DALLAS, Texas (June 27, 2010) -- The 101st playing of the Texas Amateur Championship is in the books and McKinney’s Chris Ward is the 2010 Champion. Ward did it in dominating style as his name was atop the leader board at the end of every round which included his masterful opening round 64 giving him enough breathing room for the rest of the week. Big 12 rival Jordan Russell from Texas A&M and Garrett Driver of Humble finished in a tie for second place and just didn’t have enough today to catch the Texas Tech Red Raider.

From the moment Chris Ward teed off of his first hole on Thursday he had total control. From the time he completed his first round to his final putt on his 72nd hole, his name failed to be on top of the leader board for only one hole when Bryant Lach from The Woodlands took a one stroke lead with a birdie on the par 3, 8th hole (44th hole of the event) which Ward bogeyed.

One hole later, Ward took the lead again, but this time he wouldn’t relinquish it for the rest of the championship. Ward played near flawless golf as he cruised around the 7,068 yard track making four birdies with a lone bogey to finish the day at 3-under par putting him at 14-under for the championship. Second place finishers, Jordan Russell and Garrett Driver played extremely well as Russell was able to card six birdies to just two bogeys for a final round 4-under, 67 leaving him at 9-under for the championship and Driver finished strong by birdying four of his final six holes to match Russell’s 9-under par finish tying him for second place.

Hideaway’s Stetson McMillan finished with an impressive 4-under par, 67 to take fourth place outright while Clark Mitzner of Houston, Christopher Brown of Garland, and Bryant Lach of The Woodlands finished in a tie for fifth place. Congratulations once again to Chris Ward for becoming the 2010 Texas Amateur Champion. Congratulations also goes to the top twenty finishers and ties (2-over par for the championship) as they will receive an exemption into the 2011 Texas Amateur Championship to be held at Austin Country Club. Included in that list will be this year’s host club Royal Oaks members Brad Mason and fourteen year old Scottie Scheffler who played strong over the weekend to finish the championship at even par.

The Texas Golf Association would like to express its sincerest gratitude to the membership and staff of Royal Oaks Country Club. The course was in excellent condition and provided nothing less than a top level challenge for the finest golfers in the state of Texas.

“The Championship Of Texas For Men”
One of the initial charges of the Texas Golf Association, as laid out by the founders, was “to conduct an annual tournament for the membership to decide the championship of Texas for men.” This year marks the 101st playing of Texas Amateur, making it one of the oldest state championships in the nation. It was first contested in April 1906 at Dallas Country Club and has been held every year since except 1918, when it was temporarily suspended because of World War I, and 1943-45, when it was suspended because of World War II.

Over a dozen current PGA Tour and Champions Tour players won the Texas Amateur before moving on to the professional ranks including Mark Brooks, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw (shown right), Bob Estes, Marty Fleckman, Bruce Lietzke, Don Massengale, Earl Stewart, Jr. and Scott Verplank. 2010

H.L. EDWARDS MEMORIAL TROPHY – The winner of the Texas Amateur receives custody of the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy, named in honor of Harry Lee Edwards, the “Father of Golf in Texas.” Edwards earned the nickname because he helped to establish the TGA in February of 1906, served as its first president and won the inaugural Amateur Championship. Additionally, Edwards was also a founding member of Dallas CC and Brook Hollow GC.