‘Hands full tomorrow’

LeCroy emerges from second round with two-shot lead in Wilfred Galbraith Invitational after he and Cole battle through blazing front nine (updated scores, tee times below)

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

There came that it’s-on moment Saturday, with Wilfred Galbraith Invitational co-leaders Jacob LeCroy and Ty Cole staring at eagle on No. 3.

Cole rolled his in. LeCroy?

“I barely missed mine,” he said. “I said, ‘Oh no, we’ve got us a battle now.'”

LeCroy prevailed in Saturday’s battle, shooting 4-under-par 66 to lead the war by two strokes going into Sunday’s final round at Anniston Country Club.

Cole shot a 2-under 68, and Freeman Fite, who was tied with LeCroy and Cole after Friday 67s, shot a par 70 and trails by four strokes.

Trey Rouse shot a 71 Saturday to stand tied with Garrett Burgess for six strokes off of the lead. Burgess shot the day’s third under-par round with a 1-under 69.

LeCroy’s and Cole’s eagle showdown on No. 3 was part of a blazing front nine for a college Southern Amateur qualifier playing on his home course and a perennial Calhoun County Golf Tour contender.

LeCroy shot 5-under 29 on the front nine, with birdies on Nos. 3, 4, 6,7 and 9.

“It’s been a while since I shot a 29,” LeCroy said, “maybe a year and a half, two years.”

Cole stacked birdies on 5 and 8 on top of his eagle on 3 and shot a 4-under 30 on the front nine. File the 30-foot eagle under things that happen to good players.

“I hit a 3 wood, just like Jacob and got a good bounce,” he said. “He was inside me for eagle. I just had a really good read on it and just barely touched it, and it rolls 30 feet and runs in.”

It was all part of a nine-hole stretch of combustible golf as two of the best golfers connected to Calhoun County pushed each other.

“We both played so good on the front,” LeCroy said. “We were just going back and forth, back and forth, and it was a lot of run.”

It’s hard to hold that level of play for 18 holes, and “it’s just like it went away on the back,” Cole said.

After a birdie on 11 to reach 5 under, Cole bogeyed three of the next four holes then parred out. He came away lamenting a missed 2-foot putt on No. 13.

He missed a 2-footer on No. 15 Friday.

“I think that’s the difference,” Cole said. “He’s got me by two shots.”

Cole and LeCroy figure to play in the same group again during Sunday’s final round. The 48-year-old Cole, who won at Twin Bridges two weeks ago, looks to go back-to-back in the county tour’s third points event of 2023.

“When you get my age, and you come into a final round with a shot, you’re glad to have a shot,” Cole said. “Playing somebody as good as Jacob, the way he’s playing, on his home golf course, I’m going to have to play really, really good golf to even have a chance, to be honest.”

LeCroy looks forward to another fun afternoon.

“Me and Ty, we always butt heads, but we love each other, too,” LeCroy said. “I’ve always thought of him as a great golfer, just like ‘Twig’ (Gary Wigington) or anybody else. I know I’ve got my hands full tomorrow.”

