Wally Nelson, Josh Gatlin, Chad Sumrall, Brandon Bley and Jody Moreau all win the 2026 Western States Icebreaker at Paiute Resort
The Western States Icebreaker at Paiute Resort served as the unofficial launch of the 2026 season for our west coast members. Competitors from 24 Local Tours across the country experienced the challenging courses of Wolf Mountain and Snow Mountain. Las Vegas provided the perfect backdrop for the second event in the Regional Series and the 32nd anniversary of the Golfweek Amateur Tour.
Champ Flight: Wally Nelson and Jonathan Minkoff battled it out for two days at Paiute Golf Club. Both played solid and steady throughout the weekend, but the fireworks started on Sunday! Wally started the final nine holes at +2, with Jonathan at +4. On holes 13-17, Wally went 3-under, with birdies on 13, 14, and 17. Jonathan went 4-under with an eagle and 3 birdies. Wally held a one-shot lead heading to 18 and pulled out all the stops for a birdie. He finished at -3 for the day and won the event at 2-under for the Championship. Jonathan took solo second at even par.
A Flight: Josh Gatlin came into the final round two shots behind Roger Stevenson after posting 80 the first day. He went right to work shooting even par (36) on the front 9 and turned a 2-shot deficit into a 3-shot lead at the turn. Staying strong and adding another birdie on the final 9, Josh finished day two with a round of 77 to lock up a 3-shot win and post 157 for the weekend. Bill McKiegan went 1-under the final round and shoot 74 to catch Roger, leaving the two tied for second with overall scores of 160.
B Flight: Our only playoff this weekend took place in the B Flight as four players found themselves in a tough matchup. Ramesh Kotaru started the last day with a 3-shot lead over Jason Junio but after a slow start on the front and shooting 44, the B flight leaderboard tightened. Players closed in on Ramesh. Chad Sumrall made the biggest run with 39 on the front. By the end of the round, Ramesh and Chad both finished with two-day totals of 173 and they headed to the tough Par 4 on Hole 18 for a sudden death playoff. After four additional holes, Chad finally earned the win and the hardware!
C Flight: Brandon Bley took early control of the C Flight with a great round of 87 in some tough, windy conditions the first day. Despite his 5-shot lead and consistent play, Jon Calderon was able to close the gap. Calderon went from seven shots back to pull within 2 shots of the lead only to have Brandon hit his hottest run and +1 score on the back. By the end, Bley won the C Flight by 9 shots at 173. Jon Calderon and Ruben Tavera finished in a tie for second at 184 on the weekend.
D Flight: Jody Moreau put up a dominating performance at Paiute, winning the D Flight by 8-shots and carding a two-day total of 187. After earning a two-shot lead day 1, Jody started hot, going +1 over his first 6 holes and finishing with a 92 and some birdies. Jeremy Harper and Derwin Brown both made small runs but couldn’t get any closer than 4 shots behind the leader. Jody pulled away for the win and left Jeremy in solo-second. Dennis Dreelin’s late run put him tied with Derwin for third.
The Golfweek Amateur Tour operates local Tours in over 45 markets across the country and hosts both one-day and two-day tournaments. To get your tour card, visit www.amateurgolftour.net, complete the Join the Tour form, pay your annual membership, and come celebrate are 32nd anniversary while become part of the oldest and largest nationwide amateur golf tour in the United States. The Senior Amateur Tour also hosts both one-day and two-day tournaments in markets nationwide and is open to players 50 years of age and older. Consider joining us for our 28th anniversary this season by visiting www.senioramateurgolftour.net completing a Join the Tour form, and paying your annual membership for one of our 25 local Tours.