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Top Golden Tee Golf Talent Squares Off In 2018 World Championship

LAS VEGAS -- The 2018 Golden Tee World Championship was held here on June 8 through 10. According to event sponsor Incredible Technologies, this year's virtual golf showdown was characterized by high-stakes drama fueled by fierce competition, and resulted in a brand-new Golden Tee champion. More than $104,000 in prize money was awarded at the event. For the first time, the Nevada Gaming Control Board granted approval for licensed Nevada sportsbooks to offer wagers on the winner. This generated brisk acti...

June 17, 2018

LAS VEGAS -- The 2018 Golden Tee World Championship was held here on June 8 through 10. According to event sponsor Incredible Technologies, this year's virtual golf showdown was characterized by high-stakes drama fueled by fierce competition, and resulted in a brand-new Golden Tee champion. More than $104,000 in prize money was awarded at the event.

For the first time, the Nevada Gaming Control Board granted approval for licensed Nevada sportsbooks to offer wagers on the winner. This generated brisk action by punters.

The 800-seat Showroom at The Orleans Casino and Hotel was the event's venue.  Incredible Technologies reports that, after three days of "intense competition, surprising upsets and incredible video golf," Evan Gossett (St. Peters MO) led the field of the 64 top Golden Tee players in the world. He thus became the current World Champion – and $20,000 richer.

DOWN TO THE WIRE:The last of 64 spots in the 2018 Golden Tee Golf championship tournament was awarded on the first day of the event. Here, players prepare for the decisive Closest to the Pin match in the sumptuous Showroom at The Orleans Casino & Hotel.

Most contenders qualified for the Championship through online play events on commercial Golden Tee machines during February, March and April. One spot was left open for the first day of the event. A special "closest to the pin" match, open to the public, was played at that time to choose the final contestant. Dave Sandmire (Waterloo, WI) carried off the palm with a dramatic win over competitor Tony Johnson of Minnesota on the last hole.

The second day of the event featured qualifying heats on each virtual course, to determine the next day's head-to-head matches. The players ranked 1 through 32 were placed in a double-elimination Champion bracket, while the remaining 32 constituted a single-elimination Silver bracket. IT noted that many of the early favorites found themselves facing some tough matches as they battled to stay in the competition.

Former World Champ Andy Haas of Ohio, the number one seed, lost his first match to Jeff Harlow, also a former world champ. The tournament organizers reported that Mark Stenmark of Kansas, last year's World Champion, battled all the way to the semifinal round before being defeated by Joe Massara of Missouri. Massara continued into the finals against Evan Gossett, who went undefeated throughout the tourney with scores of -30, -31, -31, -28 and -31.

GOOD COMPANY:Top contenders in IT 2018 Golden Tee Championship tournament gather at the conclusion of the event. From left, they are World Champion Evan Gossett (O'Fallon, MO, grand prize winner; Joe Massara (Ballwin, MO), winner of a $10,000 prize; Jeff Harlow, (Florissant, MO), third place; Seth Standefer (Chattanooga TN), fourth place; and Clint Grover (Rockford, IL), who Took top honors in the Silver bracket and won a $3,000 prize.

In the first round of the finals match,  IT said, Massara dropped a massive -32 score, handing Gossett his only loss of the day. But in round two, Gossett prevailed with another -31, thanks in part to a spectacular double eagle on hole 12 of the Rattlesnake Ridge course.

Gossett, a 9:1 odds favorite, won the crown and the $20,000 first prize. Massara won $10,000 for his second-place finish, and Clint Grover of Illinois won the top spot in the Silver Bracket and $3000.

TO THE VICTOR:Gathering for grand prize presentation after the 2018 Golden Tee Golf Championship Tournament are (from left) Incredible Technology's vice-president of amusements Don Pesceone; 2018 World Champion Evan Gossett; and IT president/chief executive officer Elaine Hodgson and executive vice-president Richard Ditton. Gossett won $20,000 and entry into the exclusive roster of "playable golfers" in the next Golden Tee update, which is set for October.

In addition to his winnings, Gossett will become a "playable golfer" in the Golden Tee 2019 course update, slated for introduction in October. The release of Golden Tee 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the classic game.

More than seven hours of Golden Tee Golf tournament action and commentary can be viewed in the video below:



World Championship leaderboards and brackets can be found on the LIVEWIRE website at https://livewire.itsgames.com/ and on the GT Caddy app, https://livewire.itsgames.com/gt/golden-tee-caddy.