Familiar Faces Atop 43rd Father-Son Leaderboard
BOERNE – The cream started rising to the top Saturday at the 43rd Texas Father-Son Championship, as the two most decorated duos in the 80-team event worked their way to the top of the leaderboard at Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort. Matt and Will Griffin from San Antonio hold the Championship Division lead at 17-under-par 127 through 36 holes. Three shots back in a three-way tie for second place at 14-under 130 are Amarillo’s Derick and Kyle Kelting.
Between them, the two teams have six Texas Father-Son victories.
The Griffins first won the popular, 54-hole championship 2011. Then they went back-to-back in 2019-20. On Saturday at Tapatio Springs, they went bogey-free with eight birdies to shoot 8-under 64.
“This event seems to get better as our family gets bigger,” said Matt Griffin. “It’s just fun to see it brings out good golf from both of us.”
The Keltings, meanwhile, are the three-time defending champions. They also made it around Tapatio Springs without a bogey on Saturday. The talented team combined for five birdies, and Kyle poured in an eagle on the par-5 first hole. It added up to a second straight 7-under 65 and a share of second place.
LEADERBOARD CHECK: The Keltings are tied for second at 14-under 130 with Allen and Ryne Carter from Dallas, as well as with Austin’s Brian and Wick Comegys.
After a career-best score of 11-under 61 in Friday’s first round, Ryne Carter rolled in six birdies on Saturday to shoot 2-under 70 on his own ball. He combined with his dad Allen to post 3-under 69.
Brian Comegys, a former Legends Junior Tour standout, eased in four birdies and an eagle to combine with his dad, Wick, for a 6-under 66. Wick added two birdies and an eagle of his own.
Tied for fifth place at 13-under 131 are San Antonio’s Dave and Tom Moore and Hunter and Randy Rawls from Midland and Lubbock. The Moores shot 7-under 65 in the second round; The Rawls team came in with 4-under 68. Both teams will start Sunday’s final round four shots back of the Griffins.
Complete scoring | Final Round pairings
NET FLIGHTS UPDATE:
Hogan Flight – Nick and Charles Archer blitzed Tapatio Springs on Saturday with an 11-under 61 to stake an eight-shot lead with 18 holes to play. Charles rolled in six natural birdies and made a birdie-net-eagle for good measure. His son Nick added five more birdies of his own to get their team score to 17-under 127 overall.
“It’s not about a trophy, it’s about the three days you get to spend with your son,” Charles said. “We’re having an absolute blast.”
Flower Mound’s Randy Mattingley and Trey Rowe from Argyle got to 9-under 135 overall with a 3-under 69 on Saturday. Rowe dropped a pair of natural birdies, while his dad Mattingley recorded three net birdies.
Third place belongs to Tim and T.J. Bowe, respectively from Gunter and Frisco, at 7-under 137. They combined to shoot 4-under 68 in the second round.
Nelson Flight – Rockwall’s Marc and Mason Nelson lead their namesake flight at 11-under 133 overall. The Nelsons combined to for a 6-under 66, which included a natural eagle, a net eagle, two natural birdies, and a pair of net birdies.
Connor and Kevin Cartledge from Harlingen are tied for second place with Richard and Michael Baker from Houston and Katy. Both teams are 7-under 137 through 36 holes.
Crenshaw Flight – Chad and Thomas Hampton from Cypress and College Station lead their flight at 12-under 132 overall after a 7-under 65 on Saturday. Chad had a natural eagle, two natural birdies, and three more net birdies. Thomas added a pair of net birdies to help give them a six-shot lead through 36 holes.
Chris and Jeff Mudd from Houston and Fulshear hold second place at 6-under 138. They improved quite a bit from their Round 1 performance with a combined effort of 5-under 67 on Saturday. Chip and Mike Block from Houston and Kingwood own third place at 5-under 139. They combined for two natural birdies and three net birdies.
Kite Flight – David Cash and his son David Cash Jr. are on the verge of their third Father-Son Kite Flight victory. After a 6-under 66 in the first round, the Team Cash posted 3-under 69 on Saturday to get them to 9-under 135, good for a five-shot lead.
“We started out birdie-birdie, so that was fun,” said Cash Sr., who teamed with his son to win this flight in 2016 and ’17. “It was a grind after that, but we had a great time, as always. We love the courses you pick for this event.”
Broun and George Stacy, respectively from Houston and Dallas, shot the round of the day in the Kite Flight with an 8-under 64. They’re in second place at 4-under 140. Together, the made three natural birdies and four net birdies.
Russell and George Rozell from Austin and Dickinson are tied for third place at 3-under 141 with Zach and Preston Harvey from Dallas. Preston, the youngest competitor in the field at age 9, made three net birdies to help his dad Zach shoot 1-over 73.
WEATHER: Tapatio Springs dialed up another chamber of commerce morning for Saturday’s second round. Partly cloudy skies with a light breeze and temperatures in the mid-70s greeted players who went out early. It heated up a bit in the afternoon with lots of sun and temperatures rising into the mid-90s. The wind stayed in the 10-15 mph range with occasional gusts of up to 25 mph.
GOLF COURSE: Nestled in a picturesque valley about 30 miles northwest of downtown San Antonio, Tapatio Springs opened in 1981 with a course originally designed by Bill Johnston. In 2015, Tripp Davis & Associates completed a wide-ranging renovation that included reshaped and rebuilt fairways, bunkers, tee boxes, and green complexes. Both challenging and fun, it’s a quintessential Hill Country-style course with plenty of elevation changes and a few blind shots.
With a variety of long and shorter holes, as well as the numerous water features sprinkled throughout the routing, Tapatio Springs Resort will serve as a quality test of skill for all the participants. This is the first time Tapatio Springs has welcomed the Father-Son since back-to-back years in 1984-85.
FORMAT: The Championship Flight consists of the 40 teams with the lowest combined handicap indexes. The Championship Flight plays four-ball stroke play for the first two rounds. After 36 holes, the low 20 teams (and ties) continue on in the Championship Flight and play combined individual stroke play in the final round. Each Championship Flight team’s three-day total is their overall score for the championship. Teams not making the 36-hole cut in the Championship Flight will compete in the Presidents Flight and play a third and final round of four-ball stroke play. The format for all other flights is 54-hole net four-ball stroke play.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This is the 43rd annual playing of the Texas Father-Son Championship. Kyle and Derick Kelting from Amarillo have won the popular championship in each of the past three years. It they’re able win for a fourth straight time, they’d move into a tie for the all-time most consecutive victories with another Amarillo duo, Tom and Will Doughtie. The Doughties won the Father-Son four times in a row from 2001-04. Last summer, the Keltings rallied from two strokes back in the final round to score the threepeat at Wichita Falls Country Club with a three-day total of 10-under-par 274.
NEXT UP: The final round begins Sunday at 7:30 a.m. at Tapatio Springs Resort. For more information, including complete scoring, click here.