Sunday February 9, 2020
La Cantera Resort Course
The Golf Channel Am Tour's most recent stop on the San Antonio swing was at the Palmer course at La Cantera on Sunday. Foreboding weather that had threatened all week never really materialized, and the players accepted the Palmer Challenge. While not a single round was shot in the 70's, some performances stood out above the rest on a warm, drizzly day.
Richard's Schram's putter caught fire right out of the gates on Sunday, as the eventual Snead flight champion poured in long birdie putts on the first two holes. The flatstick would cool down on the back nine, but Schram was still able to wrap up his first win of the 2020 season with a score of 103, and buffered his lead in the Race to Nationals in the process.
Michael Grant has recently finalized his relocation to San Antonio, and has made himself quite at home at La Cantera. After capturing the Jones crown two weeks ago at the Resort Classic, Grant made it a clean sweep on Sunday, earning the Sr. Jones title at the Palmer course. Grant's 95 bested new Sr. Jones promotee Jack Iglesias by two shots.
Another player to start fast on Sunday was Tommy Nguyen. Pars on the first four holes gave Nguyen a solid edge on the rest of the Jones flight field, and he was able to coast to his second win of the year with 93. Making his 2020 debut, Kaleb Sanderson fired 99 to finish a distant second.
La Cantera was the site of a double dip for another player on Sunday - this time in the Sarazen flight. Resort Classic champion Phillip Sumang earned another win at the Palmer Challenge, shooting an 88 that beat out James Kohnert by two. Sumang rode two birdies to the title, and inched ever closer to qualification for the Sr. National Championship. James Otwell fired 92 to round out the top three.
Daniel Oliver started his day with a birdie in Hogan flight, and while his golf didn't continue on that pace, he had a great day at La Cantera. In addition to his 92 that lead to a comfortable win, Oliver's name was drawn as the 50/50 raffle winner, and the winner of the Troops First Foundation Memorial Tournament in July received half the pot. Oliver's win came in his first start of the season.
The third player to defend the La Cantera turf on Sunday was Brad Kendrick. Winner of the Resort Classic in the Palmer flight, Kendrick shot 83 on Sunday to earn his second consecutive trophy. Six pars on the back nine acted as a springboard to the two-shot win over Mike Harkins.
The Championship flight winner on Sunday was Brandan Leach. While he didn't have his A game on a difficult track, Leach was able to bounce back from a double on 15 with a clutch birdie on 16, and two closing pars wrapped up his first win of the season. Leach's three total birdies led the field as well.