Two Teams Lead After Round One of the Talley Riggins Construction Group | Boxto Pro-Pro Championship
Gilbert Freeman, PGA Life Member hits an approach shot from #9 fairway at Southern Trace Country Club.
SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (March 18) – Two teams are tied at the top of the Open Division leaderboard after round one of the Talley Riggins Construction Group | Boxto Pro-Pro Championship.The Championship is the second of four team events on the Northern Texas PGA tournament schedule this year.
Gabe Reynolds, PGA director of instruction at Topgolf - Dallas and Nic Ishee, PGA assistant professional at Preston Trail Golf Club are tied with J.J. Henry, PGA and Chris Brown, PGA. Both teams fired 5-under-par, 67.
Gusty winds and firm greens proved to be a test for the field today. “Firm greens and windy conditions are all you need to make a golf course hard,” said Reynolds before adding that both partners “love the golf course and we both played a really solid round today.”
This is the fifth straight year that Ishee and Reynolds have partnered together and have not finished lower than tied for 11th place in the championship including a second place finish last year after a playoff loss.
“We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re hitting it better than last year. We’re going to try and get it in the hole before everyone else does,” said Ishee.
13 other teams in the Open Division are within four strokes of the lead heading into tomorrow’s final round.
The championship is being conducted at Southern Trace Country Club and features a full field of 60, two-person teams competing in a Four-Ball Stroke Play format for a share of the $39,000 overall purse.
14 of the 60 teams are competing in the Senior Division (professionals ages 50 and older) for a separate title and purse of $9,000. Rafael Floriani, PGA education faculty member at the PGA of America and Gilbert Freeman, PGA Life Member lead the way by two strokes at 2-under-par after an opening round 34-36–70.
The highlight of the round for the leading duo was on the par-3 fourth hole when Floriani chipped in for birdie. “It was just a perfect chip,” said Freeman, before Floriani added “I landed it right where I wanted to and it rolled in.”
The Talley Riggins Construction Group | Boxto Pro-Pro Championship is presented by Adventures In Golf, Callaway Golf, E-Z-GO, Golf Scorecards Inc., Jim Quinn Finer Golf Products, Lorente Golf, and THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. The final round will begin with a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start on Tuesday morning, with the leaders in the Open Division teeing off on #1.
Southern Trace Country Club
Par: 36-36–72
Open Division Yardage: 7,038 yards
Senior Division Yardage 6,572 yards
View round one results
HERE
