A Palm Harbor pro is coming off back-to-back second-place ties on the Hooters Winter Tour.
Brett Weeks, 30, a 1991 Clearwater Central Catholic High School graduate, produced a second straight 13-under par score in last week's tournament at Black Bear Golf Club in Eustis.
Weeks shot a final round 68, including a crucial birdie putt on the last hole, which he thought would secure a playoff spot. However, Tim Connolly followed with a 30-foot birdie putt on 18 to win by a stroke.
"I could have won the money title for the 13-match Winter Tour if Joe Alfieri (Lutz) hadn't tied me for second place," Weeks said. "He did that by finishing birdie, eagle, birdie, eagle, bogey. Still, I won $5,000 in the match and $44,000 for the series, but just $777 out of first place."
Overall, Weeks was pleased with his play in the series. He made all 17 cuts, finished in the top four in six of the past seven matches since early January and had a win and five seconds.
"I attribute my success to hard work that's paying off," Weeks said. "I haven't changed my routine at all. I've just worked non-stop from sun up to sun down on what I've worked out with my instructor, Kevin Smeltz of the David Leadbetter Academy.
"My game is as good as it has ever been, very solid. That's gratifying," Weeks said.
Weeks plans to take off a couple of weeks and get back with the regular NGA/Hooters Tour, which resumes next month.
He expects to return to the three-stage PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament this fall, hoping to advance to the finals. It will be Weeks' fifth try at the grueling six-round Q-School.
COLLEGE STANDOUTS: David Cosper, the Times 2000 Suncoast Player of the Year, will have a key role in Rollins College's attempt to regain the NCAA Div. II championship it won in 2002. The Tars finished second in last year's national. In the season opener in Lakeland, the Matlock Collegiate Classic consisting of many Division I schools, Cosper carded 74-82-76-232 for a 64th-place tie.
Megan Riley (Largo High) finished fourth for the third-place Florida Southern women's team in the Central Florida Invitational at Stoneybrook Country Club in Orlando. She shot 80-80-160.
Other Pinellas golfers competing on the college level include: Courtney Burdick (Largo), Florida International; Ashley Lamoureux (CCC), Miami; Patrick Scranton (CCC), Boston College; Mike Barbosa (St.Stephen's), Georgia Tech; Danny Allen (Tarpon Springs), Eckerd; Amanda Dick (Countryside), Florida; Andrew Turker (Berkeley Prep), Cornell; Carson Crooms (Canterbury), Franklin & Marshall; Kyle Christman (Seminole), Winthrop; Brad Quiri and Ryan Shears (East Lake), USF; and Lindsay Harris (Indian Rocks Christian), USF.
In last weekend's Wittcoff Invitational hosted by USF, Quiri finished third and Shears took fourth as the Bulls placed fifth among 12 squads. Teammate Oscar Fraustro captured medalist honors with a 54-hole 214 (66-74-74).
The Georgia Tech men's squad is ranked fourth by Golfweek, behind Florida, Clemson and UCLA. Kentucky's John Holmes, the runnerup in the New Year's Invitational at St.Petersburg Country Club last month, is ranked 14th. Bill Haas of Wake Forest is No.1.
PGA WEST CENTRAL CHAPTER: Westchase assistant pro Erik Nixon led his pro-am team to a victory in a best-ball gross/net tournament on his home course. Nixon's amateur partners were John Meeks, Jason Claridge and Mike Murphy. They posted 123. Nixon shot 1-over 73 on his own ball, three strokes off the pace set by pros Mike Murphy of Wentworth and Shawn Gordon of Emerald Greens in Carrollwood.
PRO WOMEN: Amateur Brittany Lincicome, 18, shot a final round 4-under 68 to win the Next Generation match at East Lake Woodlands last week.
Using a new set of clubs the first day, which she said were too long, Lincicome recorded a 78. She switched back to her regular clubs to squeeze out the victory by a stroke.
The big news is that Lincicome will play in the Futures Tour's first two events.
On Saturday, Lincicome qualified for the season opener in Lakeland by firing a 1-over 73 at Cleveland Heights Country Club and receiving the single amateur spot. Three pros also made the field of 168 for the March 12-14 tournament. Lincicome has been invited to compete in the tour's March 26-28 match hosted by East Lake Woodlands. Clearwater's Jenny Gleason also will be in that tourney as a fully exempt player.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Innisbrook host pro Jay Overton will make his 2004 debut on the former Senior Tour in Mexico City, March 5-7 in the MasterCard Classic.
