Lewis Stephenson goes wire-to-wire at Carlton Woods Senior Invitational
5/5/2016 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: View results for Carlton Woods Senior Invitational, The Club at Carlton Woods
In wire-to-wire fashion Lewis Stephenson has won his first Carlton Woods Senior Invitational by three-strokes
THE WOODLANDS, TX (May 5, 2016) - In wire-to-wire fashion Lewis Stephenson has won his first Carlton Woods Senior Invitational. Stephenson finished with a 54-hole 4-under tally at the Club at Carlton Woods Fazio Course.
Stephenson put together rounds of 69-70-73 on his way to a three shot victory over Mike Peck (Irving, TX), Michael Mercier (Rochester, NY) and Carlton Woods club member Mike Booker (The Woodlands, TX). All three golfers ended tied for second and 1-under.
"I was fortunate enough to qualify for the 2014 U.S. Senior Open but as far as a win this is tops for me," Lewis Stephenson said. "I grew up a baseball player and I didn’t start playing competitive (golf) until I was about 35 when I was done coaching my kids. This is a huge win for me."
On Thursday with a two-stroke advantage to his name, Stephenson (Mansfield, TX) came storming out of the gates and quickly put the field in chase mode. After beginning the day at 5-under Stephenson birdied No's. 4, 6 and 9 to reach 8-under.
He would remain at that number until his stumbles coming in. On No. 15 Stephenson bogeyed and then he carded another on 17 before closing with a double-bogey on 18. Over the final four holes Stephenson was 4-over but he had played so spectacularly during the first 14 holes that he was still able to hold on.
"I had a (nice par) save on 16 and on 17 I hit a bit of a wayward drive shot so I didn’t try for a hero shot and I played for a bogey," explained Stephenson. "I didn’t really know Mike (Booker) had bogeyed 17 as well until we reached the 18th tee box so I was still leading by two. The six on the last hole was a cautious six because I knew where I was and where Mike was the whole time. The double-bogey looks a lot worse on paper then if you had actually seen it."
To nobodies surprise Mike Booker made the best run at Stephenson on Thursday. The three-time winner, playing alongside Stephenson, got as low as 6-under after a birdie on No. 14 before the wheels fell off.
"It was fun to go back and forth with Mike early on," Stephenson said. "I have played with Mike a bunch of times and he is a gentlemen and he is fun to play with. He is one of the guys you just enjoy to play alongside. The competition part was great too. We were both hitting great shots and complimenting each other."
The downward spiral for Booker began with bogeys on 16 and 17 and concluded with a triple-bogey on No. 18. The triple on the closing hole dropped Booker from 4-under and in a potential playoff to 1-under and tied for second.
In the Senior Division the 18th hole proved to be the second hardest hole on the final day. The 427 yard par-4 played to a scoring average of 4.675. On the day the hole yielded only four birdies while it issued 15 bogeys, five double-bogeys and two others.
Herb Fisher (The Woodlands, TX) completed the top-five finishing in fifth at even-par. Defending champion Lee Sandlin (Dallas, TX) was tied for 10th at 9-over.
Results: Carlton Woods Senior Invitational
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mansfield, TX | 700 | 69-70-73=212 | |
| T2 | Irving, TX | 400 | 72-73-70=215 | |
| T2 | Juno Beach, FL | 400 | 73-70-72=215 | |
| T2 | Houston, TX | 400 | 70-71-74=215 | |
| 5 | Tomball, TX | 300 | 72-78-66=216 |
About the Carlton Woods Senior Invitational
A 54-hole stroke play golf tournament played at The Club at Carlton Woods in the beautiful Houston community of The Woodlands, where golf is one of the top activities. Entry into the Carlton Woods Invitational is strictly by invitation from the Tourn...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage LIVE SCORING
Dec 4, 2025Full 2025 LPGA Q-School (Q-Series) schedule, results, and leaderboard updates
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Playing with the Stewart Golf Q Follow: Full Hands-Free Cart Review
Nov 18, 2025Can a hands-free electric cart actually improve your round? I put the Stewart Q Follow to the test over 9 holes to find out.
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.