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Gateway Tour Staff
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Charley Yandell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Charley Yandell was named Executive Director of the Gateway Tour on January 1, 2006, taking over day-to-day operations from Chris Stutts, the founder of the Tour and the Executive Director for the first four seasons.
Charley retired in 2002 with more than 25 years of business experience, most recently serving as the Director of Computer Merchandising and Operations for Fry’s Electronics from 1991-2002. While at Fry’s, Charley was part of a dynamic team that grew the business from a two-store company into a twenty-three store operation. His area of responsibility with Fry’s encompassed purchasing, merchandising, advertising, and store operations. His Computer department grew from a $40 million department to over $1 billion in just 11 years. During his tenure at Fry’s, the company won numerous awards, including four prestigious Computer Retail Week awards in 1996:
1996 Computer Retailer of the Year
1996 Most Efficient Operations
1996 Most Effective Merchandising
1996 Top Ten Executives
Prior to joining Fry’s, Charley worked for Anthem Electronics from 1985-1991. He served in many capacities at Anthem Electronics, including Regional Sales Manager in San Jose, CA (1985-1988), and Division Manager in Phoenix, AZ (1988-1991). The Arizona division won the company’s Division of the Year award in 1990.
Charley started his business career with Syva Corporation in 1976 as a Regional Salesman in North and South Carolina. In 1980, he moved to Palo Alto, CA, serving as a Sales Training Manager for two years before moving on to the National Accounts Manager responsible for the company’s full U.S. territory in 192.
Attending Wingate College in North Carolina for two years before transferring to the University of South Carolina, Charley graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management in 1975.
Since his retirement, Charley has focused his efforts on his professional golf career. He finished 3rd in the 2004 Arizona Senior Open, 5th in the 2004 Colorado Senior Open, 5th in the 2004 NM Senior Open, and 11th in the 2005 Colorado Senior Open.
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Ryan Pray
VICE PRESIDENT TOUR OPERATIONS
ryan@thegatewaytour.com
Ryan Pray, Vice President of Tour Operations for The Gateway Tour since 2007, has been part of the Tour staff since its first tournament in 2002. After working closely with tour founder Chris Stutts and tournament director Rick Cramer, Ryan was officially named the Director of Tour Operations in 2005. He has been a crucial asset to The Gateway Tour for the past six years, and it’s because of his dedication, vision, energy, and understanding of player’s needs, that The Gateway Tour is moving forward as it is today.
Although basing out of the Phoenix area, Ryan has served a number of markets for The Gateway Tour in the past six years. He created and directed the initial Beach Series in Myrtle Beach, SC, in 2003, serving as Tournament Director there for two years (2003-2004). He then created and directed the Pacific Series in San Diego, in the winter of 2004, and did the same with the RTJT Series in Alabama, in the winter of 2005. When The Gateway Tour acquired The Golden Bear Tour in 2005, Ryan created and oversaw the transition that enabled the West Palm Beach Series to see the success it does today.
Originally from Des Moines, IA, Ryan graduated from the San Diego Golf Academy in 2001 where he earned his degree in Golf Complex Operation and Business Management. Prior to his career with The Gateway Tour, Ryan served as an assistant golf professional at Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ, from 1999-2001 and Director of Business Development for SDGA from 2001-2002 before making his leap to The Gateway Tour. Ryan, his wife Stacy and daughter Hailey reside in Phoenix, AZ.
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Rick Cramer
DESERT SERIES TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
rickcramer@thegatewaytour.com
Heavily involved with The Gateway Tour since it’s inception in 2001, Rick Cramer took over as the Desert Series Tournament Director for The Gateway Tour full-time in 2003 after a long, tenured playing career spanning over 20 years. Having turned pro in 1982, Rick played the PGA Tour in 1986 and the Nationwide Tour numerous years throughout the 80’s and 90’s, up until 2004, when he decided to change directions fully and focus completely on The Gateway Tour. He has played in four U.S. Opens and has one Nationwide Tour victory to his credit in 1996, when he won the Wichita Open.
Originally from Ft. Collins, Colorado, Rick was a two-time “All American” at the University of Colorado, and his experience and understanding of golf at the professional level has truly been an asset to The Gateway Tour over the past six years.
Rick resides in Surpise, AZ, is married with two step sons, and his father Jack is a rules official for The Gateway Tour Desert Series.
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Drew Selden
BEACH SERIES TOUR DIRECTOR
drew@thegatewaytour.com
After playing in a few tournaments on The Gateway Tour in Phoenix (’05), Drew began helping with tournament operations. He quickly became full-time and moved to West Palm Beach, FL to help with tournament operations under Rick Whitfield.
