Fidone wins with birdie barrage

Sam Fidone is from Lufkin, Texas.

Through golf, he travels around the world as an active member of both the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series, as well as the PGA Tour’s Latino America Tour and the Mackenzie Tour, which plays in Canada.

But for Fidone, one stop sparkles his eye a little more than others: Houma, Louisiana.

Fidone won the Options for Independence Houma Classic this past week, shooting a final-round 65 to finish 17-under-par total – four shots better than Logan McCracken, who finished as the event’s runner-up.

For Fidone, the Houma victory is a long time coming for him. Now 25, he first played at Ellendale when he was fresh out of college as a 21-year-old when the event was the Fakier Open. That year, he finished fourth.

Since then, he’s come back to Houma ever since and said he’s glad to now be a champion in the storied event.

“I just like the golf course. It fits my game nicely,” Fidone said. “The people take care of you here and it’s just a great event. This week, I played well. I think the conditions were difficult earlier in the week and then later in the week, the course got a little moisture, which allowed us to make some birdies. It was a great weekend and I was just pleased to play some good golf and stand here with the tournament championship.”

Fidone was just relentless on Saturday – the final round of the event.

Overnight Friday, it rained heavily in Houma, which pumped water onto Ellendale’s fairways and greens. That, of course, makes it easier for elite golfers to make birdies because it’s easier to be aggressive on a course when it’s slower because the ball doesn’t roll away from the hole as fast as it does when dry.

Fidone took complete advantage of that, soaring out to a four-under-par 32 on the front nine to soar out to a four-shot lead.

Both Fidone and McCracken entered the final round at 10-under – a share for the lead.

But where Fidone played well early, McCracken struggled, shooting just even par for his first-nine holes.

“That was a big swing,” Fidone said. “I gained some shots early and got into the round early.”

On the back nine, McCracken found his groove, shooting a three-under-par 33 to finish the round at 13-under – easily enough to secure his place as the event’s runner-up.

But it was clear early on Saturday that everyone was playing for second-place, because Fidone never faltered.

“I made some mistakes early and you just give credit to Sam. He hit all the shots at the right times and got the win,” McCracken said. “He played the best four rounds this week. He deserved to get the win.”

On the back-nine, he made four-straight pars then opened up the birdie barrage again, birdieing No. 14, No. 15 and No. 16 to put the tournament on ice with a five-shot lead.

He parred No. 17 and No. 18 – enough to easily finish in control of the event.

For Fidone, this is his first win on the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series, to go along with several Top 10s and a handful of Top 5’s. It’s his first Adams Golf Pro Tour Series of 2018, and he took home more than $20,000 in prize money for his efforts.

Fidone is an accomplished player with several accolades under his belt. He played 15 events on the PGA Tour Latina American Tour last year – making more than $10,000 in prize money.

In 2016, he had the biggest weekend of his career, winning the Honduras Open with a four-round score of 16-under.

“This is a great accomplishment,” Fidone said. “It ranks right up there with some of the other big moments in my career. And, I’m just hoping like everyone else – that we’re just getting started and there will be a lot of more trophies and titles and different things that we can be proud of in the future.”

But while Fidone rode off into the sunset with the trophy and the champion’s check, the real winner of the weekend was the city of Houma.

The Adams Golf Pro Tour Series golfers, as always, complimented the city for hosting a terrific event – an annual occurrence for the tour, which has been in the area for the past several years.

Fidone said the hospitality in Houma is unrivaled and is why he comes to play the event, despite his obligations on the PGA Tour.

McCracken said he, too, is a big fan of the city, adding that he’s happy he played better in the event than he’d done in years past.

Last year, McCracken missed the cut after shooting 80, then 77. He missed the cut here in 2015, as well.

“I guess the third time was the charm,” he said with a laugh.

Last year’s champion Michael Arnaud returned and defended his title, finishing tied for 11th at 7-under. Arnaud said it was great to be back at a place that he said he really enjoys playing.

“You see friendly faces and we’ve all made great friends,” Arnaud said. “It’s a fun event and we all enjoy it and that’s why we continue to come back.”

Sam Fidone

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