LOUISVILLE, KY (June 21, 2021) – The Bill Long Mega Pro-Am presented by TaylorMade was beset by a mega storm cell that forced the event to be shortened. Wildwood Country Club and the Kentucky PGA were prepared to stage a competition that featured 176 players competing in teams of four with one professional and three amateurs, but due to inclement weather entering in the afternoon, only those who teed off in the morning wave were able to complete the event while all players in the afternoon wave will receive a full refund.

The team of Nathan Downs/Marshall Civils/Cole Stumler/Grant Talbert have been declared the champions, as the foursome recorded a score of 126 (-18) where the day’s format counted the two best net scores from each team on every hole. The Lexington squad was propelled by a terrific back-nine where they scored 59 (-13) which attributed to more than two-thirds of their under-par scores on the day. That string of play led to a two-stroke margin of victory, with Myles Mahan/Rick Zirnheld/Travis Collard/Dan Cissel finishing as the runner-up team.

Low professional honors on the day are split between Daniel Iceman III and Tom Walters, who each shot 72 (E) in very different ways. Iceman’s scorecard was “traditional” in the sense that it featured three birdies, three bogeys and a dozen pars. Walters on the other hand had a scorecard that featured a little bit of everything, such as the fact he had as many birdies as he did pars (seven). Some trouble holes could not take him down from low professional honors, and for good measure, he was also the low professional on the TaylorMade staff.

Bruce Oldendick was the low senior professional as he played to his usual high standard of play with a round of 70 (-2). That should lead to good momentum for him heading into next week’s Kentucky Senior Open, a championship he seeks to win for the first time at Heritage Hill Golf Club on June 28-29.

NOTES & STATS

• Play was first suspended because of lightning in the area at 4:03 p.m. EDT while the decision to end the event came just over an hour later at 5:05 p.m.
• Using gross scores, the par-four 14^th was the hardest hole of the event. Its stroke-to-par average was +1.03 and did not see one birdie recorded on it.
• The par-five 17^th was much gentler and the day’s easiest hole. With an average of +0.05 that included three eagles, it proved to be the best place to make a move.
• There was little disparity in the difficulty gap between the front nine and back nine. Holes 10-18 played averaged 0.25 strokes more than the opening half of the golf course, where the day’s average score accumulated to 81.99.

The Kentucky PGA Section extends its thanks to Blake Watts, PGA Head Golf Professional and his team at Wildwood for their assistance in hosting today’s tournament. Appreciation is also expressed towards TaylorMade for their support and partnership with the Section all year including today, plus Jet’s Pizza who provided lunch to all participants in the tournament.

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As was previously referenced, next up on the Kentucky PGA’s tournament calendar is the 22^nd playing of the Kentucky Senior Open. The 36-hole competition takes place on June 28-29 at Heritage Hill Golf Club. Registration for the tournament closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. EDT and can be signed up for by clicking here.