Second-round scores

Championship A Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total
Jacob LeCroy	67	66		133
Ty Cole	67	68		135
Freeman Fite	67	70		137
Trey Rouse	68	71		139
Garrett Burgess	70	69		139
Jaylon Ellison	69	76		145
Brennan Clay	74	72		146
Ott Chandler	74	73		147
Chandler Wilborn	73	75		148
John Rollins	74	75		149
Landon Straub	74	75		149
Gary Wigington	78	71		149
Championship B Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total
Jeff Chapman	71	79		150
Jonathan Bailey	74	76		150
Scott Martin	75	75		150
Timmy Woodard	76	75		151
Chris Cox	73	79		152
Andrew Brooks	74	78		152
Jonathan Pate	79	74		153
Chip Howell	77	77		154
Hank Smith	76	79		155
Rob Svensen	79	76		155
Mark Durden	77	79		156
Jeremy McGatha	77	79		156
Chad Key	79	77		156
Matt Rogers	80	76		156
Championship C Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total
Vance Lewis	74	83		157
Tanner Wells	78	79		157
Greg Shultz	76	82		158
Will Reaves	82	76		158
Ryan Huff	81	79		160
Kenny Wright	81	79		160
Matt Hunter	81	82		163
Andrew Morris	82	82		164
Keaton Borrelli	81	84		165
David Kyatt	82	83		165
Cam Hurst	82	84		166
Senior Division Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2		Total
David Sanders	73	NS		73
Don Springer	76	NS		76
Dennis Staples	79	NS		79
First Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2		Total
Jack Svensen	74	NS		74
Cain Hollingsworth	74	NS		74
Ryan Powers	75	NS		75
Taylor Morrow	76	NS		76
Clay Calkins	76	NS		76
David Smith	76	NS		76
Brian Woodfin	77	NS		77
Mike Wiedmer	77	NS		77
Ted Heim	78	NS		78
Charlie Smith	78	NS		78
Dru Davenport	78	NS		78
Will Broome	80	NS		80
Bradley Elliott	80	NS		80
Eric Lett	80	NS		80
Second Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2		Total
Billy Thompon	81	NS		81
Graham Morrow	81	NS		81
Rusty Whitlow	81	NS		81
Tyler TenEyck	82	NS		82
Caleb Morrow	82	NS		82
Kyle Glover	82	NS		82
Corey Mize	82	NS		82
Austin Elliott	82	NS		82
Greg Rainey	83	NS		83
Joe Hedgepeth	83	NS		83
Eric Stringer	84	NS		84
Trey Hopper	84	NS		84
Third Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2		Total
Carson Chandler	85	NS		85
Jimmy Ulrey	85	NS		85
Andrew Gunnels	85	NS		85
Matt Hartdegen	86	NS		86
Henry Pritchett	86	NS		86
Trey Stone	86	NS		86
Houston Black	86	NS		86
Matt Greer	86	NS		86
David Coffey	86	NS		86
Chase Thomas	87	NS		87
Chance Haywood	87	NS		87
Mark L. Cotton	88	NS		88
Taylor Jones	88	NS		88
Taylor Vera	88	NS		88
Zach Limberis	88	NS		88
Christopher Sprayberry	88	NS		88
Fourth Flight
Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2		Total
Chase Arnold	89	NS		89
Kenneth Willingham	91	NS		91
Sean Kline	91	NS		91
Heath Waldrop	92	NS		92
Kolby Slick	94	NS		94
Mark Gaines	94	NS		94
Lucas Boozer	94	NS		94
John Lindsey	96	NS		96
Keith Hutcheson	99	NS		99
Scott Jimmerson	105	NS		105
Adam Benefiel	107	NS		107
Marlee Hedgepeth	109	NS		109

Sunday’s tee times

Time	Group
8 a.m.	David Sanders, Don Springer, Dennis Staples
8:12 a.m.	Marlee Hedgepath, Adam Benefiel, Scott Jimmerson
8:24 a.m.	John Lindsey, Lucas Boozer, Keith Hutcheson
8:36 a.m.	Sean Kline, Heath Waldrop, Kolby Slick, Mark Gaines
8:48 a.m.	Zach Limberis, Christopher Sprayberry, Chase Arnold, Kenneth Willingham
9 a.m.	Chance Haywood, Mark L Cotton, Taylor Jones, Taylor Vera
9:15 a.m.	Houston Black, Matt Greer, David Coffee, Chase Thomas
9:30 a.m.	Andrew Gunnels, Matt Hartdegen, Trey Stone, Henry Pritchett
9:45 a.m.	Eric Stringer, Trey Hopper, Carson Chandler, Jimmy Ulrey
10 a.m.	Kyle Glover, Austin Elliott, Greg Rainey, Joe Hedgepath
10:15 a.m.	Rusty Whitlow, Tyler TenEyck, Caleb Morrow, Corey Mize
10:30 a.m.	Will Broome, Eric Lett, Billy Thompson, Graham Morrow
10:45 a.m.	Charlie Smith, Ted Heim, Dru Davenport, Bradley Elliott
11 a.m.	David Smith, Clay Calkins, Mike Wiedmer, Brian Woodfin
11:15 a.m.	Ryan Powers, Cain Hollingsworth, Jack Svensen, Taylor Morrow
11:36 a.m.	Keaton Borrelli, David Kyatt, Cameron Hurst
11:48 a.m.	Ryan Huff, Kenny Wright, Matt Hunter, Andrew Morris
Noon	Vance Lewis, Tanner Wells, Greg Shultz, Will Reaves
12:15 p.m.	Jeremy McGatha, Chad Key, Matt Rogers
12:30 p.m.	Hank Smith, Rob Svensen, Mark Durden
12:45 p.m.	Chris Cox, Andrew Brooks, Jonathan Pate, Chip Howell
1 p.m.	Jeff Chapman, Jonathan Bailey, Scott Martin, Timmy Woodard
1:12 p.m.	Chandler Wilborn, John Rollins, Landon Straub, Gary Wigington
1:24 p.m.	Garrett Burgess, Jaylon Ellison, Brennan Clay, Ott Chandler
1:36 p.m.	Jacob LeCroy, Ty Cole, Freeman Fite, Trey Rouse

Cover photo: Jacob LeCroy (right) and Ty Cole (left) shake hands as Freeman Fite looks on after completing second-round play Saturday in the Wilfred Galbraith Invitational at Anniston Country Club. (Photo by Joe Medley)

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