Maridoe Invitational winner Scottie Scheffler (Maridoe GC photo)
For players missing their frequent checks of the PGA Tour and Collegiate/Amateur leaderboards (we hope you
do so on AmateurGolf.com) there was a live leaderboard this week from Texas.
There was lots of rust to be shaken off this week at Maridoe Golf Club, as a solid contingency of local pros and amateurs gathered to raise money for out of work caddies. And when I say a solid contingency, keep in mind that other than Orlando, Dallas has the most Tour players residing there than any other city in the U.S.
At the end, it was first-round leader
Scottie Scheffler who finished on top, continuing right where he left off after being named Korn Ferry Tour POY in 2019 and posting a T7 at Greenbrier on the PGA Tour. Scheffler closed with a bogey-free 67 at Maridoe Golf Club to win by a shot over
Will Zalatoris, who closed with 65. Our favorite Norwegian golfer, (and AmateurGolf alum)
Viktor Hovland made a nice run after starting the tournament with a 75. The 2018 U.S. Amateur champion and rookie PGA Tour winner's final round was ten shots better than his rust-worthy opener.
It's certainly nice to see Zalatoris -- the former Wake Forest and amateur standout -- continuing the form that saw him make 5-for-5 cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour before the season was paused.
Top-ranked amateurs did their part as well, with Texas golfer
Travis Vick and Oklahoma State's
Austin Eckroat playing well, especially considering the stress of having their NCAA seasons cancelled and having to do e-learning to finish the school year.
Vick, who shared the 36-hole lead with Scheffler at 4-under 140, posted 74 today to finish 6th at 2-under 212 while Eckroat tied fourth with Harry Higgs at 4-under on the heals of a solid 70 today.
Tony Romo was in the field (he finished T37 at 20-over), as was
Jordan Spieth. You won't see Spieth (a member of Maridoe) on the leaderboard because previous commitments caused him to miss the first two rounds. He played as a marker today with Romo, and even scored an ace -- sort of.
On the the 110-yard, par-3 17th hole, Spieth flew his sand wedge tee shot into the plastic spacer placed inside of the cup for social distancing.
"We were playing a little two-on-two match and my partner was already on the green, about 12 feet, so I said, 'I may as well go right at it, right?'" said Spieth, "It never left the stick and I knew it was going to land somewhere around the hole and sure enough it landed in the hole."
After hitting the spacer on the fly and making a loud clank, Spieth’s ball ricocheted back into the water hazard (I still can't call it a penalty area).
Even though Romo said it would be a double-bogey in their match, Spieth said he was going to count it since he's been shut out of aces for a while. "In a 6-feet-apart way, drinks are on me."
We love seeing any golf get played right now, and will be watching champion Scottie Scheffler closely when the Tour returns to competition in June in Ft. Worth, Texas.
View results for Maridoe Invitational
ABOUT THE Maridoe Invitational
Charity tournament with pros and amateurs to benefit
out of work caddies. Elite flight with pros and top
amateurs; gross flight as well.
View Complete Tournament Information