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birdie at the par 4 17th hole and finished his
round with a par on the final hole, the par 5
18th (556 yards).
All scores previously mentioned were net
scores. Belanger’s course handicap of 11
subtracted from his gross score of 80 brought
his second-round total to two-under par 69
and six-under par for Championship.
As previously mentioned, this year’s event
was held at Koasati Pines at the Coushatta
Casino Resort in Kinder, Louisiana. The
golf course was in excellent condition for this
championship and drew rave reviews from
competitors. The greens rolled true, and the
fairways were extremely well manicured.
The rough was slightly higher and thicker
than it typically is at this course, due to the
amount of rain brought on by Hurricane
Harvey a few weeks ago. The thick rough
was an equalizer for players, making fairways
a premium. The course played firm and fast
to a par of 71 at approximately 6,500 yards.
Sunday’s play was again conducted in
ideal golf weather, with temperatures in the
mid 70’s and a slight breeze throughout the
day. Koasati Pines at Coushatta proved to be
an extremely popular venue for the LGA Net
Amateur competitors, and it will host a U.S.
Mid-Amateur Sectional Qualifier conducted
by the LGA on Monday.
Top 5 finishers in the Overall Championship
received prizes. Rounding out the Top 5
were: 2. Alexander (67/73/140), 3. Nicholas
Rainey of New Orleans (72/69/141), 4.
2014 LGA Net Amateur Champion William
Duncan of Baton Rouge (70/72/142),
T5. Bryan McCullough of Lake Charles
(68/76/144), and T5. Perry Hudson III of
Baton Rouge (69/75/144).
Belanger and Rainey were the only two
competitors to card scores under par on
Sunday.
The top 5 finishers in the Overall
Championship were taken out of their
respective flight at the conclusion of play on
Sunday. Top 3 finishers in each flight also
won prizes. Flight winners included: Perry
Hudson III of Baton Rouge (St. Andrews /
48
144), Dewey Thevis of Broussard (Prestwick /
148), Lance LaMotte of Baton Rouge (Troon
/ 153), and Rene Durflinger of Westlake
(Carnoustie / 149).
If there had been a tie for the Overall
Championship, there would have been a
three hole, cumulative score playoff (with 1/6
of handicap) beginning on a hole determined
by the Championship Committee. All other
ties, which determined prizes or recognition,
were decided by matching scorecards. The
USGA method, as prescribed in Appendix
I of the current Rules of Golf booklet, was
utilized (i.e., last 9 holes; if still tied, last 6
holes; if still tied, last 3 holes; if still tied, 18th
hole).
The most improved golfer went to Marc
Young of Hammond who shot a 77 on Sunday,
improving by 16 strokes from his first-round
score. The most interesting playing of a hole
went to Ward Lafleur of Lafayette at the par
5 9th hole (557 yards).
Lafleur lost his tee shot and was not
virtually certain it was in the hazard so he
went back to the tee and hit his drive right
down the middle of the fairway. He reached
the green in two, and then drained the putt
for a gross score of 5.
The LGA reported that it conducts this
event to provide a championship for the
higher handicap players with procedures in
place that assure consistency and integrity.
The LGA utilized the USGA Tournament
Score Probability Table to adjust any
handicap indexes when a player’s score
exceeded normal probability.
In the Net Club Team Championship,
conducted concurrently with the Net Amateur,
Oakbourne Country Club of Lafayette won
by finishing at nine-over par 435. Team
members included Ken Alexander, Ward
Lafleur, and Dwight Prudhomme.
In the Net Club Team Championship,
team totals are comprised by combining the
low three individual scores each round from
four-man teams. Impressively, Oakbourne
counted all three of their team’s scores each
day and was still able to take home the title.
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