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Champions Cup: TX, NV Teams Share Title

After rain washes out 2 of the 4 rounds, the Texas team of Buzz Baker/Mike Booker shares the title with the Nevada team of Brady Exber/Kevin Marsh

Todd Hveem, Houston Chronicle· April 20, 2009· 2 min read
HOUSTON, TX (April 18, 2009)--The 42nd annual Champions Cup Invitational golf tournament had to be shortened to 36 holes because of a two-day deluge.

But no golf on Friday and Saturday didn’t keep a pair of Houston-area amateurs from celebrating their first Champions Cup Invitational title.

Missouri City’s Buzz Baker and The Woodlands’ Mike Booker shot rounds of 67 and 66 for a 9-under-par 133 to tie Las Vegas linksters Brad Exber and Kevin Marsh for the rain-shortened 4-ball title.

“I guess a win is a win,” said the 47-year-old Baker. “We would have loved to have finished (all 72 holes). But it is always fun to win. My partner played great. It was a fun two days.”

Booker, 54, won this 4-ball tournament in 1991.

“I may have the biggest gap in between wins,” Booker said with a laugh. “But that makes me feel good. We started hitting the ball good and got some putts to go in. It is really fun to play well.”

Booker’s home club is Carlton Woods in The Woodlands.

“This is one of the premier 4-ball events in the country,” Booker said. “The Champions staff makes you feel real special. Plus, it always has a very strong field.”

Exber, 53, has won this tournament three times. He also took home the championship with different partners in 1995 and 2005.

“This was definitely the worst weather I have ever played in here,” he said.

Marsh, 36, and Exber have come to this event as a team for three straight years.

“We played solid on Wednesday, but we didn’t make a lot of putts,” said Marsh. “We really played solid on Thursday. We were feeling good about our chances.”
Champions Golf Club was founded by Jack Burke, Jr. and the late Jimmy Demaret in 1957. From its origin, Champions has consistently carved its place in golf history hosting such prestigious events as the Ryder Cup Matches in 1967, the United States Open in 1969 and the PGA Tour Championship (five times, most recently in 2003).

The Champions Cup is the flagship amateur event of Champions Golf Club, and one of the premier four-ball events in the U.S.