KFDM COOP Posted November 7, 2007 Report Posted November 7, 2007 LU ex closes at 133rd on PGA Tour money list Stroud, a former Lamar University and Port Neches-Groves star, played in 25 events during the 2007 season and made nine cuts. He finished in the Top 25 five times and in the Top 10 twice (ties for sixth place in New Orleans and in the Texas Open in San Antonio).With his tie for 41st place and $14,561 in earnings in last week's season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic, Stroud improved his season total to $673,106. That left him 133rd on the PGA money list, eight slots short of earning automatic qualification for the 2008 Tour.Mathias Gronberg finished in spot No. 125 with $785,180, a plateau Stroud figures he perhaps missed by as little as two strokes."In addition to my two sixth-place ties, I missed two other Top 10s by one stroke each," said Stroud by cell phone Tuesday afternoon from his newly-bought home just off Redstone Golf Club in Houston. "If I had made those two Top 10s, I would've been much closer, if not in the Top 125." Opening rounds of 70 and 68 last week had Stroud in contention for a high finish at the halfway mark in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., but a third-round 75 doomed him - although he bounced back to close with a 69. He can regain his tour card for 2008 through the PGA Tour Qualifying School, or he'll still have conditional playing privileges based upon his Top 150 finish for 2007.Before sharpening his game for the final stage of tour qualifying that begins late in November at Orange National Club in Orlando, Fla., Stroud plans on kicking back his heels and relaxing for the next couple of weeks."I'm just hanging out at the house and enjoying spending a little time with my wife (Tiffany)," said Stroud. "Golf's not on my mind at the moment, but when the time is right, I'll work hard on my game. I'll play a few rounds with Whitey (Brian White, Lamar's golf coach) and my Lamar buddies, and I'll be good to go."I'm very happy with the way I played for my first year on the tour. I finished strong, and that's very encouraging."I still have a lot of learning to do. I have to learn the golf courses better. I have to learn how to play the pro game better. It's going to be a matter of getting my wedges a little closer, getting my chips a little closer, getting one more drive in the fairway each day, hitting one more green (in regulation) each day."To be successful at the pro game, you have to maintain your confidence and keep taking little steps. I'll get there."That's the same approach Stroud has taken since he was a gangly kid growing up while playing the "Pea Patch" (Port Groves Golf Club) not that many years ago. Short Putts Art Wornick, who celebrated his 88th birthday last month and was a P-38 pilot during World War II, made a hole-in-one Friday on No. 12 at Wildwood Golf Club. The Village Mills resident used a 5-wood for the 135-yard shot witnessed by Rusty Davis, Bill Hodgkins, Jerry Fleming and Roy Bowden.Bobby Ratcliff, Corky McDonald and Merf Kaufman joined the husband-wife duo of Josh and Fleta Youngblood in shooting a winning score of 7-under 29 in the weekly Friday Scramble at Silsbee Country Club. Bo Horka, Dwayne Ratcliff and David and CScott Meents, Butch Cross, Larry Johnson and Tom Stirling accumulated 17 points and two birdies to win the weekly Thursday Dogfight at Belle Oaks Golf Club. Bill Hatfield, Dave English, Tom Lawton and Wes McGuire were second with 14 points, while Mitch Priddy, Kyle Mehl, Calvin LaGrappe and John House were third with 13 points.Stirling fired the closest-to-the-pin shot on No. 8, and Priddy was closest on No. 15.Chad Ott won the weekly Saturday Game at Beaumont Country Club. Chris Dowdy wBill Taylor recorded a net score of 7-under 65 to win first place in the Monday Seniors at Belle Oaks play. Jack Faubion was second with a 68, while Norm Pasche and Rufus Mier tied for third at 69. Closest-to-the-pin winners were Pasche on No. 8 and Mike Hebert on No. 15.Gene Harrison was the Friday Seniors winner with a net score of 60, while Ben Fuller was second with a 62. Jim Brown and Charlie Hall tied for third at 65. Closest-to-the-pin winners were Mier on No. 8 and Norm Shannon on No. 15.Hank Harris, Tom O'Grady, Wally Stanley and Charles Huckaby had 16 points to tie for first place in the weekly Tuesday Dogfight at Bayou Din GC with the team of Jim Jordan, Larry Johnson, David English and Carl Tangredi. Ricky Bruner, David Arnaud, Gary Wagner and Dwayne Benoit were third with 15 points.Don MacNeil, Ray Kerwin, Tommy Holland and Ned Cole formed the winning team in the weekly Thursday 65 & Over Game at Babe Zaharias Memorial Golf Course. Tommy Trahan, James Bolton, John Dufour and Charlie