Fixed and first

Edwards, Straub shoot bogey-free 66s, hold 3-shot lead over field in Oxford City Championship at Cider Ridge; story will be updated

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD – Sawyer Edwards got his driver fixed and he scrapped the arm-lock putter that served him well in the high school sectionals last week after losing two putting contests with it to the local pro since. The combination led to the best tournament round he’s played in his young life and earned him a share of the overnight lead in the Oxford City Championship.

The White Plains sophomore who’s still not old enough to drive on his own – he’s still 10 days from his 16^th birthday – shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 and posted the score for everyone at Cider Ridge Golf Club to shoot for. Landon Straub caught him, putting up his own bogey-free 66 a few groups later, but no one in the morning wave of the 120-plus-player field did better.

Jake Goggans is third after 69. He birdied his last four holes and five of his last six. Brennan Clay, Jeremy McGatha, Layton Bussey and Morton Holcomb all shot 70. They were the only players under par.

Edwards has posted better scores before – 65 twice at Pine Hill, with nine birdies – but nothing in the heat of competition like he put together here.

The only hole he came close to making bogey was No. 2 when he found the water off the tee. But after taking his penalty he stuck his approach to four feet and made the putt. It was the only green he missed in regulation in the round. He saved a par on 10 for par after running his birdie putt some eight feet past the hole.

He three-putted for par on 15, but made a 20-footer on 18 for a closing birdie, the only putt of an appreciable length he had all day.

“I’ve shot better before, but I was really consistent,” he said. “First ever time I had no bogeys, so I was really proud of myself for that.”

People may remember Edwards’ broke his driver at the tip on the his 11^th hole in the Boys 4A sectional at Silver Lakes Monday. He didn’t use it the rest of the round and shot a medalist-winning 75, but it was in his bag Saturday although he didn’t really need it as short as the course played.

He also showed up with the arm-lock putting style made popular by PGA Tour pro Matt Kuchar after goofing around in the Pine Hill pro shop and winding up making a bunch of birdies over the weekend. It fell out of favor when he wasn’t making enough short putts to be good and lost a putting contest with Cider Ridge director of golf and swing teacher Jammie Lett. He was back to the old style Saturday.

“Get that out of here,” he said with a dismissive wave.

Straub said he didn’t have any expectations coming into the round, but his hopes took a big turn when he eagled No. 9 after hitting from 162 yards to 15 feet. That got him to 4-under for the round and he added birdies on 11 and 18 on the back.

He missed three fairways, but birdied two of them and parred the other in large part because he hit 17 of 18 greens. The 66 beat his previous low round on the Calhoun County Golf Tour by three shots — here in last year’s final round.

“I came in today with no expectations,” he said. “I’m ecstatic, honestly. I hadn’t been playing great coming in to this weekend. We’ve just been really busy at work so golf has been kind of on the back burner.”

Goggans wasn’t expecting much, either. He hadn’t hit any balls since hurting his ribs a couple weeks ago and was just hoping for the best. He bogeyed two of his first three holes and was 2-over through 12 before catching fire.

He would have finished with six birdies in a row but left his 10-footer on 14 dead in the heart but one inch short. He two-putted for birdie on the par-5 15 and hit the pin on 16 then made two short birdie putts on 17 and 18.

“It felt good,” he said. “It was all fairways and greens. There weren’t any weird shots, it was just normal golf.” 

