MONTGOMERY, TX (October 2, 2009)--A third straight day of perfect weather greeted the players at Woodforest Golf Club in Montgomery. Twenty-three teams began the week in hopes to become the 2009 State Senior Four-Ball Champion, but in the end it was the duo of Robert McKinney and Chip Stewart overcoming a four shot deficit to start the day to take the title by one stroke over Tom Doughtie and Bill Caveness and Kenneth Leasley and Dee Johnston.
After two rounds this week, Stewart and McKinney found themselves staring at a four shot deficit playing two groups behind the leaders, Tom Doughtie and Bill Caveness. But a strong start by Stewart who birdied three of the first four holes got the pair to within one stroke of the lead at the turn as Doughtie and Caveness weren’t able to get anything going on the front carding 8 pars and a bogey. Stewart and McKinney were able to add three more birdies on back nine to give them the low round for the day for a 6-under par, 65. Doughtie and Caveness bounced back with two birdies on the back, but in the end, it was only good enough for a tie for second place at 13-under for the championship with Kenneth Leasley and Dee Johnston giving Stewart and McKinney the victory with a three day total of 14-under par, 199.
This is Stewart’s third Senior Four Ball title in seven years, but his first playing with McKinney. Individually, they put together a pretty prolific resume of tournament golf in Texas. Stewart has won the Texas Amateur in 1992 and 1998, the Mid-Am Match Play Championship in 2001 and the Senior Four Ball Championship in 2003 and 2005 while McKinney has won the State Four Ball in 1988, the Texas Amateur in 1999 and the Mid-Amateur in 1996. It only made sense that they would be the team to beat this week.
The Super Senior Division finished with no surprises either as the team from Georgetown, Don Grider and Don Neff finished with a nine shot victory over the next closest team of Carey Schulten and Tom Mattox. Grider, who had an eighth place finish this year in the Super Senior Division at the State Senior Championship paired up with Neff to post a 71, 72, and 73 for a three day total of 3-over par, 216, which is pretty respectable as they played the same from the same yardage (6,543 yards).
The Texas Golf Association would like to extend a whole-hearted thank you to the staff of Woodforest Golf Club. Their support of the Texas Golf Association this year has been second to none as Tom Martty and his staff have provided some of the best tournament experiences both on the course and in the clubhouse. Woodforest is definitely a diamond in the rough in the Houston Area that anyone who has the chance should come out and experience.