Ingraham tied for second place with the team of Ray Trahan, Jess Evans, Jim Malcolm and John Hackbarth.Michael Arnaud shot a sizzling 5-under 65 to capture medalist honors in the weekly Sunday Game at Iron Oaks GC by a six-stroke margin over the trio of Dustin Gunstream, Dennis Hunt and J.K. Miller.In the team competition, Arnaud joined Bob Parris, Blake Burleson and Vince Oliva in shooting a two-best-balls score of 8-under 62 on the back nine, and they claimed the birdie prize with 17. Gunstream, Rocky Kennedy, David Feldschau and Chuck Perrio were the front-nine winners with a 64.Mark Lee carded a net score of 5-under 67 to win the weekly Wednesday Seniors Tournament at The Palms on Pleasure Island. Butch Strange finished second with a 69, while Ray Trahan was third at 72. Collier Nolte, Rodney Archer, Ronnie Pfleider and Rick Ewing posted a two-best-balls score of 5-under 67 to win the back-nine competition in the monthly Saturday Game at Idylwild Golf Club, and they also won the birdie prize with seven. Randy Randall, Rick Oberste, Willy McNeal, Denny Ellis and Matt Mentzel won the front nine with a 69.David LeBlanc fired the closest-to-the-pin shots on Nos. 6 and 16, while Nolte was closest on No. 4 and David Jannise on No. 14. Nolte claimed skins on Nos. 9 and 15, and the other skins winners were Rob Mayfield on No. 1, Ray Moore on No. 3, Derek Mireles on NShane Begley, Mark Petry and Clint and Butch Hancock scrambled their way to a 65 to win Saturday's Bridge City Little Dribblers Tournament at Belle Oaks GC. Team Childs - Al, Bruce, Alan and Boyd - finished second with a 68, one stroke ahead of Mark Snodgrass, Duane Strader, Steven Lazenby and Jay Williams.Closest-to-the-pin winners were Begley on No. 8 and Williams on No. 15, and Tyler Childs and Clint Landry were the long-drive winners.Chris Mercer, Tommy Braden, Doc Cowles and Francisco Herrera shot a 12-under 58 to win the weekly Saturday Scramble at Iron Oaks GC. Closest-to-the-pin winners were Tommy Thompson on No. 2, Ted Estes on No. 7, Herrera on No. 13 and Joe Fay on No. 16.Maurice Hatton, R.D. Collup, Jim Barnhart and William Green scrambled their way to a winning score of 11-under 61 in Saturday's Wildwood Men's Golf Association Tournament. Wayne Bender, Wayne Thompson, Bill Sherrod and Ed Stapleton shot a 63 for second place.Jim Davis had the closest-to-the-pin shots on Nos. 12 and 15, while Prentice Downs was closest on No. 4 and D.G. Jones on No. 8.Larry Norris, Jim Burton, Gary Wagner and Cal Irvin compiled 21 points and 10 birdies to capture first place in the weekly Wednesday Dogfight at Zaharias GC. The teams of Hilario Padia, Carl Guidry, Bob Patterson and Gerard Lane and Price Youngs, Don Nebel, Hank Harris and Cap Hollier tied for second place with 19 points each.David Jones and Bobby Ratcliff joined the husband-wife duo of Pete and Fifi Farmer in winning the weekly Sunday Scramble at Silsbee CC with a 9-under 63. James Jordan, Eddie Gore and Paul and Grace Lenard were second with a 64, and James Brown was the long-drive winner.Laverne Hanks claimed top honors in the recent 2007 Wildwood Women's Golf Association Championship Tournament, and Janet Gibson was the President's Cup winner.Peggy Rudasill topped the first flight, while Marilyn Woodrom was the net winner. Other flight winners were Shirley Daniel in the second and Jamie Lemke in the third, and other net winners were Sharon Parish (second flight) and Veniese Bordelon (third flight).Closest-to-the-pin winners were Gibson on No. 4, Woodrom on No. 8 and Rudasill on No. 15, and Lemke won the prize for the most accurate drive on No. 10.Jack Collins, Gary Horn and Mike Melvin teamed to shoot a winning score of 32 in Tuesday's Seniors Scramble at Rancho Carribe'. Closest-to-the-pin winners were Roy Karnitz on No. 3, Sonny Wong on No. 5 and Harold Pollard on No. 8.In the weekly Sunday Scramble, Emmitt Hulsey, Dave LeFlore, Pollard and Melvin took first place with a 29. Mike Van Zandt, Will Armstrong, Ray Pietramale, Howard Porteous and Karnitz were second with a 31. Closest-to-the-pin winners were Horn on No. 3, Pollard on No. 5 and Armstrong on No. 8.SOUTHEAST TEXAS SCHEDULENOV. 18: Six-Six-Six Tournament, Babe Zaharias Memorial Golf Course. Two-person teams, flighted by their lowest-handicapped player, will compete in six holes of best-ball format, six holes of alternate shots and six holes of scramble play. Cost is $10 per player (course fees excluded), and tee times begin at 11 a.m. For information, call (409) 722-8286.You may submit information for the Southeast Texas Schedule by mail to Sports Department, Beaumont Enterprise, P.O. Box 3071, Beaumont, TX 77704-3071 or by telephone to Rush Wood at (409) 880-0745.
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