By Anders Madsen
Day two of The Brent Hambrick Memorial Open started out as planned with the Pro´s playing their third round on the 27 hole East course at the Hoover Dam reservoir. It would prove to be an exciting day, especially for Paul Ulibarri, who had an amazing first day at the tournament that ended with him holding a 6 stroke lead over his nearest competitor in the Men’s Open division. Keeping it cool must have been one of Paul’s mantras for Sunday’s rounds as after round three he had increased his lead to eight strokes over Jeremy Koling and a ten strokes over both David Feldberg and Nikko Locastro who were tied for third place going into the Final 9.
In the Ladies Open division, Valarie Jenkins kept herself on top of the lead card while the bottom got turned more or less upside-down with both Sarah Hokem and Liz Lopez shooting a +2 round on the East course and thereby jumping past Paige Pierce and Elaine King. So the FPO division ended up with Valarie, Sarah and Liz teeing off with the MPO´s for the Final 9.
The Final 9 at the BHMO is especially known for the famous “dam shot” that offers a great elevation shot from the top of the Hoover Dam down to Hole #5´s basket which is hiding behind a thick wall of trees.
The Final 9 ended with Paul Ulibarri having shot 5 under par to hold his lead and lift the Brent Hambrick Memorial trophy over his head in triumph. David Feldberg came in 2nd with a -3 and Jeremy Koling in 3rd place with a -2 for the final round.
In the FPO division Valarie Jenkins took 1st place with an overall score of +12 in front of Sarah Hokem (+14) and Liz Lopez(+15).
In the MPM division, Patrick Brown took 1st place with an 8 stroke lead in front of Peter Caldwell (E) and Peter Cox (+2) for the overall tournament.
In the FPM division Lisa Warner took 1st place with an overall +57 in front of Karen Farrell (+61) and Sharon Jenkins (+77).
In the MPG division Jim Ferrara took 1st place with an overall -6 in front of Dr. Rick Voakes (+5) and Dan Busick (+6).
Congratulations to all the winners and last, but not least, congratulations to Paul Jay and his crew of dedicated volunteers who made this fourth stop on the PDGA National Tour and “Drive for the Championship” sponsored by Vibram Disc Golf, an unforgettable event for both players and spectators in the beautiful surroundings of the Hoover Dam Reservoir Park.
For full scores, see: 2011 Brent Hambrick Memorial Open
