THE BATTLE FOR EASTERN BRAGGING RIGHTS AND $25K
 

While the big game's kick-off wasn’t scheduled until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 18^th, tee-time for $25,000 started promptly at 2:00.  Over 900 Golden Tee players from across the northeast qualified to make the pilgrimage to Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY to compete in the final round of the Golden Tee LIVE Regional Championships.  From the far upper corners of Michigan, down to the lower stretches of Virginia on up to the northern peaks of Vermont, these players converged in New York to become a part of the Biggest Golden Tee Tournament in History!

Just as the prior three tournaments, the format consisted of a five-course qualifier where scores would be tallied to generate a leaderboard ranked best to worst.  The player with the best overall score was "King of the Hill" and would receive a bye to the final while those who finished 2-9 would playoff in an 8-man, single elimination tournament to face the KOH and play for $5,000.  Coming in to the Eastern Open, the “Curse of the King” reigned true as none of the Kings had yet to hoist the Regional Championship trophy. 

Eastern Open competitors received added prize incentives throughout the day, including a Ben Hogan golf bag courtesy of Top Flite® for the top shooters on each course.  Also, any player who hit a hole-in-one or double eagle received their choice of prizes from the sponsor table, which included: Golden Tee Plug-n-Play Home Editions from Radica®, 2-for-1 Arizona golf trips courtesy of JDR Tours, Golden Tee LIVE limited-edition sunglasses from PRATO and Golden Tee LIVE golf balls from Top Flite®.  Nearly 100 prizes were awarded throughout the day. 

Additionally, a special prize was given to the top online qualifier, Andy Haas, for his GTLRC record-making qualifying average of -30.58.  Andy received a Ben Hogan golf bag fully stocked with a brand new set of Ben Hogan BH-5 golf irons courtesy of Top Flite Golf. 

And as always, the Goldentee.com Pro Shop was on-site selling the official GTLRC shirt and raffled away a limited-edition Golden Tee LIVE embroidered golf bag, which was won by Maryland's Michael Bunis.

The sounds of trackballs spinning, music pumping and, of course, football filled the Turning Stone conference center as the players embarked on their five-course qualifier.  Despite the big game on television, the focal point of the room was the huge real-time leaderboard projected onto the big screen were players watched their scores update as they played!

A blistering pace was set in round one on Rustic Bridge as Jason Matkovich, Sonu Khatri and Dean Liakakos tied with top scores of -27.  Jason, who bested the other two competitors in Great Shot Points, earned the Ben Hogan golf bag for his efforts.

Round two on Indigo Mound saw another trio of competitors on top of the leaderboard.  Ryan VanManen, Paul Kovacs and again, Sonu Khatri all shot -26 on the Mayan course.  VanManen took home the Ben Hogan bag for having the most Great Shot Points.

But from round 3 on, no one could stop Andy Haas, the leading Golden Tee LIVE money winner in 2007.  Andy shifted into high gear to earn the top scores on Glacier Ranch (-28), Palm Springs (-26) and Moose Landing (-26).  This amazing string of rounds not only earned Andy three Ben Hogan golf bags to add to his collection, but a total score of -130 and the dubious honor of being named the last King of the Hill of the year. 

Could the top player in the country break the Curse of the King?

The remaining eight-man field behind Andy Haas was comprised of some of the most talented players in the country, let alone the region.  Not only did the final eight consist of Ryan VanManen and four former Team USA members in Khatri, Tirey, McClellan and Matkovich, it was rounded out by three former Team Canada stars as well.  Canadians Tim Glenn, Enzo Polidori and Nick Feijo made up 33% of the final field! 

Canadian Golden Tee players have a reputation for being fiercely competitive and acutely talented.  As in all of the Regional Championship events, qualification was open to all countries in the Golden Tee LIVE universe.  Considering New York’s close proximity to the Canadian border, ten Canucks made the trek and were joined by two of their English friends from across the pond.

With the exception of the 2005 World Champion runner-up, Enzo Polidori, the Americans rolled through the threats from the North to protect their country and move on in the Eastern Open.  Polidori defeated Grand Rapids' VanManenen, in the first round along with Khatri who won against two-time Team Canada member Nick Feijo.  Michigan star, McClellan, defeated Ohioan Steven Tirey while Golden Tee Society member Jason Matkovich knocked-out two-time World Team Captain Tim Glenn.

