First Season of the Amateur Golf Tour in Houston Set to Start

Established in 1995 by Dennis McCormac in North Carolina, the Amateur Golf Tour has since grown into a nationwide tour with divisions in over 30 major metropolitan areas. The most recent city added is Houston.

The Houston Amateur Golf Tour (HAGT) will host 18 events in 2006 with a two-day Houston Tour Finals at the Tour 18 facility. Individual gross stroke-play tournaments will be held on weekends at some of the finest courses in Houston. Besides Tour 18, other courses on the Houston tournament rota include Wild Cat, Blackhorse, Greatwood, Magnolia Creek, Eagle Pointe and Cypresswood. The Houston season will end with a 36-hole local final on October 14-15, 2006, at Tour 18.

The tour is open to male and female amateurs of all ages with handicaps from 0-20. There are four different flights to provide fair competition for all players. Over $1,500 in prizes are awarded at each tournament. The top three finishers in each flight receive gift certificates and points. All flights will be paid equally, according to the number of participants in each flight. Each flight winner will also receive a cut-glass trophy. In addition, there is an optional skins game at tournaments, for $5 a player.

A season-long points race determines the top players in each flight. Top-10 points leaders in each flight from each city are invited to compete in the Tour Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The contact for HAGT is Kevin Knight. Knight can be reached at 832/262-9335 or by email at kknight@houstonagt.net. Additional details are available at www.houstonagt.net or www.amateurgolftour.net.