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2002
Daily Reports
June 2 to June 8, 2002 |
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| Saturday,
June 8
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(Left to Right)
Holm Bursum III, Russ Moore and Hilton Champion
Brian Kortan
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Three time Hilton Champion Brain Kortan does it again. Brian Kortan of Albuquerque NM shot his third consecutive score of 69 to finish out his final round at the Hilton Open and claim his third Hilton trophy and a check for $7,500.00. Kortan finished with a three-day nine-under-par score of 207.
| Kortan stole the first position from two-day leader Jim Blair of Ogden, Utah who fired a three-over par round of 75. Joe Huber continued his control of the New Mexico Tech golf course and put himself in second place with a total three-day score of 210. Just one-shot behind Huber and in a three-way tie were Jim Blair, John Sosa and Brad
Sutterfield. |
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Anton
Salome |
Local Socorroan Anton Salome kept his lead in the final round to take home the prize in the amateur championship flight. His total score of 218 meant he beat most of the professional gross scores in the three-day tournament.
In the Elfego Baca Shoot, Michael Stanley tackled Tech’s longest hole and took home the trophy with seventeen strokes.
The field was full of local boys this year
and
Mike was followed by Johnny Gonzales, Joe Pound, |
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Primo Pound and Darryl Cases. The treacherous trek down the “M” Mountain paid off in prizes and glory for the event
participants, their spotters, the Elfego scorekeepers and the officials.
Elfego winner Mike
Stanley at left and the rest of the extreme golf
participants, (l to r) Johnny Gonzales, Joe Pound,
Primo Pound and Daryl Cases.
| First State
Bank Flight winner Anthony Romero |
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Elfego champ
Mike Stanley tees off at 7000 ft. |
Thanks to all the volunteers, grounds-keeping crew, pro shop staff, Sun Country
PGA, Sun Country AGA, and the Hilton
Committee. The webmaster especially wants to
thank Delilah Walsh who has been working since
February.
Delilah, Scott and Rey
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Friday, June 7
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Jim Blair of Ogden UT
continued his run at New Mexico Tech Golf
Course to remain the leader in the Hilton Open
Tournament. Blair fired an amazing 3-under par
score of 69. Joe Huber of Phoenix AZ answered back
with an even lower 4-under par score of 68. He is
just one shot away from Blair’s lead. The men
are followed closely behind by two-time Hilton
Champion Brian Kortan, who is just two shots off
the lead at 138.
Only 32 of the 60 original professional participants
made the two-total cut score of 149. In the
amateur championship flight, local Anton Salome
grabbed the lead from fellow Socorroan Miguel
Griego. Salome shot a two under par score of 70
while Griego encountered a couple of bad holes and
ended his day at a four over 76.
It’s shaping up to be a rematch of the
battle they had two years ago when Salome won with
an eagle on the first playoff hole.
Hang on, because it’ll be a wild ride to
the finish!
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Thursday, June 6
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| The race is on. The official 43rd annual Conrad Hilton Open Golf Tournament began today with the first tee time at 7:00 AM. One hundred twelve amateurs and sixty professionals teed it up and tested their skills and their patience at the New Mexico Tech Golf Course. The morning amateurs groups finished the rounds quickly and posted net scores ranging from 67 to
92. The afternoon amateur and professional reflected the same range of scores but the |
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George
Lujan |
| pace of play could be likened to a slow crawl. Five-hour rounds were the norm. Miguel Griego, as expected, is leading the amateur championship flight at even par 72, however, there are a number of players within a few shots of the youngster. |
Russ Moore
Julie
Cottom |
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The professional flight has quite a few players at par or better. Jim Blair, hailing from Ogden, Utah, is a three-time qualifier for the
U.S.Open, and showed his experience by firing a 5-under 67 to lead the pack. Previous champions Brain Kortan and Joe Huber are only a couple of shots back, so it might take a low score this year to grab the title. 2001 champion Scott Gates is lurking close by with a 70, along with Mario Navarro from El Paso and John Sosa from Austin. The cut line looks fairly tight, as a pro wanting to play on Saturday might have to score better than a 74 tomorrow to make it. It’s shaping up to be an interesting moving day on Friday, so hang on tight! |
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Wednesday, June
5
Senior
Pro Winner
Tom Storey
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Day four of the 43rd
Annual Hilton Open commenced with the amateurs and
professionals joining forces to tackle the quick
greens and tight fairways of the New Mexico Tech
Golf Course.