The storyline in the semi-final round followed the rivalry theme yet again as Dayton, Ohio's Sonu Khatri battled one of the Michigan’s best, Jeff McClellan.  McClellan edged Khatri in a tight match to move on to the finals of the 8-man bracket while Matkovich and Polidori battled on the big screen to advance.  In a decision fraught with controversy, Jason Matkovich accidentally teed-off with the wrong set of clubs making his efforts against the tough Canuck that much harder.  Despite the mistake, the duo put on a dazzling display of talent that was capped by Polidori's victory over the former Player of the Year and his advancing to the final round of the 8-man bracket.    

Moose Landing was the course of choice for the final bracket round of Polidori vs. McClellan.  The crowd watched the action while wondering if it would be a McClellan-Haas rematch or perhaps a 2007 World Championship preview against Polidori.  McClellan held the lead most of the match, forcing the tough Canadian to keep pace with mistake-free golf.  It wasn’t until the dreaded 18^th hole where a window opened for the Canadian when McClellan missed the green and watered his chip shot.  The former Team USA member’s unfortunate luck turned into fortune for the Canadian as Polidori now set his sights on dethroning "King Haas" in the finals.

The video golf action leading up to that big match was unlike that of any other regional.  Close matches, huge upsets and some amazing shot making scripted the story along the way.  The crowd was on the edge of their seats to watch what may be a preview for the $15,000 World Championship fight in Las Vegas next March.

The duo teed-off on Indigo Mound, one of the more challenging and undulating courses in the game.  Club decisions played a dramatic factor on the first hole again, with Golden Tee Society member, Haas, failing to change his set.  But like Matkovich in the earlier rounds, the unbelievably talented competitor didn’t let the mistake affect his efforts.  Stroke-for-stroke, hole-after-hole, these two players showed their true determination and video golf prowess.

Polidori and Haas face off on the big screen for all of us to watch.

As they approached #18 the pair stood tied at -25 with the match coming down to a long, daunting par 4.  Against a stiff wind, Haas stuck the hard-sloping green leaving an easy eagle putt to put the pressure on Polidori who had just missed the green.  Left with a nasty 10° downhill chip that either goes in the hole or into the water, Enzo put his game face on and focused before he swung.  The pressure mounted and the crowd quieted - all eyes were on Polidori and his high-stakes chip.

And like a true champion, Polidori nailed a perfect shot that never looked out of the cup for a second!  As the crowd cheered, Polidori made his eagle and forced a sudden-death playoff for the $5,000 payday!

Mistake-free for the first 3 holes of sudden death, the two Golden Tee stars made it look easy and left the crowd wondering if it would take a full 18 to decide the champion.  But on hole #4, a tricky, yet unassuming par 5 that twists and turns through the dense Yucatan forest, a small mistake by Polidori opened the window that Haas was waiting for.  The Canadian just narrowly missed the green after Haas stuck a beautiful shot and drained his eagle putt forcing Enzo to make a miraculous chip yet again!  Like a replay, the crowd held their breath as Polidori attempted to defy the odds once more, only this time to find himself a mere inch off of the cup to make Andy Haas the Golden Tee LIVE Eastern Open Champion!

“WOW!” was the only word event emcee, Gary Colabuono, had to describe the match after it ended.  While Haas has racked up a historic amount of tournament victories, there's no doubt that this win will stand out in his mind.  "Man, I feel great!" the Eastern Champ said in a post-match interview.  "That was one of the toughest matches I've ever played.  Enzo's a great player and I caught a few breaks, I'm just happy that I lucked out!" he added.

Luck? Hardly.  There's no doubt that Andy Haas is one of the hottest Golden Tee players of the year, winning almost everything he touches with the exception of "The Big One" - the World Championship.  While Enzo Polidori did an amazing job trying to keep the "Curse of the King" alive, Andy Haas proved yet again that no curse (or club selection) can keep him out of the Golden Tee spotlight.
 

Congratulations to Andy Haas and Enzo Polidori

on an Outstanding Performance!

Thank You to ALL of the Eastern Open Competitors!

    
The Golden Tee LIVE Regional Championships 
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