E.A. Sports Today

Soaker

Downpours had their say in second round of Sunny King Charity Classic, but Burgess/McCullum maintain one-stroke lead. LeCroy/Hughston, Bussey/Montenegro one stroke back, and Cole-Wigington make a move.

Cover photo: The team of Garrett Burgess (left) and Taylor McCullum weathered a wet second round to maintain their one-stroke Sunny King Charity Classic lead going into Sunday’s final round. (Submitted photo)

Late Sunday tee times

TIMETEAM 1TEAM 2
NoonBrennan Clay/Jeremy McGathaAllen Cameron/Marshall Ghee
12:10 p.m.Kevin Daugherty/Chandler WilbornSeth Parmer/Marcus Harrell
12:20 p.m.Chase Hollingsworth/Hunter CarrJackson King/Freeman Fite
12:30 p.m.Chad Calvert/Tanner WellsTee Brown/Dustin Travis
12:40 p.m.Gary Wiggington/Ty ColeJacob LeCroy/Harrison Hughston
12:50 p.m.Garrett Burgess/Taylor McCullumLayton Bussey/Jesus Montenegro

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Writer

CIDER RIDGE — The Sunny King Charity Classic’s 2021 move from mid-July to mid-September brought mostly good for Northeast Alabama’s long-standing gem of a charity golf tournament, but potential weather patterns was a wash.

The Sunny King traded July’s frequent afternoon thunderstorms for September’s potential tropical patterns.

Hurricane Francine’s outer bands left behind a tropical moisture pattern, and it laid tracks from southeast to northwest over Calhoun County during Saturday’s second round. The top three teams coming out of Friday’s first round, weathered the rain train reasonably well, all shooting 14 under par on Saturday to hold position.

The two-man tandem of Garrett Burgess/Taylor McCullum stands at 55-58—113 to maintain a one-stroke lead over Jacob LeCroy/Harrison Hughston (56-58—114) and defending champions Layton Bussey/Jesus Montenegro (56-58—114).

Ty Cole/Gary Wigington shot the day’s best round at 15-under 57 to move into fourth, one stroke back of LeCroy/Hughston and Bussey/Montenegro.

It sets up a Sunday showdown at Anniston Country Club, and the best news just might be that Mother Nature appears to have had her say in the 45th Sunny King. Forecasts call for overnight showers but only a 15 percent change of rain come early afternoon, when the leading teams will tee off.

That will come as a relief after Saturday’s soaker, which prompted organizers to briefly call teams off of the Cider Ridge on Saturday because of unplayable conditions.

“When the rain started falling, it was real tough,” McCullum said. “The course was pretty soft, so you could just hit it in the air, and the ball was just hitting and stopping.

“There was no wind, really. I mean, it was tough, but kind of let it get away from us there at the end, when the rain started falling. We drug our feet all the way to the house.”

After turning in their scorecard, Burgess and McCullum made a beeline to their car and headed off to change into dry clothes as soon as possible.

Burgess, a Sunny King regular who teamed with Cypress Hathorn to win in 2013, could not recall rain quite like Saturday’s in previous Sunny Kings.

“We’ve never in rain like this, I don’t think,” he said. “That rain we had on 6 through 9 coming in was almost impossible. It was unbelievable.”

Burgess/McCullum started their round on the back nine, shooting 28. After parring their seventh (16) and eighth (17) holes, they went into the turn with a birdie, the first of six in a row.

They parred three of the final four holes, 6-9 on the course.

“The rain was howling after we got done with 4,” Burgess said. “We ended up hitting driver-driver on No. 5, and I was able to get up and down for birdie.

“After 5, it was like, I do’n’t know how we’re going to be able to finish. There was water everywhere.”

Burgess-McCullum played later in the day than their two nearest competitors and got the worst of the rain. Could that end up playing a role in the final outcome?

“I would’ve liked to have had a few extra shots Jacob and Harrison and Jesus and them,” McCullum said. “We kind of messed up there. We could’ve at least made one or two more (birdies) and had a two- or three-shot lead.

“We’re going to do our best. I do’n’t know if we can hold those young bucks off, but we’re going to try.”

