Cristea wins Harvey Penick Invitational
with Tournament Director Rod Harris
AUSTIN, Texas (Oct. 10, 2010) -- Nicholas Cristea got the last laugh Sunday on the final day of the Harvey Penick Invitational at Austin Country Club.
Cristea's fellow competitors teased him all week about his youthful looks and jokingly questioned if he actually met the tournament minimum age requirement of 25. He turned 25 earlier this year.
Cristea did not need to say a word in defense of his youth as his game did all the talking for him on the way to a four-stroke victory. Cristea's final round of 2-over 74 gave him a winning 54-hole total of even par 216.
Chris Schmidt finished second at 220. Former Penick champion Michael Cooper posted the best score Sunday with a 2-under 70 to tie for third at 221 with Mark Healer.
Cristea made par on the first seven holes Sunday, and after making birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, he enjoyed a five-stroke lead making the turn. Cristea admitted that he played somewhat tentatively on the back nine with the big lead, and that probably led to bogies on Nos. 12 and 16 and a double bogey on No. 14.
However, nobody else within striking distance was making a move, and Cristea's lead was never less than four strokes.
"Actually I struggled a little bit on the front nine and had to make a couple of putts to save par early," said Cristea, a former All-American at St. Edward's. "Then I had a short birdie at eight and a 20-footer for birdie on nine. I wasn't exactly sure how everybody else stood, but I felt like I probably had a pretty good lead.
"I made a couple of more good putts to save par on the back but then had some bad holes," Cristea added. "But these greens are so fast it can get away from you pretty fast."
Larry Nunez shot a final-round 76 to win the senior division with a 2-over par 218 total. Jarratt Jones posted the low senior round Sunday with a 2-under 70 to finish second at 220.
ABOUT THE Harvey Penick Invitational
54-hole stroke play invitational that has
quickly become one of the premier
amateur
events in the region. Mid-Am and Senior
Divisions.
The tournament honors the late Harvey
Penick,
the renowned golf teacher who had an
82-year
association with Austin Country Club.
Penick, a
Texas native, began his career at the age
of
eight as a caddy at Austin Country Club,
became the assistant pro there at
thirteen,
and was elevated to head professional in
1923
upon graduation from high school. In 1971
he
was named Professional Emeritus when
his son,
Tinsley, succeeded him as Head
Professional.
Harvey Penick taught golf for seven
decades
and coached the University of Texas golf
team
for 33 years. Among those whom he
taught to
"take dead aim" were Ed White, Betty
Jameson, Morris Williams Jr., Betsy Rawls,
Mickey Wright, Kathy Whitworth, Tom Kite,
Ben Crenshaw, and Sandra Palmer.
Visit www.harveypenickinvitational.com for complete
tournament information.
View Complete Tournament Information