Craig Williams Defends 2002 Gateway Grill Pennsylvania Open Title with 2003 Win
Craig Williams, winner of the 2002 and 2003 Gateway Grill Pennsylvania Open.
Craig Williams and John Tuite (left to right).27 April 2003 - Monroeville, PA - Craig Williams of Pittsburgh was a two-time winner on last seasons Great Lakes Tour, and he wasted little time getting his first win in the young 2003 season. Williams showed steady consistency and poise, tallying rounds of 24-25-25 for a 34-under par 74 as he successfully defended his title from last years Gateway Grill Pennsylvania Open.
On a perfect day with sunny skies and light breezes, the GLT players prepared to play Monroevilles course 3 for the first time with expectations that the scores would be very low. Although some good scores were indeed shot, the course proved to be trickier than expected under tournament conditions for many.
Williams trailed Mike ORourke of Monroeville by one after the first round, but the second round gave him a two-shot lead over ORourke, and he never looked back. In the end, Williams margin of victory was four shots over Jim Cruse of Baltimore, OH at 78, with ORourke finishing third at 79. Williams received the GLT spot as well.
In the match play, Kevin Lacey went undefeated for the weekend by defeating Jim Engel of Austintown, OH in the finals. Engel received the GLT spot.
John Tuite, APA winner of the Gateway Grill Pennsylvania Open.John Tuite Wins APA Title
John Tuite surprised the APA field with a last round 24 to overcome a four-shot deficit and claim the APA title and a GLT spot at 78, one shot better than yesterdays runner-up and fellow Pittsburgh resident, Zach Washa.
It was yesterdays medal winner, Walt Kizzie, who claimed the APA match play by defeating Washa. Kizzie received his second GLT spot and will now set his sights on the GLT Championship, to be held in nearby Warren, OH in September.
The GLT gratefully acknowledges the Gateway Grill for their sponsorship of a fine tournament, and for providing quality food and drink for the players all weekend. Thanks again to the Monroeville Putters Club for making this weekend possible, and to owner Terry Grady and the course staff for their hospitality.
Scores provided and tournament recap provided by Bill Thompson.
Professional Division of the 2003 Gateway Grill Pennsylvania Open
(Monroeville, PA - Course #3 - 27 April 2003)
Round Prize GLT Match GLT Player 1 2 3 Total Money Points Play Spots 1 Craig Williams 24 25 25 74 $175.00 105.00 0-1 Medal 2 Jim Cruse 29 24 25 78 $120.00 90.00 0-1 3 Mike O'Rourke 23 28 28 79 $95.00 75.00 4 John Bambling 29 28 23 80 $71.67 75.00 1-1 4 Mike Brown 27 29 24 80 $71.67 75.00 2-1 4 Greg Newport 27 26 27 80 $71.67 70.00 0-1 7 Jim Engel 28 24 29 81 $85.00 75.00 3-1 Medal 8 Brad Lebo 33 25 24 82 $55.00 53.00 0-1 8 Bill Thompson 28 27 27 82 $55.00 53.00 0-1 10 Kevin Lacey 28 30 25 83 $50.00 67.00 4-0 11 Harry Sykes 30 27 27 84 46.50 1-1 11 John Ventura 27 29 28 84 38.50 0-1 13 Paul Johns 25 32 28 85 $15.00 47.00 3-1 14 Dom Perry 33 26 28 87 31.00 1-1 14 Tom O'Brien 29 29 29 87 28.00 0-1 14 Ken Hastings 27 30 30 87 $15.00 41.00 3-1 17 James Weber 30 28 30 88 28.00 2-1 17 Todd Viau 26 30 32 88 20.00 0-1 17 Karl Moe 31 29 28 88 20.00 0-1 20 Scott Buddie 30 30 29 89 19.00 1-1 21 Jay Hadsell 33 29 29 91 13.00 0-1 21 Bill Baus 30 29 32 91 13.00 0-1 23 Dave Nutini 29 31 33 93 14.00 1-1 Amateur Division of the 2003 Gateway Grill Pennsylvania Open
(Monroeville, PA - Course #3 - 27 April 2003)
Round Expense GLT Match GLT Player
1
2
3
Total
Money
Points
Play
Spots
1 John Tuite 27 27 24 78 $40.00 47.00 1-1 Medal 2 Zach Washa 26 24 29 79 $40.00 43.00 2-1 3 Don Cherry 30 22 29 81 $35.00 36.00 1-1 Walt Kizzie 25 28 28 81 $45.00 41.00 3-0 Match 5 Karen Hastings 32 26 26 84 $25.00 31.00 0-1 6 Anthony Amick 30 32 24 86 29.00 1-1 7 Randy Shreve 28 30 30 88 24.00 0-1 8 Jeff Brown 30 34 31 95 25.00 1-1 9 Barb Mingo 30 32 34 96 21.00 0-1 10 Al Linhart 32 34 33 99 17.00 11 Bill Combs 36 34 30 100 21.00 1-1 12 Rob McGraner 35 33 33 101 16.00 0-1
