Calhoun County Tour: Winning Feeling

Calhoun County, AL – Hughston wins Wilfred Galbraith Invitational, bags first Calhoun County Tour victory and first victory since his senior year at Donoho.

By Joe Medley

That winning feeling came with memories for Harrison Hughston … the 65 he shot at Pine Hill to finish off his second high school Calhoun County championship, edging Donoho teammate best friend Jacob Lecroy.

It came with the promise of more to come, but those memories sustained Hughston for five years. That included his college playing career, at Montevallo, so Sunday’s new winning memories came with a rush of emotions.

“Everyone works hard, but I put a lot of work into it to win,” he said, choking back tears.

Hughston shot a 6-under-par 64 to win the Wilfred Galbraith Invitational on his native Anniston Country Club course.

Clutch par saves on Nos. 15 and 16 and an eagle on 17 made the difference as he went 73-68-64—205 over three rounds to edge another former Donoho golfer, Freeman Fite, by two strokes. Lecroy and Brennan Clay tied for third, five strokes back of Hughston.

Hughston finished it off with a two-foot putt and a big hug from Lecroy, who played in his group. As Hughston waited out Fite’s play on No. 18. the prospect of a sweet, long-awaited victory settled over him.

Hughston stopped as words competed with emotions for expression.

Surgical injuries to both knees caused him to miss three playing semesters at Montevallo. He just had his best Montevallo season this spring, with a second-place finish at the Gulf South Conference Conference championship and a tied-seventh finish at an NCAA South/Southeast Regional.

That winning feeling was so close that he could grasp for it. Sunday, he got to hold it in the form of the Wilfred Galbraith Invitational trophy.

He’s about to move to Wyoming, so winning at home felt good.

“I moved to college, and I started working here,” he said. “I worked here for two or three years, and now I’m a non-member.

“This is where I learned to play golf, and membership means so much to me. It will always be my home. It’ll always be a place I come back to, and I’ll walk in that pro shop. To be able to have my name on that trophy? I can’t overstate how much that means to me.”

Perhaps the second-happiest human to see Hughston win was Lecroy, who came into Sunday’s final round with aspirations of his own. The defending champion, Lecroy shot a Saturday-best 67 to join a five-player pack in second place, two strokes behind leader Taylor McCollum.

Lecroy couldn’t recapture the momentum of his Saturday flirtation with a 30 on the back nine. Once things settled into a two-man showdown between Hughston and Fite, Lecroy became Hughston’s supporter.

They’ll team up for the Sunny King Charity Classic in September, so it had the added effect of team building.

“He was golfing it today way before I started golfing it, and was staying patient, which was great, and he’s my best friend,” Lecroy said. “After 11, I knew I was out of it, so I’m sitting there rooting for him.

“I was upset with myself, but there’s no one else in the entire world I would rather win. … I knew it meant a lot to him.”

Hughston birdied No. 9 to move into a tie with Fite at 2 under for the tournament, and that stalemate continued until Hughston eagled 17.

It took par saves on 15 and 16 for Hughston to stay in the tie. He hit an 8-footer on 15 and a 15-footer on 16.

“We won’t talk about the golf shots that got me there, but really, what’s going to stand out, what I’ll remember, are those two putts,” he said. “The one on 15 moved over 13 inches, and the one on 16 also moved about, like, a foot.

“I’ve worked really hard on my putting. Historically, it’s been kind of a weakness of mine.”

As for the eagle on 17, he credited a favorable far-right pin position. He drove the right rough then hit a 6 iron that left him a 6-foot, uphill putt.

Audible cheers erupted from the No. 17 gallery as Fite’s group readied to tee off.

Fite had just missed an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 16. He went on to par 17 and 18 and finish 72-69-66—207.

“I played well,’ Fite said. “I just couldn’t get anything to go on the last five or six holes, but it happens.”

Championship flights

Remaining flights