Before his move to the Gateway Tour, Drew attended Iowa State University on a golf scholarship, passing his PAT in 1999 when he began working as an assistant golf professional at The Ranch in McKinney, TX('99). before moving to Riverhchase C.C. in Birmingham, AL ('00), and Waveland G.C. in his hometown of Des Moines, IA ('02).
Drew moved to Arizona in 2003, where he took a job in retail sales for two years before hitting the tournament circuit in 2005.
With a recent promotion to Tournament Director of the Beach series, Drew adds a positive and personal element to the Tour that will certainly move The Gateway Tour into the right direction.
He resides in Stuart, FL with his wife, Ashley.
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Matt Brost
DFW SERIES TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
matt@thegatewaytour.com
Raised in Mansfield, TX, Matt attended Mansfield High School where he met his wife Jessica and earned a golf scholarship to the University of Texas.
While in Austin, he was an All-American and competed on a team that won multiple championships. After school, he played developemental golf for five years, competing on numerous developmental Tours that most recently included the Gateway Tour Desert Series in 2007.
He now lives in Arlington, TX with his wife who is a social worker for the Ethiopia program at the Gladney Center for Adoption.
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Jon Levy
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
jon@thegatewaytour.com
Jon is a recent addition to The Gateway Tour and comes to us via Scottsdale Community College. He has served as the head golf coach at SCC since 2003, and has led the Fighting Artichokes to four consecutive ACCAC titles, and three consecutive top-10 NJCAA finishes before winning the NJCAA Division I National Championship this May.
Originally from Bloomfield Hills, MI, Jon played collegiate golf at Iowa State University (1994-1998) then played full-time professionally for the next five years on various mini-tours throughout the country. Moving to Scottsdale to teach golf in 2002, he took over one of the most well-known and respected junior college golf programs in the country at SCC, and has already seen some of his players move on to top NCAA Division I programs and beyond. With an interest in writing and journalism as well, Jon wrote a monthly column for Golfweek.com’s, “Junior Golf Extra” section in 2004 and 2005, and also had two other articles appear on the site’s home page in during that time.
Jon brings a wealth of player-knowledge to the Gateway Tour, and ambitiously adds a personal element to our website and other media sources for our players. Any story ideas or media questions are welcome to go through him, and if it is good for our players and the tour, Jon will be there to help.
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Tom Head
DIRECTOR OF PLAYER INFORMATION/ TOUR STATISTICIAN/ RULES
tom@thegatewaytour.com
Tom started compiling and maintaining the player information and tournament statistics for The Gateway Tour in early 2003, then became a fulltime Gateway Tour staff member in January of 2004. To date, he has officiated in over 100 Gateway Tour events. His involvement with professional level golf tournaments dates back to the 60’s when he was very active with the Western Golf Association in Chicago. He has worked in an administrative or rules official position at 10 Western Opens, 3 U.S. Opens, 1 PGA Championship & 2 PGA Tour Q School Finals events.
Tom spent 30 years in Commercial Real Estate Development and Management with projects in Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle & Tucson. His statistics background evolved from his creation & sale of ElectionData Corp. which studied and analyzed political election demographics that led to over 56 winning campaigns against 4 losses.
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Stacy Pray
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
stacy@thegatewaytour.com
Stacy serves as Executive Assistant as well as Office Administrator for The Gateway Tour. She is responsible for the daily operations of the Gateway Tour office, while providing direct support to the Executive Director and Vice President of Tour Operations.
Stacy brings numerous years of experience with her administrative background; most recently serving as Executive Assistant to the Domestic CFO of Clear Channel Outdoor. She provided daily administrative support to the CFO and finance department with calendar management, travel arrangements, meetings, conference calls, accounts payable, expense report auditing and preparation of extensive financial reports. She also served as the company’s travel liaison; negotiating travel agency contracts and ensuring traveler compliance with corporate travel policies.
Prior to that, Stacy was employed by San Diego Golf Academy (SDGA) as Executive Assistant to the CEO. It was here that Stacy was first introduced to golf and developed a passion for the business side of the sport. During her time at SDGA, she served as the “right hand” woman to the CEO. Together they enjoyed a mutual understanding of the value of a dynamic new type of workplace alliance where she was often called upon to communicate, plan, organize, negotiate, and participate in decision making at very high levels.
Stacy consistently strives to set the high water mark for excellence in the administrative field. She accomplishes this valuable asset by having a complete understanding of the dynamics of the business, the priorities of the company and the priorities of the Executive Director.
A native of Arizona, Stacy, her husband, Ryan and daughter, Hailey all reside in Phoenix, AZ.
