Hunter, Segreto reclaim trophy
No matter how difficult the Cypress Creek Course was set up, the team of John Hunter and Brad Segreto found ways to make birdies in the 53rd Champions Cup Invitational, showcasing some of the nation’s top mid-amateur golfers in a two-man format.
It got dicey at the end. But following Sunday’s final round at Champions Golf Club, it was the Houstonians in possession of the first-place trophy.
Hunter and Segreto, who took the lead for good during Friday’s second-round 63, finished 21-under 263 over four days and 72 holes. That was one shot ahead of Alan Coshatt (Birmingham, Ala.) and Brad Nurski (St. Joseph, Mo.), who closed with a hard-charging 7-under 64.
“It was going to be hard, I knew it,” said Segreto, a member of Champions. “There’s some big names playing, a lot of past champions, guys that have won some big events. It’s great to hoist the trophy again.”
Segreto and Hunter won this tournament in 2016 on the Jackrabbit Course. There were eight past champions in this year’s field. The pair compiled rounds of 66-63-64-70 on the par-71 layout, site of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open in December.
“It’s always nice to be able to step up, make a bunch of birdies and have people say, ‘How did you shoot that score these last two days?’ It’s gratifying to be able to compete that way because all of these guys, everybody out here can win this thing,” said Hunter, a two-time winner and twotime runner-up of the Houston city amateur. “It validates
your ability as a golfer.”
Hunter and Segreto made a big move atop the leaderboard Friday, shooting a second-round 8 under after sharing sixth following the first round. The pair took a four-shot lead into Sunday over Kyle Maxwell (The Woodlands) and Derek Meinhart (Mattoon, Ill.)
“We did all our good work the first three days,” said Segreto, 35, who is in commercial real estate. “Today was just get it home.”
Added Hunter: “Today, we were just trying to keep the ball together, trying to make pars, not give anything up.”
Playing in the final pairing with the eventual winners, Maxwell and Meinhart placed third at 19 under following a final-round 68. The pair were in second after each of the first three rounds.
Hunter and Segreto’s victory wasn’t secured until the 18th hole, where Hunter holed out a quick 5-foot putt that broke slightly to the left. Hunter made par putts in excess of 5 feet in each of the final three holes.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re playing, it’s hard to win,” said Hunter, 37, a financial advisor who plays out of The Club at Carlton Woods. “Being able to put in four good rounds and be able to make some putts at the end, it’s hard to do and that’s beyond satisfying.”