 Jay Klapper
|
25 April 2009 - White Lake, NC - On course # 1 at the beautiful White Lake, NC Putt-Putt facility, the Southern Putting Tour held the second of two Saturday 54-hole tournaments. With significant late-afternoon heat and bright sunshine, judging proper speed on the thick, newly-laid carpets became quite difficult. The challenging conditions proved no match for the putting wizardry of 2005 PPA National Champion
Jay Klapper, however, as he followed opening rounds of 27 and 25 with a tournament-low final-round 23 to record a 54-hole total of 75 and earn a one-stroke victory, his first of the 2009 PPA season. 2006 GA State Champion
Michael Hitt continued his recent stellar play, completing the event in second place at 76. At 78, 2008 Southern Putting Tour Match Play Champion
Rick Rybaczek finished third. A three-way, fourth-place logjam at 79 included 2006 PPA National Champion
Brad Lebo, two-time PPA ProPutters.com Classic Champion
Greg Newport, and reigning NC State Champion
Ricky Schults. Second-round leader
Manfred Stewart suffered a final-round 31 to tumble into a three-way tie for seventh position at 80. The last of the eighteen money spots allocated in the professional division for the tournament came at 84.
 Todd Trent
|
In the amateur division, reigning NC APA State Champion
Todd Trent easily could have been preoccupied with preparing for the lavish cookout which he hosts each season at the conclusion of the Saturday events in White Lake. Instead, Trent turned the post-tournament soiree into a victory party, as he carded rounds of 28, 24, and 30 for a 54-hole total of 82 and a one-shot triumph, his first in 2009. Wilson, NC's
Johnny Brown captured runner-up honors at 83. At 84, 1999 VA APA State Champion
Malcolm Shumaker finished in third position. A three-way tie for fourth place included 2003 APA National Champion
Bonnie White,
Mark Lawson, and
David Gregor. The final of the fourteen amateur division expense reimbursement spots awarded in the event fell at 90.
The Southern Putting Tour returns to action with the contesting of the 25th annual Carolinas' Open on course # 1 at the White Lake, NC Putt-Putt facility. The 72-hole major tournament will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 26, 2009.