Clearwater Catholic grad shoots for PGA

A young Palm Harbor golfer is working hard on the Hooters Winter Tour, and has ambitions of earning a promotion to the PGA Tour.

Brett Weeks, 29, a 1991 graduate of Clearwater Catholic High School, is off to a fast start this year.

Last week, playing in two 36-hole Hooters events, he finished sixth and tied for seventh.

In Thursday's opening round at Walden Lakes in Plant City, Weeks shot a 4-under 31 on the front nine before settling for a round of 1-under 70.

He received $985, but that was offset by the $650 entry fee.

"My ball striking is the best part of my game right now," Weeks said. "My putting is better than it was last year but still not as good as I'd like it.

"This winter, practicing at Countryside Country Club, I focused on my short game, and that's paying off," he said.

For the season, Weeks has collected $13,000 on the Hooters Winter Tour. He won twice on the mini tour in 2001, finishing 13th on the money list and receiving recognition as the most improved player.

"My goal is to reach the finals at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to at least earn exemption on the Nationwide Tour," Weeks said.

"What would help achieve that goal is to have a sponsor or investor, which would enable me to travel more and enter Monday qualifiers for those two tours. It costs about $1,200 a week during the regular season to be on the road.

"I'm going to stay with it," he said. "I'm confident I can do it."

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Innisbrook's Jay Overton made the cut in ACE Group Classic's Monday qualifier last week. He went on to tie for fourth. This Monday, Overton played in the qualifier at Fox Hollow for a place in the weekend's Verizon Classic at TPC of Tampa Bay in Lutz. His son, Jason, caddies for him.

Lakeland's Andy Bean -- an 11-time PGA Tour winner -- turns 50 on March 13, becoming eligible for the Champions Tour.

Other prospective members, who also turn 50, include Ed Fiori, D.A. Weibring, Craig Stadler, winner of 12 PGA Tour events; Jerry Pate and Jay Haas.

PGA TOUR: Palm Harbor's Bob Heintz, who finished No. 1 in the tour's putting category last season (27.57 per round), is the subject of a February feature in Golfweek.

Author James Achenbach contends the ranking is meaningless because Heintz finished 202nd in the greens-in-regulation category and 192nd on the money list.

Achenbach proposes a total putting footage formula by adding the distance of all putts holed during a round.

CANADIAN TOUR Q-SCHOOL: Countryside High graduate Brendan Takacs was 14-over 374 for five rounds in the recent Winter Tour Qualifying School at Championships Gate Golf Resort in Kissimmee.

A 364 or better was required to fully qualify. Conditional status cut off at 370.

FLORIDA STATE GA: Clearwater Country Club's Lee Habjan teamed with Larry Flynn in the association's recent Winter Series Four-Ball match in Fort Myers, finishing ninth with a 75-81-156.

Clearwater's Jack Veghte and Tampa's Walter Baldwin won the 65-and-over gross division in last week's Florida State Golf Association Four-Ball Tournament at Feather Sound. They carded a 142.

COLLEGES: Golfweek ranks the Florida Gators' Amanda Dick (Countryside High) 32nd among college women nationally.

Clearwater High grad Ryan Gildersleeve, No. 1 at South Alabama, is 48th on the men's list. He is coming off a successful fall season in which he won three matches.

Vanderbilt's Brant Snedeker, runner-up in the New Year's Invitational at St. Petersburg Country Club, is ranked second, ahead of UF's Camilo Villegas (22nd) and Tampa's Jordan Code (40th).

Code put together rounds of 73-70-76 for a 9-over 219 in last week's Gator Invitational in Gainesville. The team finished second to Augusta State by 3 strokes. South Florida was 15th. St. Petersburg's Mike Barbosa, a member at the Vinoy, is a candidate for the Georgia Tech team.

He is a product of the David Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton.

PINELLAS COUNTY JGA: At Tarpon Woods Country Club, Josh Raines of Lutz crafted a 1-under 71 to win the boys 15-18 division in the PCJGA's opening match of the season.

Belleair's Andrea Messer posted an 82, taking the girls 12-14 title. Brittany Jones, an East Lake High junior, topped the 15-18 class with an 86 despite playing from a longer range, 5,245 yards.

Jones was a first-team member of the 2002 Times All-Pinellas squad.

JUNIOR GIRLS: Coral Springs' Nicole Hage, winner of the recent Ione D. Jones/Doherty Cup Tournament in Fort Lauderdale, has committed to Auburn this fall.

Previous tourney winners include Patty Berg, Babe Zaharias, Michelle McGann and Natalie Gulbis.

PUTTING CHAMPIONSHIP: Belleview Biltmore has a Tampa Bay Putting Championship semifinal match scheduled for Saturday. The top 20 players and the best finishers in the match at Northdale and Silver Oaks will advance to the March 1 finals at Largo's All-In-One Golf Center. Clearwater's Cindy Hall won the title last year.

She will compete at Belleview Biltmore along with last year's other top-four performers -- Seth Strickland of Plant City and Tampa's Dallas Herndon and Tommy Alvarez -- and about 25 other qualifiers.

The semifinal and championship will be based on 22 putts from 4-20 feet.

Terry Terril is the tournament director. To contact him, call (813) 996-3707.

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