Galbraith Invitational

McCollum goes into final round with two-shot lead. Lecroy, Howell, Hughston, Fite make second-round charges, join Clay at two strokes back.

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

Count Taylor McCollum of two minds about the prospect of winning his first crack at the Wilfred Galbraith Invitational.

The Pelham real estate man would love to win at Anniston Country Club, where he’s a member. He could stand a little taller and prouder among friends on the Calhoun County Golf Tour.

Then again, his side-action life within that group might get tougher.

“It would be great,” he said. “It would take down the legend Ott Chandler. I know he’s won it about 10 times.

“I’d really enjoy winning this. It would give me some bragging rights, I guess, for a couple of weeks. It would probably hurt my action when we’re gambling, but it would be OK.”

McCollum’s 2-under-par 68 in Saturday’s second round left him at 1 under 139 for the tournament, and he leads a pack of golfers by two strokes going into Sunday’s final round.

Leaders teed off first Saturday, and Chip Howell, Freeman Fite, Brennan Clay, Jacob Lecroy and Harrison Hughston stand in second place at 141. Lecroy, the 2023 winner, shot the day’s low round at 67 and made the biggest rally, from a first-round 74.

Lecroy shot 36 on the front nine, and only a lipout from 13 feet on No. 18 prevented him from finishing the back nine in 30. He hit a stretch of five birdies in six holes, starting with a chip-in for birdie on No. 12.

“I was kind of in the end zone, finally,” he said. “I don’t want to call it the golfer’s zone, but it’s like, you finally got something going your way for the first time all week, and that’s what happened.”

Howell and Hughston tied McCollum’s 68 for the day’s second-lowest rounds. Each came back from a first-round 73 to shoot 68.

The 69-year-old Howell called his second round “probably the smartest round I’ve played out here in a long, long, long time.”

“I haven’t played much lately,” he said. “A lot of things going on, and just very pleased.

“Any time I can shoot my age, I’m always happy, and I beat it by one.”

Howell learned from the first round, when he went double-bogey-bogey after shooting 2 under through 13.

“I was 2 under again, as it was yesterday, and I said, ‘Don’t let this go,’ and I just parred in,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to do anything heroic. I just had a good round going and wanted to keep it that way.”

Fite entered the day tied with Gary Wigington for third and shot the day’s other under-par round at 69.

First-round leader Jaylon Ellison fought through pain from an ailing back to play on Saturday and shot a 3 over 73. He stands five shots off of the lead, at 143.

If McCollum holds on, he’ll become he fourth different winner in four Calhoun County Golf Tour points events this season.

His said his best hole of the day was a bogey save on No. 9.

“I hit it out of the bunker on 9 and flew it over the green but got up and down for bogey,” he said. “I should’ve made a double there.”

His round notably settled after that. His 34 on the back nine showed seven pars and two birdies. The key to his round was learning ACC’s fast greens on Friday.

“I kept it below the hole all day,” he said. “Most of my putts were uphill all day. I wanted to have an uphill putt all day, so that’s what I did.

“I wasn’t quite as close as maybe I could’ve. I wasn’t quite as aggressive, but it was a good, solid round.”

Scores

CHAMPIONSHIP A FLIGHT
PLAYER	RD. 1	RD. 2	RD. 3	TOTAL
Taylor McCollum	71	68		139
Chip Howell	73	68		141
Freeman Fite	72	69		141
Jacob Lecroy	74	67		141
Brennan Clay	71	70		141
Harrison Hughston	73	68		141
Gary Wigington	72	70		142
Jaylon Ellison	70	73		143
Tanner Wells	73	74		147
Hunter Carr	74	73		147
Clay Calkins	73	76		149
Layton Bussey	75	74		149
CHAMPIONSHIP B FLIGHT
Jeff Chapman	74	76		150
Ryan Howard	76	74		150
Adam Sanders	76	74		150
John Rollins	74	78		152
Dalton Chandler	76	76		152
Chance Harris	75	78		153
Kevin Daugherty	79	74		153
Trey Rouse	75	79		154
Vance Lewis	76	78		154
Jeff Bain	76	78		154
Ryan Huff	78	77		155
CHAMPIONSHIP C FLIGHT
Jeremy McGatha	74	82		156
Chad Key	78	78		156
Ott Chandler	77	81		158
Wes Couch	74	85		159
Chandler Wilborn	78	81		159
Rusty Whitlow	80	79		159
Timmy Woodard	81	78		159
Greg Shultz	80	80		160
Dustin Travis	79	81		160
Cypress Hathorn	80	81		161
Benji Turley	79	82		161
Tim Turner	77	88		165
Lewis Lecroy	80	86		166
Austin Elliott	81	90		171

Other flights (two rounds)

