PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- Eric Fox is part of a group called the Three Musketeers, three friends that met on the Golf Channel Am Tour in Michigan in 2007. Since then, the group has traveled together to tournaments, including the Golf Channel Am Tour Senior Nationals.
A couple of years ago, one of those Musketeers, Greg Harris, won the Senior Jones Flight (16-19.9 handicap) at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz. The other two in the trio, which also includes Bob Houghton, were still looking for theirs. Now it’s down to one as Fox, who started off with a pair of 86s to open a big lead, won the Senior Snead Flight (20 handicap and above).
Fox, who shot an 89 in the third round and 94 in the final round on the North Course at Innisbrook Resort & Spa for a 355 total, won by 19 strokes, the same margin he had going into the final round. He had been close to winning before, including a second-place finish at the TPC Sawgrass in 2012, and now he’s finally broken through for victory.
“I practiced hard this year,” said Fox, who plays out of Caro (Mich.) Golf Club.
The first two rounds, Fox admitted, even he was surprised, especially when you consider the second 86 came on the difficult Copperhead Course at Innisbrook.
“I woke up after the first round and said, ‘Whoa, how did I do that?’” recalled Fox. “Then the second day I did the same thing.”
Houghton, who finished middle of the pack in the Senior Sarazen Flight (12-15.9) this week, was happy for his friend, but he knows he’ll take grief for it, too. “I’m going to get dogged for this,” he said.
Harris, unfortunately, couldn’t make the trip to Florida this time around. He recently underwent back surgery.
