CHIP SHOTS – Daffue posts PGA Tour best; locals finds success across all levels

Published 12:06 am Wednesday, March 22, 2023

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Former Lamar University star MJ Daffue posted his best PGA Tour finish of the 2022-23 season at the Valspar Classic in Tampa. With the scores much higher than at most PGA Tour stops – 10 under won — Daffue finished tied for 19th with one-under 283.

That earned him a season best check of $89,100, boosted his season earnings to $319,521 and elevated him to 129 on the Fed Ex Cup points list . . .

PNG-ex Andrew Landry also had a good week, after making the plus one cut on the number by sinking a birdie putt on the 36th hole. Landry wound up T45 with a plus 2 total of 286 and collected $21,595.

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With the tour’s top players gathered in Austin this week for the WGC Match Play Championship, Daffue and Chris Stroud will be playing in the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic. Stroud is currently No. 126 on the Fed Ex points list and 137 on the money list with $378,714 in winnings . . .

It was another tough week on the APT Tour for former PNG and Baylor star Braden Bailey. He missed the cut at the Coushatta Casino championship after rounds of 75-71. His 146 total was two above the even par cut . . .

Connor Denson of Hankamer won Boys 15-18 in the Southern Texas PGA Junior Tour stop at Beaumont Country Club last week with a four-over-par 75. Denson finished three shots clear of Groves’ Jaxon Wolf and Kolby Stork of Beach City.

Other Junior Tour results saw Kentyn Clark of Huffman shoot 93 to win Girls 15-18 by one stroke over Peyton Hidalgo of Sour Lake. Erin Eaves of Beaumont won Girls 13-14 with a 96.

In Junior Links play, Grace Dai of Beaumont won Girls 13-14 with a nine-hole score of 55. Little Linksters winners were Jaxson Roddy of Spring with a 49 in Boys 11-12, 9 hole red tees, Sophia Holt of The Woodlands with a 51 in Girls 11-12, 9 hole red and Harper Rhodes of Orange with a 31 in Girls 9-10, 5 hole modified.

In the Saturday 2 ball at Babe Zaharias, the team of Brian Mirabella, Cap Hollier, Thad Kieshnick and Harrell Guidry won the front with minus 1. Even par won the back for the foursome of James Vercher, Robert Gautreaux, Tom Brown and George Adams . . .

The Wednesday Zaharias DogFight format was two-man teams playing 6-6-6. There was a tie at 69 in First Flight between the team of Gary Whitfill-Ted Freeman and, Vercher-Gautreaux. Glenn Judice-Charlie Leard shot 71 to edge Rick Pritchett-Tom Fenner by two in Second Flight.

In Third Flight, Greg Theriot-Buddy Elmore won with a 70, besting Don MacNeil-Charlie Perez by a stroke. Frank LeBlanc-Sid Ducote took Fourth Flight with a 75.

Closest-to-the-pin winners were Gautreaux (No. 2, 12-10), Whitfill (No. 7, 2-11), Danny Robbins (No. 12, 13-9) and Hollier (No. 15, 4-4) . . .

Entries are being taken in the Zaharias golf shop for the 50th Nederland Heritage Festival Flighted Two-Person Scramble. Cost is $20 cash for the prize fund plus cart and greens fee. There will be an 8 p.m. shotgun start. Players will be flighted by handicap. For more information, call 409 722-8286.

Golf news should be e-mailed to Bob West at rdwest@usa.net.