Ace caps run to title

McGatha scores hole-in-one in final round, teams with Rogers to win third Buddy Moore crown

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

Jeremy McGatha was hitting it so well during Sunday’s final round of the Buddy Moore Charity Classic, it was only fitting he hit the shot of the tournament to put an exclamation point on a winning weekend.

McGatha aced the par-3 16th hole at Anniston Municipal GC for his second hole-in-one in five weeks to highlight a 12-under-par 58 that gave him and partner Matt Rogers their second straight Buddy Moore title and third in the six-year run of the event.

McGatha and Rogers, who also won the inaugural Classic, shot 27-under-par 113 for the tournament. They won by seven shots over Andrew Lee and Jeff Watkins and Sunday playing partners Benji Turley and Eric Cannington. Turley-Cannington claimed second in a scorecard playoff.

The weekend belonged to McGatha and Rogers, but it was the ace – with a lob wedge from 96 yards — that had everyone buzzing.

“It was the icing on the cake,” McGatha said. “To what this Hill means to Matt and to play with him and to win it with him is even more special. He’s a great friend to play with.

“Look, he’s up here at 5:30 in the morning (making tournament preparations); he’s worn out mentally and physically before we even tee off. It makes me want to play extra hard.”

Rogers admitted he was spent by the time the teammates rolled their cart onto the back nine. But he wasn’t worried about it slipping away because he knew he had a partner who is “easy to count on.”

The winners carried a five-shot lead into the final round and were 7-under for the round through seven holes Sunday.

McGatha eagled No. 1 after hitting his 7-iron approach to 10 feet. He hit another 7-iron to eight feet on the par-3 second and made that. On 3 he hit an 8-iron to 20 feet, made a 40-footer for birdie on 4 and set up a birdie on 6 with his approach. Rogers tapped in his own near hole-in-one on 7, which produced McGatha’s ace the second time through.

“He made it from everywhere on the front,” Cannington said. “Luck was on their side from 1 on.

“He made every shot when he had to; they deserved to win. I’d never seen him hit like that. It was kind of freaky. Matt seemed like he had a bad day and Jeremy picked him up like a teammate’s supposed to. My hat’s off to them.”

All four players in the group were around the hole when they played 16. McGatha was the last to swing. His ball hit the green right of the flag and spun left into the hole.

Approaching the green they saw only three balls on the putting surface. Turley confirmed the ball in the cup was McGatha’s with a wink of his eye. It was McGatha’s eighth hole-in-one all time and third in tournament competition – and that doesn’t count the one he made at Cider Ridge in a Sunny King Charity Classic practice round in July.

Where the Titleist 7 they pulled out of the hole is today is anybody’s guess. McGatha played it on the next tee and drove it over the green, somewhere right of the No. 18 tee box.

“If it were my first one I might have put it away, but all I was thinking about was making birdie on the next hole,” he said. “We were going to go back and look for it, but never did.”

In the other flights, Clay Calkins and Chip Howell won a scorecard playoff over city director of golf Kenny Szuch and Cypress Hathorn for the Maryann Flight, Steve Montgomery and last-minute partner Austin Minter won the Scott Flight, and Chad Ray and Ken Renfroe won the Angie Flight. All the flights were named in honor of longtime Hill pro Moore and his family.

Calkins and Howell bogeyed their final hole to fall into a tie in their flight, but won the playoff with a birdie on the 16. Minter and Montgomery became a team only two days before the tournament and won by a shot. Ray and Renfroe shot a final-round 72 and won by two shots.

“I almost didn’t (play in the tournament), just because I didn’t know him,” Minter said. “I played with his son (Russ) one time because we’re kind of friends of friends, but I’m definitely glad I did. We had a good time this weekend.”

The tournament raised nearly $12,000 for its charities.

Buddy Moore Charity Classic
At Anniston Municipal GC
Final scores

Buddy Flight
Jeremy McGatha-Matt Rogers 55-58—113
Benji Turley-Eric Cannington 60-60—120
Jeff Watkins-Andrew Lee 61-59—120
Jason Johnson-George Salmon 62-62—124
Andrew Brooks-Steve Akers 61-64—125
Steve Shockley-Josh Poole 61-65—126
Daniel Clonts-Brett Key 61-68—129
T.J. McGatha-David Martin 62-68—130
Michael Herndon-Tony Strickland 62-68—130

Maryann Flight
Clay Calkins-Chip Howell 63-62—125
Kenny Szuch-Cypress Hathorn 63-62—125
Jackson Bonner-Matt Hunter 63-64—127
Adrian Geeting-Rob Davie 63-64—127
Roger Jackson-Byron Preston 64-64—128
Trey Sawyer-Andrew Tyson 63-68—131
Danny Whitaker-Gary Thomas 65-66—131
Ralph Carter-Lamar Carter 65-66—131
Steve McClellan-David Lane 64-68—132
Tim Mullendore-Mike Braxton 65-70—135
Bruce Collins-Rodney Wade 65-70—135

Scott Flight
Steve Montgomery-Austin Minter 66-65—131
Mike Zinn-Brian Whitley 65-67—132
Ted Heim-Steve Davis 65-67—132
Doug Mooneyham-Chris Randall 68-65—133
Lynn Oswalt-Norman Thomas 66-69—135
Scott Moore-Will Prickett 69-67—136
Ashley Bussey-Allen Mangham 66-71—137
Jimmy Jackson-David Gilley 68-72—140
Steve Rogers-Keith Gann 68-72—140
Kelly Cleghorn-Matt Cleghorn 69-72—141
Donnie McGinnis-Herschel Tanner 69-73—142

Angie Flight
Chad Ray-Ken Renfroe 71-72—143
Jerre Dingler-David Wray 72-73—145
David Hill-Tim Davis 70-75—145
Steve Mullendore-Will Mullendore 70-77—147
Tommy Pope-Nick Pope 71-78—148
Tubby Bass-Clay Bass 73-75—148
Tom Mullins-Henry Higginbotham 75-75—150
Woody Adcock-Steve Hughes 75-78—153
Jamie Lewis-Lewis Lewis 76-79—155

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