The greens were quite quicker than the
previous three days, and even though the pro shop
placed the pins in the centers of the greens,
using the flat stick was no easy task.
Scores were not low for the
most part, and for those continuing to play the
rest of the week, this taste of New Mexico Tech
hinted at the necessity for laser-straight drives
and precise chipping and putting.
The eventual champion will have to have the
perfect combination of these aspects, and if you
leave either one out, this golf course will eat
you alive.
Good luck to all participants
for the next three days (you will need it)!
| Senior Scratch Am
winner Bob Walley |
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Bob
Basham and Super Senior Winner Chick Evans |
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Tuesday, June 4
The final round for the
senior portion of the Hilton Open came early
Tuesday morning, and it could not have been a more
beautiful sunrise.
The wind relented a bit, however, by 1:00
PM, the threat of rain loomed over the
participants. With just a handful of players in,
the lightning alarm sounded and the players were
delayed for a short period of time. When play did
resume, the Senior Amateur tournament was
complete. Leading the field with a net score of
131 was Sam Francis of Albuquerque NM.
Larry Siefkes of Polvadera and David Hall
followed Sam with a net score of 145.
The senior scratch golfers
soon followed, and Bob Walley was victorious with
a 156. Second
place finisher Bruce Seligman matched his final
round of 77.
Keith Gottlieb, who has attended the Hilton
religiously for 23 years, tied Bruce with a total
of 158. Local
Socorroan Edward Domme tied Bob Dosher for fourth
with a 162.
The senior professionals took
a double hit with a second lightning delay at
2:30. Half of the flight participants had
completed the round, leaving the other half under
a looming rain cloud.
Once play resumed, it was a fight to
remember. Tom
Storey hit his approach to #18 in the bunker,
however, he got up and down for par to force a
playoff with longtime competitor Jim Dickson.
Jim put up a valiant fight, but Tom birdied
#1 and took the trophy home.
What a finish!
Overall, the scores were
lower than Monday, but New Mexico Tech Golf Course
remained a tough course for the participants.
The greens were a bit quicker, which bodes
well for the weekend.
Once again, the fairways were immaculate,
and we can tip our caps to Jim McLain and the
grounds crew for their dedication and knowledge.
Way to go, guys, and thanks!
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Monday, June 3
The New Mexico Tech Golf course reared it's ugly head and played tough on Monday. Only one senior professional golfer, Andy Boyd of
Albuquerque NM made par. Boyd is followed by Bob Phillips of Phoenix AZ and All other participants were over for the course.
In the Senior Amateur portion of the tournament, Sam Francis of Albuquerque is leading the handicap flight with a net score of 69. In the
championship, scratch portion of the amateur tournament, Dan Peck of Albuquerque is leading the field with a gross score of 77.
The tournament will conclude on Tuesday, June 4th, with golfers teeing off at 7:30 AM. It doesn't seem the wind of New Mexico is going to relent and give the players a break.
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| The
Senior Professional Dinner at the Garcia Opera
House |
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Sunday, June 2
A hot summer day in Socorro, New Mexico was the setting for the
first event of Hilton Week. At 10:00 AM, sixty senior amateurs and senior professionals went off with the shotgun. The team of professionals Bob Phillips (Phoenix AZ) and Art Proctor (Mesa AZ) with amateurs Harlen Smith (Socorro NM) and Dan Martin (Victoria TX) took the top team spot. Proctor shared the low professional award with Tom Storey of Las Vegas NV. Both men shared a four-under-par score of 68.
Low gross amateurs for the day were Lew Knight (Albuquerque NM) with a par score of 72, followed by Ralph Holt (Goliad TX) who shot 75 for the day. The day's low net amateurs were two local
Socorroans, Tony Gonzales with a net score 66 and Harlen Smith with a net score 67.
The senior portion of Hilton week continues Monday with the two-day, 36-hole Senior Amateur and Senior Professional tournaments. This year's senior tournament is the largest it has ever been with 48 professionals and 29 amateurs.
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