HALLIBURTON, SAGEMONT TEAMS WIN TEXAS GOLF LEAGUE IN 2005

HOUSTON (December 13, 2005) – The Texas Golf League crowned its winners in November, with teams from Halliburton and Sagemont Church emerging victorious in their respective leagues in the modified Stableford tournament format that began in February.

Halliburton took the league championship by beating a Hewlett-Packard team in October at Woodforest Golf Club at Fish Creek. Sagemont Church beat St. Thomas Episcopal at Magnolia Creek for its championship. The four- man teams had competed in six tournaments before that, accumulating team points in direct head-to-head competitions against other corporate and church teams at some of Houston’s best courses, like Blackhorse, Cypresswood and Southwyck.

The winning Halliburton team consisted of John Gray, Neil Aitkenhead, Chris Hill, and Brian Nordquist. Other players who fielded the Halliburton team during the regular season included captain Gregg Mickelson, James Wright, Steve Russell, David Piszko and Larry Graham.

“[Halliburton] assembled a very strong team and played very well” in the final tournament, said John Kufrovich, the captain for the Hewlett-Packard team. During the regular season the HP team was represented by Paul Walker, Mark Trace, Richard Paxton, William Kwan, John Kuehn, Ken Frame and Steve Bushong.

The winning Sagemont team consisted of Paul Savoy, Randy Pittman, David Moore and Bob Wirt. Other players fielding the Sagemont team during the regular season included Bill Kucera, Morris Murphy, Gene Simms and Mike Hutchinson.

“Randy [Pittman] and Paul [Savoy] played excellent golf throughout the season and they were a great addition to our team in 2005,” said captain Bob Wirt. “The golf league was very enjoyable and we hope to defend our title next year.”

The Texas Golf League is open to new teams and new players for the 2006 season, beginning in March. The league plays for the fun of the game, corporate networking and church fellowship, as well as prizes and individual competitions.

The Texas Golf League has an interesting format, even if it is somewhat complicated at first glance.

Each team must field four players at each tournament. The four person team is split into two two-man teams who are paired against two-person teams from other companies or churches.

The two-man teams then play head-to-head matches using a modified stableford system that uses handicaps and points to determine a match winner. [WARNING: Skip the next paragraph if your head begins spinning!]

The matches are scored with Stableford quotas that are derived from subtracting a person’s GHIN handicap from 54. Players then strive to achieve their personal quota by accumulating points from the scoring system, where par counts for three points, bogey is two points, and double is one point. Players pick up their ball after double bogey. Scores below par rack up big points. Birdie is five and eagle is seven points. So a person with an 18-handicap would need to score 36 points to achieve their quota. They could do that by getting 9 pars (27 points), 4 bogeys (8 points), 1 double bogey (1 point) and 4 triple bogeys (no points). Essentially, the 18-handicapper could pick up on 4-holes and still achieve their quota. The two-person team that is closest to their quota wins Nassau-type points by being the closest to their quota than the other two-person team after the front and back nines and the full eighteen holes.

Sound complicated? It’s not when you actually play it.

“Truly, this is one of the most fun formats I’ve ever played,” says league organizer Joey Gimenez. “There’s differing theories about how to play the round depending on how well the two players are playing or how well your opponents are playing. But in the end, it still comes down to an individual playing against the course and trying to achieve their personal best.”
Golfers interested in competing in the Texas Golf League should contact Gimenez at TexasGolfLeague@yahoo.com or by calling 713.478.8034. Teams are forming now.

--30--