The Bella Vista Charity Classic, part of the All-Pro Tour, or APT, brought more than 200 golfers to Bella Vista courses to compete in the four-day tournament.
Katie Markham, who coordinated the women's tournament, said there were roughly 150 men and 70 women signed up, with a $120,000 purse. The men were shooting for a $23,000 top prize, while the women competed for an $8,000 grand prize, she explained.
That prize money is primarily set because of the pool sizes and the entry fees, which are lower for women, she explained.
Bella Vista is a fantastic leg of this year's 13 tournament series, she said.
"This is the best. Great courses, awesome hospitality, we love having a co-ed event," she said.
The APT is a developmental series, focused on getting golfers into the professional levels.
Markham explained that, for the women's tournaments, the top two finishers from each event will secure a spot at a Symetra Tour event, which itself is a qualifying tour for the LPGA tour.
Organizing a tournament of this scale is no small task, she said.
"There's a lot of moving pieces," she said.
Fortunately, she added, Bella Vista has a lot of volunteers and that makes this a lot easier.
One golfer, Evan Knight, said he really appreciated the work staff and volunteers had put in for this event.
This is his first time competing in the series, he said. He's from California, he said, and currently lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Knight said he's on the tour because he wants to play good events with good golfers and great courses.
A little over halfway through, he said he was really enjoying Bella Vista's courses. Highlands Golf Course, in particular, proved tricky, he said.
"I'd like a couple low rounds in the weekend, move my way up a bit," he said.
Markham said that next year she hopes to see even bigger fields and a bigger purse for the event.
"We're looking forward to next year," she said.
Winners announced
Sam Triplett of Paradise Valley, Ariz. won this year's Bella Vista Charity Classic, part of the All-Pro Tour, or APT 2021 season, while Jessica Porvasnik of Hinckley, Ohio won the women's tournament.
According to an information release from APT, Triplett finished the four rounds -- one at the Highlands Golf Course and three at the Bella Vista Country Club -- at -20, with scores of 70, 66, 66 and 63.
This was Triplett's first APT win in Arkansas, according to the news release.
Second place was a four-way tie between Trent Whittek, William Buhl, Curtis Reed and Rob Hudson, who all finished at -16.
According to a release from the Women's All-Pro Tour, or WAPT, Porvasnik secured a lead in Round 1 and held on to it until the final round, which ended in a tie requiring a playoff between her and fellow golfer Kenzie Wright, of McKinney, Texas.
Porvasnik won the playoff with a par on the contested hole after Wright's first shot went into the trees, according to the WAPT.
Wright walked away with second place, while third saw a tie between Genevieve Ling, Michaela Williams, Greta Isabella Voelker and Kaitlyn Papp.
