International pros in town for Charities Open
All Pro Tournament and the Women’s All Pro Tournament golfers from around the world will convene on Texarkana this week to compete in the Texarkana Children’s Charities Open.
The four-day tournament will take place at Northridge Country Club and Texarkana Country Club beginning Wednesday.
The golfers will switch courses during the second round. All competitors will compete at Texarkana County Club for the third and fourth rounds in the men’s division.
There will be a clinic held at Northridge Country Club for Runnin’ WJ Ranch, beginning at 10 a.m. There’s also a shootout at Northridge, starting at 5:30 p.m.
“Well, we’ve hosted the men’s event here for the last three years
and we’ve had great success with that,” Tour Director Gary DeSerrano said. “The LPGA decided they wanted to partner with us with our events, and I said I would love to go back to Texarkana. It now adds a little different element bringing the women and the men.
“Hopefully, we’ll see both of them on the big tours in a short time.”
The WAPT will have 75 participants vying for the title and the first-place purse.
Mount Pleasant pro Sarah Brown headlines the field and Texarkana native Emma Edwards will also join the field as an amateur.
The men’s bracket attracted golfers from all across the United State and a few competitors crossing seas to get here.
Texarkana native and pros Zach Fischer, Art Romero, Sean Romero and Truman Nugent and amateur Chuck Gardner will vie for first place throughout the open.
“The town is the perfect size for us and our tournaments,” DeSerrano said. “There’s enough people in the area who are willing to give sponsorships so we can host a tournament as well. The hospitality here in Texarkana is wonderful.
“The PGA Tour held an event here, which sparked our interest. Once we had a chance to check out the facilities, we knew we had to play here. We’re trying to get more kids involved with our clinics that go along with our events. I saw my first professional golf tournament when I was a kid and it ultimately sparked my interest to play.”