SENIOR FLIGHT
NAME	RD. 1	RD. 2	TOTAL
Don Springer	71		71
David Sanders	74		74
Mike Thompson	77		77
Ted Heim	84		84
Don Whitlow	102		102
FIRST FLIGHT
Tyler Huckaby	72		72
Houston Black	72		72
Tanner Tabor	72		72
Chase Hollingsworth	73		73
David Sanders	74		74
Bob Eaton	74		74
Wyatt Cotney	75		75
Billy Thompson	76		76
Jake Goggans	76		76
Carson Chandler	76		76
Keaton Borrelli	76		76
Blake Grisham	76		76
Hank Smith	77		77
Mark Durden	77		77
Mike Wiedmer	77		77
SECOND FLIGHT
Taylor Vera	78		78
Zach Goss	78		78
Dre Davenport	78		78
Zach Mangum	78		78
Graham Morrow	79		79
Kyle Glover	79		79
Cain Hollingsworth	80		80
Aaron Gregerson	80		80
Matt Rogers	80		80
Taylor Jones	80		80
Taylor Morrow	80		80
Trey Stone	80		80
THIRD FLIGHT
Rob Svensen	81		81
Kolby Webb	81		81
Eric Stringer	82		82
Henry Pritchett	82		82
Andrew Gunnells	82		82
Colin Read	82		82
Joe Hedgepeth	82		82
Scott Watson	82		82
Matt Hunter	83		83
Chase Thomas	83		83
Cam Hurst	83		83
FOURTH FLIGHT
Don Hill	85		85
Kenneth Willingham	85		85
Tim Wilcox	85		85
Lamar Carter	85		85
Zach Limberis	85		85
Sean Kline	85		85
Ted Gregerson	86		86
Cody Smitherson	86		86
Devin Williams	86		86
John Carpenter	86		86
FIFTH FLIGHT
Dylan Parker	87		87
Bradley Elliott	87		87
Keith Hutcheson	87		87
Heath Waldrop	88		88
Jason Payne	89		89
Greg Rainey	89		89
Tyler Teneyck	90		90
Matt Greer	90		90
Adam Benefiel	91		91
SIXTH FLIGHT
Kolby Slick	92		92
Mark Gaines	92		92
Marlee Hedgepeth	95		95
Scott Jimmerson	95		95
Charlie Smith	95		95
Chase Arnold	98		98
Judson Miller	105		105
Clay Culbert	107		107
Shane Boman	107		107
Isaac Scroggins	113		113

Sunday tee times

7:30 a.m.: Clay Culbert, Shane Boman, Isaac Scroggins.
7:41 a.m.: Hank Smith, Charlie Smith, Judson Miller.
7:52 a.m.: Mark Gaines, Marlee Hedgepath, Scott Jimmerson, Chase Arnold.
8:03 a.m.: Tyler Teneyck, Matt Greer, Adam Benefiel, Kolby Slick.
8:24 a.m.: Keith Hutcheson, Heath Waldrop, Jason Payne, Greg Rainey.
8:36 a.m.: Cody Smitherson, Devin Williams, Dylan Parker, Bradley Elliott.
8:48 a.m.: Zach Limberis, Sean Kline, Ted Gregerson, John Carpenter.
9 a.m.: Don Hill, Kenneth Willingham, Tim Wilcox, Lamar Carter.
9:12 a.m.: Colin Read, Matt Hunter, Chase Thomas, Cam Hurst.
9:24 a.m.: Henry Pritchett, Scott Watson, Joe Hedgepath, Andrew Gunnels.
9:36 a.m.: Trey Stone, Rob Svensen, Kolby Webb, Eric Stringer.
9:48 a.m.: Aaron Gregerson, Matt Rogers, Taylor Jones, Taylor Morrow.
10 a.m.: Taylor Vera, Zach Goss, Dre Davenport, Zach Mangum.
10:12 a.m.: Mark Durden, Kyle Glover, Graham Morrow, Cain Hollingsworth.
10:24 a.m.: Carson Chandler, Keaton Borrelli, Blake Grisham, Mike Wiedmer.
10:36 a.m.: Bob Eaton, Wyatt Cotney, Billy Thompson, Jake Goggans.
10:48 a.m.: Tyler Huckaby, Houston Black, Tanner Tabor, Chase Hollingsworth.
11:12 a.m.: Ted Heim, Don Whitlow.
11:24 a.m.: Don Springer, David Sanders, Mike Thompson.
Noon: Austin Elliott, Lewis Lecroy, Tim Turner.
12:12 p.m.: Benji Turley, Cypress Hathorn, Dustin Travis.
12:24 p.m.: Greg Shultz, Timmy Woodard, Rusty Whitlow.
12:36 p.m.: Chandler Wilborn, Wes Couch, Ott Chandler, Chad Key.
12:48 p.m.: Jeremy McGatha, Ryan Huff, Vance Lewis, Jeff Bain.
1 p.m.: Trey Rouse, Kevin Daugherty, Chance Harris, John Rollins.
1:12 p.m.: Dalton Chandler, Adam Sanders, Ryan Howard, Jeff Chapman.
1:24 a.m.: Layton Bussey, Clay Calkins, Hunter Carr, Tannner Wells.
1:36 p.m.: Jaylon Ellison, Gary Wigington, Jacob Lecroy, Harrison Hughston.
1:48 p.m.: Brennan Clay, Chip Howell, Freeman Fite, Taylor McCollum.

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