Tag: Las Colinas Country Club

Mark Hensby defeats fifth alternate Charlie Wi in a playoff to win 2023 Invited Celebrity Classic

There was some OT golf in Texas on the PGA Tour Champions.

The field of 78 at the 2023 Invited Celebrity Classic on the PGA Tour Champions was missing a few of the circuit’s big names.

Steve Stricker opted out, choosing instead to play with Zach Johnson at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Bernhard Langer, holding steady with 45 Champions tour wins, tied for most all-time, also took the week off.

David Toms, who’s won twice on the Champions tour in 2023, Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez also all decided to stay home.

There was a three-way tie for the lead at 11 under between Charlie Wi, Alex Cejka and Mark Hensby with three holes to go. There was still a three-way tie with one hole left.

Wi seemed the most unlikely candidate to be in contention late. He three-putted the 13th hole, then hit into the water on 15 where he ended up with a double bogey. But he closed in style with birdies on the the 17th and 18th holes to shoot a 68 and take a one-shot lead at 12 under. Hensby would later birdie the 18th to force a playoff.

Wi, 51, has never won a PGA Tour sanctioned event. Hensby won once, at the 2004 John Deere Classic.

On the fourth playoff hole, Wi’s second shot found the water and that would be his undoing as he would go on to double bogey the hole. Hensby then made par for his first PGA Tour Champions victory.

What the field may have lacked in top tour attractions did feature a deep roster of invited celebrities, with 40 former pro athletes playing Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas, alongside the pros.

The list of celebs included Annika Sorenstam, who 20 years ago at Colonial Country club teed it up in the PGA Tour’s Bank of America Colonial, the first woman to play a Tour event in 45 years.

Tony Romo proved to be the best celeb this week, outlasting defending champ Mardy Fish for the 2023 title. Sorenstam was solo third, Mark Mulder fourth and Justin Williams was fifth.

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Tony Romo on the rocks: Former Dallas Cowboys QB fumbles away celebrity division title in playoff

The ClubCorp Classic celebrity division came down to NFL analyst Tony Romo and tennis pro Mardy Fish.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had a spotty playoff record behind center – 2-4 lifetime – and it didn’t get any better Sunday on the golf course.

Playing in the celebrity division of the ClubCorp Classic, a PGA Tour Champions event in Irving, Texas, Romo, 42, held the lead until he hit into the water at the par-5 18th hole at Las Colinas Country Club and made bogey, while former tennis pro Mardy Fish responded with a clutch birdie. That forced a tie with 106 points in the Stableford scoring system.

Fish won the playoff when Romo, the lead analyst on the NFL for CBS Sports these days, again rinsed his second shot into the penalty area and Fish converted a short birdie putt.

“It’s nice to catch Tony this time,” said the 40-year-old Fish, who is the U.S. Davis Cup Captain and has been battling regularly with Romo on the celebrity golf circuit. “He’s a great player. He had plenty of support here. We’ve got a nice rivalry building.”

It came down to 18, where Fish avoided the penalty area and Romo did not.

“Get it over the water was the thought initially and then we’ll figure it out from there,” Fish said. “Obviously feels great to win and get to beat him, especially here. I’m sure he’s played the course a few more times than I have, but conditions were tough out here.”

Romo held the lead after the first and second rounds, but shot the equivalent of 73 on Sunday, good for 34 points to Fish’s 70 that generated 37 points.

“I played well, did a lot of good things, but that 18th hole is what cost me,” Romo said. “The wind is swirling; I hit pretty good shots. Going over par on that hole after being in good position is just not going to get it done.”

LPGA Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam finished third with 100 points.

The modified Stableford scoring format awards 10 points for an albatross, 5 for a hole-in-one and eagle, 3 for birdie, 2 for par, 1 for bogey and 0 for double bogey.

Fish won the $100,000 first-place prize from the Celebrity Division purse of $500,000.

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