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Christovich, McGibney Co-champs of the 74th Harvey Penick Invitational

Top row: Patrick Christovich and Peter McGibney Bottom row: Jay Pumhprey and Ron Hackleman

AUSTIN, Texas (October 9, 2011)--Patrick Christovich (New Orleans, LA) and Peter McGibney (Dublin, Ireland and Austin, TX) were declared co-champions of the 74th Harvey Penick Invitational at Austin Country Club, while Jay Pumphrey and Ron Hackleman, both of Georgetown, TX, won the Senior and Super Senior Divisions.

Both players came into the tournament playing great golf, with Christovich winning the Louisiana Mid-Amateur and making match play at the U.S. Amateur, and McGibney finishing in the top 4 in four of his last six in-state tournaments. But it was Neal Barfield of Dallas who took the lead after day one, opening with a 3-under 69. Barfield would back up on day two, allowing Christovich and McGibney to take the lead at even par with identical scores of 74-70, and setting up a shootout for the final round. But when heavy rain moved in to the Austin area, which was much needed for the record-breaking drought but too much at once for play to continue, the final round was canceled. Brian Harris of Kokomo, IN finished third at 2-over, while three players finished tied for fourth at 3-over.

Pumphrey shot a first-round 73 and followed it with a 77 in challenging conditions on day two for a one-shot win over Mac McGee of Midland, TX, with Peach Reynolds of Austin, TX finishing third, three shots back. New for 2011, the Super Senior Division was won by Ron Hackleman, who shot 76 and 75 for a five-shot win over Chip Bridges of Monarch Beach, CA. Larry Walsh of Mountain City, TX finished third.

Thanks to all players who participated in the tournament this year. Thanks also to Bobby Stringer, course superintendent who battled severe drought conditions all year and was able to bring the golf course to championship condition. And a special thanks to Tinsley Penick, Harvey's son and former longtime professional at Austin Country Club whose presence this week was appreciated by all.

Final Results of the 75th Harvey Penick Invitational

The Tournament Field Has Been Finalized

AUSTIN, Texas (October 5, 2011)--Contestants in the 2011 Harvey Penick Invitational will once again include some of the most accomplished mid-amateur and senior golfers in the country. We have received a record number of entries, with commitments secured from players representing 20 states and Canada.

The tournament field has been finalized; click here for the list of contestants.

Dates Set for the 2011 Harvey Penick Invitational

AUSTIN, Texas (January 1, 2011)--The 2011 Harvey Penick Invitational has been scheduled for October 7-9, with a practice round scheduled for October 6.

The tournament honors Harvey Penick, the renowned Hall of Fame teaching professional who created the tournament in 1935 and whose association with Austin Country Club spanned 82 years. He was one of the finest teachers and gentlemen of the game, whose students included Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Mickey Wright, Kathy Whitworth, and countless other golfers of all ability levels. His instructional books Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book (1992) and And If You Play Golf, You’re My Friend (1993) became the top two all-time sports best-sellers.

The Harvey Penick Invitational is a 54-hole individual stroke play event with two divisions, one for Mid-Amateurs aged 25 and over and one for Senior Amateurs aged 55 and over. The event is played at Austin Country Club, a Pete Dye design that opened in 1984 and has consistently been rated as one of the best courses in Texas. It is the home of the Morris Williams Intercollegiate, one of the premier college tournaments in the nation, and regularly hosts USGA qualifiers including those for the U.S. Open.

The tournament has long drawn a top amateur field, with an impressive list of participants and past champions. Winners of the tournament have gone on to win 12 PGA Tour titles, including the Masters, and 29 Champions Tour titles. Closer to home, winners of The Penick have won seven Texas State Amateur Championships, over fifty state titles overall, and the USGA State Team Championship for Texas. Participants in The Penick have included winners of the U.S. Amateur, British Amateur, NCAA Championships, and numerous state, regional and national amateur championships; as well as qualifiers for every USGA Championship including the U.S. Open.

Because of its history, tradition, and quality of field, the Harvey Penick Invitational has been designated as a points tournament in each major ranking of amateur and senior golfers: the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com Amateur Rankings, the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR), the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and the Golfweek/Wilson Senior and Super Senior Rankings.

Cristea, Nunez Take Titles at 2010 Harvey Penick Invitational

AUSTIN, Texas (October 10, 2010)--Nicholas Cristea got the last laugh Sunday on the final day of the Harvey Penick Invitational at Austin Country Club.

Cristea's fellow competitors teased him all week about his youthful looks and jokingly questioned if he actually met the tournament minimum age requirement of 25. He turned 25 earlier this year.

Cristea did not need to say a word in defense of his youth as his game did all the talking for him on the way to a four-stroke victory. Cristea's final round of 2-over 74 gave him a winning 54-hole total of even par 216.

Chris Schmidt finished second at 220. Former Penick champion Michael Cooper posted the best score Sunday with a 2-under 70 to tie for third at 221 with Mark Healer.

Cristea made par on the first seven holes Sunday, and after making birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, he enjoyed a five-stroke lead making the turn. Cristea admitted that he played somewhat tentatively on the back nine with the big lead, and that probably led to bogies on Nos. 12 and 16 and a double bogey on No. 14.

However, nobody else within striking distance was making a move, and Cristea's lead was never less than four strokes.

"Actually I struggled a little bit on the front nine and had to make a couple of putts to save par early," said Cristea, a former All-American at St. Edward's. "Then I had a short birdie at eight and a 20-footer for birdie on nine. I wasn't exactly sure how everybody else stood, but I felt like I probably had a pretty good lead.

"I made a couple of more good putts to save par on the back but then had some bad holes," Cristea added. "But these greens are so fast it can get away from you pretty fast."

Larry Nunez shot a final-round 76 to win the senior division with a 2-over par 218 total. Jarratt Jones posted the low senior round Sunday with a 2-under 70 to finish second at 220.

-- Austin American Statesman, Doug Smith