Old guard prevails

Wigington finishes 13 under, wins the 88th Calhoun County Championship and clinches fifth county player-of-the-year honor.

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

ANNISTON — In a season that saw seven different winners in the first seven Calhoun County Golf Tour points events, including three first-time winners, the old guard prevailed.

Gary Wigington finished off a 13-under-par performance in the 88th Calhoun County Championship on Sunday at Anniston Municipal Golf Course and clinched his fifth Calhoun Golf Tour player-of-the-year honor.

Wigington won the season’s final points event by one stroke over Chad Calvert. Brennan Clay, who entered the final tournament as the season points leader after winning consecutive events at Pine Hill and Cherokee Pines, finished third … two strokes back and one place out of clinching his second player-of-the-year honor in three years.

The victory made Wigington and Clay the only two-time winners in 2024 county points events. Wigington won at Cider Ridge.

Wigington, 55, won his seventh Calhoun County Championship to go with his fifth player-of-the-year honor.

“If feels good, man. It feels good,” Wigington said. “The older I get, the less they’re going to come, so any one from hear on our is a good one.”

Wigington finished the season with 1,432.5 points, based on his top-five finishes. Clay finished with 1,400 after finishing the season with two firsts and a third in the season’s final three tournaments.

Clay entered the weekend needing an outright second-place finish in the County Championship to clinch player of the year.

Wigington, who entered the weekend second in points, needed to win on The Hill and for Clay to finish in a tie for second or worse.

Wigington dominated the first round, shooting 9-under 61 to lead Randy Lipscomb by two strokes. Clay and Chad Calvert were tied for third, three strokes back, headed into Sunday’s final round.

Clay shot 5 under for the front nine and either led or was tied for the lead from holes No. 10-15. Wigington birdied 16 to take a one-stroke lead he never relinquished.

They came into No. 18 Clay one stroke back, tied with Calvert. Wigington and Calvert birdied the hole, and Clay parred.

“It hurts pretty bad,” Clay said. “Great front nine. I just didn’t do anything on the back nine. I missed a short par putt on 11 that I should’ve made. I only had one birdie on the back (14).

“I just wasn’t good enough on the back to do anything.”

Calvert, who led last year’s County Championship until Jeremy McGatha birdied five of the final six holes to win by one stroke, played his way into a spoiler’s role. He birdied 16 to force a tie for second with Clay, who needed to finish second place outright to win player of the year.

Calvert played in the final group, with Wigington, Clay and Randy Lipscomb.

“I knew if I finished second, it would knock Brennan out,” Calvert said. “If I won, it would knock Brennan back in it to win it.

“It was awkward, because I was playing with both of them, and I was riding with ‘Twig’ (Wigington). We talked about it, but I’ve got to play my own game. I played a solid round, finally, on a Sunday. I’ve been in contention three or four times this year.”

Follow the leaders

Thru 1: Wigington -10, Lipscomb -8, Clay -7, Calvert -7
Thru 2: Wigington -9, Lipscomb -7, Clay -7, Calvert -6
Thru 3: Wigington -10, Clay -8, Lipscomb -7, Calvert -7
Thru 4: Wigington -9, Clay -8, Lipscomb -7, Calvert -7
Thru 5: Wigington -9. Clay -9, Calvert -8, Lipscomb -7
Thru 6: Wigington -10, Clay -9, Calvert -9, Lipscomb -7
Thru 7: Wigington -10, Clay -9, Calvert -9, Lipscomb -8
Thru 8: Wigington -10, Clay -10, Calvert -9, Lipscomb -8
Thru 9: Wigington -11, Clay -11, Calvert -9, Lipscomb -8 (Twig hits 25-footer, and Clay answers from 15)
On hold: Small hail falling in a downpour
Thru 10: Clay -11, Wigington -10, Calkins -9, Lipscomb -8
Thru 11: Clay -10, Wigington -10, Calkins -8, Lipscomb -7 (Clay misses 3-footer for par)
Thru 12: Clay -10, Wigington -10, Calvert -8, Lipscomb -7 (Clay, Twig miss 4-foot birdie putts)
Thru 13: Clay-10, Wigington -10, Calvert -8, Lipscomb -8 (Wigington misses 4-foot birdie putt)
Thru 14: Clay -11, Wigington -10, Calvert -9, Lipscomb -8
Thru 15: Clay -11, Wigington -11, Calvert -10, Lipscomb -7 (Clay misses 6-foot birdie putt)
Thru 16: Wigington -12, Clay -11, Calvert -11, Lipscomb -7
Thru 17: Wigington -12, Clay -11, Calvert -11, Lipscomb -7
Thru 18: Wigington -13, Calvert -12, Clay -11, Lipscomb -7
FINAL: Wigington wins County Championship, clinches player of the year.

Final-round scores

CHAMPIONSHIP A
PLAYER	RD. 1	RD. 2	TOTAL
G.Wigington	61	66	127
C. Calvert	64	64	128
B. Clay	64	65	129
R. Lipscomb	63	70	133
B. Turley	66	69	135
M. Miller	67	70	137
T. Wells	66	72	138
D. Travis	67 (DQ)
CHAMPIONSHIP B
J. McGatha	68	67	135
A. Brooks	68	68	136
Ch. Hollingsworth	68	70	138
R. Wood	69	70	139
G. Shultz	68	71	139
J. Pate	68	72	140
P. Bradley	69	71	140
T. Dopson	68	73	141
J. Poole	69	73	142
B. Thompson	69	74	143
O. Chandler	68	75	143
E. Cannington	69	75	144
M. Smith	68	WD
FIRST FLIGHT
N. Ledbetter	70	71	141
C. Howell	72	70	142
S. Edwards	70	73	143
M. Rogers	71	74	145
D. Black	71	75	146
C. Reaves	70	76	146
M. McCaig	70	77	147
W. Brown	70	82	152
C. Hurst	71	82	153
M. Gaines	72	82	154
SECOND FLIGHT
J. Rollins	73	65	138
J. Noah	73	71	144
T. Woodard	73	72	145
J. Johnson	73	73	146
C. Randall	73	74	147
B. Grisham	73	76	149
C. Chandler	73	77	150
Ca. Hollingsworth	73	78	151
M. Hughston	73	WD
THIRD FLIGHT
M. Dennis	75	69	144
D. Chandler	75	70	145
C. Harris	74	72	146
K. Borrelli	81	66	147
B. Eaton	76	73	149
T. Heim	74	75	149
H. Carr	75	74	149
R. Svensen	74	78	152
A. Jenkins	74	80	154
S. Gillespie	76	78	154
G. Salmon	76	78	154
E. McCareeth	76	79	155
W. Page	76	84	160
W.Jenkins	74	WD
FOURTH FIGHT
C. Calkins	77	71	148
D. Gardner	77	73	150
D. Whitaker	79	71	150
L. Holley	79	73	152
L. Carter	79	74	153
K. Fulmer	77	77	154
C. Wood	79	76	155
N. Pollard	78	79	157
D. Sanders	78	79	157
M. Durden	79	79	158
D. Fitzgerald	77	83	160
D. Huie	78	85	163
FIFTH FLIGHT
R. Hudgins	81	75	156
S. Davis	81	77	158
T. Gregerson	83	76	159
B. Jones	80	83	163
J. Barnes	84	83	167
C. Turner	84	84	168
J. Brown	82	90	172
T. Vera	81	WD
A. Gregerson	80 (DQ)
SIXTH FLIGHT
C. Lambert	85	85	170
C. Hagler	88	85	173
K. Slick	87	87	174
K. Rogers	87	91	178
L. Champion	90	93	183
S. Criss	96	105	201

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