Ed Campbell has been part of the Southeast Texas golf scene for longer than most anybody reading this can remember.

Dating back to his very first job at Beaumont’s Tyrrell Park in the 1950s, learning under Henry Homberg and Johnnie Barlow Sr., Campbell’s one constant has been promoting junior golf.

It is a mission that continues unabated for the 80-year-old Campbell, even in his current state of semi-retirement at Babe Zaharias. Campbell, a rare 50-year PGA member, remains passionate about providing opportunities for juniors because he has long understood they are the future of the game.

“Mr. Homberg, in conjunction with the Beaumont Golf Association, did so much for junior golf, and it had a tremendous influence on me,” said Campbell.

“The BGA would send six juniors to the state tournament in San Antonio every year and Mr. Homberg would always go along.”

Campbell was a part of those trips, first as a junior, then as a club professional. He remembers them as if they took place last week, down to the fact Port Arthur and Notre Dame football great Christie Flanagan was frequently one of the chaperones.

He also remembers how those tournaments helped a Beaumont kid named Bruce Lietzke blossom into a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour.

It’s all part of why Campbell wanted to talk this week about the recently completed Texas-Louisiana Junior Winter Tour, and the efforts Zaharias head pro Mitch Duncan, PNG golf coach Jerry Honza and Duncan assistant Brandon Soileau put into organizing and conducting the tournaments.

As Campbell probably knows better than anybody, considerable behind-the-scenes time goes into putting together an event involving juniors from two states, boys and girls and several age groups. It’s long hours,
headaches and sweating out weather, but the satisfaction is immense.

Juniors in Southeast Texas, and their parents, should be thankful to have been blessed with someone like Campbell, and the opportunities he’s helped create. The winter tour was something he conceived back in 2001 as head of the Southern Texas PGA. It eventually evolved into a Texas-Louisiana Tour.

Beyond the likes of Honza and Duncan, Campbell also wanted to thank the 21 sponsors who make the winter tour possible and all the juniors who take advantage of it.

CHIP SHOTS
PNG ex Braden Bailey, who will attempt to earn a playing card on Canada’s Mackenzie PGA Tour next week in California, tuned up with a strong performance at the Valspar Collegiate Sunday and Monday.

Bailey fired rounds of 66-69-71 for a seven-under-par 206 over Houston Astro owner Jim Crane’s Floridian National in Palm Coast, Florida. It was good for a tie for fifth in a field of 84 players and led the way for a Baylor team that tied for ninth …

Congratulations to former Memorial High School golfer Ralf Barbaso.
Barbaso, who honed his game while working in the golf shop at Babe Zaharias, recently won the Florida Asia Golf Association National Amateur Championship at Royal St. Cloud Golf Links in Orlando.

Barbaso shot rounds of 74-75 to tie for first, then won with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden death playoff …

After what was a long dry spell for aces, George Crawford of Orange scored the first reported hole in one of 2019 at Zaharias. Crawford sank a 4-iron from 137-yards on the 12th hole. Jackie Gisclar was the witness …

Both PNG exes on the PGA Tour will be playing in this week’s Valspar Classic in Tampa. Chris Stroud, who must finish in the top 125 in FedEx Cup points to retain his playing card, comes in at No. 104. Andrew Landry, after a T47 that earned $31,388 in the Players Championship, is No. 162 …

PNG won the Warren Invitational Tuesday at Wildwood with a 320 total. Runner-up Nederland finished 12 back at 332 but Bulldogs players finished one-two in the medalist competition. Brendan Marley took first place with a 74, followed by Daniel Cormier at 76.

The Indians’ Bryce Parsley was third medalist at 77. Other PNG scores that counted were 81s by Dalton Shields and Jason Adams and an 82 by Paul Muse.

Tyler Wallie (89) and Jadon Bell (93) rounded out Nederland’s top four.
Vidor was third at 341.

Paced by Marley’s 70, Nederland shot a team total of 303 to win the recent Bridge City Invitational at Zaharias. The Bulldogs finished 28 shots clear of second place West Brook. Marley took medalist honors by four strokes over Wallie. Orangefield’s Logan Risinger was third with a 77.

Other Nederland scores counting toward the winning total were Bell’s 79 and Cormier’s 80 …

In the Monday Senior 50 Plus 2 ball at Zaharias, there was a two-way tie on the front. Posting minus 2 was the team of Rick Pritchett, Ray Darbonne, Lee Bertrand and Jim Cooper and the foursome of Kenny Robbins, Dan MacNeil, John LeBlanc and Paul Duplantis.

On the back, the team of James Shipley, Larry Foster, Roddy Richards and Charlie Perez prevailed with minus 3 …

The Super Saturday Senior 2 ball at Zaharias saw the team of Ron LaSalle, Shipley and Larry Johnson win the front with minus 1. On the back, the foursome of Russ Gloede, Cap Hollier, Charles Perez and James Schexnayder placed first with minus 1 …

The eighth annual PNG boys golf team fundraiser is set for Saturday at 9 a.m. at Zaharias. Format is a 3-person scramble with an entry fee of $75 per player. All proceeds will be used to help pay travel, equipment and uniform expense for the PNG golf team.

Call PNG golf coach Jerry Honza at 719-3949 or the Zaharias golf shop at 722-8286 for more details or to enter …

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