PLAYER OF THE YEAR CHAMPIONSHIP | ..........................................................................................
The top 16 players of 2003 battled in Chicago for Player of the Year
prestige and a $10,000 payout
In a Windy City weekend fit
truly for champions, the 2003 POTY Championship proved to be a memorable
event in Chicago. The biggest names in Golden Tee Golf earned this special
opportunity in return for their dedication and skilled play throughout
2003. The top 10 players in last years POTY contest, as well as the top 6
in the Blind Play Championship, were invited to this special championship
final. The weekend included tons of unique perks for the qualifiers,
including complementary airfare, limos, suites on Chicago's "Magnificent
Mile" and the chance to see the Chicago Cub's win from a rooftop across
from nostalgic Wrigley Field. On top of all these amazing amenities,
players were guaranteed $1,000 simply for qualifying for this prestigious
event.
There was no question who the man to beat was before the weekend began and
no one in this illustrious field could not knock 2003 World Champion,
Chris Eversole,
off his pedestal as "Hottest Golden Tee Player on the Planet". Though his
triumphant path was not an easy one, the 26-year-old went undefeated in
the 16-player double elimination tournament.
The 2003 POTY Championship took place on May 8th, 2004, at Joe's Sports
Bar in Chicago. Prior to the start of the event, Incredible Technologies
honored the four winners of the 2003 POTY and Blind Play Championship with
a short ceremony.
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Dean Liakakos
- POTY League Points Champion
Chris Eversole
- POTY Scoring Average Champion
Brian Bernhardt - BPC
League Points Champion
Andrew Tellman - BPC
Scoring Average Champion
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Dean and Chris were given trophies and a $1,500 prize.
Brian and Andrew received trophies and a birth in the Tournament of
Champions. |
The
tournament commenced with a one-round 18-hole qualifier in order to seed
the competitors. Oak Hollow was the course randomly selected for the
seeding round.
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2003 POTY
Championship - Seeding Round
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|
Name |
Score |
GSP |
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1. Erik Strowbridge
|
-28 |
31,900 |
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2. John Thurston |
-27 |
23,851 |
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3. Steven Tirey |
-25 |
30,727 |
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4. Brian Bernhardt
|
-25 |
7,715 |
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5. Daniel Gralapp |
-24 |
47,742 |
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6. Andrew Tellmann
|
-24 |
40,759 |
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7. Charles Long |
-24 |
37,174 |
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8. Chris Eversole |
-23 |
29,945 |
|
9. Ron Wisniewski |
-23 |
40,639 |
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10. Matt Estepp |
-23 |
37,930 |
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11. Dean Liakakos |
-23 |
17,459 |
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12. Tom Payne |
-23 |
10,244 |
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13. Ryan Bourgeois
|
-22 |
33,468 |
|
14. Stephen Dakin |
-22 |
29,276 |
As the matches unfolded round-by-round, they were
accompanied by many upsets and even more dramatics. Easily, the most
exciting match of the day took place between
Steven Tirey and Brian Bernhardt
while vying for advancement through the highly competitive losers bracket.
Down one stroke coming into the infamous 18th hole at Balmoral Greens,
Steven Tirey miraculously holed his
tee shot on the treacherous par 4, while Bernhardt
drilled his deep into a bunker. Needing to hole a nearly impossible 8-yard
chip to stay alive, the 2003 Blind Play Champ kept his cool as he sank the
unforgiving chip, while moving on to a sudden death victory. The dramatic
victory set the tempo for Bernhardt's
march through the losers bracket only to be stopped by Chris
Eversole in the final round.
After mowing down an all-star roster including Ron Wisniewski, Erik
Strowbridge, Daniel Gralapp and Dean
Liakakos, Chris Eversole can now add 2003
Player of the Year to his ever impressive resumé. By defeating
Brian Bernhardt in the final round of the
POTY Championship, Chris Eversole
was able to take the $10,000
grand prize back home to Atlanta, Georgia.
Incredible Technologies would like to thank
everyone who participated in the 2003 POTY competition. To learn how to
qualify for the 2004 POTY Championship event please
click here.
Congratulations to Chris Eversole and all of the 2003 POTY
Championship competitors!
Golden Tee Golf
Its YOUR Game!
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