2023 Houston Local Finals Golf Tournament

The Houston APT tour concluded the 2023 season in style as players headed to Galveston Island for the Houston 2023 Championship at Moody Gardens, ranked the #4 Public Golf Course in Texas by Golfers’ Choice. The weather for the 2-Day Championship was near perfect and the course was in fantastic shape! Day one offered optimal scoring conditions as players had one of the calmest days they have ever seen at Moody Gardens, which typically has challenging gulf winds that one would expect being on the gulf coast.  Day two was more typical with mild gulf winds that required players to strategically evaluate club selections and commit to shots on holes with crosswinds.   

In Division 1, Marc Young (+7) came into the tournament fresh off his first National Major win at Chambers Bay the weekend before and kept things rolling with two solid rounds to secure a 1st place victory by 8 shots! Philip Littlefield, James Michalsky, and Jered Marusic (+15) end in a three-way tie for second place. 

Marc Young also won Houston D1 Player of the Year!  Mark had a great season on the APT tour with 3 regular season wins, a National Major win, and a win at the Houston 2023 Championship! 

In Division 2, Jason Hawthorne (+5) entered the tournament on a hot streak, and he continued his dominating performance earning his fifth consecutive APT tournament win by 16 strokes! Barry Seabranch (+21) finished in second place and Troy White (+22) finished in third.  

It’s no surprise that Jason Hawthorne is also the Houston D2 Player of the Year!  Jason had a phenomenal year on the APT tour with four second place finishes early in the season and ending the year with 5 consecutive 1st place finishes, which included a combined Local Major with DFW and the Houston 2023 Championship!  

Division 3 was a tightly contested race. James Medina and Pat Ryan ended day one atop the leaderboard with Victor Rangel hot on their tail. On day two, Pat had a steady front nine to garner a 4-shot lead at the turn, but Victor kept grinding away and made things interesting with a clutch birdie on 17 for the co-lead heading to the 18th tee. The very challenging 421-yard, par 4, 18th hole was ready to be a difference maker, requiring a precise tee shot and a long second shot over water to a well-protected green. Pat Ryan (+20) was able to get up-and-down for par to earn a 1st place victory.  Victor Rangel (+23) finished in second place and James Medina (+25) finished in third.  

Pat Ryan was the Houston D3 Player of the Year finishing out the 2023 season with four Top 5 finishes at National Majors and four Houston tour wins including the Houston 2023 Championship! 

Division 4 was another tightly contested race with huge implications in the D4 POY standings! Shan Schaefer was in position to play spoiler in the D4 POY race when he entered the clubhouse with the day one lead. Charles Ackerman was in second after round one and needed to maintain that position or better to have a shot at D4 POY. Day two was a nail-biter as Ellis Flores scrambled from a three-stroke deficit to grab a share of first in a three-way tie at the turn. Ellis Flores (+28) out-dualled Charles Ackerman (+29) and Shan Schaefer (+31) on the back nine to claim 1st place in the championship. Charles and Shan finished in second and third place respectively. 

Houston D4 Player of the Year was a very close race!! Charles Ackerman was crowned D4 POY Champion by a margin of 68 points! Charles had a steady year claiming two season wins and a second-place finish at the Houston 2023 Championship. 

In Division 5, Eddie Haynes (+43) had night and day rounds overcoming a 9-shot deficit with a solid round 2 of 87 to secure a 1st place win. Rob Vespa (+49) finished in second and Wayne Jackson (+52) finished in third place.  

Eddie Haynes was also crowned Houston 2023 Player of the Year! Eddie battled through some tough competition during the season earning four 1st place finishes, including a combined Local Major with DFW and the Houston 2023 Championship! 

In the Senior Net Division, Pat Ryan (+2) took 1st place with two consistent rounds, Shan Schaefer (+7) finished in second place and Eddie Haynes (+9) finished in third place. 

Pat Ryan also claimed the Houston Senior Net Player of the Year!  Two early season wins and a 1st place finish at the Houston 2023 Championship helped Pat win POY. 

Congratulations to all the Houston 2023 Championship winners and the Houston POY Champions!