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Tom Cramsie
DESERT SERIES STARTER/ SCORING
Tom was born and raised in Chicago, IL and after he graduated from Marquette University, he worked in the food industry with Kraft Foods for 32 years. After he retired in 2002, he took his life long passion for golf to The Gateway Tour, working on The Gateway Tour staff in various capacities for the past 5 years.
Tom has 3 children, and he and June reside in Fountain Hills, AZ.
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Jack Cramer
DESERT SERIES RULES OFFICIAL
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Dave Hatfield
DESERT SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
dave@thegatewaytour.com
A longtime golfer and Des Moines, IA native, Dave first worked for The Gateway Tour in Myrtle Beach, SC during the summer of 2003. After enjoying his experience there, he returned to work the Myrtle Beach Series again the next summer, then moved to Arizona to work year-round for the Tour’s Desert Series.
Specializing in all facets of The Gateway Tour’s day-to-day operations, he brings a positive and player-friendly attitude to the Tour that further strengthens its reputation as an organization that cares about its players, and along with his instrumental assistance with the creation of The Gateway Tour yardage books, he’s helping the Tour move into a positive direction.
Before he started working for The Gateway Tour, Dave lived in Iowa City, IA for 6 years, during which time he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the University of Iowa. With his educational background, he also holds a variety of experience in retail sales, brokerage sales, and other facets of business operations.
Dave resides in Scottsdale, AZ with his dog, Tippy.
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Billy Johnson
DESERT SERIES STARTER/ SCORING
Born and raised in Freeport, IL, Billy joined the United States Air Force in 1958, serving for 4 years before joining the civilian work force in 1961 working in various capacities in the St. Paul, MN area.
He then started his own office and machine sales business in 1966, running the company for 35 years, before moving to the Phoenix area in 2001. An avid golfer his whole life, Billy started with The Gateway Tour in its second season and has since become a favorite of of our players over the past 5 years.
Billy has two children and two grandchildren and he plays out of one of The Gateway Tour's favorite stops, Pinnacle Peak C.C.
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Wes Bliler
DESERT SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
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Mike 'Sarge' Alt
DESERT SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
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Tom Kontak
DESERT SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
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Jerry Hill
DESERT SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
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Chris Martin
BEACH SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
chris@thegatewaytour.com
Born and raised in Traverse City, MI, Chris helped manage his family's chain of automotive collision repair shops after high school until he decided to serve his country by joining the U.S. Marine Corps.
After serving for 2 years with the Marines, a knee injury prompted a change in direction, moving his life back towards his love for the game of golf. He attended and graduated from the San Diego Golf Academy (Hawaii Campus) in Dec. of '06, and has been with The Gateway Tour since the Spring of '07.
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Dan Maselli
BEACH SERIES RULES OFFICIAL
Originally from the state of Connecticut, Dan started with the game of golf at an early age before playing in high school and joining the United States Air Force for 4 years after high school.
Upon completion of his tenure with the Air Force and attending Central Connecticut University, he worked in various sales capacities while playing amateur golf competitively. In 1990, he moved to Florida, turned professional, and worked as the golf professional at Miles Grant Country Club for the next 15 years.
During that time, he also began working with The Gateway Tour, becoming the Head Beach Series Rules official in 2008. In March of this year, he passed the USGA/ PGA Rules Workshop examination, placing in the 92nd percentile of all attendees. His elite score has qualified him to attend next year's workshop reserved for those who scored 85/100 or higher, and is something The Gateway Tour is very proud for him to achieve.
A very personable and fair Rules Official, The Gateway Tour is very fortunate to have Dan as the Head Rules Official for The Beach Series.
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Mike Mallon
BEACH SERIES RULES / STARTER
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Marty Connelly
BEACH SERIES STARTER / SCORER
A Connecticut native, Marty played high school golf before playing on the Villanova University golf team for three years. After graduating from Villanova in 1960 with a degree in economics, he worked in the hardware business for 40 years, before retiring in 2000.
His service to the game of golf is well respected in the amateur ranks, having been a member of the executive committee of the Westchester (NY) Golf Assoc. from 1976-1989, serving as their president from 1988-1989. He also served as Director for their Caddie Scholarship Fund from 1976-2000, while taking the president's role from 1991-1992.
Marty was also a member of the executive committee for the Metropolitan (NY) Golf Assoc. from 1988-1998, serving as their president from 1997-1998.
Since moving to Florida, he has been a tournament volunteer for the Florida State Golf Association while working for The Gateway Tour as a starter and scorer for the past few seasons.
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John Hard
DFW SERIES RULES OFFICIAL
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Ryan Blagg
TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
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Gene Doty
DFW SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
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Josh Irving
DFW SERIES TOURNAMENT OPERTATIONS
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Robert Bender
DFW SERIES RULES OFFICIAL
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