Bussey-Montenegro went 28-30 front to back with 14 birdies and no bogeys.

“On 10, it started raining, and by 12, it was really raining pretty hard all of the way through,” Bussey said. “Jesus played really, really good, and we made some good putts again.

“Some shots, I feel like we got affected by the rain a little bit. Some people, the rain really mentally affects them. so I really don’t know. The course is playing good. It’s in good shape. The greens were rolling great, but they got a little wet, and some of the tee boxes late in the round were just standing water.”

LcCroy-Hughston made 12 birdies and an eagle on No. 15.

“I didn’t have any expectations heading into it,” :LeCroy said. “I knew if we got it going, that type of thing, but we didn’t make near enough putts.

‘We still played pretty good. We made a bunch of good shots. I’m happy with 14.”

Championship – Grand Highlander

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Burgess/McCullum55-58113
LeCroy/Hughston56-58114
Bussey/Montenegro56-58114
Cole/Wigington58-57115
Calvert/Wells59-59118
Brown/Travis60-58118
Hollinsworth/Carr59-60119
Tabor/Daugherty58-61119
FIte-King60-60120
Parmer/Harrell60-60120
Edwards/Jenkins61-61122
Daugherty/Wilborn58-64122
Brooks/Rogers57-65122
Clay/McGatha63-60123
Svensen/Rothwell61-62123
Hollingsworth/O’Connor63-61124
Cunningham/Third63-61124
Autaullah/Ledbetter59-65124
Chapple/Bonner62-62124
Howard/Murphree62-64126
Reaves/Reaves60-66126
Pritchett/Elders64-62126
Waugh/Harris60-66126
Poole/Clark62-64126
Askew/Broome61-65126
Miller/Gregerson60-66126

Championship B-Honda Pilot

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Archer/Young65-62127
Key/Cotney64-63127
Chandler/Crumly61-66127
Rollins/Borrelli66-61127
Huckaby/Jones65-62127
Wright/Morrow65-62127
Chandler/Chandler64-64128
McNeelyHughston61-67128
Hubbard/Hubbard64-64128
Winfrey/Waits62-67129
Robinson/Entrekin63-66129
Lipscomb/Johnson60-69129
Boozer/Boozer60-69129
Bowen/Slick64-65129
Davie/Goggans65-65130
Steward/Black65-65130
Dyar/Dyar63-68131
Vera/Vera66-65131
Cameron/Ghee63-68131
Gardner/McElroy64-67131
Calkins/Calkins64-67131
Gibson/Brown66-65131
Harper/Ray66-65131

First-Toyota Tacoma

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Mize/Glover68-64132
Woodard/Thomas63-69132
Jenkins/Gaines66-66132
Knight/Gee64-68132
Vines/Mann69-64132
Boyd/Wood67-66133
Tyson/Morris65-68133
Oliver/Oliver67-66133
Lett/Lett68-65133
Romine/Romine64-69133
Hayes/Ralph65-68133
Masters/Hancock68-65133
Pearce/Jenkins67-66133
Whitlow/McQuagge68-65133
Estes/Carden67-67134
McCaig/Caldwell69-65134
Couch/McNickle67-67134
Franklin/Chandler68-66134
Ray/Ray70-64134
Milligan/Miles67-67134
Gregerson/Good67-67134
Svensen/Romano66-68134
Hunter/Key62-72134
Carter/Smith68-66134
Hood/Stringer68-66134
Jinks/Gray64-70134
TenEyck/Hill68-66134

Second – Honda Accord

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Haywood/Bonilla68-67135
Munroe/Munroe65-70135
Brown/Thompson67-68135
Messer/Turner64-71135
Webber/Reeves68-67135
Rutledge/Ray70-65135
Haywood/Drummond68-67135
Kline/Kline67-68135
Collins/Britt70-65135
Scott/Lawson72-63135
Duckett/Gore69-66135
Okins/Flowers67-68135
Hurst/Chandler70-65135
Barnwell/Jones66-70136
Jones/Thornton67-69136
Gendron/Johnson67-69136
Cotton/Willingham70-66136
Blackwell/Clonts66-70136
Stout/Lambert67-69136
Whitman/Slick66-70136
Vernon/Nunnally69-68137
Cates/Bates65-72137
Wright/Wilkins69-68137
Smith/Key71-66137
Turner/Turner69-68137
Okins/Cuningham68-69137
Owens/Jones66-71137
Carden/Pollard68-69137
Muncher/Coker68-69137
69-69138
73-70143
Monroe/Morrison74-80154

