MIDWEST OPEN

The Golden Tee LIVE Regional Championships (GTLRC) has been the talk of the GT player community since the tournament's announcement this past May. Every Player. Every Game. Every Location. - words that made up a simple tagline encompassing the GTLRC logo and strewn throughout the tournament’s promotional materials.

Some called them hype. Others were unsure of their meaning or what to expect from the event. Everyone knew the GTLRC was going to be different than anything ever held in the past…

And on September 1-2 at Harrah's Casino in Joliet, IL the true meaning of the words came to fruition in front of the eyes of hundreds of Golden Tee fans. Every Player. Every Game. Every Location. - the spirit and philosophy behind the biggest tournament in Golden Tee history.

153 players, hundreds of spectators, media and a massive tournament staff descended upon Harrah's Joliet to kick-off the largest Golden Tee tournament in history. They came from as far as Minnesota and Missouri to be greeted by the friendly sight of 50 tournament-ready Golden Tee LIVE machines on free play for an entire weekend of competition and camaraderie.

For the first time in history, the Golden Tee elite spun trackballs side-by-side with the game's neophytes generating a fresh energy unlike any tournament ever held. ■

NEW REASONS TO CELEBRATE

More than a just a tournament, the GTLRC could be better described as a Golden Tee festival filled with celebration, competition and tons of video golf. To set the stage for the weekend's festivities, Incredible Technologies commenced the tournament with a surprise visit from two guests of honor - Chris Eversole, the 2005 Golden Tee World Champion and first ever real-life face model for the game, and the “Golden Girl”, Alexis Mihelich, the swing model for the game’s female character. The World Champ was taken aback when IT presented him with a special gift to commemorate his role in Golden Tee LIVE 2007, a portrait featuring the in-game likeness of himself along side a painting of his face. Alexis was presented with a DVD highlighting the process of integrating her real-life swing into Golden Tee LIVE. To wrap up the celebration, as well as properly kick-off the GTLRC, everyone in attendance took part in a surprise champagne toast in honor of the 2007 Golden Tee LIVE courses! The toast was lead by Golden Tee's co-creators, Larry Hodgson and Jim Zielinski, who worked tirelessly with their development team to complete what is already earning a reputation as the “greatest course update ever released”. And with that, the first of four Golden Tee LIVE Regional Championships was underway! ■		Chris Eversole and Alexis Mihelich Chris Eversole sees his portrait for the first time.
Larry Hodgson and Jim Zielinski	Golden Tee Players lift their glasses in celebration of the new courses.	Glasses were raised high to match the spirit in the room!

A MIDWEST STYLE SHOOT-OUT FOR TEAM USA

The first event of the weekend was the Team USA shootout, which was comprised of arguably the toughest 16-man field of any region. The sixteen men, who made up the top 16 qualifiers throughout the two-month qualifying period, teed-up in a head-to-head, single elimination format for a coveted spot on the Team USA roster to compete in the 2007 Golden Tee World Championship in Las Vegas in March.

An excited crowd watched every stroke as these sixteen juggernauts faced-off for the top prize. First round eliminations included former Team USA members Rodney Roberts, Tony Johnson, Erik Strowbridge and Bob Niehuas, along side local shooters Richard Lane and Ed Godfrey and Minnesota’s Todd Penticoff. 2004 World Champion Jeff Harlow also wound up a first round victim.

The excitement picked up in round two, most notably when #1 qualifier and 2002 World Champion Graig Kinzler was eliminated by former Team USA member Brian Bernhardt in a heated battle. Jeff Benjamin defeated two-time Team USA member, Jimmy Parker, while Golden Tee veteran Charlie Oleson defeated one of Minnesota’s best, Will Sandstad, also a former Team USA member. Finally, Matt Estepp edged Marc Muklewicz in a close battle that would turn out to be a sign of things to come.

Estepp was proving to be the hot hand of night, after defeating Charlie Oleson to move on to the finals. But the most exciting match of the evening came in the round three battle between Bernhardt and Benjamin where Bernhardt went on to defeat the Milwaukee player in dramatic fashion with a sudden death double eagle! Huge roars from the Harrah’s Joliet crowd arose when Brian holed the high-stakes shot!

Bernhardt and Estepp, both former Team USA members, battled in the finals for a spot on Golden Tee Team USA 2007. Stroke-for-stroke the two put on a display of Golden Tee perfection that won't soon be forgotten by the huge crowd of spectators on-hand Friday night. After jumping out to a one stroke lead, Estepp held-off Bernhardt to become the first of four Team USA Shootout Champions to emerge in the next three months! Estepp received an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas in March of 2007 and is guaranteed a minimum prize of $1,000 for competing on Golden Tee's global stage. He joins defending World Champion - and team captain - Chris Eversole as the second member on the Team USA squad.  ■