New leads Trans-Miss Senior Championship at Brook Hollow
ALLAS–The fact that Jeff New leads the 2015 Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship through 36 holes after he shot a 5-over-par 76 in the second round is a testament not only to challenges presented by A.W. Tillinghast’s classic design at Brook Hollow Golf Club, but also to the strength of New’s 2-under 69 in the disjointed first round.
New, who lives in Scottsdale, sits alone in first place at 3-over 145 headed into Thursday’s final round. He’s two strokes clear of Mitchell Murphy, also from Scottsdale, whose 71-76 adds up to 5-over 147.
Bob Kearney from Houston and Mike Peck from Irving share third place at 6-over 148. There are 11 players within five shots of New in the Senior Division (ages 55-64).
New, 58, had no issues with Tuesday’s suspension of play because of darkness and Wednesday’s early morning restart. A nearly three-hour weather delay on Tuesday disrupted the completion of the first round, so about 50 golfers had to restart and finish at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
New was one of those stuck on the course at dusk Tuesday, and he made the most of it.
It started with his final stroke before play was called. The former longtime Houston resident and fixture atop Texas Golf Association championship leaderboards, New drained a 30-foot birdie on the 17th hole. When he returned to play his final hole Wednesday morning, New surprised himself by running in a 40-foot bomb for consecutive birdies separated by sleep.
The second birdie took him to 2-under 69, the best round of the tournament through 36 holes.
"Honestly, I was just trying to two-putt both of them," said New, a retired investments manager who moved with his family to Scottsdale in 2012.
New struggled some in the second round, but he made enough putts to hold the lead.
"Overall I hit the ball pretty well," New said. "I missed a few greens today, and this golf course makes you pay for that. The main difference between yesterday and today was that I hit my irons better yesterday and made more putts."
A former Texas State Junior Champion and five-time USGA championship participant, New said he hopes to accomplish a major goal in Thursday’s final round.
"This is one of my three favorite courses in Texas," he said. "It’s a position course, a placement course. I really love it here. I’ve never won a TGA or Trans-Miss event, and that’s something I’ve always wanted to do."
In the Super Senior Division (ages 65-69), Frank Brame from Alexandria, La., holds a two-shot advantage at 7-over 149. Brame followed his 1-over 71 in the first round with a 77 on Wednesday. Close behind is tournament co-chairman Chris Maletis, who shot 1-over 72 in the second round and sits at 9-over 151 overall.
Maletis, a 66-year-old from Portland, Ore., won the Trans-Miss Senior Championship in 2011, which was the last time the event was played at Brook Hollow. The format then was match play; Maletis defeated Robert Polk from Parker, Colo., 2 and 1, the finals.
Denny Alexander, 69, from Fort Worth is in third place in the Super Senior Division at 10-over 152.
The Legends Division, for players aged 70 and older, crowned its champion Wednesday afternoon upon completion of its 36-hole format. Jim Martin, 70, was all smiles after posting his second round 73, which was good for a nine-shot, breakthrough victory.
"This is absolutely thrilling," said Martin, a Dallas resident since 1971 who grew up in Waco and attended Baylor. "I’ve finished fourth, third and fifth in this event the last three years. To win this is pretty outstanding for me."
Martin, who won the 1987 Trans-Miss Four-Ball title with his Dallas partner Travis Thompson, made two birdies in his final round at Brook Hollow. He struggled a bit in the first round, but rallied to pull away Wednesday.
"I made some pretty good saving chips and 4- and 5-foot putts that were critical to keep the round going," he said. "I can’t tell you how much this means to me."
Thursday’s final round features a single wave of split tee starts, beginning at 7:30 a.m. The leaders in both divisions tee off at 9:31 a.m. For more information on the 2015 Trans-Miss Senior Championship, please click here.
16th Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship
Brook Hollow Golf Club
Dallas, Texas
Second Round Results
Senior Division
Jeff D New, Scottsdale, Ariz. – 69-76–145
Murphy Mitchell, Scottsdale, Ariz. – 71-76–147
Bob Kearney, Houston, Texas – 74-74–148
