cleveland Rocks!

State Line Ohio/Pennsylvania Border- Once again it was Rivalry Week for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Golf Channel Amateur Tours.  For 4 years running both teams from rival cites duked it out at Oak Tree Country Club situated on the border of the two competing states.  This year was no different as many of the players on both sides dressed in team colors to declare war on the other side.  Cleveland had many players wearing their famous brown and orange while those from Pittsburgh were fashioned in Black and Gold.  Even Larry (begrudgingly) got into the act to pay off his bet from last year as he wore a Cleveland Browns hat and shirt to declare that the Cleveland team was victorious the previous season. 

In this years clash, the players were to play their own individual stroke tournament for individual accolades in their flight and to decide who won the clash, it was determined that it would be decided by an overall Giant Skins game.  The team who had the most Giant Skins won would be declared the victor since the Cleveland Team had outnumbered the Pittsburgh Team by a margin of 1.5 to 1 in players. 

In the Palmer Flight, it was Tylor Davis (CLE) shooting an 81 to capture the win by 1 shot over Jason Kidd's (PIT) 82.  John Hilinski's (CLE) 85 was good enough for 3rd place.  A back and forth match between Davis and Kidd had both players changing leads a couple of times, but it was Kidd who had the lead on the back side and was overtaken by Davis late and held on during the last 2 holes to win.  Davis' 11 pars were a key to him playing well and having the opportunity to win.

In the Hogan Flight, Pittsburgh got on the board with Fred Favorite winning with a score of 77.  He defeated a couple of Cleveland Tour rivals in Dale Thompson and Abram Boyd who fired 82's.  Favorite carded 2 birdies and 8 pars in his round of 6-over holding off Thompson who was tied for the lead after 12 holes.  It was the first time in 5 tournaments this season that Abram Boyd did not claim the Hogan Flight crown.  It was the 3rd win of the season for Fred Favorite.

The Sarazen Flight saw a close battle of Cleveland players in Matt Blum and Jeff Mast.  Both have been sharing the spotlight this season winning 4 of the first 5 tournaments thus far on the Cleveland schedule.  Mast getting the upper hand thus far 3-1 in wins.  But Matt Blum (84) was the winner this week eking out a win over Mast (85) by 1 shot to garner his 2nd victory of the season.  Pittsburgh's Robert Babish and Michael Yates tied for 3rd with 88's. 

The Snead Flight it was Ronald Shoemaker (CLE) (89) who defeated Michael Scuro (PIT) (92) and Paul Beckwith (CLE) 96.  It was Shoemaker's 2nd win of the season as he was able to build a large lead and hold on for the 3 stroke victory. 

Now for all the news everyone was waiting for... For the team title.  It was the Cleveland tour who was victorious for the 4th consecutive year as the Giant Skins were decided with a score of 5-2.  John Hilinski (CLE) and Dale Thompson (CLE) both had 2 skins a piece for and Jeff Mast added another for the winning team.  Fred Favorite and Steven Wiley got Pittsburgh on the board.  So once again next season Larry must don the Brown and Orange as the two teams will meet. 

We would also like to extend a large thanks to tour player Paul Rovnak who provided the event with wonderful danish, donuts, and brownies from his Classic Bakery in the Youngstown/Boardman area. 

The tour is also happy to announce that so far we have combined to raise just over $1000 in our charitable giving for the 50/50 raffles to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  This is approximately halfway to our goal.  Thank you to all who are participating!

Am Tour Enjoys St. Jude!

Chicora, PA- A field of 15 players enjoyed the day at St. Jude Golf Club as the Golf Channel Am Tour hosted another Pittsburgh Tour event.  Starting in the Hogan Flight, Paul Rovnak (83) defeated Fred Favorite (88) and Brandon Wang (88).  Rovnak gradually built up a 6 shot lead during the round and easily won the tournament with his good play. 

In the Sarazen Flight, Michael Yates shot 80 and won going away in his flight by 14 strokes.  Denny Briceland (94) was 2nd and Troy Norrid (95) was 3rd.  Yates had 2 birdies and 7 pars on his card en route to his good round. 

In the Jones Flight, Jerry O'Brien (103) kept his win streak going as he defeated Jon Neff (106).  It was Jerry's third win of the season.  In a close match, O'Brien went out to take the lead early but it was Neff who held the lead going into the last 2 holes. 

In the Snead flight it was Steven Wiley (91) defeating Greg Nemchick (112). 

We hope to see everyone at the next event June 5th for the Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh Tour Challenge at Oak Tree Country Club in West Middlesex, PA.  Come out to defend your city's honor.  Larry doesn't want to wear any more Cleveland regalia after having to do so the last 3 years straight!

Golf Channel Am Tour Takes on Conley Resort.

Butler, PA-  Once again weather played a factor as wet conditions faced the players on the Pittsburgh Am Tour.  13 players took to the course to gain honors of the best in their flight.