Third – Acura MDX

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Mosley/Williams69-69138
Northcutt/Swindle69-69138
Whitlow/Dillon67-71138
Tinney/Peacock69-69138
Howell/Howell68-70138
Whaley/Whaley69-69138
Harrell/Coker67-71138
Bedwell/Bedwell70-68138
Huff/Lindsey67-71138
Gardner/Patty69-69138
Bryant/Cobb72-66138
McKenzie/Dickson70-69139
Price/Price68-71139
Williams/Peters70-69139
Bowman/Cobb68-71139
Primm/Sexton72-67139
Strickland/Tillman69-70139
Towns/Snow68-71139
Martin/Ayers73-66139
Mathison/Busby71-68139
McQuagge/Williamson72-67139
Joiner/Baker70-69139

Fourth – Ford Mach E

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Whitaker/Stewart70-70140
Forbus/Roberts74-66140
Jones/Littleton71-69140
Lilly/Dunn70-70140
Lyons/Underwood72-68140
Ingram/Bullard69-71140
Newton/Butler71-69140
Yates/Goodson71-69140
Jones/Wooten71-69140
Clark/Hollis72-68140
Wakefield/Edwards69-72141
Reaves/Johnson72-69141
Jordan/Criss68-73141
Price/Kirby71-70141
Johnson/Encinias69-72141
Young/Cassady72-69141
Chandler/Ray70-71141
Cobb/Ray73-68141
Brown/Winn71-71142
Caben/Kurecka72-70142
Sprayberry/Sprayberry72-70142
Prickett/Jackson72-70142
Humphries/Pilkington71-71142
Williams/Stephens70-72142
Wells/Wells72-70142
Wright/Wright69-73142
Hamlet/Whitten72-70142
Bussey/Bussey74-68142

Fifth – Toyota Tundra

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Miller/Miller73-70143
Lindsey/Lindsey73-70143
Clutter/Fellows72-71143
Martin/Martin71-72143
Greenwood/Ortiz71-72143
Parrish/Skelton73-70143
Moore/Hollingsworth74-69143
Adams/Shell73-70143
Wiginton/Shatus73-70143
Dyar/Hamilton75-68143
Woodfin/Van Sandt71-72143
Robinson/Brewer74-70144
Alderman/Alderman73-71144
Dawson/Beuckens75-69144
Johnson/Merritt74-70144
Waldrop/Rainey72-72144
Pool/Pollard73-71144
Suco/Walker69-75144
Kirkpatrick/Owens73-71144
Sumner/Sumner71-73144
Jones/Jones75-69144
Johnson/Parker72-72144
Turner/Gaines74-71145
Ledbetter/Ledbetter71-74145
Turner/Foster70-75145
White/White73-72145
Taylor/Haynes70-75145

Sixth – Honda Odyssey

TEAMRD. 1-2TOTAL
Moody/Arnold75-71146
Watson/Jones77-69146
Gaddy/Kelley72-64146
Varner/Stokes76-70146
Copus/McCauley69-77146
Millican/Cash73-74147
Whitlow/Whitlow77-70147
Wright/Wright76-71147
Smith/Stroud76-71147
Cash/Freeman75-72147
Black/Benefiel72-75147
Black/Dover76-72148
Gibson/Newman72-76148
McKinney/Lowry72-76148
Parris/Rankin77-72149
Reaves/Burns74-76150
Fillingim/Cates73-77150
Cochrum/Rogers76-74150
Tant/Tant77-73150
Murphree/Hechart75-77152
Clough/Miller74-79153
Dorroh/Dorroh77-77154
Huckaby/Holt77-79156
Carter/Slay78-86164

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