Calhoun County, AL – McGatha, Cole 8 under, tied for the lead after first round. Wigington withdraws because of COVID, clinching Player of The Year for Cole
By Joe Medley
Flash back to 2019, and the Calhoun County Golf Tour Player of the Year battle came down to Ty Cole and Gary Wigington at the County Championship.
Wigington tried to play with an elbow injury and couldn’t, and Cole shot a 13-under-par 57 on The Hill at Anniston Municipal that day.
History might not repeat itself, but it sure has a way of echoing.
Wigington never played a hole in the 2023 Calhoun County Championship. He withdrew because of COVID, a reality that cliched a sixth Player of the Year honor for Cole.
Cole, who came into the tournament leading the season points and needing only a fifth-place finish, did his part, anyway. He shot an 8-under 62 to match Jeremy McGatha for the lead headed into Sunday’s final round.
The reality of how the 2023 points title ended left Cole with mixed emotions. He and Wigington are long-time friends and playing partners in team events like the Sunny King Charity Classic.
“I hate it for him,” Cole said. “I know he’s a competitor, and he wants to tee it up and do all of that, but I understand COVID. My wife is a teacher, and COVID is back going around, or whatever.
“With his situation with (son) Peyton, it’s nothing to joke about because of Peyton being immunocompromised. He’s got to handle that, and golf will always take a back seat to that.”
Wigington, who won the 2023 Calhoun County Golf Tour’s first event at Silver Lakes, was the only player besides Cole who entered the final points event in contention for Player of the Year. County marked Wigington’s only miss of the season, which included eight points tournaments.
Final points factor in the top-five finishes, and County counts 1.5 times.
Cole entered the County Championship in the driver’s seat with a season resume that includes three wins. To unseat Cole, Wigington needed to win at The Hill and for Cole to finish fifth or worse.
Cole clinched his sixth player-of-the-year title, all coming in the past 10 seasons. He thanked his County Championship co-leader, who also happens to be the Tour’s CEO, and Matt Rogers, who runs the County Championship.
“It’s nice,” Cole said. “I’ve kind of cut back my schedule a little bit. I skipped Silver Lakes this year and just played the few I could play, but it’s always nice to win.
“Jeremy and Matt have put so much into this for the last 10 or 15 years, whatever it is now. It’s nice to see, over the course of a summer, you put in some good rounds. You’ve won a few, lost a few, but at the end of the year, they say, ‘OK, well you’re the player of the year,’ or whatever. I’m just glad Jeremy and Matt have put so much into it over the years for us to kind of have something to shoot for and not just be a bunch of old men out there, just trying to relive the glory days.”
There’s still one more day for Calhoun County Tour glory, and McGatha looks to join Cole, Wigington, Jacob LeCroy, John Rollins and Andrew Brooks on the list of tournament winners for 2023.
Saturday’s shotgun start had McGatha starting on his traditional first hole, No. 6. He birdied four of the first five holes, what he called “the hard stretch,” to send off on a journey of nine birdies and one bogey, No. 11.
Now, it’s all about finishing.
“These things, you’ve got to put two rounds together,” he said. “I’ve shot a 64 in the Etowah County (Open) and followed it with a 74 and didn’t even come close.
“I love it up here. I’ve won the County three times and finished second nine times. Honestly, I’m tired of finishing second, but I’m getting older. I’ll try my best tomorrow and see what happens.”
Calhoun County Championship scores
| CHAMPIONSHIP A FLIGHT | |||
| NAME | RD. 1 | RD. 2 | TOTAL |
| Jeremy McGatha | 62 | 62 | |
| Ty Cole | 62 | 62 | |
