Gregory Captures Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Match Play Championship

NTPGA • October 12, 2016

LUFKIN, Texas – The Championship match of the Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Match Play Championship featured the #29 seed Paul Norris, PGA golf coach at Texas Wesleyan University, and the #3 seed Greg Gregory, PGA assistant professional at Hidden Creek Golf Course. The match resulted in a 4 & 2 victory for Gregory.

Norris took an early lead at 1 UP through three holes, but a par by Gregory on hole #4 brought the match back to all square until hole #6 when Gregory went 1 UP. Norris quickly brought the match back to all square with a birdie on hole #7. The matched stayed all square until hole #10 when momentum started to shift Gregory’s way. A birdie on #10 and a par on #11 put Gregory 2 UP. Gregory made birdies on holes #13 and #15, and reached the par-5, hole #16, in two to close out the match. Norris conceded the hole with Gregory ten feet from the hole for birdie.

This marks Gregory’s first Match Play Championship victory and fifth NTPGA individual major championship. He also won the Prize Possessions Eastern Championship earlier this year. Gregory took home $5,250 of the $36,300 Open Division purse.

The Championship included a Senior Division that included eight of the top professionals from the 2016 OMEGA Senior Points Challenge competing for their own $9,150 purse. In the Championship match, #4 seed Stuart Hendley, PGA director of instruction at Green Tree Country Club, squared off against #6 seed Rick Woodson, PGA teaching professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course. Hendley started strong going 2 UP after two holes. This momentum allowed him to take control of the match, sitting at 6 UP after nine holes. He bested Woodson 7 & 5 and took home a trophy and a check for $2,750.

The Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Match Play Championship was contested October 10-12 at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin, Texas, a 6,711-yard, par 72 layout. The Championship was presented by AT&T Byron Nelson, Lorente Golf and PGA TOUR. The top 32 players on the final 2016 Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Player of the Year Points Challenge were invited to compete in the season-ending major championship.

Championship matches results.

By Erik Anderson • September 29, 2026
GREENVILLE, Texas (September 28) – For the second year in a row, Spencer Dillard, PGA director of golf at Golf Clubs at The Tribute, claimed the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Shootout at The Oaks, taking home $25,000 for the win. Just like last year, it took Dillard two playoff holes to best runner-up Nick Paez, instructor at The Ronny Golf Park. Both players found the 440-yard, par 4, 9th green in two, but a costly three-putt from Paez from 35 feet led to Dillard finishing off a nervy three-foot putt for the win. Dillard also won with a par in last year’s event and has now taken home the victory in two out of three years in the event’s short history. “It’s pretty special, just the opportunity to play in the event. I just can’t thank Dr. Ransom enough for putting this on and all he does for us,” said Dillard. “Just being able to play is a huge deal and then lasting through the shootout is so tough, so it feels great to be here.” The players in the shootout were battling in what seemed to be a competition of who could continue to make birdies. “Nathan was 9-under through a 12-hole stretch today and still went out. There is so much talent in our Section, so you got to go win it,” said Dillard. Longtime Northern Texas PGA Foundation supporter Jerry J. Ransom welcomed 98 Northern Texas PGA Members and Associates to The Oaks Country Club for the third annual Shootout. The event was created to recognize the PGA Professionals across the Section who dedicate their time and energy to growing the game through the NTPGA Foundation’s initiatives. The event was developed by Ransom as a way to thank PGA Professionals across the Northern Texas Section while also providing exposure to The Oaks Country Club. The Oaks is a top-five nine-hole course in Texas according to the Dallas Morning News golf course rankings. The format for the event featured a 9-hole qualifier, with the top three finishers and one randomly selected participant moving on to the evening shootout. Nathan Park, instructor at Stonebriar Country Club, qualified first after finishing with an impressive 6-under-par, 30. Dillard was the next to advance, carding a 4-under-par, 32, and finally Paez at 3-under-par, 33, who won a six-for-one spot playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole in the playoff. Zack Vinson, PGA head professional at Athens Country Club, was the random drawing winner. The nine-hole Shootout portion of the event was played in three stages of three holes each, with one professional eliminated after every stage. After the first three holes, Vinson was eliminated and landed a prize of $2,500. The scores were then reset to even par, and the second three holes saw Nathan Park bow out, despite being 9-under-par through 15 holes. He played his final three holes in the shootout at even par. Still, he earned $7,500 for his efforts. The scores again reset to even par for the final three-hole segment, where Dillard and Paez battled it out for three holes, followed by two extra holes in the playoff.
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