Leaders DeVaughn Robinson (L) and Craig Lurie (R)
HOUSTON, TX (April 8, 2018) - "Weather" was the word describing the Third Round of the 51st Champions Cup Invitational. The northern cold front came in and the scores went up during the third round as northly winds whipped the 7,400-yard Cypress Creek course at 35 mph and the temperatures dropped into the low 50’s making the wind chill 45 degrees in Houston.
Players were bundled as if playing in October in Northern Ireland for the day.
The average team score for day three was 74.79, compared to day two at 69.45, and day one of 70.03, over the par 71 championship layout Champions Golf Club Cypress Creek course, which has
hosted the Ryder Cup, US Open and multiple other national PGA and national championships
over Champions 61 year history.
Second round leaders Craig Lurie / DeVaughn Robinson, from Houston, Texas continued their
stellar play and course management in carding a solid three under par 68, taking them to a two-
shot lead at the 54-hole point of the Cup Invitational with a three-round total of 200, 13 under
par. Their course management skills in the difficult weather conditions allowed them to avoid
the multiple disasters that were encountered by many teams in the field.
The Houston team of Gary & Eric Durbin closed the second-round lead by carding a steady and
meticulous 4-under par 67, which tied for low round of the day. Their 202 total, 11 under par,
puts them in the final group for Sunday’s final round and a shot to challenge the leaders head-
to-head.
Chad Harris / Roger Marcincuk, another Texas team, conquered the challenging weather
shooting a 5-under par 67 and tieing for low round of the day.
Chasing the leaders, closely behind the Durbin/Durbin 202 score, are Bart Worthing/Jason
Coffin (Texas) shooting even-par 71 for a 204 total, 9-under par; Dustin Harris/ Felipe Del Solar (Louisiana) and Scott Loving / Robert Gwin (Texas) both at a 205 54-hole total.
ROUND TWO RECAP
Craig Lurie and DeVaughn Robinson, from Houston, Texas carded a very clean, aggressive, and precise round of 5-under 66, featuring six birdies and one solo bogey, allowing them to take a one-shot lead at the 36-hole midway point of the 51st Champions Cup Invitational at the prestigious Champions Golf Club. Their six birdies were sprinkled throughout their round during their steady second round play.
The Lurie and Robinson team’s 36-hole total of 132, 10-under-par leads fifty other USA and International teams, held on the extremely challenging and difficult 7,450-yard, par 71 Cypress Creek Course at Champions.
The second round, which was played in blustery and swirling northwest winds swirling at 20-30 mph throughout the round, created havoc for the field, challenging all teams to rely on their short games and putting to survive the windy conditions.
Houston team of Bart Worthing and Jason Coffin, the first-round leaders, shot their second consecutive sub-par round for a 36-hole total of 133, 9-under-par.
Chasing the leaders at 134, 8-under-par, is the Louisiana team of Dustin Harris and Felipe Del Solar who posted a solid second-round score of 2-under 69.
Three strokes behind at 135, 7-under-par, is the Houston team of Gary and Eric Durbin. Their 1=-under score of 70, keeps them in the hunt for the top of the leaderboard going into the third round on Saturday.
Fifty-one two-man mid-am teams, from 25 states, and Canada are competing in the 2018 event. The field is loaded with top amateur golfing talent that included over 800 appearances by the competitors in various USGA national championships. Average handicaps of the 102 players is +3.1 strokes per round while the average team score for day two was 69.45, compared to day one average score of 70, just slightly under the par 71 for the course.
Jack Burke, owner of Champions and 1956 Masters and 1956 PGA Championships, advised that the Cypress Creek course is an extremely difficult test of golf and is truly testing all the players with their golf course management skills.
Burke commented, “Once the wind kicks up and starts swirling around this golf course with our abundance of tall pine trees, the golfers are really going to have to be precise with their shots or face severe consequences. And the large greens, running 13 on the stimp meter, really put a premium on solid putting.”
This 51st annual event is being held Champions Cypress Creek Course, which has hosted multiple USGA, Sectional and Texas events over the years. Included on that list include the Ryder Cup, US Open, Five Tour Championships, US Amateur, and will play host to the 2020 USGA Women’s Open.
Round Three is scheduled for Saturday with tee times beginning at 8:30am. The tournament is scheduled to complete at Champions Golf Club on Sunday afternoon.
View results for Champions Cup Invitational
ABOUT THE Champions Cup Invitational
Champions is Jack Burke's club, and the
Champions Cup is his
invitational tournament. This is a special
place, full of history and
worthy of the championships it has hosted,
which include the Ryder
Cup, U.S. Open, U.S Amateur, U.S. Mid-
Amateur and multiple Tour
Championships. The Champions Cup is a 72-hole
four-ball event with
no cut. It is a very popular tournament that
attracts a very strong,
competitive national field. To be considered
for entry, players must
maintain a maximum USGA handicap of 3, be
at least 25 years old
and submit playing accomplishments to be
considered. Walking is
required but long pants are no longer
mandatory. Contestants are
urged to stay at the homes of Champions
members (at no cost), but
can arrange their own accommodations if
desiring to do so. The tournament formerly
required both contestants
to be from the same state but has since
waived that requirement.
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