Temple Cup: Brotherly love for Healers

24 Aug 2008
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LUFKIN, Texas (August 24, 2008) -- Brothers Mike and Mark Healer held off a final-round charge from Reggie Howell and Darin Newhouse to win the 29th annual Temple Cup by two shots at Lufkin's Crown Colony Country Club on Sunday.

Mark Healer was part of the 2007 winning team with Woody Englander, but this time took the win with his brother Mike.

"He's got little kids so he doesn't get to get out as much as play with me in tournaments like this, so this was fun for us," Mark Healer said. "We enjoy the opportunity to play together."

The Healers entered the final round with a one-shot lead over Howell and Newhouse. Both teams birdied the par-5 first hole, but the Healers birdied three more on the front nine to make the turn at 4-under for the day and 16-under par for the tournament. Newhouse birdied the par-4 No. 5 to go to 2-under, but that's where they stayed through the front nine, trailing by three shots at the turn.

No other teams were making a run at the lead.

On the par-4 11th, Mark Healer dropped his ball marker on his ball on the green, causing it to move and took a one-stroke penalty. Mike was short of the green in two on the hole, but got up-and-down for par. Howell birdied the hole to pull him and Newhouse within two at 14-under.

Mark Healer lost a ball on his second shot on the par-5 13th and Mike missed a birdie putt, while Newhouse birdied to cut the deficit to one.

Newhouse and Howell ran into trouble on the par-3 14th with both missing the green on their tee shots. Both left chip shots short of the green and a bogey on the hole dropped them two shots back.

Both teams birdied the par-5 No. 16, with Howell, Newhouse and Mark Healer each missing seemingly makeable eagle putts. That left the Healers at 17-under and Howell and Newhouse at 15-under.

Howell and Newhouse bogeyed the par-3 17th, and Mike Healer, after leaving his birdie putt a good distance short, holed a downhill putt for par to stretch the lead to three going into No. 18.

The Healers parred the 18th and Newhouse birdied to give his team sole possession of second place.

"We got within one then lost ground on some key holes down the stretch," Newhouse said.

"We had a chance to get a shot back at 16, but missed eagle putts and then the bogey at 17 ended our chances," Howell added. "This is a quality field out here and there's players from all around the state. That, along with the history of the tournament, makes this a special place to play."

The Healers were quick to give credit to each other for their success in the tournament.

"We got to 4-under and then didn't do much until my brother's two-putt birdie on 16," Mike Healer said.

"My brother played great three days in a row," Mark Healer said. "He made two huge par putts today on 11 and 17 that were the key to our round."

John Pigg and Eddie Lyons, who have each three Temple Cup titles, finished third at 14-under.

Lufkin's John Kennedy and Crockett's Russell Williams finished in a three-way tie for 13th along Lufkin's Jeff Todd and Ford Cartwright at 6-under par.

Lufkin's Gary Ivins and Crockett's Brad Knox shot even par Sunday to finish the tourney at 2-under.

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story by Edwin Quarles, Lufkin Daily News

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Final results from the Temple Cup Invitational Four Ball, played at Crown Colony Country Club follow:

+/-, Scores, Player 1/Player 2

-17 68-64-67 Mark Healer/Mike Healer

-15 68-65-68 Reggie Howell/Darin Newhouse

-14 68-67-67 Eddie Lyons/John Pigg

-13 67-68-68 Rob Couture/Dru Fenimore

-13 66-68-69 Steve Galko/Mark Motes

-11 66-69-70 Mike Rice/Jerry Hudgins

-11 66-68-71 Les Ledingham/Kevin McKelvy

-9 68-69-70 Ben Hargis/Trey Coker

-9 67-71-69 Glynn Johnson/Trey Wilkinson

-9 65-70-72 Jerry Searls/Jeff Howes

-7 69-67-73 Shawn Dinwiddie/Brian Anderson