| Brennan Clay | 63 | 63 | |
| Chad Calvert | 63 | 63 | |
| John Rollins | 64 | 64 | |
| Chris Cox | 64 | 66 | |
| Vance Lewis | 67 | 67 | |
| Chip Howell | 68 | 68 | |
| Sawyer Edwards | 68 | 68 | |
| Clay Calkins | 68 | 68 | |
| Gary Wigington | WD | ||
| CHAMPIONSHIP B FLIGHT | |||
| Ott Chandler | 69 | 69 | |
| Jonathan Pate | 69 | 69 | |
| Zach Mangum | 69 | 69 | |
| Tim Woodard | 70 | 70 | |
| Billy Thompson | 70 | 70 | |
| Andrew Brooks | 70 | 70 | |
| Benji Turley | 70 | 70 | |
| Kevin Daugherty | 70 | 70 | |
| Daniel Black | 70 | 70 | |
| FIRST FLIGHT | |||
| Tanner Wells | 71 | 71 | |
| Dustin Travis | 71 | 71 | |
| Randy Lipscomb | 71 | 71 | |
| Keaton Borrelli | 71 | 71 | |
| Tim Steward | 72 | 72 | |
| Chris Sprayberry | 72 | 72 | |
| Landon Holley | 72 | 72 | |
| Chris Randall | 72 | 72 | |
| Matt Rogers | 72 | 72 | |
| Bob Eaton | 72 | 72 | |
| David Coffee | 72 | 72 | |
| Mark McCaig | 72 | 72 | |
| Jeff Noah | 72 | 72 | |
| SECOND FLIGHT | |||
| Chris Reaves | 73 | 73 | |
| Rush Rutledge | 73 | 73 | |
| Doug Gardner | 73 | 73 | |
| Will Brown | 73 | 73 | |
| Chase Hollingsworth | 73 | 73 | |
| Chris Hubbard | 73 | 73 | |
| Josh Poole | 73 | 73 | |
| THIRD FLIGHT | |||
| Tim Turner | 74 | 74 | |
| Ted Towns | 74 | 74 | |
| Lamar Carter | 74 | 74 | |
| Landon Straub | 74 | 74 | |
| Scott Watson | 74 | 74 | |
| Nick Ledbetter | 74 | 74 | |
| Kolby Slick | 75 | 75 | |
| Dennis Austin | 75 | 75 | |
| FOURTH FLIGHT | |||
| Mike Hughston | 76 | 76 | |
| Johnny Barnes | 76 | 76 | |
| Layton Bussey | 76 | 76 | |
| Chance Harris | 76 | 76 | |
| Kenny Fulmer | 76 | 76 | |
| Eric Cannington | 76 | 76 | |
| Ted Heim | 77 | 77 | |
| Cam Hurst | 77 | 77 | |
| Ryder Hudgins | 77 | 77 | |
| Vann Hall | 77 | 77 | |
| Tyler Dopson | 77 | 77 | |
| FIFTH FLIGHT | |||
| Tyler TenEyck | 78 | 78 | |
| Russ Montgomery | 78 | 78 | |
| Mark Cotton | 78 | 78 | |
| Taylor Vera | 78 | 78 | |
| Bradley Elliott | 79 | 79 | |
| Gage Ledbetter | 79 | 79 | |
| Doug Huie | 79 | 79 | |
| Chad Mullinax | 80 | 80 | |
| George Salmon | 80 | 80 | |
| Hunter Carr | 80 | 80 | |
| Jimbo Phillips | 80 | 80 | |
| Marc Gaines | 80 | 80 | |
| Nick Hubbard | 80 | 80 | |
| SIXTH FLIGHT | |||
| Austin Jones | 81 | 81 | |
| Blake Jones | 81 | 81 | |
| Danny Whitaker | 81 | 81 | |
| Logan Watson | 81 | 81 | |
| Randy Watson | 82 | 82 | |
| Gene Hicks | 84 | 84 | |
| Carson Chandler | 84 | 84 | |
| Casey Turner | 88 | 88 | |
| Kelly Rogers | 88 | 88 | |
| Larry Champion | 91 | 91 |
Sunday tee times
Sunday tee times for the 87th Calhoun County Golf Championship
8 A.M.
Hole 1A: Scott Watson, Nick Ledbetter, Dennis Austin, Kolby Slick
Hole 1B: Tim Turner, Ted Towns, Lamar Carter, Landon Straub
Hole 2: Layton Bussey, Chance Harris, Kenny Fulmer, Eric Cannington
Hole 3: Mike Hughston, Johnny Barnes, Ted Heim, Cam Hurst
Hole 4: Ryder Hudgins, Vann Hall, Tyler Dopson, Tyler TenEyck, Russ Montgomery
Hole 5: Mark Cotton, Taylor Vera, Bradley Elliott, Doug Huie
Hole 6: Gage Ledbetter, Chad Mullinax, George Salmon, Jimbo Phllips
Hole 7: Hunter Carr, Marc Gaines, Nick Hubbard, Austin Jones, Blake Jones
Hole 8: Danny Whitkaer, Logan Watson, Randy Watson, Gene Hicks
Hole 9: Carson Chandler, Casey Turner, Kelly Rogers, Larry Champion
1 P.M.
Hole 1A: John Rollins, Chris Cox, Vance Lewis, Chip Howell
Hole 1B: Jeremy McGatha, Ty Cole, Brennan Clay, Chad Calvert
Hole 2: Sawyer Edwards, Clay Calkins, Ott Chandler, Jonathan Pate
Hole 3: Zach Mangum, Timmy Woodard, Billy Thompson, Andrew Brooks
Hole 4: Benji Turley, Kevin Daugherty, Daniel Black.
Hole 5: Tanner Wells, Dustin Travis, Randy Lipscomb, Keaton Borrelli
Hole 6: Tim Steward, Chris Sprayberry, Landon Holley, Chris Randall
Hole 7: Matt Rogers, Bob Eaton, David Coffee, Mark McCaig
Hole 8: Jeff Noah, Chris Hubbard, Rush Rutledge, Doug Gardner
Hole 9: Will Brown, Chase Hollingsworth, Josh Poole, Chris Reaves.
