Norris & Gregory Set to Face Off in Final Match of the Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Match Play Championship
NTPGA • October 11, 2016
LUFKIN, Texas –
The morning Quarter Final Matches of the Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Match Play Championship featured two upsets that included the exit of the #1 seed as well as two of the top Championship seeds advancing to the Semi-Finals.
The opening match of the morning resulted in the first upset of the day with #9 seed Cameron Doan, PGA head professional at Preston Trail Golf Club, besting #1 seed Stuart Deane, PGA golf coach at The University of Texas at Arlington, 2 & 1. In the second match of the day, the second upset occurred when Paul Norris, PGA golf coach at Texas Wesleyan University (#29 seed) defeated Amanda McCurdy, PGA teaching professional at Tierra Verde Golf Course (#28 seed) 6 & 5. The third match resulted in Ben Cuzen, PGA assistant professional at Preston Trail Golf Club (#7 seed), defeating Thomas Devanna, PGA assistant professional at Tangle Ridge Golf Club (#8 seed), 5 & 4. And the final match resulted in #3 seed Greg Gregory, PGA assistant professional at Hidden Creek Golf Course, topping #11 seed Michael Martin, PGA teaching professional at Sinclair’s Golf Training Center, 2 & 1.
The Semi-Final matches featured Cameron Doan versus Paul Norris and Ben Cuzen versus Greg Gregory.
In the first Semi-Final match, Norris took an early lead on hole #2 and never let Doan back in the match. By the turn, Norris had a 4 UP lead. On hole #13, Doan made birdie to bring it back to 3 UP, but a par on hole #15 sealed the match for Norris for a 4 & 3 victory.
Gregory and Cuzen faced off in the other afternoon match. Cuzen took an early lead going 1 UP after three holes, but a birdie on hole #5 by Gregory brought it back to all square. On #7, Cuzen notched a birdie to go back to 1 UP, but Gregory was eventually able to swing the momentum of the match to his favor. He had a chip in on hole #15 and secure the match on hole #17 with a 3 & 1 victory.
Norris and Gregory will face off in the 18-hole Championship Match on Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. Both will be vying for their first Match Play title. The champion will take home a crystal trophy as well as $5,250 of the $36,300 Open Division purse.
In 2015, the Senior Division was expanded from four to eight of the top professionals from the 2016 OMEGA Senior Points Challenge competing for their own $9,150 purse. In today’s Semi-Final Matches, #4 seed Stuart Hendley, PGA director of instruction at Green Tree Country Club, bested #1 seed Perry Arthur, PGA part owner of The Golf Club of Dallas, 2 UP. Also, #6 seed Rick Woodson, PGA teaching professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course, defeated #2 seed Tom Strueber, PGA Life Member, 1 UP. Hendley and Woodson will square off tomorrow at 8:40 a.m. in the Championship match of the Senior Division. The champion will take home a crystal trophy and a check for $2,750.
The Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Match Play Championship is being contested October 10-12 at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin, Texas, a 6,711-yard, par 72 layout. The Championship is 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.
