Tourney Draws Serious and Just-For-Fun Players to UT Golf Club

By Jim Nicar in Association, Special on September 13, 2011 at 4:57 pm | No Comments

As the sun rose over Steiner Ranch, 58 orange and white golf carts were lined up, complete with snack packs, water, course books, and golf balls.

They were at the ready to serve the near-record 116 golfers who played the Texas Exes Golf Tournament, including six women.

This year’s tournament was really two competitions in one.

The “Championship Flight” was for the more serious players who were competing to have their name on the Tower Trophy and a chance to play in the Acura College Alumni National Team Championship next month in Pinehurst, N.C.

The “Heritage Flight” included those not-quite-so-serious-minded golfers who still wanted to support the Texas Exes and enjoy a round of golf at the UT Golf Club in northwest Austin.

Check-in opened at 7 a.m. with breakfast in the clubhouse and time to warm up on the putting green and driving range.

Mark Williams, chair of the tournament organizing committee, and UT Golf Club pro Greg Garner called the troops together a little before 9 a.m., reviewed the rules, and sent everyone out on the course for the shotgun start.

After the tournament, scorecards were collected and a Tex-Mex lunch was served under the outdoor pavilion.

The gross score winners of the Champion Flight were Bill Dodd and Joe Garcia, the net score winners were Wes McGuffin and Austin Traweek. All are first-time Texas Exes tournament champs, and together will make up the four-person team to represent University of Texas alumni in Pinehurst next month.

The Heritage Flight was won by Texas Exes staffer David Reeves and partner Ryan Krogstad of DPR Construction, which handled the massive renovation to the Alumni Center over the past year.

Photo by Kristy Kimball