He’s ba’ack
- Updated: August 17, 2024
After withdrawing with COVID last year, Wigington fires 9-under-par 61 to lead by three strokes going into Sunday’s final round of 88th Calhoun County Championship.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
ANNISTON — Sitting home with COVID while the 87th Calhoun County Championship played out didn’t sit well with Gary Wigington.
After one round of the 88th version, Wigington sits on top.
He shot a 9-under-par 61 in Saturday’s first round at Anniston Municipal Golf Course to enter Sunday’s final round as the leader.
Standing second to Brennan Clay in the 2024 Calhoun County Golf Tour points standings, 80 points back, and playing in the Tour’s final points event, Wigington leads Randy Lipscomb by two shots.
Clay shot 6-under 64 Saturday and stands tied with Chad Calvert in third, three strokes back.
“I figure I’ve got to win,” Wigington said. “I don’t know. I just figure that I’ve got to win since Brennan has two wins.”
Clay has won the past two points events, at Pine Hill and Cherokee Pines. He’s the only two-time winner on the Tour this season.
Wigington won at Cider Ridge
The County Championship counts points-and-a-half, meaning the winner gets 450 points instead of the standard 300 for winning other points events.
Wigington withdrew from the 2023 Calhoun County Championship because of COVID, a reality that clinched a sixth Player of the Year honor for friend and two-man partner Ty Cole.
Cole, who came into last year’s tournament leading the season points and needing only a fifth-place finish, finished fifth while clinching his sixth Tour points title,
Who knows how things might’ve gone, had Wigington played?
“That wasn’t any fun,” Wigington said. “Freaking COVID, I avoided it forever, and then I get it the week before (the County Championship). When you don’t play, you don’t have a chance.
“That’s the way it goes.”
This year, Wigington is healthy and playing.
Cole, fourth in points, is not playing in the County Championship. He played 96 holes en route to a runner-up finish in last week’s Alabama Golf Association State Match Play Championship.
Wigington’s round Saturday saw him shoot a scorching 6-under-par 29 on the back nine, with four birdies in a row, between Nos. 11-14, and back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17.
“I hit it good all day long,” he said. “On the back nine, I started hitting some putts, the 3- to 8-footers. I was hitting it real good, and a chipped and putted good.
“Everything was working today.”
Scores
| CHAMPIONSHIP A | |||
| PLAYER | RD. 1 | RD. 2 | TOTAL |
| G.Wigington | 61 | 61 | |
| R. Lipscomb | 63 | 63 | |
| C. Calvert | 64 | 64 | |
| B. Clay | 64 | 64 | |
| T. Wells | 66 | 66 | |
| B. Turley | 66 | 66 | |
| M. Miller | 67 | 67 | |
| D. Travis | 67 (DQ) | ||
| CHAMPIONSHIP B | |||
| Ch. Hollingsworth | 68 | 68 | |
| O. Chandler | 68 | 68 | |
| M. Smith | 68 | 68 | |
| T. Dopson | 68 | 68 | |
| G. Shultz | 68 | 68 | |
