What a fantastic week at Big Cedar Lodge. The resort hosted its 2nd Series National Championship and lived up to expectations with amazing scenery and near perfect weather! Many thanks to the resort and team for hosting the 2023 National Championship!
Congratulations to our National Champions! Both teams battled all weekend in an intense competition that even included an ace in round 1 and wasn't determined until the final putt dropped on 18 at Payne's Valley!
In the Gross Competition, Jordan Ensrud and Aria Sameni earned their way to the Championship with a victory in the last Series event of the season, hosted at Mystic Lake in Minnesota.
After Round 1, they found themselves in 3rd place with a 5 under 66. The final round contested on Payne's Valley Round 2 proved to be a different story. Ensrud and Sameni blitzed the field with 3 birdies and 2 eagles on the outward nine. A bogey at the 7th hole proved to be a minor speed bump on the day. They went on to birdie 11, 12, & 15 before another birdie found the bottom of the cup at 18 en route to 10 under 62 for the day and total score of -15 under for the tournament!
Over in the Net Competition, the battle was intense and would go down to the final putt. After round 1, brothers Dustin & Spencer Dingus (Florida) found themselves 1 shot off the lead after shooting a net 63 (8 under). The highlight of the day came on the 6th hole at Ozarks National, with an ace! While it was quite a golf shot, what made it even better was the large gallery of people watching it go in the hole! 2 double bogey's spoiled an incredible day of golf, but ended up fueling the comeback on Day 2.
The final round at Payne's Valley saw the brothers race out with 5 birdies on the front 9, which flipped the leader board in their favor by 1 shot. On the back nine, the wind picked up and the layout put the leaders dead into it. With a birdie on 11 and then a string of several pars on 13, 14, & 15, capped off with a huge birdie on 16 to build a lead. 2022 Champion Jeff Williams (Texas), playing with a new teammate, made a last gasp charge finishing the final three holes with 3 birdies to close within 1 shot, however it was not enough as the Dingus brothers made pars on 17 & 18 to claim the Championship by 1 shot.
