Adams builds lead at West Texas Amateur
Abilene – Will Adams builds on his lead in the second round finishing with a seven-under 64. Chris Hartenstein leads the Senior Division at 4-under, while Mike Peck leads the Super Senior Division at 3-under.
Leaders: Will Adams maintains his lead in the Championship Division after his seven-under-par 64 on Saturday. He grows his lead after finishing bogey free in round two, carding three birdies on the front nine and four on the back nine. Adams heads into the final round fifteen-under-par with an eight stroke lead on the next closest competitor. Adams, a product of West Texas playing for Odessa College in 2021 is looking to claim his first victory in the West Texas Amateur and his first TGA victory since the North Amateur in 2019. Chris Hartenstein of Austin is leading the Senior division by one stroke heading into the final round. Hartenstein fought for every hole in the second round today, putting up four birdies to finish with a one-over-par 72, Hartenstein is seeking his first West Texas Amateur Senior Division win. Mike Peck of Irving showed off his toughness and worked his way into the lead heading into the final round. Finishing with 68, Peck carded four birdies to only one bogey and went bogey-free on the back nine to claim the lead after 36 holes. Peck is in a familiar position as he held the 36 hole lead in 2022 before going on to win the Super Senior Division at Odessa Country Club (Old Course) last year.
In Contention: Trailing Adams in the Championship Division is Colt Tenpenny at seven-under-par. Scott Roden of Dallas is in third at six-under-par. Wheelers Gatlin Goad, San Antonios Patrick Kahanek, Celinas Rob Couture, and Snyders Jake Leatherwood share fourth place at five-under-par.
In the Senior Division, Kelly Eng of Austin and Mike Booker of Houston are tied for second at three-under-par. Booker and Kelly are the past two champions of the West Texas Amateur Senior Division and both look to take home the title again. Rick Houston of Midland and Ron Byrd of The Woodlands are tied for fourth at two-under-par.
In the Super Senior Division, Mansfield’s Doug Hopton-Jones trails Peck at two under, while Lee Sandlin of Dallas sits in third at even-par. Super Senior Division 18 hole leader Bobby J Haney of New Braunfels heads into the final round in fourth at one-over-par.
Golf Course: An 18-hole championship golf course developed by Lytle Creek Golf Links, a company headed by Abilene resident and 1971 Masters Champion Charles Coody. Mr. Coody, Williams, Gill, and Associates designed the par 71, 7,000-yard course, which opened in November of 1999 and features bent-grass greens and hybrid Bermuda grass fairways, roughs, and tees. Lytle Creek runs throughout the site and comes into play on seven of the holes. Additional lakes were also built on the site. Naturally occurring rock outcroppings on the site and native vegetation in the rough provide the course with unique character.
Weather: Temperatures started in the low 80s in the morning. Temperatures rose to the high 90s in the afternoon with some light humidity. There was a calm breeze around 5-10 miles per hour throughout the day with cloud cover moving in and out of Abilene.
Tournament History: The West Texas Amateur is a 144-player tournament across three divisions. This Regional Event is open to all residents of Texas and has boasted some amazing past champions such as Charles Coody, Billy Maxwell, Bob Estes, and Alex Moon. This year’s event saw more than 300 signups.
TGA Regional Series: The TGA Regional Series is made up of four events for each region of North and South Texas. There is a Regional Four-Ball, Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur, and Amateur for both the North and South. The West Texas Amateur also serves as an event in the Regional Series and is open to any players in the state of Texas that meet eligibility.
What’s Next: The Divisions were all cut in half following the second round and the Final Round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees. The Championship Division will tee off No. 1, while the Super Senior and Senior Divisions will tee off the No. 10 tee. A champion will be crowned on Sunday and cement his legacy in West Texas Amateur history.
For more information on the West Texas Amateur, click here.