69th Tom Hoover Ozark Invitational April 25-26, 2015
“The Ozark” is one of those rites of spring that golfers from all over Missouri, not to mention other bordering states, outlast the winter waiting for. It’s the first “big” tournament where golfers from St. Louis, Kansas City, and points in between, get a chance to again measure their games at Westwood CC in Poplar Bluff against other good players from around the state.
Poplar Bluff native and 2015 Palmer Cup selection Carr Vernon “validated” (not that he needed to) his selection as the lone D-II player on the 2015 Palmer Cup team by winning his second Ozark title in a playoff over Paducah, KY native Joshua Rhodes. Vernon was the pick as the one D-II college player on the Cup team—and we think he’ll do just fine playing with and against other elite collegians from the US team against the team from Europe in mid-June at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago.
Vernon was cruising toward the Ozark title when he made a mistake on the 17th hole (his 35th of the tournament) that led to a double bogey and forced him to birdie the par-5 18th just to make a playoff. “That’s the thing you can’t do”, he said, referring to his wedge that didn’t hold and went over the 17th green and down the hill. “I just made a terrible mistake by doing that.”
Back on the 17th for a second time in the playoff, after both players made three on the par-3 10th, Vernon made a five-footer for birdie and the win. “That was a lot easier shot from a better angle,” Vernon said, referring to his lob wedge from 75 yards in the playoff that led to a relatively short putt.
Rhodes played his second in the playoff on 17 from 90 yards in the right rough. “Had to keep it under a tree and I was trying to hit a little skipper sand wedge low,” he said. “I knew it had to be left of that pin, and I just pulled it a little more than I wanted.” Rhodes was unable to make his long putt for birdie, and Vernon had his second Ozark with his birdie on his second go at 17 in the playoff.
Westwood is one of those courses where a bad position in the fairway or the green is tough to overcome. Players unfamiliar with its tricks will take one look at the relatively short yardages and say to themselves “I can go low out here.” Not so fast, as again a fairly reasonable 6-under par over two days was low and Westwood proved one can’t always measure a course strictly by the yardages.
Vernon said after his win, “It was a lot of fun to go out and play and have a gallery, and have a home-field advantage.”
He knew he had to birdie the reachable par-5 18th, and did so with a two-putt after his second shot found the green. Vernon birdied 14 and 15 the second day to stretch his lead to three before the double on 17 brought him back to the field.
Vernon, one of the elite players in Missouri, is a junior at D-II Cal State, Monterey Bay. He transferred from U. of Akron , a D-I program, and thus was able to play at Monterey Bay right away. Carr won the 2014 MGA Stroke Play Championship at Twin Hills CC in Springfield.
SENIOR DIVISION
Karl Elbrecht edged fellow St. Louisan Jeff Johnson on the first playoff hole after they tied for senior honors at two-over par 144. Four-time Missouri Am winner Don Bliss tied with Kansas Cityan Steve Groom for third a shot back. Bliss made a hole in one on 12—ask him how many that is for him at the next event! Bliss holds a USGA record we doubt will ever be tied or broken by making two aces in one round in a USGA qualifier.
(For complete Ozark results go to www.semoball.com)