The Carlton Woods Invitational

Jeronimo Esteve (Windermere, Fla.) shot a final-round 6-under 66 at the Nicklaus Course at The Club at Carlton Woods to come from three shots back and win the 15th Carlton Woods Invitational.

Esteve, a 39-year-old Puerto Rico native and cancer survivor, started the day three shots behind overnight leader Chris Wheeler (Addison, Texas) but turned in a history-making round to run away with the tournament.

The Nicklaus Course at Carlton Woods has long enjoyed a reputation for being a supreme championship test, having hosted two USGA championships, the Southern Amateur, and the Texas Amateur. But Esteve racked up eight birdies, including on the final three holes, to record the lowest score in CWI history.

Esteve also set a new record for the lowest 54-hole score on the Nicklaus Course at 6 under par.

Wheeler, the 2019 Texas Mid-Amateur champion, got off to a good start with two pars and a birdie at the par-3 third, but then had back-to-back doubles to go out in 39 as Esteve picked up six shots on the front nine.

Two more birdies early on the back nine put Esteve firmly in control of the tournament, and though he made consecutive bogeys at 14 and 15, he rallied in style with three birdies to finish.

Esteve has long been a top mid-amateur player but gained renown for his bout with lymphoma in 2011, for which he had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment while trying to play competitive golf. At the U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier that year, he shot a 70, received radiation treatment after the round, and then raced back to the course for a 5-for-4 playoff through which he advanced to the championship.

He has played in many big championships but this is his first win in a national mid-amateur event.

2019 Birmingham National Invitational champion and former U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up Brad Nurski (St, Joseph, Mo.) closed with a 70 to finished tied for second at even par with Scott Maurer of Dallas who shot 73.

Wheeler (76) finished in a tie for fourth in his first CWI appearance, joining two-time champion Colby Harwell (San Antonio, Texas), Aaron Hickman (Tyler, Texas) and Harley Abrams (Tulsa, Okla.) a 1-over 217.

2017 CWI champion Justin Kaplan (Houston, Texas) finished 8th, while the defending champion Philip Lee (Nashville, Tenn.) tied for 13th.

SENIOR DIVISION

David Ortego (Spring, Texas) broke through for a one-shot victory, enduring a turbulent final round but ultimately finishing one shot ahead of Gordy McKeown (Little Rock, Ark.) and William Mitchell (Atlanta, Ga.).

Ortego, whose previous best finish in the senior CWI was a tie for fifth, took a four-shot lead into the final round, but had an up and down final round of four birdies and seven bogeys. He responded well to the adversity, answering a three-bogey streak with two birdies, and then stopping a two-bogey streak with a birdie. He took a two-shot lead into the final hole, where bogey was enough to secure the title at 1 under.

McKeown started the day seven shots back, then fell further behind with a slow start through five holes. But he went five under from there, including a birdie-par-birdie-eagle finish to shoot 69 and post a target score of even par.

Mitchell closed with a 72 for his second top-4 finish this week, following up his 4th place at the Timuquana Cup with a joint runner-up at the senior CWI.

Randy Haag (Orinda, Calif.) and Billy Joe Tolliver (St. Gabriel, La.) rounded out the top five.

2015 senior CWI winner Lee Sandlin (Dallas, Texas) finished 9th. Lewis Stephenson, the defending champion who also won in 2016, finished 12th, while four-time champ Mike Booker (Houston, Texas) tied for 13th.

After a long day at a tough Nicklaus Course at The Club at Carlton Woods, a pair of Texans will take leads into the final round of the Carlton Woods Invitational.
A line of thunderstorms moved through the area on day one of the three-day championship, altering the schedule and forcing the Committee to scramble for a solution to complete 54 holes in each division.

The seniors were able to complete their first round on Tuesday, and finish their second rounds on schedule today. The mid-amateurs played 36 holes today, turning the tournament into a bit of an endurance test as the three rounds will have been played in just over 24 hours’ time.

Chris Wheeler (Addison, Texas) is the 36-hole leader after rounds of 67-74 (-3). Wheeler won the Texas Mid-Amateur in 2019 and made a great run at the Texas Amateur earlier that summer, finishing solo second.

He’ll carry a one-stroke lead into the final round over Harley Abrams (Tulsa, Okla.), a former Northwestern University golfer who is playing his first CWI. Abrams was the only mid-am to break par in both rounds, shooting back-to-back 71s. Scott Maurer of Dallas is the only other player under par after two rounds, two shots back at 1 under.

Jeronimo Esteve (Windermere, Fla.) and reigning Texas Mid-Am Match Play champ Aaron Hickman (Tyler, Texas) are tied for fourth at even par. Two-time CWI champion Colby Harwell (San Antonio, Texas) and Birmingham National Invitational winner Brad Nurski (St. Joseph, Mo.) are tied for sixth at 2 over.

In the Senior Division, David Ortego (Spring, Texas) shot consecutive rounds of 70 to take a four-shot lead into the final round at 4 under par. Larry Nunez (Austin, Texas) and William Mitchell (Atlanta, Ga.) are tied for second at even par. Mitchell is coming off of a strong 4th place finish at the Timuquana Cup earlier this week.

The defending champion Lewis Stephenson (Burleson, Texas) is another shot behind, tied with Randy Haag (Orinda, Calif.) at 1 over.