Columnist Peter Benton: Whitaker, Weston take top honors

Peter Benton

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 1999 | 10:16 a.m.

Peter Benton is a local golfer. His column appears Wednesday.

The Las Vegas Country Club was the scene last week of the Vegas Golfer LVPGA Grand Finale Golf Tournament, 1999's last event on the Las Vegas Chapter, Southwest Section of the PGA schedule.

Format was individual stroke play and a blind draw, three-man team event where the best-ball of threesome was used on the odd holes, and two best-balls on all even holes.

Sharing individual honors were Ken Whitaker (Boulder City) and Wes Weston (Shadow Creek), who both came in at 1-under par 71. Carl Seelman (LVCC) placed third at even-par, 72, with fourth spot going to Dan Hammell (TPC) Canyons) and his 73.

Dale Akridge (South Shore), Jerry Roberts (Spanish Trail) and Tom Vold (Legacy), along with the team of Jim Neighbors (Palm Valley), Whitaker and Seelman tied for first place in the team event at 105.

Matt Heifner (Boulder Cisty), Tom Storey (unattached), and Hammell, plus the threesome of Dave Barnhart (Angel Park), Chad Meyers (Desert Willow) and Weston shared third place at 107.

Mike Starks (Eagle Crest), with 348 points for the season, easily captured the chapter's total points standings for the year. He in turn was followed by Weston, 286; Brian Anderson, (Spanish Trail), 209; Lee Houtteman (Primm Valley), 162; Mathew Groke (Rhodes Ranch) 150, and Akridge with 146 points.

Calvada's Jim Kirwan took the honors for the Seniors with 83 points. Lloyd Harris (Cerbat Cliffs) placed second with 39, while in third with 38 points was Spanish Trail's Jerry Roberts.

Weston won the stroke average award for the season, averaging 72.20 per round. Akridge with a 73.40 was next, Starks placed third with a 73.50 and rounding out the top five were Seelman (73.63) and Brian Anderson (Spanish Trail), with a 73.85 stroke average.

If you have doubts that there are any golfing gods, think again as the following just may convince you:

Peter Fischer, member of the Las Vegas Country Club with a handicap that hovers around 14, has made three holes in one over the past six weeks.

The first came on Nov. 11, when with a 4-iron, he aced the 148-yard seventh hole; and then on Dec. 2 and 22 he aced the tough, water-guarded, 168-yard 14th, both times wielding a 5-wood.

* MILESTONE SHOT: Eight-year-old Jimmy Burris, a member of the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association who is the size of your average putter, had the thrill last week of recording his first hole in one.

Playing from the red tees on the 98-yard 14th hole at the Las Vegas Country Club, Jimmy's ball, from a perfectly struck 6-iron, unerringly found the bottom of the cup for the first of what will surely not be his last ace.