Christmas came a month early for Port Neches-Groves ex Andrew Landry, as his strong play last weekend tied a bow draped in $ signs on the early portion of the 2017-18 PGA Tour season.

With a tie for fourth in the RSM Classic, Landry pocketed his biggest ever check as a professional ($244,125), climbed to No. 30 in FedEx points for the five fall tournaments and ascended to his highest ever Official World Golf Ranking of 173.

The strong showing in Sea Island, Georgia — a 14-under-par 268 — produced Landry’s second top 10 of the fall. Rounds of 70-64-67-67, leaving him seven shots off the winning pace of former Arkansas teammate Austin Cook, put a decisive end to a mini slump that had seen him miss the previous two cuts.

Coupled with earnings from two earlier events, including $199,950 for a seventh-place tie at the Safeway Open in California, Landry’s bank account has swollen by $453,406. The significance of that is he’s already won more this fall than in his 18 PGA Tour events in 2016.

The bottom line that year was $373,980, a showing that sent him back to the Web.com Tour for 2017. With the two top 10s already this season, and seeing Cook victorious at Sea Island, Landry has good reason to believe his goal of winning on the PGA Tour is well within reach.

While Landry finished the fall schedule on an upbeat note, Chris Stroud flirted with a good week, but saw a couple of bad holes relegate him to a T49.

Stroud signed off on a 5-under 277, that included a triple bogey 7 during a second round 67 and a double bogey 6 on the way to a third round 70.

Stroud, in five fall events, including two overseas, had a T47, a T49, a 75 and two missed cuts. His earnings stand at $52,361. Stroud’s OWGR has dropped to 180 which means that for the first time ever Landry is ranked ahead of him.

The next official PGA tourney for the former Lamar All-America is the Tournament of Champions the first week of January in Hawaii.

CHIP SHOTS

Nederland ex Hunter Huff, who works in the golf shop at Babe Zaharias, tied Rick LaBove’s long standing course record there last week. Huff fired a 10-under-par 62 from the blue tees to match the mark established by LaBove over a decade ago.
Huff would have had the record all to himself but missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Witnesses were Phong Phan and Christian Trong …

PNG freshman Dalton Shields has been playing golf less than a year, but he’s already authored a feat that some golfers never achieve.

Shields, swinging a 5 iron, scored a hole in one on the 180-yard, seventh hole at Babe Zaharas. Witnesses to his first ace were Huff, Timothy Feemster, Jaden Bell and Kassidei Hemler …

Phong Phan of Port Arthur also recorded his first ace recently at Babe Zaharias. Phan, using an 8-iron, sank his tee shot from 147 yards on No. 15. Playing companions included Ralf Barbaso, Trong and Remis Villarosa.

Paced by a T9 from Timothy Feemster (76-79-155) and a T14 from Josh Elmore (76-81-157), Port Neches-Groves finished seventh in the Lufkin Panther Invitational at Crown Colony last weekend. Other scores that counted for PNG were a 171 (86-85) from Chase Selman and a 184 from Victor Aponte (92-82) …

In the Monday Senior 50 Plus two-ball Game at Babe Zaharias, teams captained by Tony Trevino and Rick Pritchett tied the front nine in minus-1. On the back, minus-3 won for the fivesome of James Shipley, Cap Hollier, Dwayne Benoit, Bob Luttrull and Larry Rogers …

The Super Saturday Senior two-ball at Zaharias saw a three-way tie on the front at even par between teams captained by Price Youngs, James Shipley and Bob West. On the back, the team of Adam Noel, Hollier, Dan Harrington and Castille won with minus-2 …

In the Friday Senior 2 ball at Zaharias, the team of Adam Noel, Hollier, James Trahan and Jeff Greenway won the front with minus-6. On the back, the team of Pritchett, Paul Flores, Gerald Huebel and a ghost player prevailed with minus-5 …

The Thursday Senior Game was played in a Select Drive, three-ball format. The front nine went to the team of Pritchett, Cricket Owen, Bill Jones and Paul Brown with minus-5. The back finished in a tie at minus 2 between teams captained by Mike Lansford and Jim Huebel.

Closest to the pin winners were Gary Hanan (No. 2), Scott Welch (No. 7), Jones (No. 12) and Bobby Wactor (No. 15). …
The Wednesday DogFight was won with 17 points by the foursome of Larry Johnson, Larry Reece, Jerry May and Kevin Mehl. Placing second with 15 points was the team of Tom LeTourneau, Owen, Robert Stansbury and Mike Rodgers.

Closest to the pin winners were Don Duplan (No. 2), LeTourneau (No. 7 and Stansbury (No. 12).

In the Nov. 11 Super Saturday 2 ball, the threesome of Pritchett, Paul Flores and Wes McDonald took the front in minus three. Even par was good for a tie on the back between teams captained by Bill Hanley and Shipley.

The Friday, Nov. 10 Senior 2 ball saw the team of LeTourneau, Trevino, Larry Foster and Benoit win the front in minus 1. Minus 2 won the back for the team of Pritchett, Reece and Raymond Darbonne.

Format for the Thursday, Nov. 9 senior game was a flighted, two man, 9-9. The team of Noel-Owen took 1st Flight with a 68, clipping Lansford-Huebel and Dwayne Morvant-Reece by a shot.

In Second Flight, Ron Mistrot-Jones won with a 70, edging Hollier-Gary Fontenot by one stroke. Third Flight ended in a tie at 75 between Charles Perez-Mike Hollier and Tommy Duhon-Charles Leard.

Closest to the pin winners were Noel (No. 2), Fontenot (No. 7), Cap Hollier (No. 12) and Pritchett (No. 15.).

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