Adams leads at 95th West Texas Amateur
Will Adams leads the Championship Division of the 95th West Texas Amateur after shooting 8-under 63 at Diamondback National Golf Club. Mike Booker and Chris Hartenstein are tied for the lead in the Senior Division at 5-under 66, while Bobby Haney Jr. leads the Super Senior Division at 5-under 66.
Leaders: Will Adams of Odessa made eight birdies and one eagle in route to his 8-under 63 on Friday. Adams started with five straight birdies before making an eagle on Hole 6 Par 5 to start his morning. After falling a few shots after, he showed his toughness by gaining three more birdies to finish the day. Mike Booker of Houston and Chris Hartenstein of Austin are tied for the lead at 5-under in the Senior Division. Booker went bogey-free on the back nine to show how comfortable he is on the course. Booker is familiar with winning this event as he took home the West Texas Amateur Senior Division Championship in 2021. Hartenstein went bogey-free on the front nine to put him in a great spot heading to the back nine where he finished tied with Booker. In the Super Senior Division, Bobby Haney of New Braunfels fired a 5-under 66 to close out round one. Bobby had six birdies in an outstanding round.
In Contention: Trailing Adams in the Championship Division are Colt Tenpenny of Fulshear, Rob Couture of Celina, Gatlin Goad of Wheeler, and Andrew Tan of Austin. Tenpenny got off to a steady start on the front nine before firing off 5 birdies on the back nine to end his day. Couture started off fast with 3 birdies in his first seven holes and finished with three more birdies on his back nine. Andrew Tan showed off his patience and waited for the right holes to attack by going bogey-free through his first 17 holes including 5 birdies. Andrew Grice, Davis Seybert, Aston Castillo, Patrick Kahanek, and Ethan Parker are all tied for sixth at 3-under chasing the leaders.
In the Senior Division, Ron Byrd of The Woodlands follows in third with a 3-under 68. Jeff Bellnap of Kingwood finishes the first round in fourth with a two-under 69, and David Leiss of Houston finished the first round with a one-under 70. Terrence Miskell, Mike Cotter, John Pierce, Lewis Stephenson, and Vern Spurlock all finish day one tied for sixth at even-par 71.
In the Super Senior Division Bobby Smith of Wichita Falls finished with a 2-under 69. Lee Sandlin of Dallas and Gary Tully of Woodway find themselves tied for third with a 70. Mike Peck of Irving and Lelan Chiles of Granbury are tied for fifth at even-par 71.
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 and crept up to the low 100s in the afternoon. There was a calm breeze around 10 miles per hour in the morning before slowing down in the afternoon with a clear sky over 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 North and South Regional Amateurs are set for August 4-6. The North Amateur will be played at Thorntree Golf Club in Desoto, TX. The South Amateur will take place at The Wilderness Golf Club in Lake Jackson, TX.
For more information on the West Texas Amateur, click here.