Golfers who play at Babe Zaharias may want to think twice before heading that way in the next few days. The aerification process on the greens, that was to have begun last week, was pushed back by bad weather and did not begin until Tuesday.

What that means is no more than nine holes at a time will be open for play for approximately a week. With aerifying commencing on the front, players will be limited to the back nine the next few days. Toward the end of the week, the front will be open and the back shut down.

Aerifying is a necessary bridge to better putting surfaces, a fact most golfers understand. With Zaharias pro Mitch Duncan having hired a greens consultant three months ago, significant improvement is already obvious.

Duncan says golfers will be very pleased with what they see a couple of weeks after aerification is complete.
CHIP SHOTS

Port Neches-Groves ex Braden Bailey can now lay claim to playing for the nation’s No. 1 college golf team.

Baylor, which has finished first three times and second three times in eight tournaments this season, moved up from No. 2 to No. 1 in the Golfweek rankings on Monday.

It is the first time Baylor has ever been ranked No. 1 in men’s golf.

The Bears narrowly missed winning for a fourth time this past weekend in a Texas A&M tournament shortened to 36 holes by inclement weather. No. 5 LSU, which finished 11-under, wound up edging Baylor by one shot.

Bailey, though, didn’t have one of his better tournaments, thanks in large part to a quadruple bogey during the second round. The Baylor sophomore, who is now ranked No. 28 among college players, posted rounds of 76-74 to finish tied for 43rd at 150.

Texas A&M’s Chandler Phillips (No. 8) and Texas’ Doug Ghim (No. 13) are the only Lone State State collegians ranked above Bailey. …

PNG is expected to dominate both the girls and boys District 22-5A tournaments scheduled for today and Thursday at Henry Homberg Golf Club in Beaumont. The girls were to have played Monday and Tuesday but soggy conditions forced a change in plans.

It will be an upset if medalists in both events are not wearing PNG purple. Josh Elmore and McNeese State-bound Karlei Hemler go in as heavy favorites …

Two players — Ron Mistrot of Bridge City and Tony Trevino of Port Arthur — scored eagles on 4 par holes at Babe Zaharias in the Monday Senior 50 Plus Game. Mistrot sank a 50-yard bump and run shot with his 7-iron on the 320-yard, 11th hole, while Trevino chipped in from beside the green on the 300-yard, sixth hole.

Trevino’s eagle helped his team that included Mike Norris, Cecil Norris, Roger Baumer and Scott Stahl win the best 2 ball on the front at minus-4. On the back, there was a tie at minus-3 between the team of Van Croft, Don Bryson, John House and Rusty Hicks, and the foursome of Gary Whitfill, Lee Bertrand, Dillard Darbonne and Bob Luttrell.

Format for the Saturday Super Senior Game was also best two-ball. On the front, the team of Bob West, Don MacNeil, Gary Fontenot and Wes McDonald won with minus-4. The back saw a tie at minus-2 between the foursome of Craig Castille, Russ Gloede, Gene Jones, Troy Touchet and Robert Lynch and the team of Joe Gongora, Tom LeTourneau, Brad Royer and Don Duplan.

The Friday two-ball at Zaharias saw a three-way tie on the front at minus-4 by teams captained by Benny Sharpe, Gongora and Randy Monk. On the back, Monk’s team of Gloede, Raymond Darbonne, Dillard Darbonne and Ralph Childress won with minus-6.

Wednesday’s DogFight at Babe Zaharas was played in a format with all points counting. The team of Rick Pritchett, Larry Johnson, Duplan and Richard Menchaca won with 34 points. Second with 33 points was the foursome of Adam Noel, Gloede, David Sturgal and Lynch.

Closest to the pin winners were Pritchett (No. 2), Jeff Lane (No. 7), Charles Perez (No. 12) and Gloede (No. 15).

In the Tuesday Twister two-ball at Zaharias, the team of Gongora, Gerald Huebel, Harrell Guidry and Ron Mistrot took the front with minus-4. On the back, the foursome of Kenny Robbins, Larry Stansbury, Larry Johnson and Gary Fontenot won with minus-5.

Golf news should be emailed to rdwest@usa.net.