IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. (FLX) — The FLX Tour’s biggest stars descended on Durand Eastman Golf Course Saturday for the 5th Annual Grand Open, and after 18 holes of major championship pressure, chaos, and a few too many near-death experiences, one player emerged victorious.

Chad Christ is officially a singles champion.

With 44 tour pros teeing it up, Christ fired a tournament-best net 66 to capture the Grand Open title, his third FLX Tour major championship, and his first singles championship. Along with the coveted title came a $500 payday and another chapter in what is quickly becoming one of the strongest résumés in FLX Tour history.

The GOAT debate is officially getting uncomfortable.

Leaderboard

1. Chad Christ — 66
2. Lou Englert — 68
T3. Jarred Schrader — 69
T3. Mike Petote — 69
5. Matt Driffill — 70

Sweet Lou Englert continued his impressive season with a career-best performance at Durand, finishing runner-up with a net 68. Jarred Schrader and Mike Petote shared the final podium spot at net 69, while Matt Driffill rounded out the top five.

The rest of the leaderboard featured a packed field of contenders, with Shane Driffill, Steve Delvecchio, and Tom Dieure all finishing tied for sixth at net 71.

Spanbauer Finds the Pin (and $100)

The closest-to-the-pin competition on hole 17 belonged to Eric Spanbauer, who dropped a dart just two feet from the hole to claim the $100 prize.

A shot so good it probably deserved its own trophy.

Durand Eastman: Beautiful Course, Questionable Safety Standards

While the leaderboard was impressive, the real story of the day may have been the ongoing battle between FLX Tour pros and incoming golf balls.

Several players took direct hits throughout the round:

• Dirt took a ball directly to the forehead and somehow continued playing — eventually spotted finishing the round in socks.
• Kiwi absorbed a shot to the body that ricocheted into Shane.
• Mykola took a ball directly off the foot.

By the end of the day, players were left wondering if Durand Eastman was hosting a golf tournament or an amateur dodgeball event.

The Bell Ringer Situation

At the bottom of the leaderboard, Jonathon Thorpe and Shane Partiss officially shared the bell ringer honors, both finishing at a net 96.

There was some early speculation surrounding Nathan Wirth’s scorecard, but after a thorough investigation by DSI officials (which mostly consisted of checking the spreadsheet), Nathan’s score was confirmed: net 87.

The integrity of the FLX Tour remains intact.

New Addition: The FLX Tour Cart Girls Debut

A major hit from the tournament was the debut of roaming cart service, with cart girls delivering cold beverages, taking photos, and selling 50/50 raffle tickets throughout the day.

The response was overwhelmingly positive, and the FLX Tour may have accidentally discovered its greatest innovation since breakfast balls.

Merch Alert: New Hats Incoming

Off the course, Tour Pro Dom Trento is spearheading the next FLX Tour merch order, featuring brand-new hat designs.

Early reviews are in: they look incredible.

Interested players should inquire within before these become the hottest golf accessories in Rochester.

Young Man of the Year Race Taking Shape

With two tournaments now complete, the 2026 Young Man of the Year race is officially heating up.

The Grand Open standings shook things up, with Chad Christ earning a tournament-leading 44 YMOTY points and Lou Englert right behind him with 43. Jarred Schrader and Mike Petote collected 42 points each, while Matt Driffill’s fifth-place finish earned him 40 points.

After two events, every shot matters — and the margin between glory and heartbreak is getting thinner by the week.

Next Stop: Major Season Continues

The FLX Tour rolls on with the Genesee Invitational, a two-man best ball major championship at the world-famous Genesee Valley Golf Course on Saturday, July 27.

Teams will be formed. Strategies will be questioned. Confidence will be dangerously high.

Gentlemen, start your engines.

It’s major season — and on the FLX Tour, there is nothing minor about it.

Grand Open Results

Rank	Tour Pro	Net Score	YMOTY Points
1	Chad Christ	66	44
2	Lou Englert	68	43
T3	Jarred Schrader	69	42
T3	Mike Petote	69	42
5	Matt Driffill	70	40
T6	Shane Driffill	71	39
T6	Steve Delvecchio	71	39
T6	Tom Dieure	71	39
T9	Chris Miers	72	36
T9	Danny Driff	72	36
T9	Eric Spanbauer	72	36
T12	Brandon Moynihan	73	33
T12	Dan Graves	73	33
T14	Ben Annal	74	31
T14	Nick Kozak	74	31
T16	Joey Mortillaro	76	29
T16	Sean Sawyer	76	29
T18	Brendan Milward	77	27
T18	Mike DiMuro	77	27
T20	Dan Driffill Sr.	78	25
T20	Dom Trento	78	25
T20	Patrick Moynihan	78	25
23	Brier Koroly	79	22
T24	Chuck Pace	80	21
T24	Ryan Netchke	80	21
T24	Tim Dorsheimer	80	21
T24	Zach Stedman	80	21
T28	Todd Horne	81	17
T28	Alex Mikalajo	81	17
T30	Chris Trento	82	15
T30	Mykola Prokonpenko	82	15
32	Evan Santiago	84	13
T33	Ryan Wirth	85	12
T33	Scott Stedman	85	12
35	Josh Valletta	86	10
T36	Nathan Wirth	87	9
T36	Kyle Pierce	87	9
T38	John Laganello	89	7
T38	Kenny Rogers	89	7
T40	Dan Reisenberger	91	5
T40	James Franz	91	5
42	Josh Kowalski	94	3
T43	Jonathon Thorpe	96	2
T43	Shane Partiss	96	2

2026 Young Man of the Year rankings

Rank	Tour Pro	YMOTY Points
1	Mike Petote	86
2	Lou Englert	83
3	Matt Driffill	80
4	Danny Driffill	72
T5	Brendan Milward	71
T5	Joey Mortillaro	71
7	Eric Spanbauer	70
T8	Dan Graves	69
T8	Sean Sawyer	69
10	Chris Miers	66
11	Chuck Pace	63
T12	Ben Annal	61
T12	Nick Kozak	61
14	Chad Christ	60
15	Tom Dieure	59
16	Jarred Schrader	58
17	Dom Trento	55
T18	Alex “Dooley” Miko	51
T18	Tim Dorsheimer	51
T18	Zach Stedman	51
21	Shane Driffill	49
22	Kyle Pierce	48
T23	Brandon Moynihan	43
T23	Evan Santiago	43
T25	Michael DiMuro	41
T25	John Laganello	41
27	Josh Valletta	40
T28	Patrick Moynihan	39
T28	Steve Delvecchio	39
30	Chris Trento	35
31	Brandon Burris	34
T32	Brier Koroly	32
T32	Scott Stedman	32
34	Dan Driffill Sr.	31
35	Mike Mortillaro	30
36	Kenny Rogers	26
37	Ryan Wirth	24
38	Ryan Netchke	21
39	Todd Horne	17
40	Mykola Prokonpenko	15
41	James Franz	15
T42	Nick Hawes	12
44	Nathan Wirth	11
45	Josh Kowalski	9
T46	Jonathon Thorpe	8
T46	Shane Partiss	8
48	Dan Reisenberger	7