E.A. Sports Today

Mighty neighborly

Next-door neighbors Lipscomb and Moore birdie the first hole of a playoff to win the Calhoun County Team Championship

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

SILVER LAKES – Randy Lipscomb and Dane Moore have been next-door neighbors in Gadsden for just about two years now. They’ve been playing golf a lot longer than that.

Lipscomb had always thought about pairing up together, but it just never happened. Until this weekend.

And the first time they got together as partners, they come out winners.

Moore sank a three-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a “very satisfying” sudden-death playoff against former Jacksonville State teammates Max Basler and Layton Bussey to give the new partnership the Calhoun County Team Championship title at Silver Lakes.

The two playoff teams shot 9-under-par 63s in Sunday’s scamble format on the Backbreaker/Heartbreaker 9s to post 21-under 123 in regulation and chase down the two overnight co-leaders they trailed by three going into the round.

“I’ve always wanted to play with him and I think he has me, but we just could never find a spot and it worked out,” Lipscomb said. “I told him now you’re on the hook next year to play with me.”

Defending champions and first-round co-leader Brandon Hammond and John Harman shot a final-round 67 and finished one shot out of the playoff. They played a seven-hole stretch midway through the round in 7-under and held as much as a three-shot lead on the back nine, but were derailed by a double bogey on the par-4 Heartbreaker sixth.

The double allowed Basler-Bussey and Lipscomb-Moore to pull into a tie for the lead when they birdied the par-5 Heartbreaker 7 and they passed the Georgians with matching birdies at 8.

The neighbors had a strategy and stuck with it. Lipscomb is the longer hitter of the two, so it was Moore’s goal to get them in play to free his partner to do his thing. When they got on the green, Lipscomb let his partner putt first no matter who had the longer attempt.

“All I had to do was hit good shots and free Randy up and I feel like we did that this week,” Moore said. “I really didn’t miss many tee shots today where he was just able to rip it.”

That’s what made their playoff so satisfying. With Moore safely in the fairway off the tee, Lipscomb roasted one to within 80 yards of the green for an approach shot Moore hits between his neighbors’ houses. Lipscomb hit his approach to eight feet, while Moore stuck his wedge to three.

Basler and Bussey were about 120 yards out off the tee, but both were outside 20 feet on their approaches and missed their birdie putts. When it was their turn, Lipscomb let Moore putt first and he buried it for the win.

“The thing about me and Dane,” Lipscomb said. “He’s not in his 40s yet (he’s 36) and I’ll be 43 next week. I have a lot of respect for the Calhoun County guys and I think there’s a lot of talent there. For me and Dane, two guys who work for a living and don’t play a whole lot, to beat two JSU guys, that means a lot.

“What other sport can that happen in besides golf? I don’t think I can go out there and beat too many basketball players who play for JSU.”

Calhoun County Team Championship

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
xRandy Lipscomb-Dane Moore6063123
Max Basler-Layton Bussey6063123
Brandon Hammond-John Harman5767124
Ty Cole-Gary Wigington6165126
Lewis LeCroy-Jacob LeCroy6165126
Ott Chandler-Dalton Chandler5769126
Jeremy McGatha-Brennan Clay6265127
Justin Gondola-Brian Baugh6171132
FIRST FLIGHT
Tanner Wells-Matt Miller6364127
Alex Casey-Michael Harper6564129
Landon Straub-Jason Johnson6465129
Nick Pollard-Josh Poole6465129
Casey Harmon-Chase Hollingsworth6367130
Timmy Woodard-Graham Morrow6568133
Andrew Brooks-Matt Rogers6370133
Rob Davie-Chad Key6371134
Kolby Slick-Drennan Beam6576141
SECOND FLIGHT
Patrick Cooper-Shawn Ledbetter6667133
Caleb Bowen-Jake Goggans6769136
Gage Ledbetter-Bumper Jones6671137
Cole McNeal-Jansen Wilborn6671137
Jake Williams-Parker Staton6672138
Zach Mangum-Jason Payne6673139
Taylor Morrow-Caleb Morrow6872140
Dre Davenport-Matt Greer6774141
Josh Reynolds-Bart Smith6974143
Greg Harrelson-Tony Hicks6778145
Chris Reaves-Charles Carden6878146
Jeff Noah-Kenny Fulmer6978147
Ted Heim-Johnny Barnes6979148
THIRD FLIGHT
Daily Thomas-Ethan Davis7266138
Danny Whittaker-Mark Gaines7071141
Lamar Carter-Daniel Black7272144
Mike Williams-Joe Williams7173144
Austin Elliott-Bradley Elliott7275147
Nick Hubbard-Blake Jones7078148
Keith Wickham-Tate Heuer7478152
John Menchio-Jaymie Payne7183154
Scott Sanders-Mark Reaves7581156
Andrew Betts-Jimmy Cowan8081161
Nick Machowicz-Michael Machowicz7985163
Thomas Crawford-Matt Dankert8282164
x-won on first hole of sudden death playoff (birdie/par)

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