Sonnier tees off in national PGA event

Published 9:06 pm Sunday, November 5, 2017

<p class="p1">Greg Sonnier competes for a national title this week when he tees off in the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship on the PGA’s Wanamaker course in Port Saint Lucie, Florida.</p><p class="p1">The 72-hole event begins Thursday with a qualified field of 132 players from throughout the nation.</p><p class="p1">The Lake Charles Country Club assistant pro earned his berth by winning the Gulf States section championship, taking a two-stroke win in September in the event played at the New Orleans city park’s Bayou Oaks.</p><p class="p1">Sonnier said he would be leaving tomorrow with plans to get in several practice rounds before Thursday’s start.</p><p class="p1">“If I play my normal game I think I have a good chance of finishing in the top 10,” Sonnier said. “As for winning, you just never know. But I’m just not playing a lot of tournament golf. The best in the nation (among assistant pros) will be playing in this.”</p><p class="p1">The pros will be shooting at a first place payoff of $12,000. During his tour career Sonnier’s top tournament take was $20,000 for a victory in Amarillo, Texas, and $14,000 for a top-10 finish in Lafayette’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open. </p><p class="p1">This will be Sonnier’s lone attempt at winning the assistant pro title because by March he is expected to have his Class A PGA card as a full-fledge club pro.</p><p class="p2">l</p><p class="p1">Another club professional golfer with local ties made the news last week when former McNeese State golfer and graduate James Leitz was named one of the state’s top four teaching professionals (voted by peers) by Golf Digest magazine. In his second year as head pro at the Tchefuncta Country Club in Covington, Leitz had been the head pro at Pinewood Country Club in Slidell for 33 years. </p><p class="p1">During his career he has also been singled out by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine as one of the nation’s top 100 club fitters.</p><p class="p2">l</p><p class="p1">The local girls travel team claimed both team honors and individual honors at a tournament played at the Conroe (Texas) Country Club last week. The girls successfully defended their team title and Brooke Tyree took the individual crown.</p><p class="p1">Tyree shot even-par 72 for first place while teammate Carly Whittington finished third with a 79.</p><p class="p1">Today the boys travel team is in action at the same course in its first outing of the season.</p><p class="p1">The next outing for both won’t come until January in a tournament at The Woodlands in Texas.</p><p class="p2">l</p><p class="p1">Two tournaments are scheduled to conclude today on local courses.</p><p class="p1">The Lake Charles Cup, pitting teams from Mallard Cove, Gray Plantation and The National, is scheduled to wrap up action in this event at Mallard Cove. Gray is the defending champion.</p><p class="p1">The Louisiana Junior Cup will conduct its final round at the Lake Charles Country Club. Local players in the event are Tyree, Daphney Tilton, McKenzie Leduff, Dez Reich, Brayden Wright and Austin Stewart.</p><p class="p3"><strong>Upcoming</strong></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Saturday</strong></span> — Frasch Park senior men’s championship (Sulphur).</p><p class="p2">l</p><p class="p4"><strong>Louis Bonnette</strong> has written about local golf for the <em>American Press</em> since 1971. His column appears each Sunday. Contact him at 274-5689 or lbonnette@mcneese.edu</p>