Golf Notes: More prestigious tourneys headed to Ooltewah's Honors Course

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog
photo M.J. Maguire chips the ball onto the green during the final round of the Southern Amateur Championship golf tournament Saturday, July 19, 2014, at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn. Maguire, from St. Petersburg, Fla., won the tournament.

The Honors Course hosted the Southern Amateur last weekend and will continue its tradition of hosting some of the best amateur events in the country during the coming years.

The Trans-Miss Four Ball championship will be held there Sept. 14-17, 2015, and the U.S. Junior Amateur championship will be contested July 18-23, 2016, on the Ooltewah course.

"The Southern Amateur is a prelude to what we'll be doing in 2016, and we've had a wonderful group of volunteers," The Honors Course president Joel Richardson said. "Mr. Tim Haralson and his 200 volunteers have done a wonderful job. We wouldn't be able to do so because we don't have the membership. They've been magnificent."

M.J. Maguire won the Southern Amateur last Saturday with a 4-under-par 284 for four rounds.

"I'll remember how well they played in the initial rounds," Richardson said, "and how when the weather came in, I'll remember the weather and how the course jumped up and grabbed them."

The Honors planted Bermuda greens about one year ago, and that should be the last major renovation for some time.

"We're very pleased with the golf course as it is," Richardson said.


Venable victory

Tucker Venable shot 141 (72-69) on Monday and Tuesday at Creeks Bend and won the Dan Tribble Chattanooga PGA Junior by four strokes over Trent Mansfield and Oliver Simonsen. Mansfield took second on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Heidi Barringer was the girls' winner with a 146, one shot better than Natalie Javadi, and Dylan Lillard was the Boys 14-15 victor with a 148, one better than Tyson Venable. Tucker Windham was the Boys 12-13 winner with a 152, and Olivia Williams edged Hannah Prescott for Girls 12-14 honors on the first playoff hole after each shot 165.


Montlake, Eagle Bluff open to public

Montlake Golf Course and Eagle Bluff Golf Club -- two of the five area courses owned by Henry Luken -- have been opened up for the public to play. Gibby Gilbert III, who helps manage the courses, said the green fees including a cart are $20 Monday through Thursday and $25 Friday through Sunday.


Choo-Choo qualifier

The Choo-Choo Invitational will hold an open qualifier Saturday that will guarantee spots in the three-day starting tournament starting Monday at Council Fire. The entry fee is $100, due by Thursday to the email of tournament director Chris Schmidt at ChattanoogaAmateurGolf@Gmail.com.


Brainerd entries open

Entries for the 69th annual Brainerd Invitational to be played Aug. 9-10 are available for download or credit-card payment at www.IfYouLikeGolf.com. The entry deadline is Aug. 4 and the fee is $135 till Monday, then $145. There are championship, senior, super senior and flighted Stableford divisions.

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