Mike Ross edged out defending champ Anthony Melle on June 7, during the annual Oilfield Technical Society (OTS) golf tournament at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club.
Ross shot a 73 and had the top score in the championship flight at the 36-hole tournament. Melle had a 75, which was good enough for second place.
Ross last won the tournament in 2002, and he was very happy with the finish, after falling short last year, finishing in second place.
“It feels a lot better this year than last year. I was mad last year because I blew it,” he said.
After finishing the front nine 2-under par (34), Ross said he struggled on a couple of holes on the back but golfed well enough for the win.
In the final stretch, Ross birdied the 16th hole, bogeyed the 17th and parred the final hole.
Throughout the tournament he said he had some good drives and putts, which helped him win.
After shooting par (72) in his first 18 holes on June 5, he said he felt he could continue to golf well as along as his shots were consistent.
He was also happy with the conditions of the golf course, and he said it was in good shape.
“The course was in great shape, considering how much rain we got on Friday night. I couldn’t complain about the course,” he said.
Finishing in third place in the championship flight was Josh Gardner, with a score of 76.
In his first 18 holes, he shot a 69, which put him in the lead to qualify for the championship flight.
And in fourth, Les Geisel shot a 77; and he, too, had a better qualifying round score of 70.
There were 16 golfers in the championship flight and 10 flights in the 36-hole tournament.
Along with the 36-hole competition, there was an 18-hole tournament, which consisted of 12 flights.
Pat Murphy was the winner in the championship flight with a score of 73, and Scott Blackstock finished second with a 75. Darrin Trimble was third with 76 and Blaine Chrest was fourth, also with a 76.
The event took place from June 5 to 7 and featured 299 golfers.
There was also a cash prize available for a hole-in-one. Paul Gigian aced the 14th and was awarded $5,000.
It was his first hole-in-one ever, and he said it was just luck that led to the shot.
“It was a neat thing to see and everybody I was golfing with was pretty excited to see it, too,” he said.
