West Texas Amateur: Mark Jones, Jr. wins it
2015 West Texas Am winner Mark Jones, Jr. (TXGA photo)
ODESSA, Texas — Having a goal set in his mind
before the tournament began, Mark Jones Jr.
understood what it would take for him to win the
87th West Texas Amateur. With a target score of
8-under-par for three rounds, he wasn’t too far
off.
Holding the solo lead after 36 holes, the Odessa
product picked up right where he left off
yesterday by making five birdies throughout the
day with his only bogey coming on his 54th and
final hole. Finishing the day with an exceptional
4-under-par 68, 9-under-par 207 for the
tournament, Jones Jr. claimed a three shot lead
and the victory, finally accomplishing a one of
his biggest goals: winning the West Texas
Amateur. The fact that it was at his home course
just happened to be the icing on the proverbial
cake.
“It really means a lot,” said the humble Jones, “I
mean the event, this field, there’s just a lot of
great players out here. I’ve wanted to win this
event for a while and having it at your home
course just really helps take the pressure off. I
had a lot of fun.”
Cory Churchman of Abilene finished three
strokes back in solo second at 6-under 210,
while Jones’ fellow Odessa native and close
friend Micah Rodgers finished third at 5-under
211.
Hailing from Dallas, Chuck Palmer managed to
come from behind to win the Senior Division in
impressive fashion after opening Friday with a 7-
over round of 79. After an incredible bounce
back 5-under 67 yesterday, Palmer was still five
shots behind second round leader John McClure
of Austin heading into today’s Final Round. It was
clear that he found what he needed to make his
move. Firing on all cylinders, Palmer shot a
bogey-free 4-under 68 to take the lead.
McClure wound up finishing two shots back in a
tie for second with Arlington’s Jim Quinn at even
par 216, while Jerry Hudgins of Tyler finished in
solo fourth at 1-over.
Houston’s Chris Larsen rounded out his weekend
with a 3-over-par 75 and completed his
impressive wire-to-wire, ten shot victory in the
Super Senior Division. With a tournament total
of 9-over 225, he was too far out of reach. Sam
Boyd of Horseshoe Bay held on to solo second
finishing at 20-over, while Dan Mask Sr. was
third at 21-over.
View results for West Texas Amateur
ABOUT THE West Texas Amateur
Eligibility: Entries are open to male amateur golfers
who reside in either region (North/South) of the
state of Texas.
Applicants must have a certified GHIN Handicap
Index of 10.0 or less. Senior division players must be
55 years of
age as of the first round of tournament play. Super
Senior players must be 65 years of age as of the first
round of
tournament play.
Format/Field Size and Cut: The championship will be
contested over 54 holes of stroke play with three (3)
divisions;
Championship, Senior and Super Senior. Each
division will play from separate tees/yardages and
separate
champions will be recognized in each division.
At the conclusion of 36 holes the field will be cut to
the low 72 players (and ties), with a pro-rated
representation
from each division. The pro-rated allocation of
players making the cut from each division will be
reflective of the
number of players in each division, relative to the
total field size. The determination of total field size,
number of
players in each division and pro-rated representation
of players making the cut (before ties) will be
announced in
conjunction with pairings being posted.
The field is limited to 144, as outlined below:
Championship: Open (84 players)
Senior: 55 & Over (42
players)
Super Senior: 65 & Over (18 players)
View Complete Tournament Information