Bates wins Classic

Published 12:02 am Saturday, June 28, 2014

Ben Bates won the first-ever Emerald Coast Golf Tour Pro-Am Classic Tournament Friday at Andalusia Country Club.

Bates, who qualified for the U.S. Senior Open on Monday, checked off a three-round score of 202 (68 on Wednesday, 66 on Thursday and 68 on Friday) to beat the field.

Bates is a current member of the Champions Tour, and has played on the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour, and the Nationwide Tour, to name a few.

David Miller finished second with a three-round tally of 206 (66, 70, 70); and Michael Arnud finished third with a 209 (67, 69, 72).

The Pro-Am portion of the tournament was held on Wednesday. The pros then played on Thursday and Friday and could only use their scores from each day to place in the tournament.

“It was a huge event for the City of Andalusia,” said Kevin Hall, President of the Andalusia Men’s Golf Association. “This was the first time a pro event was held here in a very long time. We had some really good players.”

Hall said he heard a lot of good feedback from the players, especially on how well the greens played.

“They said it was some of the best greens they’ve played on all year,” he said.