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April 28, 2015
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April 28, 2015
With five holes to go in the Fakier Open, Dustin Morris knew he had to make a move.
Morris was the tournament’s leader for most of Saturday’s final round, but a birdie barrage by Michael Arnaud had brought the two to a tie at 11-under par on the 14th hole.
“I knew I couldn’t make a mistake coming in,” Morris said. “I knew I had to play the final five holes under-par to have a chance.”
He did exactly that.
Morris used beautiful driving and timely iron shots to birdie holes 16 and 17 to retake the lead and secure the Fakier Open Title with a final score of 13-under-par.
He paced the field by three shots, defeating runner-up Arnaud, who struggled down the stretch and bogeyed 14 and 18 to surrender the title.
Brett Lederer finished 9-under and finished third.
The victory is the second of Morris’ career on the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series. The 27-year-old Houston native took home the $15,000 winner’s share in victory for the event, which was played at Ellendale Country Club in Houma.
Morris shot a 4-under 68 in the final round. He didn’t card a bogey in the entire round.
“I played pretty well – especially down the stretch,” Morris said. “This is a tough golf course. My driver sort-of carried me to where I needed to go. I was blasting it down there and having short iron approach shots. I made enough putts to put together a good score.”
Saturday’s final round was affected by rain – the first drops coming with both leaders in a two-man duel.
As the leaders were heading toward the 16th green, lightning forced all golfers off the course – a delay that lasted for almost exactly two hours.
At the time of the delay, Morris was up by a stroke over Arnaud, who started the day two shots back, but used a hot start to pressure Morris and create some drama on the windy, soggy morning and afternoon.
“We had a good battle,” Arnaud said. “I started off playing good golf, and we headed down the stretch there with it being anybody’s game.”
After the rain, both golfers finished the 16th hole in style, carding birdies. On the Par-317th hole,
Morris clinched the title with a beautiful iron shot off the tee, which led to another birdie and a two-shot lead.
Arnaud made par on 17, but bogeyed 18 to fizzle his rally and clinch Morris’ three-shot win.
“The delay helped relax me,” Morris said. “I went and sat around the club house, watched some TV and just didn’t think about the tournament, the pressure or anything like that. When I got back on the course, I was relaxed and I hit a couple good shots to help take me home.”
Saturday’s final round was the most difficult day for golfers, who had to battle the pre-storm winds, which put birdies at a premium.
The low-round of Saturday’s final round came from John Hurley, who shot a 6-under 66 to ascend from the bottom of the field to finish in a tie for 16th place. A total of 40 golfers made the cut for the four-day, 72-hole event. Finishing 40th earned an $800 prize.
But at the end of the day, it was Morris who survived the grueling test and won the title. Morris missed last year’s Fakier Open because he was busy playing with the big boys in the PGA Tour at the Zurich Classic. He’s made three PGA Tour stops in his career, including one made cut.
Morris said he hopes to ride his momentum toward getting back at that level.
“That’s the goal,” Morris said. “I think that’s everyone’s goal. This helps. Certainly, it feels good to win, and this is a good win because this is a good place and a great golf course, so I’m definitely proud of that.”
HOUMA EARNS HIGH MARKS FROM ADAMS GOLF PRO TOUR SERIES
As-always, officials with the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series lauded Ellendale and the city of Houma for allowing the Fakier Open to go off without a hitch. The 2015 event marked the 12th-straight year that our area has hosted a tournament of this kind at Ellendale.
The event has had several name changes over the years, but one constant is the same, according to officials – a commitment to a good weekend.
“They do a great job. This is one of our favorite stops each year,” Adams Gold Pro Tour Series Director Kris Neal said. “Your area and community has so many great, selfless volunteers who do a great job making this event go off without a hitch.
FAKIER OPEN FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Dustin Morris (-13)
2. Michael Arnaud (-10)
3. Brett Lederer (-9)
T4. James Marchesani (-7)
T4. Chris Thompson (-7)
T6. Ryan O’Rear (-6)
T6. Robby Ormand (-6)
T6. Brian Rowell (-6)
T10. Zachary Fischer (-5)
T10. Matt Boyd (-5)
T12. Christopher Brown (-4)
T12. Chris Ward (-4)
T12. Riley Arp (-4)
T12. Patrick Sullivan (-4)
T16. Mitchell Gregson (-3)
T16. Drew Evans (-3)
T16. John Hurley (-3)
T16. Case Cochran (-3)
T20. Devin Carrey (-2)
T20. Thomas Birdsey (-2)
T20. Mark Victorian (-2)
T23. Payne Gniewek (-1)
T23. Rob Hudson (-1)
T23. Curtis Reed (-1)
T26. Ryan Baca (E)
T26. Austin DeGrate (E)
T26. Peter McGibney (E)
T26. Zachary Collings (E)
T26. Dillon Rust (E)
T26. Paul Haley II (E)
32. Albert Miner (+1)
T33. Bill Allcorn (+2)
T33. Luke Symons (+2)
T35. David Gossett (+3)
T35. Cameron Button (+3)
T35. Sam Chien (+3)
38. Brandt Garon (+4)
39. Alex Carpenter (+6)
40. Johnathan Schnitzer (+10)
‘I knew I couldn’t make a mistake coming in. I knew I had to play the final five holes under par to have a chance.’
Dustin Morris
2015 Fakier Open Champion
Adams Golf Pro Tour Series golfer Dustin Morris poses with his championship trophy after winning the 2015 Fakier Open on Saturday afternoon. Morris finished the tournament 13-under par, earning a three-shot victory over runner-up Michael Arnaud. The event was delayed for two hours on Saturday because of wet weather. But the rest of the four-day golfing event went off without a hitch, according to Adams Golf Pro Tour Series officials.
2015 Fakier Open Champion Dustin Morris (fourth from left) poses with Adams Golf Pro Tour Series officials and tournament sponspors after receiving his $15,000 victory check. Morris won the tournament on Saturday afternoon after carding a bogey-free final round. The victory is the second of Morris’ career.
