Pearce Captures Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship
AMARILLO, TX – On the first hole of a sudden death playoff against Nic Ishee, PGA assistant professional at Preston Trail Golf Club, Shane Pearce, PGA head professional at Hurricane Creek Country Club, captured the Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship when he made a 3-foot birdie putt on the par 5, 18th hole. Pearce held a two-stroke lead heading into today’s final round, but got off to a shaky start carding four consecutive bogeys on holes 3-6. He then managed one birdie on #16, and that was enough to force a playoff with Ishee who carded a 2-under for the day and tournament. Pearce finished with round totals of 66-74–140 to claim his first Northern Texas PGA individual major championship.
"It was tough not seeing the course before. I didn’t get to play here in 2015. I wasn’t a Class A Member yet. I got here on Sunday and came out to hit a few balls and drive the course, but I didn’t actually play a practice round. It’s kind of weird, my dad and I joked after the first round that I tend to play courses better when I don’t have a practice round,” Pearce stated after clinching the win. “This is a super special [win], it’s definitely something I’ve always wanted, but I never thought I’d get here. I’m just following in the footsteps of everyone that’s won this before, all the people I’ve always looked up to. That’s more special to me than the actual win, just following along in their footsteps.”
Pearce took home a check for $4,800 for his victory, but even more important is the exemption that he earned into the 2020 AT&T Byron Nelson.
“I’m excited but also horrified,” Pearce said about the exemption. “Back in 2012 when I went to Q-School I probably would have had some different emotions about that, probably would have felt more prepared, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s always been a dream to play on the PGA TOUR.”
The Section Championship also included a Senior Division that was comprised of 23 professionals aged 50 and older who elected to compete for a separate $14,200 purse and played from a modified yardage. Stuart Hendley, PGA director of instruction at Dallas Athletic Club, completed a three-peat as the Section Championship Senior Division champion. He finished the tournament at 3-under-par with rounds of 70-69—139 to capture his third consecutive Section Championship Senior Division win. He took home a check for $2,250.
“It’s fun winning. Our Section is big, so winning is nice, and this locks up the Points [Challenge Standings] for me which is always the goal,” Hendley said after today’s win. “When I lived in West Texas I played this course quite a bit, and I really like it. It’s one of my favorite courses in West Texas. You really have to control your ball, though, so I focused on getting the ball in the fairway to control where I was going on the green. I also putted really well, which is great because these greens are really difficult.”
The Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship, presented by AT&T Byron Nelson, Ewing Automotive Group, GT Golf Supplies, PGA TOUR, Sterling Cut Glass, and Technogym, was conducted at Amarillo Country Club, a 6,937-yard, par 71 course located in Amarillo, Texas. The overall purse for the event was a record $52,500. The Open Division field consisted of 62 PGA professionals from the Northern Texas Section of the PGA of America who competed for an Open Division purse of $38,300.
The Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship was the fourth and final individual stroke play major championship of the 2019 season to earn points towards the Yamaha Golf-Car Company & Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO Player of the Year Points Challenge presented by Adventures In Golf & Green Garden Gold. The Eastern Championship, Western Championship, NTPGA Professional Championship and Section Championship all served as qualifiers for the year-end Yamaha Golf-Car Company & Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO Match Play Championship. The Player of the Year Points Challenge also served as qualifying for the 2019 NTPGA Texas Joe Black Cup and Levy Cup teams.
