THE SOUTH HONORS ONE OF THEIR OWN AND TEES IT UP FOR $25K
 

As the sun set over the mighty Mississippi, the moment everyone had waited for had finally arrived - The "Main Event" of the Golden Tee LIVE Southern Open was about to begin!  After the long two-month road and countless hours and hundreds of games, it was time for these Golden Tee players to face-off for the Southern crown.

But before the action ensued, IT paused for a special moment in Golden Tee history.  Gary Colabuono,  tournament director and  emcee, called up Houstonian Casey Brock, proprietor of the Golden Tee community's number one message board, www.underdogsports.net, to the stage.

On behalf of IT, Colabuono honored Brock by inducting him in the video sport's hall of fame, the Golden Tee Society.  Signified by the presentation of the honorary leather bomber jacket, Brock was inducted in the "Promoter" wing of the honorary society.  “No player has ever been inducted as a "Promoter"," Colabuono explained.  "It's because of Casey's tireless efforts that the GT community is as strong as it is today," he said.  "This is our way of thanking him for everything that he has done for the game of Golden Tee."

Upon acceptance of the jacket, which was presented by GTS members Chris Eversole and Steven Sobe, a touched and shocked Brock said, ”This is unbelievable.  I just like to see everyone have a good time and I really have the website for the players," he said.  "Thank you very much everyone, this is a tremendous honor."

Colabuono surprises Casey Brock with an induction into the Golden Tee Society	GTS memebers Chris Eversole and Steven Sobe present his honorary jacket.	Fits like a glove!	Casey Brock and Colabuono pose together...both proud members of the GTS.

The emotional moment set the stage for what was going to be an incredible night of Golden Tee.  And despite the low attendance due to the last minute switch, the small 90-man field was imbued with an energy unlike either of the prior two regional events.

These die-hard players made the journey to Beale St. from across a 12-state region.  Over $25,000 in cash and prizes was on the line, along with the prestige to be called the number one player in the South.

The format consists of a five-course qualifier where scores are tallied to generate a leaderboard ranked best to worst.  The player with the best overall score is crowned "King of the Hill" and receives a bye to the final while those who finish 2-9 play off in an 8-man, single elimination tournament to face the KOH and play for $5,000 and the Regional Championship trophy. Leading up to the Southern Open, the first two KOH’s were 0-2 in the final round.

Southern 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 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, Ryan McCook, for his unbelievable online qualifying average of -30.48.  Ryan 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.

As in the first two events, 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 Clu Reagan of Pasadena, TX.

With music pumping and spirits high, the excited crowd lit up the 50 Golden Tee LIVE games at FedExForum.  Expectations for high scores were unknown as the Southern Open marked the first event using the new 2007 courses.  But to no ones surprise, top talent like Chris Litzinger, Billy "Hitch" Phillips and Sean Gervais set a blistering pace on Rustic Bridge with their first round -25's.

McDonough, GA sharpshooter, David Long, kept the strong pace alive on Indigo Mound in round two with a top score of -27.  Shockingly, the field was keeping pace on the new courses and posting scores on par with the first two events.

But no shooter could top - who else  - Chris Litzinger, the undeniable Golden Tee master on that Saturday night.  Litzinger caught fire on the remaining three courses to top the field by a total of 5 strokes, including an unbelievable -28 on Moose Landing in the final round!  With an amazing total score of -131, Litzinger moved on to become the third King of the Hill for a shot to win $5,000 in the finals.

Behind Chris, the eight finalists were comprised of the top stars in the south, including reigning World Champion - Chris Eversole, former Team USA member - Sean Gervais, former Team USA member - Daniel Gralapp, past Player of the Year - David Long, #1 qualifier - Ryan McCook, Team USA runner-up - Reid Somori and former Team USA members Wade Kids and Dayton Root.
 

Litzinger's four top scores (yes, FOUR) earned him four Ben Hogan golf bags courtesy of Top Flight.  David Long's -27 on Indigo Mound earned him a new bag as well.

As the bottom eight qualifiers began to battle to advance to the finals, Litzinger, the third King of the Hill, practiced on a spare game to break the "Curse of the King" from the first two Regional Championship events.  "There's five grand on the line,” he said.  "I have to stay focused."

While Litzinger tried to stay warm, the head-to-head action was heating up.  Ninth seeded qualifier, Dayton Root upset the reigning world champ, Eversole, in the first round while McCook, Gralapp and Gervais also advanced.  Eversole, Long, Somori and Kids all received $600 for their 6^th place efforts.

Two perfect Texas vs. Florida battles were setup for round two as Houston's Dayton Root faced Jacksonville's Ryan McCook and Arlington's Daniel Gralapp against Tampa's Sean Gervais.  But as luck would have it, the tough Texans could not top the Florida duo as they both fought their way into the final round for a shot against the KOH.  Texans Root and Gralapp both took home $900 for their efforts.

Gervais vs. McCook: Gervais, famous for his "Best in Tampa" nickname, was now playing for the true right to be called "Best in Florida" or more importantly "Best in the South".  But McCook, one of the strongest forces in the game right now, would not go quietly.  As the two from the Orange State fought tooth-and-nail, the Southern crowd watched on the FedExForum big screen.  After a close battle, former Team USA member, Gervais, topped McCook in sudden death overtime to advance to the final round of the Southern Open.

With the Curse of the King weighing heavily on Litzinger, the two GT masters had an old fashion southern-style throw down with a $5,000 payday on the line.  Gervais jumped out to an early lead with Litzinger keeping pace a mere one-stroke behind.  Litzinger took the lead at the turn and with only 4 holes remaining had the championship in sight and a 2-stroke lead.  But despite his best efforts, a series of bad breaks saw Litzinger’s lead evaporate.  Gervais' birdie on sealed the deal.

While he hoped he would be the one to break it, the "Curse of the King" lived on as Sean Gervais defeated Chris Litzinger to be crowned the Southern Open champion! 

"It feels good to finally win one," Gervais said about his first major Golden Tee tournament victory, "Especially against a great player like Chris.  I couldn't be happier."

Gervais would return to Tampa $5,000 richer while Litzinger would add $2,000 to his Team USA Shootout victory.

Congratulations to Sean Gervais and Chris Litzinger
on an Outstanding Performance!
 
And Thank You to ALL of the Southern Open Competitors
for Your Understanding and Patience!
  
The Golden Tee LIVE Regional Championships 
Every Player.  Every Game.  Every Location.