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.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
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 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
We look forward to seeing you there and watching the next stars on the PGA Tour in action in the Pittsburgh Area!
Monday, June 20, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
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
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.
Monday, June 6, 2011
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!
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!
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