7th Annual United States Golf Teachers Cup® - United States Golf Teachers Federation

7th Annual United States Golf Teachers Cup®

MARK HARMAN WINS SEVENTH PLAYING OF UNITED STATES GOLF TEACHERS CUP

MOORS GOLF & LODGING PENSACOLA, FL • 2002

Take two days of beautiful weather, a course where the Senior Tour plays, one of the South’s premier vacation destinations, great golf and friendships, and what do you have?

Why, the 7th annual edition of the United States Golf Teachers Cup, of course.

The Moors Golf & Lodging, just outside Pensacola, Florida, is home to the annual Emerald Coast Classic on the Senior PGA Tour, which showcases some of the greatest names in professional golf. This past November, it featured some of the greatest teaching names in the USGTF in competition.Two days of 75-degree weather and cloudless skies only made the tournament that much more enjoyable for the participants.

USGTF Course Director Mark Harman, from Pensacola, captured his third United States Golf Teachers Cup, shooting a two-round total of 141 to take home a two-stroke victory over Jim Perez of Fresno, California. Perez’s runner-up finish was his best showing to date in the championship.

There were plenty of fireworks during the second day, including:

Harman’s back nine score of 31 to propel him from fourth place, at the turn, to victory;

Perez’s hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth hole, giving him the lead at that point and fueling his fine showing

John Linton rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt on the second hole of sudden-death in the Super Senior Division to defeat past champion, and very solid player, Bert Boyce;

Robert Kleabir, playing in his first professional stroke-play tournament, coming back from an opening 88 to a second- round 73, a 15-stroke improvement

A new feature experimented with this year was second day money. This allowed those who did not do well the first day to still have something to play for. In the Open Division, Joey Justice took the money with a 72; Tom Buckley’s 75 copped the honors in the Senior Division; and Mike Perez came back from an opening round 91 with a 78 to grab the Super Senior Division dollars.

The low four scorers consisting of Harman, Perez, Ron Longoria of Santa Barbara, California, and Mike Stevens of Tampa, Florida, will re p resent the United States in the team portion of the next World Golf Teachers Cup, to be held in 2003 in Spain.

“I know all of us involved with the tournament had a great time in the Pensacola area,” stated USGTF President Geoff Bryant. “The Moors is a fine course, and we enjoyed it immensely. Currently, we’re finalizing plans for the next US Golf Teachers Cup, and we hope to once again have outstanding participation.”