Temple Cup Senior: A Race to the Finish

4/8/2006 | by

Lufkin, TX

Mike Rice and Steve Earsley close with a 68 to hold off four-time champions Larry Thomas and Chip Stewart by a single shot

LUFKIN, TX (April 8, 2006)--A shootout turned into a two horse race on Saturday at the Temple Cup Senior, and at the wire it was the team of Mike Rice and Steve Earsley who held off Larry Thomas and Chip Stewart by a single shot in the two-man best ball format at Crown Colony Country Club.

The two teams, paired together in the final round, raced ahead of the field, with Rice/Earsley closing with a 4-under 68 for a 202 (-14) total, and Thomas/Stewart posting the low final round at 5-under 67 to finish at 203. William Sumner and Gary Kirwan shot 71 to finish an impressive but distant third at 208.

For Earsley, this was the second tournament win of the week. He was also a playoff winner of the Palm Beach Senior Classic in Florida on Monday. Rice, the reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion, also won the Temple Cup Senior with Bob Hullender in 1997 and 1999.

As expected, Crown Colony showed its teeth for the final round, surrendering only three sub-70 scores and only 7 of 50 rounds under par. Only 11 teams finished the tournament under par.

After an opening 75, Jerry Hudgins and Bill Wiley finished strong, following a Friday 65 with a closing 69 to finish 4th at 209. First-round leaders Henry Cole and Van Stewart shared 5th with Dan Alpha and Doug Baker at 210.

Among other past champions, Todd Lusk/Andy Wall (2004) shot a 70 to finish 8th at 212, while Charles Hill, Jr./Bob Sine (2005) tied for 23rd at 223.

Crown Colony continues to prove itself as a worthy championship venue. It has long been one of the highest-rated courses in the state of Texas, and has an impressive championship pedigree. In addition to annually hosting the Temple Cup and Temple Cup Senior, Crown Colony was the site of the Southern Amateur in 1987 and 2001, and the Texas State Amateur in 1982 and 1998.

Final results from the Temple Cup Senior, played at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin, TX, April 6-8, 2006:

1	Steve Earsley	Mike Rice	67	67	68	202
2	Larry Thomas	Chip Stewart	68	68	67	203
3	William Sumner	Gary Kirwan	67	71	71	208
4	Bill Wiley	Jerry Hudgins	75	65	69	209
T5	Henry Cole	Van Stewart	66	71	73	210
T5	Dan Alpha	Doug Baker	71	66	73	210
7	Ford Cartwright	Mike Hopson	70	70	71	211
8	Andy Wall	Todd Lusk	74	68	70	212
9	John Goode	John Pigg	71	70	72	213
10	Howard Knowles	Bert Rogers	74	69	71	214
11	Joe Cadle	Tom Miller	74	68	73	215
12	Gary Seaman	Don Seaman	71	71	74	216
13	Bob Abbott	Jim Martin	71	71	75	217
T14	Pat Trowbridge	Ed Heffern	74	70	74	218
T14	Bob Vidricksen	Frank Roth	73	69	76	218
T16	Carey Schulten	Curt Wagner	73	74	73	220
T16	David Moore	Steve Bueltel	68	74	78	220
T18	Harvey McCraw	Mike Atnip	74	72	75	221
T18	Mike Morgan	Johnson Ramsey	75	70	76	221
T20	Mike Busch	Wes Duperier	76	72	74	222
T20	Richard Cozby	Mike O'Brien	73	75	74	222
T20	Dakin Cramer	Corky Nelson	72	73	77	222
T23	Buddy Hurst	Pat Hodges	77	74	72	223
T23	Bob Boeger	Ralph Foltz	72	77	74	223
T23	Charles Hill, Jr.	Bob Sine	73	74	76	223
26	W. Dick Davis	Don Addington	78	74	72	224
T27	Carl Ahrens	Tommy Cruse	74	76	76	226
T27	Henry Ellis	Jerry Gatti	71	76	79	226
T29	Craig Carlisle	Ron Montgomery	79	74	74	227
T29	Frank Pickens	Bob Bishop	78	71	78	227
T29	Jay Gasper	Bob Wands	78	71	78	227
32	John Steineker	Jim Thigpen	76	74	78	228
T33	Mace Brindley	Scott Jones	78	76	75	229
T33	Max Haney	Bill Slaughter	77	74	78	229
T35	Richard Mosman	Bob Mosman	75	76	79	230
T35	Bob Twaddell	Terry Bigham	77	73	80	230
T37	Larry Augsburger	Henry Hair	76	78	77	231
T37	Bill Davis	Skip Warren	75	74	82	231
T39	B.J. Shaw	Gary Mellema	80	75	77	232
T39	Joe Battson	Robert Scardino	76	72	84	232
41	Bill Rogers	George Hunter	76	75	82	233
T42	Dick Martin	Fred Hansen	79	78	77	234
T42	Bobby Gray	Rod Simmons	78	79	77	234
T42	Jim Pope	Kent Herndon	74	79	81	234
T42	Rex Covert	Rick Rogers	74	77	83	234
46	John McDonald	Jim Rath	79	78	78	235
47	Tripp Owen	Joel Broussard	77	78	82	237
48	Jack Bailey	Mike Arrington	81	81	77	239
49	Gene Ross	Bob Duboise	77	76	87	240
50	Norman Brady	Don Campbell	95	88	90	273

About the The Temple Cup

A popular 54-hole four ball invitational played on one of the best courses in Texas. The tournament honors Arthur Temple, a highly successful businessman in the timber and paper goods industry, whose vision resulted in the creation of Crown Colony Co...

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Temple Cup Senior: A Race to the Finish

4/8/2006 | by

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