Tomorrow’s final matchups and the results from today’s matches are listed below:
OPEN DIVISON CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016
Don January Bracket Winner Lee Trevino Bracket Winner
8:30 a.m. #1 Tee
#29. Paul Norris, Texas Wesleyan University vs. #3. Greg Gregory, Hidden Creek Golf Course
SENIOR DIVISON CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016
8:40 a.m. #1 Tee
#4. Stuart Hendley, Green Tree Country Club vs. #6. Rick Woodson, Sherrill Park Golf Course
GRAPEVINE, Texas – Registration is now open for the 2026 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open and its qualifying events. The Championship will take place Wednesday, May 27, through Friday, May 29, at Grapevine Golf Course. This 46th year of the Championship marks another chapter in the event’s rich history, continuing its tradition as one of the premier women’s tournaments in Texas. The projected overall purse is $80,000. For the third consecutive year, Grapevine Golf Course will serve as host, reinforcing the City of Grapevine’s commitment to supporting and growing women’s golf. Known for its hospitality and spirited community, Grapevine looks forward to building on the success of previous Championships while delivering a first-class experience for players and spectators alike. The 2026 Championship continues its partnership with the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT). Thanks to the support of the ANNIKA WAPT, this Championship allows the top two finishers to receive exemptions into the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship, June 22–28 in Harris, Michigan. Additionally, ANNIKA WAPT members will earn points toward the Callaway Race to Q2, with all earnings counting toward the 2026 ANNIKA WAPT Official Money List. A total of 144 players will compete in a 54-hole stroke play format, with a cut to the low 50 players and ties after 36 holes. New for 2026, players shall gain access to compete in the Championship through qualifying events unless they are otherwise exempt. Exemption categories for the 2026 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open include: Past Champions Top 10 professionals and ties from the 2025 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open Top five amateurs and ties from the 2025 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open First five LPGA Tour Members First 10 Epson Tour Members ANNIKA Top 80 through third event ending April 24 Five amateurs ranked within the Top 500 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking Six All American Tour Exemptions Two Legends Junior Tour Exemptions Two Prestige Exemptions One Host Exemption Two Sponsor Exemptions Three NTPGA/WAPT Exemptions Three Good Good Golf Exemptions Eligibility for the 2026 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open is open to professional and amateur golfers. Amateurs are encouraged to hold a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or lower. Additionally, the Championship is recognized as an official Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking and World Amateur Golf Ranking event, further enhancing its prestige and competitive significance. Registration for the 2026 Championship can be found HERE . Qualifying information can be found HERE . For more information about the Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open, visit www.ntpga.com/texas-womens-open . For those wishing to attend the event, admission is complimentary, allowing fans to enjoy top-tier women’s golf in an accessible public setting at one of Texas’ top-ranked public courses. With more than 20 hotels to stay at, it is an easy weekend getaway while you catch the action or play a few rounds of your own. Grapevine offers a wide range of accommodations from luxury resorts like the Gaylord Texan to family-friendly stays like Great Wolf Lodge, plus a variety of select-service hotels. For more information, visit www.grapevinetexasusa.com/texaswomensopen . ###
Golding and Walden win Senior Division
Brown and Gibralter (a) claim Senior Division
THE COLONY, Texas (March 2) – The team of Robert Bruns, PGA Head Professional at Trinity Forest Golf Club, along with partner Chase Walts, PGM Student at Methodist University who currently works as an assistant at Trinity Forest Golf Club won the 2026 KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship after a two hole playoff. The two carded a bogey-free, 12-under-par, final score after shooting 64 on Old American Golf Club and a 31 on the back nine of Tribute Golf Links. They bested the team of Spencer Dillard and Alastair Jones from Preston Trail Golf Club. The 27-hole, Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship was hosted at Golf Clubs at The Tribute for the sixth straight year. Teams played Old American Golf Club and the back nine of Tribute Golf Links. Bruns and Walts both had looks inside 10 feet on the second playoff hole, though it was Bruns who poured in the winning putt. “I knew he had it in the bag, so I think that made it much easier for me to just be free and let it go,” said Bruns. Walts recently became an assistant professional at Trinity Forest, and said, “Robert is such a huge mentor to me and my career already. I hope to learn from everything he knows and that goes for golf as well.” “It makes it much easier when you’re in the mix coming down the fairway and you have a great relationship with each other. At the end of the day you’re just having fun,” Bruns said after their victory. This is the first win for both Bruns and Walts in Section Major Championships. The pair earned $3,200 ($1,600 each) out of the record $32,000 total championship purse. The KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship was presented by Callaway Golf, Club Car, Evolve Golf, Landmark Golf Course Products, Range Servant, THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, and Winston Collection. View the final results HERE . Old American Golf Club Par: 35-36–71 Yardage: 6,770 Tribute Golf Links (Back nine) Par: 36 Yardage: 3,368