86th time’s the charm
A seasoned veteran of 7 years on Tour, East Division Commissioner Tom Hoelzle put it all together on Saturday and posted his first Tour win at the 2010 Big Dog Pro-Am. Hoelzle had made 85 starts previous to this one with the closest look at victory coming in a playoff loss at the 2005 Memorial Tournament. It was the longest winless drought on Tour.
Hoelze shot a career best 7-under 65 to pull away from the field and win by 10 strokes in the 2-player team format. His PGA partner, Rickie Fowler posted him to a 1-stroke lead by shooting a 66 in the 2nd round of the PGA’s Memorial Tournament. The team score of 13-under 131 is a new scoring record at the Big Dog Pro-Am, besting Bob Baar’s 136 aggregate in the 2005 tournament.
Hoelzle used 29 putts – 2nd in the field – to post 7 birdies and 2 eagles on the Red and Blue nines of Riverview Highlands GC. The win, worth $32, gives Commissioner Hoelzle an exemption into the EAST Championship at Greystone GC on August 22.
Erik Johnson (36-37 – 73) and Lou Acosta (35-35 – 70) shared 2nd place at 3-under 140. Johnson was helped by the PGA’s Kenny Perry (68) while Acosta’s partner, Phil Mickelson (71) was a popular choice among the Mulligan Tour field – all but 2 players making Mickelson one of their 2 draft choices.
Erik Meland and Rick Persichetti tied for 4th place at 1-under 143. Meland (34-38 – 72) also teamed with Mickelson while Persichetti (38-37 – 75) was helped along by Matt Kuchar (68).
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