-- Champions Golf Club
HOUSTON, Texas (April 21, 2013) -- Dan Crockett and Parker Smith play golf together to have fun, but whatever their recipe for success is, it definitely worked in their favor at the Champions Cup Invitational.
"Any time P.J. and I can get together and play golf, we enjoy ourselves. We're not playing this for a living, we do it for fun," Crockett told the Houston Chronicle after the victory.
And what isn't fun about posting 10-under-par 61 on a windy second round day when the next best score is a 68, and your partner (Smith) makes 8 birdies?
At the halfway point of the 72 hole event they had a 7-shot lead and despite a third round 63 by the venerable Nevada duo of Kevin Marsh and Brady Exber -- who have had their name on the Champions Cup trophy for three of the past four years -- Crockett and Smith kept their 7 stroke cushion heading into the final round by posting a 65 of their own.
Crockett, 44, from Nashville, Tenn., and Smith, 36, from Morristown, Tenn., flirted with the record, and put the tournament out of reach from Marsh and Exber (or anyone else) as they got to 22 under through 12 holes Sunday.
The only thing left to determine was if Crockett and Smith would break or match the tournament record of 25-under, and while that didn't happen (they ended up at 21-under - not bad at Champions Golf Club, which is a serious test of golf) the victory was what they cared about.
"The record didn't mean a lot to me as much as winning does," said Smith to the Chronicle's Richard Dean.
An amazing thing about this team is that while Smith excelled at college golf at LSU in the late 90's, Crockett played football and baseball and didn't take up golf until he turned 23. Now, the pair can add a Champions Cup title to their back-to-back wins at the Anderson Memorial Four Ball at Winged Foot (one of the most elite amateur four balls in the world) and aim for a title defense there later this season.
View results for Champions Cup Invitational
ABOUT THE
Champions Cup Invitational
Champions is Jack Burke's club, and the
Champions Cup is his
invitational tournament. This is a special
place, full of history and
worthy of the championships it has hosted,
which include the Ryder
Cup, U.S. Open, U.S Amateur, U.S. Mid-
Amateur and multiple Tour
Championships. The Champions Cup is a 72-hole
four-ball event with
no cut. It is a very popular tournament that
attracts a very strong,
competitive national field. To be considered
for entry, players must
maintain a maximum USGA handicap of 3, be
at least 25 years old
and submit playing accomplishments to be
considered. Walking is
required but long pants are no longer
mandatory. Contestants are
urged to stay at the homes of Champions
members (at no cost), but
can arrange their own accommodations if
desiring to do so. The tournament formerly
required both contestants
to be from the same state but has since
waived that requirement.
View Complete Tournament Information