Birdie run leads Markham to West Texas Amateur title
Jackson Markham (TGA photo)
Jackson Markham of Dallas won the 91st West Texas Amateur after a final-round 2-under 70 at Midland (Texas) Country Club. The rising senior at SMU finished at 3 under overall and was one stroke better than the field.
Markham quickly took the solo-lead in the final round after three consecutive birdies on the par-3 third, par-5 fourth and par-4 sixth. He went out in 3-under 33 and held a one-shot advantage with nine holes to play. Markham, playing in his first West Texas Amateur, remained steady on the back nine. He battled with playing competitor and 36-hole leader Travis Woolf throughout the final round. Following a disappointing double bogey on the par-4 17th, Markham and Woolf were tied heading into the final hole. Woolf found the native grass left of the green on his approach shot and made bogey. Markham seized the moment and made a routine par to win the 91st West Texas Amateur.
“I just kind of mostly tried to put all the focus on myself,” Markham said. “To know that my name will be on a trophy that’s going to long out-live me is pretty humbling, and I’m just honored.”
Woolf posted 2-under 214 for the championship and finished second. Rick Houston of Fort Worth, Will Adams of Odessa and Neil Dufford of Midland finished at 2-over 218 and tied for third. Andy Lopez of Dallas and Brian Scherer of Midland tied sixth at 3-over-par 219 overall.
Chuck Palmer won the Senior Division after three straight rounds in red figures. The 2015 West Texas Amateur Senior Champion finished the 54-hole championship at 4-under par and tied with Ed Brooks of Fort Worth. Palmer and Brooks played the par-4 tenth in a sudden-death playoff. Palmer stuffed his approach shot and tapped in his birdie to solidify the victory.
Doug Hopton-Jones won the Super-Senior Division by two strokes and at 3-over-par 219 overall. He adds this win to his 2002 West Texas Amateur title.
View results for West Texas Amateur
ABOUT THE
West Texas Amateur
Eligibility: Entries are open to male amateur golfers
who reside in either region (North/South) of the
state of Texas.
Applicants must have a certified GHIN Handicap
Index of 10.0 or less. Senior division players must be
55 years of
age as of the first round of tournament play. Super
Senior players must be 65 years of age as of the first
round of
tournament play.
Format/Field Size and Cut: The championship will be
contested over 54 holes of stroke play with three (3)
divisions;
Championship, Senior and Super Senior. Each
division will play from separate tees/yardages and
separate
champions will be recognized in each division.
At the conclusion of 36 holes the field will be cut to
the low 72 players (and ties), with a pro-rated
representation
from each division. The pro-rated allocation of
players making the cut from each division will be
reflective of the
number of players in each division, relative to the
total field size. The determination of total field size,
number of
players in each division and pro-rated representation
of players making the cut (before ties) will be
announced in
conjunction with pairings being posted.
The field is limited to 144, as outlined below:
Championship: Open (84 players)
Senior: 55 & Over (42
players)
Super Senior: 65 & Over (18 players)
View Complete Tournament Information