In the Hogan Flight, it was Fred Favorite who shot (77) and won the flight by 13 strokes over Dave Hout and DJ Shaffer who shot 90's.  Favorite had a great round with 2 birdies and 10 pars to lead the day.

In the Sarazen Flight it was Daniel Woods (81) defeating Michael Yates (84) by 3 strokes.  Bernie Sestili Jr. finished 3rd with an 86.   Woods built a 7 stroke lead on the back nine after an eagle 2 on the par-4 10th hole and cruised in on the final holes for the win. 

In the Snead Flight it was Jon Neff who shot a 97 to defeat Steven Wiley (100) by 3 shots to take the title.  Ben McDonald finished in 3rd place with a 125. 

The next event is at St. Jude Golf Course we hope to see you there!

How do you use your Golf Channel AM Tour Trophy?

Am Tour Played #1 Public Golf Course in Pennsylvania -Bedford Springs

Bedford, PA- The Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh held their 2nd event of the season at the #1 public course in Pennsylvania on May 1st, 2011.  11 golfers survived the rainy conditions and enjoyed another tough day of golfing in the midwest. 

The Hogan Flight saw senior tour member Fred Favorite (93) build a 4 stroke lead and held on by 2 strokes down the stretch over Keith Miller (95).  James Huber finished in 3rd place with a score of 101. 

In the Jones Flight Jerry O'brien (95) found the winner's circle for the 2nd time in back to back weeks by defeating his competition by 12 strokes.  Ron Kolson and Michael Scuro tied for 2nd place with scores of 107. 

Palmer Flight player DJ Shaffer was also in attendance and won his flight with a score of 93.
     
We look forward to seeing everyone else at our next event on May 15th at St. Jude.

Video Recap of Olde Stonewall Event by Tour Member AJ Bolyard Jr.

Here is a video recap of the event opening event at Olde Stonewall Golf Club on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011.

Enjoy the video!

Thank you AJ for doing this!

Am Tour Storms the Castle at Olde Stonewall To Begin Season

Ellwood City, PA- The 2011 Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh got its season off to a royal start as it crowned 6 champions during play of the Season Opening Tournament at Olde Stonewall Golf Club.  Playing in light to moderate winds, an ominous but overcast sky all day, and after overnight rain of 1 inch had saturated the grounds 39 players from 4 different Golf Channel Am Tours took to battle on the course.

Starting with the Hogan division, Cleveland tour member Ed Ruper (84) defeated fellow Cleveland rival Dale Thompson (85) by 1 stroke.  A charging Thompson came back from 6 strokes down in the final 5 holes and was tied going into the last hole but it was Ruper who eeked out the win. 

In the Senior Hogan division, a competitive match between Bob Houghton (87) of the Detroit Tour held off AJ Bolyard Jr. (90) of the Pittsburgh Tour by 3 strokes in a back and forth match where both players had the lead. 

The Sarazen division saw another close battle of Cleveland Tour members. Jeff Mast (86) defeated Matt Blum (87) by 1 stroke on the final hole after Blum, who had the lead going into 18, found trouble in the greenside fescue and couldn't get up and down to save the win. 

Charles Blasdel (91) of the Cleveland Tour won the Senior Sarazen flight after an ambush attack by 3 other players.  Pittsburgh Tour members Keith Miller and Bob Babish both tied for 2nd with a score of 92 while Peter Gitnik was one more stroke back at 93.  It was the closest group finish of the day. 

The Snead Division title came down to a battle between 3 players. Cleveland Tour player Charles Burger (104) held off fellow Cleveland player Bob Troha (105) and Pittsburgh member Greg Nemchick (105) as all three players were on 18 tee separated by 1 shot.  

The best match of the day was from the Jones Division where a playoff decided the title.  Pittsburgh Tour player Jerry O'Brien (89) went back out and made a dramatic chip-in par on the 1st playoff hole to defeat Cleveland Tour player Ted Heindel (89).  O'Brien got hot down the stretch as he played the last 4 holes of regulation in 1-over par evaporating a 3 shot lead that Heindel had. 

This season the Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh is joining the Am Tour's charitable ways as it is combining with the Cleveland Tour and having a 50-50 raffle along with its traditional skins games at each tournament.  The proceeds of the local 50-50 raffles will be collected at each tournament and half of the total amount collected will go to the winner of the raffle and the other half will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. 

The winner of this week's 50-50 raffle was Charles Burger who collected 155 dollars and another 155 dollars was raised and will be donated to the JDRF at the end of the season.

The next event on the Pittsburgh Tour will be played Sunday, May 1st at Bedford Springs.  We look forward to another great event and seeing you there!

GCAT Pittsburgh Tour play #1 Course in Pennsylvania, May 1, 2011

Powerful Storm Rocks Kingsmill!

Williamsburg, Va --- After the conclusion of play today at the Kingsmill Classic a powerful weather system that had caused many tornados, high winds, and lots of damage across the central United States has swept through the Williamsburg area and has caused damage to the Kingsmill Resort.  Reports are that a tornado had touched down on the Kingsmill Resort property at the Woods Golf Course and caused damage to a few holes on the course and also to the Woods Course clubhouse.  The storm has not apparently caused any damage to the 2 courses involved in the Kingsmill Classic, the River Course or the Plantation Course, and play will resume for round 2 starting at 8AM on both courses.