Mike Peck, Irving, Texas – 74-74–148
Bryan Norton, Mission Hills, Kan. – 76-73–149
George Zahringer, New York, N.Y. – 76-73–149
Lee Sandlin, Dallas, Texas – 75-74–149
Wayne Wright, Aledo, Texas – 79-70–149
Jim Lehman, Plymouth, Minn. – 74-76–150
Jimmy Burke, Houston, Texas – 75-75–150
Todd Palmaer, Corona Del Mar, Calif. – 75-75–150
Chuck Palmer, Dallas, Texas – 77-74–151
Jack Slayton, Albuquerque, N.M. – 73-78–151
Bob Baker, Little Rock, Ark. – 75-78–153
John Grace, Fort Worth, Texas – 79-74–153
Doug Hopton-Jones, Mansfield, Texas – 77-77–154
Marshall Morgan, Odessa, Texas – 77-77–154
Trip Long, Wichita Falls, Texas – 75-79–154
Ed Turner, Richardson, Texas – 79-77–156
Malcolm Holland, Dallas, Texas – 78-78–156
Billy McBee III, Dallas, Texas – 78-79–157
Eddie Lyons, Shreveport, La. – 79-78–157
Hunter Nelson, Houston, Texas – 76-81–157
John Hull, Scottsdale, Ariz. – 77-80–157
Larry Nunez, Austin, Texas – 79-78–157
Bob Neal, Mansfield, Texas – 74-84–158
Mike Gustafson, Eugene, Ore. – 78-80–158
Ralph Ellis, Amarillo, Texas – 81-77–158
Ramiro Romo, Burlington, Wis. – 79-79–158
Bill Jackson, Oklahoma City, Okla. – 79-80–159
John Tatum, Dallas, Texas – 81-78–159
Michael F Zarcaro, Houston, Texas – 82-77–159
Brent Cooper, Dallas, Texas – 83-77–160
Jay Pumphrey, Georgetown, Texas – 81-79–160
Michael Pierce, Houston, Texas – 79-81–160
John Juntilla, Spring Park, Minn. – 83-78–161
Lawrence Field, Tulsa, Okla. – 79-82–161
Les Devitt, Scottsdale, Ariz. – 85-76–161
Steve Bell, Denver, Colo. – 83-78–161
Bob Bret, Dallas, Texas – 82-80–162
Randy Vautravers, Andover, Kan. – 80-82–162
Brad Forrester, La Quinta, Calif. – 78-85–163
Corliss Nelson, Dallas, Texas – 84-79–163
Dan Carroll, La Quinta, Calif. – 83-80–163
Gary Singer, Newport Beach, Calif. – 84-79–163
Bill Huckin, Dallas, Texas – 82-82–164
Cyrus Whitney, Oro Valley, Ariz. – 86-78–164
Jody Vasquez, Aledo, Texas – 84-80–164
Kip Estep, Rockwall, Texas – 79-85–164
Mac McGee, Midland, Texas – 85-80–165
Steve Thompson, Odessa, Texas – 83-82–165
Hal Wright, Shreveport, La. – 83-83–166
Pat Manning, Irving, Texas – 84-82–166
Tim Andersen, Chaska, Minn. – 87-79–166
Tom Nielsen, Edmond, Okla. – 83-83–166
William Hamilton, Indio, Calif. – 88-78–166
Dale White Jr., Ft. Worth, Texas – 82-85–167
Mike Morgan, Shreveport , La. – 82-85–167
Rick Doggett, Fort Worth, Texas – 85-82–167
Herb Fisher, The Woodlands, Texas – 89-83–172
Steve McKinney, Wichita, Kan. – 85-87–172
Peter Dahlberg, Fort Worth, Texas – 91-84–175
George Adams, Houston, Texas – 86-91–177
Tom Melcher, Mansfield, Texas – 87-90–177
Charlton Holmes, Dallas , Texas – 87-92–179
Steve Creekmore III, Ft. Smith, Ark. – 88-WD–WD
Bob Walley, Los Lunas, N.M. – DQ
Daniel Cook, The Woodlands, Texas – DQ
John Goode, Killeen, Texas – WD
Robert McDonald III, Austin, Texas – WD
Super Senior Division
Frank Brame, Alexandria, La. – 72-77–149
Chris Maletis, Portland, Ore. – 79-72–151
Denny Alexander, Fort Worth, Texas – 75-77–152
Richard Hubbard, Scottsdale, Ariz. – 77-76–153
Greg Lynn, Edmond, Okla. – 79-79–158
Michael Arnold, San Antonio, Texas – 81-77–158
Mickey McDonald, Shreveport, La. – 76-82–158
David Moore, Marana, Ariz. – 81-79–160
Bob Vidricksen, Salina, Kan. – 76-85–161
Doug Baker, Austin, Texas – 84-77–161
Pat Hare, Fort Worth, Texas – 83-78–161
James Saivar, San Diego, Calif. – 78-85–163
Jerry Hutton, Long Beach, Calif. – 81-82–163
Chris Larsen, Houston, Texas – 79-85–164
Paul Shimoff, Redlands, Calif. – 81-83–164
Don Addington, Dallas, Texas – 84-81–165
Clint Nelson, Fargo, N.D. – 81-85–166
Sam Boyd, Kemah, Texas – 84-82–166
Joe Connolly, Pacific Palisdes, Calif. – 87-80–167
Larry Walsh, Mountain City, Texas – 83-85–168
Martin Park, Wichita, Kan. – 86-83–169
Bruce Stensrud, Dallas, Texas – 83-87–170
Craig Carlisle, Trophy Club, Texas – 90-80–170
Gary Miles, Clyde, Calif. – 81-89–170
Gordon Pracko, Carefree, Ariz. – 88-82–170
John Richart, Ann Arbor, Mich. – 92-79–171
Robert E Lloyd, Plano, Texas – 88-89–177
Jerry Ransom, Greenville, Texas – 90-91–181
Don Berthiaume, Littleton, Colo. – 93-90–183
Gary Kirwan, McKinney, Texas – 79-WD–WD
Legends Division
Jim Martin, Dallas, Texas – 81-73–154
Christie Flanagan, Dallas, Texas – 83-80–163
Jerry Cundari, Portland, Ore. – 84-79–163
Phil Lobstein, Fort Worth, Texas – 87-86–173
Marshall Gleason, Tucson, Ariz. – 92-87–179
Bob Twaddell, Houston, Texas – 90-91–181
Herb Durham, Dallas, Texas – 95-87–182
Bill Gribble, Dallas, Texas – 95-91–186
Bill McDonald, Topeka, Kan. – WD
Travis Thomson, Dallas, Texas – DQ