DALLAS, TX (October 13, 2006)--The fourth annual Texas Shoot Out, conducted by the Texas Golf Association, will be played from October 28-29 at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas. The season-ending “Ryder Cup-style” competition, in which the top eight players from North Texas take on their counterparts from South Texas, is by invitation only and has quickly become one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the TGA schedule.

Players earn their way onto their respective teams by accumulating points throughout the year in designated TGA regional tournaments and statewide championships, as well as USGA national championships. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel – with Salado, Texas, being the dividing line.

Representing the North team, listed in alphabetical order with hometown in parenthesis: John Bearrie (Arlington), Alan Clark (Ennis), Rob Couture (Dallas), Dan Dunkelberg (Fort Worth), Dru Fenimore (Dallas), David Leachman (Dallas), John McClure (Dallas), and Darin Newhouse (Flint). Ryan Finn, Director of Rules and Competitions for the TGA, will serve as Captain for the North Team.

Those playing for the South are: John Dowdall (Houston), Kip Guidry (Missouri City), Alan Hill (Spring Branch), Randy Lance (Conroe), David Leiss (Houston), Jonathan Mathias (San Antonio), John Pierce (San Antonio), and Ron Schroeder (Montgomery). Jeff Morton, Regional Director for the TGA, is the Captain for the South Team.

Of the eight players selected from each region, five (5) come from the TGA Statewide Player of the Year point standings, and three (3) from the TGA Regional Player of the Year point standings. If a player qualifies by both criteria, he will be selected based on the higher rank, and the next highest ranked player from within the Regional or Statewide points list will be added to ensure that five players from the statewide rankings and three players from the Regional rankings will be on the team.

Format for the Shoot Out is match play, including foursomes (two-man teams in alternate shot), fourball (two-man teams in better ball) and singles. Sixteen matches will be played over the two days of competition. Each match is worth 3 points – 1 point for front nine, back nine, and total – making for a total of 48 available points. The first team to accumulate 24½ points is the winner.

The North team will be the defending champion as they pulled off a come from behind victory last year at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. The South leads the series 2-1.

Whispering Pines, a Jack Nicklaus design, hosted the Texas Shoot Out in 2004 and will be the site of the 2007 Texas State Amateur. Ranked as the No.1 course in the state by Texas Golf 2006, an annual publication of the Dallas Morning News, Whispering Pines is also home to The Spirit International Amateur Championship, a biennial event featuring the world’s best amateur men and amateur women golfers, who represent their respective country in team and individual competitions.

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