Oxford City Championship

CHAMPIONSHIP A
Sawyer Edwards	33	33	66
Landon Straub	32	34	66
Jake Goggans	37	32	69
Morton Holcomb	33	37	70
Layton Bussey	32	38	70
Jeremy McGatha	35	35	70
Brennan Clay	35	35	70
Kent Whitley	36	36	72
Ty Cole	32	40	72
Alex Harper	33	39	72
Corey Ray	33	40	73
Matt Bell	36	37	73
Gary Wigington	37	36	73
CHAMPIONSHIP B
Clay Calkins	36	38	74
Dalton Chandler	39	35	74
Kevin Daugherty	36	38	74
Landon Winfrey	35	40	75
Ryan Limbaugh	40	35	75
Brad Moultrie	43	32	75
Mason Dennis	36	39	75
Timmy Woodard	39	36	75
Logan Archer	40	35	75
Randy Archer	35	40	75
Daniel Black	37	38	75
Gage Miller	39	36	75
Chance Harris	38	37	75
FIRST FLIGHT
Adam Wright	38	38	76
Chad Calvert	34	42	76
Chris Reaves	40	37	77
Scott Martin	36	41	77
Billy McCroskey	41	36	77
Jason Rich	40	37	77
Hunter Carr	37	40	77
Wesley jenkins	41	37	78
Justin Graveman	40	38	78
Billy Thompson	38	40	78
Logan Craft	39	39	78
Chase Hollingsworth	37	41	78
Zac Mangum	42	36	78
SECOND FLIGHT
CJ Taylor	39	40	79
Kenny Wright	40	39	79
Mark McCaig	39	40	79
Casey Harmon	42	37	79
Kenny Okins	39	41	80
Chip Howell	42	38	80
Ward Campbell	37	43	80
Lamar Carter	38	42	80
Danny Whittaker	40	40	80
Skylar Dennis	38	43	81
Harrison Hughston	40	41	81
Tanner Wells	41	40	81
Dre Davenport	37	44	81
Eric Cannington	44	37	81
THIRD FLIGHT
Daily Thomas	40	42	82
Jared Chapman	40	42	82
Cole McNeal	42	40	82
Mark Durden	42	40	82
Jeff Bain	41	42	83
Bradley Elliott	42	41	83
Clayton Chandler	38	45	83
Andy Jenkins	42	41	83
Maurice Dates	42	42	84
Ryan Huff	39	45	84
Josh Poole	47	37	84
Josh Reynolds	41	43	84
FOURTH FLIGHT
Jared Waits	41	44	85
Brock Young	40	45	85
Matt Rogers	41	44	85
Michael Casey	42	43	85
Landon Holly	43	42	85
Rick Okins	45	41	86
Chance Haywood	39	47	86
Scott Watson	43	43	86
Austin Elliott	46	41	87
Tray Floyd	45	42	87
Adam Johnson	40	47	87
Benji Turley	44	43	87
Mike Hughston	43	44	87
Scotty McFry	38	49	87
FIFTH FLIGHT
Brad Young	43	46	89
Craig Duncan	44	45	89
Shane Lee	46	43	89
Heath Hammond	46	44	90
Kolby Slick	49	43	92
Mark Gaines	48	45	93
Bart Smith	40	53	93
Mark Guyther	42	52	94
Josh Davis	50	44	94
SIXTH FLIGHT
Alex Whaley	44	51	95
Nash Messer	47	48	95
Seth Collett	54	44	98
Riley Boyd	48	51	99
Kasey Ray	49	51	100
Ty Johnson	49	52	101
Rickey Carden	45	57	102
Kobe Messer	47	57	104
Ken Renfroe	54	52	106
Warren Sewell	59	60	119

SENIOR A
James Beavers	39	33	72
David Messer	37	36	73
Tim Steward	35	39	74
Gary Austin	39	37	76
Jerry Kemp	39	37	76
Charlie Estes	38	39	77
SENIOR B
Keith Haywood	37	41	78
Lamar Ward	47	38	85
Rick Barthel	40	47	87
Dennis Austin	43	47	90
Lee Clark	47	57	104

Sunday pairings

7:30: Kobe Messer, Ken Renfroe, Warren Sewell
7:40: Kasey Ray, Ty Johnson, Rickey Carden
7:50: Alex Whaley, Nash Messer, Seth Collett, Riley Boyd
8:00: Lamar Ward, Rick Barthel, Dennis Austin, Lee Clark
8:10: Tim Steward, Jerry Kemp, Charlie Estes, Keith Haywood
8:20: James Beavers, David Messer, Gary Austin
8:30: Bart Smith, Mark Guyther, Josh Davis
8:40: Heath Hammond, Kolby Slick, Mrk Gaines
8:50: Scotty McFry, Brad Young, Craig Duncan, Shane Lee
9:00: Tray Floyd, Adam Johnson, Benji Turley, Mike Hughston
9:10: Rick Okins, Chance Haywood, Scott Watson, Austin Elliott
9:20: Brock Young, Matt Rogers, Michael Casey, Landon Holly
9:30: Ryan Huff, Josh Poole, Josh Reynolds, Jared Waits
9:40: Bradley Elliott, Clayton Chandler, Andy Jenkins, Maurice Dates
9:50: Jared Chapman, Daily Thomas, Mark Durden, Jeff Bain
10:00: Tanner Wells, Dre Davenport, Eric Cannington, Cole McNeal
10:10: Lamar Carter, Danny Whittaker, Skylar Dennis, Harrison Hughston
10:20: Casey Harmon, Kenny Okins, Chip Howell, Ward Campbell
10:30: Logan Craft, CJ Taylor, Kenny Wright, Mark McCaig
10:40: Hunter Carr, Billy Thompson, Zac Mangum, Chase Hollingsworth
10:50: Billy McCroskey, Jason Rich, Justin Graveman, Wesley Jenkins
11:00: Adam Wright, Chad Calvert, Chris Reaves, Scott Martin
11:10: Starters Time
11:20: Randy Archer, Daniel Black, Gage Miller, Chance Harris
11:30: Mason Dennis, Timmy Woodard, Logan Archer
11:40: Landon Winfrey, Ryan Limbaugh, Brad Moultrie
11:50: Clay Calkins, Dalton Chandler, Kevin Daugherty
Noon: Alex Harper, Corey Ray, Matt Bell, Gary Wigington
12:10 p.m.: Brennan Clay, Kent Whitley, Ty Cole
12:20: Morton Holcomb, Layton Bussey, Jeremy McGatha
12:30: Sawyer Edwards, Landon Straub, Jake Goggans

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