Paul Broadhurst Wins the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills

Sunday, September 16th Warwick Hills CC, Grand Blanc, MI

The format for the final round of the Ally Challenge Presented by McLaren has all the pros teeing off #1. The first group Tom Gillis and Robert Gamez started at 9:00 am. The three leaders Scott McCarron, Tom Lehman, and Jeff Maggert are scheduled for a 1:35 pm tee time.

Early Chargers Up the Leaderboard

Fred Couples birdied 7 of the first 13 holes to move within a stroke of the lead. A bogey on 15 disappointed the crowd following Couples around the course and ended his dream run to the top of the leaderboard.

Billy Mayfair birdied the first 4 holes, a bogey on 5 followed by another birdie brought him to 6 under. Three more birdies on 13, 14, and 15, put him within a stroke of the lead with 3 holes to play.

Bob Estes made 5 birdies on the front nine to go to 10 under par and a share of the lead at the turn. Jeff Sluman birdied the odd number holes on the front to get within a stroke of the lead after 9.

The Pretenders

Of the early movers, Couples round of 7 under made him the leader in the clubhouse at 9 under par. Mayfair bogeyed 16 and finished at 8 under. Jeff Sluman could not sustain his front nine momentum. He joined Couples in a tie at 9 under.

Bob Estes had 2 birdies and 2 bogeys on the back 9. He could only manage to get to 10 under. Gene Sauers carded 5 birdies on the back nine combined with 2 birdies and a bogey on the front side. Sauers was the new clubhouse leader at 11 under. Rocco Mediate used a round of 6 under to tie Sauers at 11 under par.

The Contenders

Paul Broadhurst used 4 birdies on the first 7 holes to push the lead to 13 under par. He led by 2 strokes after the leaders completed 9 holes. He bogeyed the par 3 11th, then rebounded with birdies on 12 and 13. His 14 under topped the leaderboard as the tournament wound down to the closing holes.

After an even-par front nine, Brandt Jobe made a serious run on the closing 9. With birdies on 5 of the first 6 holes, he sat at 13 under with 3 holes to play. After a birdie on 15, Tom Lehman was in the same position as Jobe at 13 under.

Mark O’Meara took his score to 12 under with a birdie on 14. But, could not pick up any strokes on the final 4 holes. Shooting par, par, par, par to finish his round at 12 under.

The Finish

Jobe could not find a stroke on the final 3 holes and finished at 13 under as Broadhurst watched from the fairway. Lehman, also at 13 under, stood on the 18th tee with the final group of the day.

If Broadhurst found a bunker on his approach to the green, a playoff was likely. The pin on 18 was tucked behind the massive bunker on the left side of the green. The smart play would have been to aim for the center of the green, two putts for par and see if Lehman could make birdie for the tie.

Broadhurst chose to rely on his skill and fired off a shot directly at the pin. It cleared the bunker and landed softly a few feet from the cup. Broadhurst made the put to seal the victory.

Lehman missed the fairway with his drive on 18. Hit a tree coming out of the rough and stopped well short of the green. A chip and 2 putts resulted in a bogey that dropped him from a tie for 2nd into a tie for 3rd with O’Meara.

PGA Tour golf returned to Warwick Hills and no one was disappointed at the magnitude of the event. The Champions excelled and everyone loved it. Can’t wait till next year.

Final Round Results of the Ally Challenge Presented by McLaren