Round 1 Local Standings From the Kingsmill Classic.

After Round 1 of the Kingsmill Classic 4 members of the Pittsburgh tours have faired well against their competition. 

Pete Gitnik is T4 in Sr. Sarazen, James Huber is 12th in Sr. Hogan, Jerry O'Brien is T10 in Jones, and Bob Swann is 16th in Sr. Sarazen.

Good Luck!

Kingsmill Classic 1st round Feature Hole of the day... #17 at the River Course

Williamsburg, Va ---  During round 1 of the Kingsmill Classic at the Kingsmill Resort today, 89 of the 180 players had the opportunity to play the 17th hole on the River Course.  The 17th hole was set up today as a 178 yard par-3 hole which plays right along side the mighty James River.  With cross winds of 25 miles per hour constant and gusting in upwards of 40+ miles per hour, the hole played very tough. 

The 17th hole on the River Course and the James River to the right during a tranquil day.

The Senior Palmer flight which has golfers playing off of handicaps of 4-7.9 and age 50+ made 17 play as their toughest hole of the day with a stroke average of 4.40.  That is a full 1.4 strokes above par. 

The Senior Hogan flight with golfers aged 50+ playing off handicaps of 8-11.9, had a stroke average of 4.23 for 13 players.  It was the 5th toughest hole for their flight.

The Hogan flight had 19 golfers attempt to hit the green on 17 in regulation and had a stroke average of 4.10 strokes.  The lowest to par ratio of all the groups who played the hole on Saturday.  It played to their 7th toughest hole of the round 

21 Sarazen (12-15.9 handicap) flight players had a stroke average of 4.66 strokes and played hole 17 as their 4th toughest hole of the day. 

The Snead flight got a slight break teeing up from about 133 yards and averaged 4.52 strokes which was their 6th hardest hole. 

All in all 89 golfers of all abilities averaged 4.37 strokes on the hole with a low score of par (3) and a highest stroke total of 8.  Many balls were either lost to the James River or could not be found on the left towards hole 16.  Lots of players had to aim well out over the James to be able to ride the wind and land their ball on the green.

It was a very fun day to play this hole in the gale winds and lots of smiles, shouting, and rejoicing was shared by many who were lucky to hit the green. 

Those lucky enough to play this hole on Sunday during round 2 will have it a bit easier as the weather forecast is for only 10-15 miles per hour wind off the James River.

Kingsmill Classic Starts Tomorrow

Williamsburg, Va --  The Kingsmill Classic is ready to get underway as the course has been set up and marked by the Golf Channel Tournament Staff while playing and observing the course.  Pittsburgh Tour members had the chance to practice on the Plantation Course all day and an afternoon shotgun start on the River Course in the late afternoon. 

Our own tour director, Larry Hoffman even found a few hours of free time in between setting-up to play a few holes with Pittsburgh Tour members Peter Gitnik and Jim Huber on the Plantation Course. 

Here is Larry hitting a tee shot on the 9th hole. 

And Peter teeing off the 10th hole on the Plantation Course.

The tournament is scheduled to get underway tomorrow morning (Saturday) at 8am with rain, high winds, and a chance of lightning and hail in the afternoon.  Please stay posted as we will update on the events in Williamsburg.   

Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh is on site of the Kingsmill Classic!

Staff and members of the Golf Channel Am Tour of Pittsburgh are currently on site preparing for the Kingsmill Classic Regional Tournament from their perch on the 9th fairway of the River Course.  The 2-day tournament is being contested Saturday and Sunday on the Plantation and River Courses at the resort.  Many golfers who followed the PGA and LPGA Tours will recognize the River Course from the past as the host course for events like the LPGA Michelob Ultra Championship and events on the PGA and Champions tour. 

The River course's closing holes 16-18 are set beautifully along the James River and can play tough when there is a cross wind off or into the bay.  How has anyone handled tough windy conditions off a large body of water near a course before?  Any tips for playing in such windy conditions?

(The closing 18th hole on the River Course)

We wish a good luck to all Pittsburgh tour competitors this weekend and will update their statuses during the tournament.

Pittsburgh Tour members that are here to play in the Kingsmill Classic are:
Peter Gitnik
James Huber
Jerry O'Brien
Bob Swann

We look forward to seeing everyone else next Saturday, April 23rd at Old Stonewall for our opening event and party!

Pittsburgh Tour Season Opener - Olde Stonewall Golf Club

Peter Gitnik will be hosting a Season Opening Lunchen at Olde Stonewall Golf Club on April 23, 2011.  Register early.

Olde Stonewall Golf Club - April 23, 2011

Peter Gitnik will be hosting a Season Opener Lunchen after our round on April 23, 2011 at Olde Stonewall Golf Club.  Register Now.

Hello Am Tour Players and Fans

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