Mix-up forces two teams to withdraw

Published 12:48 am Monday, October 8, 2012

NATCHEZ — The two teams leading the championship flight at the 2012 Beau Pré 4-Ball Tournament at Beau Pré Country Club ended up being disqualified for teeing off from the wrong tees.

The team of Bill Byrne and Greg Brooking and the team of Lee Jones and Jordan Farmer had a share of the lead going into Sunday’s final round at 5-under-par 67. And then the confusion started not very long into the round.

“We played the blue tees Saturday. In the championship flight, we played the black tees. We knew that. Jordan and Lee didn’t,” Byrne said.

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And after both teams shook hands and went to the clubhouse knowing they had broken the rule, that allowed some of the other teams in the championship flight an opportunity to win the tournament.

Yet one team, Beck Troutman and Jason Albritton, dominated the final round while the other teams fell way back. Troutman and Albritton had a score of 7-under-par 65 to finish with a two-day score of 11-under-par 133 and a stunning 12-shot win over the team of Chris Kremheller and Chris Cain.

Kremheller and Cain was the only other team in the championship flight that didn’t shoot over par on Sunday. They had a round of even-par 72 to finish at 145. Eddie Meche and David Duhon won a scorecard playoff over two other teams to finish in third place at 146.

As for what happened to the Byrne-Brooking and Jones-Farmer teams that led to their DQs, Byrne said. “Lee birdied No. 1. So they had the honors to start No. 2. The blue tees were back. They hit and then we hit. On No. 3, we did the same thing. On 4, they saw the blue tees. Then Greg hollered ‘We’re playing the black (tees).’ It’s everybody’s fault. Greg and I take full responsibility.”

The team of Brett Myhand and Tony Cline shot a final-round, 3-under-par 69 to come back from a two-shot deficit to start the final round and finish first in the first flight with a two-day total of 145.

Tommy Geoghegan and Keith Rayborn also erased a two-shot deficit to win the second flight. The team of Geoghegan and Rayborn had a final-round 69 for a two-day score of 148. Travis Hebert and Dustin Harris broke away from a four-way tie to start the final round in the third flight and wound up finishing first in that flight after a round of 73 to finish at 153.