Silver Lakes – Wigington overcomes bumps in the mid-final round, and regains form to win the final round for his first win at the RTJ-Silver Lakes Champion
By Joe Medley
Gary Wigington had never won the RTJ Silver Lakes Championship prior to this weekend. The perennial typically puts off his best golf until last tournaments on the Calhoun County Tour.
He left the course on Sunday, having reversed the trend.
Wigington overcome a difficult five-hole stretch during his final round to achieve at par and six less than par in the two-day event with a record-setting 26th career win added another tournament to his record.
He fought off Dane Moore’s challenge to win the day where he began … taking victory by 4 strokes in the tour’s inaugural points event.
“Any victory is a good one”, buddy,” Wigington said. “At 54 Any win, no matter about it, I feel good.”
Wigington admitted after he shot at 66 on Saturday that he had sought out a lesson at Birmingham’s Brian Speakman. This lesson, which was given just a month prior to when the county season got underway, was towards correcting Wigington’s wedge.
What else, Wigington said, was all about keeping a steady focus. This was a problem which afflicted him when he made two triple bogeys on the last nine holes of the county championship.
The issues with focus were evident during a five-hole stretch of the middle of his round on Sunday and a four-shot advantage in the early part of the day was transformed into an unbeatable draw in the final round with Dane Moore. He birdied Nos. 1 and 3, but then he made to bogey, birdie, bogey and a double bogey. Following a hole par Heartbreaker 9 the golfer made bogey on Backbreaker 1 the tourney’s 10th hole.
“It’s similar to what’s happened a lot in these past few decades,” He said. “I had a good day yesterday, but then I’m back to the similar old issues which have been causing me pain for in the last couple of years.
“I tried my best to be patient and pay attention more. I did not give up.”
He put up pars, and then birdied 13.
“I struck a driver, and after that, I hit a wedge up there, about 15 feet and made it that was straight down the hill” Wigington said. “It sort of got me moving.”
He rebounded from a difficult break on the Backbreaker, a par 5, No. 7, the hole that was the 16th on the golf course. He struck the green using 9 irons, but the ball bounced back into the hazards. He chipped it out and hit an attempt to par putt from 4 feet.
Wigington made birdies on the two final holes.
“I’m happy I did it,” he said. “I wanted to avoid shooting over the day. “[… Read more stories about sports…]
The RTJ-Silver Lakes Champion
ScoRES
Championship A Flight
Gary Wigington 66-72-138
Dane Moore 70-72-142
Kevin Daugherty 72-72-144
Jeremy McGatha 70-74-144
Scott Martin 71-75-146
Andrew Brooks 73-74-147
Brennan Clay 71-76-147
Corey Ray 70-77-147
Daily Thomas 72-79-151
Randy Reaves 73-80-153
Cam Hurst 73-85-158
Championship B Flight
John Rollins 75-73-148
Sawyer Edwards 76-74-150
Justin Graveman 74-76-150
Jonathan Swader 78-73-151
Landon Straub 76-75-151
Tanner Wells 78-74-152
Dustin Travis 77-77-154
Will Reaves 78-76-154
Blake Cole 78-84-162
Vance Lewis 78-84-162
Randy Lipscomb 77-85-162
Alex Harper 75-WD
Clayton Chandler 77-WD
First Flight
Gage Miller 80-72-152
Jeff Chapman 80-73-153
Nick Ledbetter 79-77-156
Jeff Bain 82-77-159
Mason Dennis 83-77-160
Daniel Black 82-79-161
Brad Landin 82-82-164
Mike Bowers 81-85-166
Ryan Powers 83-87-170
Cody Boyd 80-94-174
Second Flight
Morgan Cunningham 85-74-159
Chris Messer 85-82-167
John Hagan 84-83-167
Ross Johnson 84-84-168
Chris Cox 84-84-168
Bob Eaton 85-85-170
Dre Davenport 85-88-173
Jackson Freeman 86-87-173
Houston Black 85-90-175
Zach Graham 85-91-176
Matt Greer 86-98-184
Third Flight
Chance Harris 87-76-163
Tyler Berry 87-82-169
Joe Hedgepeth 90-81-171
Jake Williams 91-82-173
Cain Hollingsworth 88-88-176
Taylor Vera 87-89-176
Ethan Davis 88-91-179
Devin Williams 90-91 –181
Andrew Betts 90-91-181
Robert Daniel 88-96-184
Fourth Flight
Nathan Williams 92-81-173
Heath Smith 93-83-176
Brian Johnson 92-85-177
Tyler Graham 94-84-178
Joe Williams 94-84-178
Michael Ledbetter 92-91-183
Andrew Smith 96-91-187
Cody Wesson 95-95-190
Kolby Slick Kolby Slick
Mike Williams 100-97-197
Craig Kiker 94-103-197
Tate Heuer 98-103-201
Andy Lang 102-100-202
Keith Hutcheson 106-101-207
Adam Benefiel 106-111-217
Austin Martin 105-115-220
Scott Jimmerson 115-114-229
Ladies Division Flight
Marlee Hedgepeth Marlee Hedgepeth
Jaycee Berrong Jaycee Berrong