| J. Pate | 68 | 68 | |
| A. Brooks | 68 | 68 | |
| J. McGatha | 68 | 68 | |
| B. Thompson | 69 | 69 | |
| J. Poole | 69 | 69 | |
| P. Bradley | 69 | 69 | |
| R. Wood | 69 | 69 | |
| E. Cannington | 69 | 69 | |
| FIRST FLIGHT | |||
| M. McCaig | 70 | 70 | |
| W. Brown | 70 | 70 | |
| C. Reaves | 70 | 70 | |
| N. Ledbetter | 70 | 70 | |
| S. Edwards | 70 | 70 | |
| M. Rogers | 71 | 71 | |
| D. Black | 71 | 71 | |
| C. Hurst | 71 | 71 | |
| C. Howell | 72 | 72 | |
| M. Gaines | 72 | 72 | |
| SECOND FLIGHT | |||
| J. Rollins | 73 | 73 | |
| B. Grisham | 73 | 73 | |
| M. Hughston | 73 | 73 | |
| T. Woodard | 73 | 73 | |
| J. Johnson | 73 | 73 | |
| J. Noah | 73 | 73 | |
| C. Randall | 73 | 73 | |
| Ca. Hollingsworth | 73 | 73 | |
| C. Chandler | 73 | 73 | |
| THIRD FLIGHT | |||
| T. Heim | 74 | 74 | |
| W.Jenkins | 74 | 74 | |
| R. Svensen | 74 | 74 | |
| C. Harris | 74 | 74 | |
| A. Jenkins | 74 | 74 | |
| H. Carr | 75 | 75 | |
| M. Dennis | 75 | 75 | |
| D. Chandler | 75 | 75 | |
| S. Gillespie | 76 | 76 | |
| B. Eaton | 76 | 76 | |
| W. Page | 76 | 76 | |
| G. Salmon | 76 | 76 | |
| E. McCareeth | 76 | 76 | |
| FOURTH FIGHT | |||
| D. Fitzgerald | 77 | 77 | |
| D. Gardner | 77 | 77 | |
| K. Fulmer | 77 | 77 | |
| C. Calkins | 77 | 77 | |
| D. Huie | 78 | 78 | |
| D. Sanders | 78 | 78 | |
| N. Pollard | 78 | 78 | |
| C. Wood | 79 | 79 | |
| M. Durden | 79 | 79 | |
| L. Holley | 79 | 79 | |
| D. Whitaker | 79 | 79 | |
| L. Carter | 79 | 79 | |
| FIFTH FLIGHT | |||
| B. Jones | 80 | 80 | |
| A. Gregerson | 80 (DQ) | ||
| T. Vera | 81 | WD | |
| S. Davis | 81 | 81 | |
| K. Borrelli | 81 | 81 | |
| R. Hudgins | 81 | 81 | |
| J. Brown | 82 | 82 | |
| T. Gregerson | 83 | 83 | |
| C. Turner | 84 | 84 | |
| J. Barnes | 84 | 84 | |
| SIXTH FLIGHT | |||
| C. Lambert | 85 | 85 | |
| K. Slick | 87 | 87 | |
| K. Rodgers | 87 | 87 | |
| C. Hagler | 88 | 88 | |
| L. Champion | 90 | 90 | |
| S. Criss | 96 | 96 |
Sunday tee times
AM
1B: R. Svensen, W. Jenkins, T. Heim, C. Harris
1A: A.Jenkins, H. Carr, M.Dennis, D. Chandler
2: S. Gillespie, B. Eaton, W. Page, G. Salmon
3. E. McCareeth, D. Fitzgerald, D. Gardner, K. Fulmer
4: C. Calkins, N. Pollard, D. Huie, D. Sanders
5: C. Wood, M. Durden, L. Holley, D. Whitaker
6: L. Carter, B. Jones
7: S. Davis, K. Borrelli, R. Hudgins, J.Brown
8: T. Gregerson, C. Turner, J. Barnes, C. Lambert
9: K. Slick, K. Rodgers, C. Hagler, L. Champion, S. Criss
PM
1B: G. Wigington, R. Lipscomb, B. Clay, C. Calvert
1A: T. Wells, B. Turley, M. Miller
2: Ch. Hollingsworth, O. Chandler, J. Pate, M. Smith
3: T. Dopson, G. Shultz, A. Brooks, J. McGatha
4: B. Thompson, J. Poole, P. Bradley, R. Wood
5: E. Cannington, W. Brown, C. Reaves, N. Ledbetter
6: S. Edwards, M. McCaig, M. Rogers, D. Black
7: C. Hurst, C. Howell, M. Gaines. B. Grisham
8: M. Hughston, T. Woodard, J. Johnson, J. Noah
9: J. Rollins, C. Randall, Ca. Hollingsworth, C. Chandler
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