15 March 2009 - Burlington, NC - On a second consecutive cold and very rainy morning, the PPA Southern Putting Tour held the second of two weekend 54-hole tournaments, the Howard Loy Memorial, on course # 1 at the picturesque Burlington Putt-Putt Fun Center. General field scoring surprisingly improved over that of the previous day's event despite several brief rain delays and more challenging playing conditions. Two-time PPA ProPutters.com Classic Champion Greg Newport drew upon his extensive experience on and knowledge of the Burlington layout to card steady, sensational rounds of 27, 27, and 28 for a three-round total of 82 and a one-stroke win. Reigning GA State Champion Jeff Carr used a tournament-low second-round 25 to earn runner-up honors at 83. The early well of aces ironically went dry for second-round leader Gary Hester in the near-flooding conditions of the final round, as he settled for third place at 84. 2006 PPA National Champion Brad Lebo fired a final-round 27 to pole-vault out of the pack into a fourth place finish at 85. At 86, reigning North Carolina State Champion Ricky Schults completed the tournament in fifth position. The final of the eleven money spots awarded in the event fell at 90.

In the amateur division, Wilson, NC's Johnny Brown carded a brilliant and timely final-round 27 to break out of a four-player logjam atop the 36-hole amateur leader board and notch his first career Southern Putting Tour victory. Brown recorded rounds of 30, 31, and 27 for a 54-hole score of 88 and a four-stroke win. Reigning North Carolina APA State Champion Todd Trent finished in second position at 92. With a final-round 29, 2003 APA National Champion Bonnie White leapfrogged into a third-place tie with reigning Southern Putting Tour APA Champion Ben Blake at 93. 1993 North Carolina APA State Champion Keith Waters rounded out the top five amateur finishers at 95. The eighth and final amateur division expense reimbursement spot came at a score of 97.

The Southern Putting Tour extends its thanks to Brian Patterson, former PPA professional Bobby Gilmore, and their staff for hosting a successful weekend of tour events. The tour membership also greatly appreciates the extensive efforts made by Patterson to keep the course playable throughout the heavy rainstorms of the weekend. The next events on the Southern Putting Tour will be held on course # 2 at the Laurel Park Mini Golf facility in Martinsville, VA on March 21-22, 2009. The first of two 54-hole events on Saturday, March 21 will commence at 11:00 a.m., with the second of the two Saturday 54-hole events being scheduled to begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. The double-elimination Southern Putting Tour Match Play Championship will tee off at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 22.