Northern Texas PGA Captures 36th Texas Joe Black Cup Matches
Lajitas, Texas –
The Northern Texas PGA captured the 36th Texas Joe Black Cup Matches by an overall point total of 16 to 8. The NTPGA team had a commanding 7.5 point lead heading into the Singles Matches on day two. Needing only three points to capture the Matches, the NTPGA team was able win key matches for the victory.
Despite losing the first match out this morning, the NTPGA team was able to earn two of the three points needed from the third and fourth matches with victories from Danny Coughlan, PGA head professional at Abilene Country Club, who won 3 & 1 over Jason Alexander, PGA head professional at The Club at Carlton Woods, and Tony Martinez, Northern Texas PGA President and director of golf at Keeton Park Golf Course, who bested Doug DeSive, STPGA Vice President and PGA head professional at Corpus Christi Country Club. DeSive played in place of STPGA President Jeff Strong who was injured.
However, it was Kevin Golding, PGA head professional at Four Seasons Resort and Club, making his fourth appearance in the Matches, who clinched the cup for the NTPGA team by making a birdie on hole 16 to win the hole, and earn full point and clinch his match 3 & 2. Golding’s victory gave the NTPGA team the 12.5 points needed to claim the cup.
This decisive victory ties a Texas Joe Black Cup Matches record for the most points won. The Northern Texas PGA team also won the cup in 2012 at Brook Hollow Golf Club by a 16 to 8 point margin.
“It is extremely fulfilling to win the cup,” said Playing Captain Paul Earnest. “It was something that I felt I left on the table as my time as President of the Section came to an end, so it feels great to bring the cup home. I am proud of my team. We were tenacious and were able to win some great matches.”
The two days of matches were highly competitive as 14 matches of the 24 matches came down to play on hole 18. The NTPGA team won or halved 11 of the 14 matches to seize momentum. Thanks in part to the NTPGA’s play on hole 18, they were able to win or halve 20 of the 24 matches played.
Even with the Northern Texas PGA’s victory, the STPGA still leads the overall team records at 18-17-1.
The teams from each Section were represented by their Section President, the top playing PGA Directors of Golf, PGA Head Professionals and PGA General Managers, a Senior Representative, and a Captain’s Pick. Paul Earnest, PGA director of golf at Four Seasons Resort and Club, was captain of the Northern Texas PGA team, and Randy Jones, PGA director of instruction at The Golf Club of Texas, served as the Southern Texas PGA captain.
The Texas Joe Black Cup Matches is an annual competition between the Northern Texas PGA and the Southern Texas PGA Sections. The Ryder Cup-style format features 12 golf professionals from each Section competing in Four-Ball and Foursome Matches the first day followed by Singles Matches the final day. The event was started in 1981 to honor Joe Black, a Snyder, Texas native who was completing his first year as President of The PGA of America.
One point is awarded to a winning match and a half point is awarded to any match that is tied after eighteen holes. The Northern Texas PGA needed 12.5 points to capture the cup while the Southern Texas PGA needed 12 points to retain the cup. The Matches were contested at Black Jack’s Crossing Golf Course at Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa, a 7,296-yards, par 72 layout in Lajitas, Texas.
Singles Matches and Overall Results.
