Happening Now

Fixed and First

Fixed and first

Edwards, Straub shoot bogey-free 66s, hold 3-shot lead over field in Oxford City Championship at Cider Ridge; story will be updated

Landon Straub talks about the finer points of his round, a bogey-free 66 that matched the round shot by Sawyer Edwards (cover) in the opening round of the Oxford City Championship at Cider Ridge Golf Club.
Landon Straub talks about the finer points of his round, a bogey-free 66 that matched the round shot by Sawyer Edwards (cover) in the opening round of the Oxford City Championship at Cider Ridge Golf Club.

By Al Muskewitz


OXFORD – Sawyer Edwards got his driver fixed and he scrapped the arm-lock putter that served him well in the high school sectionals last week after losing two putting contests with it to the local pro since. The combination led to the best tournament round he’s played in his young life and earned him a share of the overnight lead in the Oxford City Championship.

The White Plains sophomore who’s still not old enough to drive on his own – he’s still 10 days from his 16th birthday – shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 and posted the score for everyone at Cider Ridge Golf Club to shoot for. Landon Straub caught him, putting up his own bogey-free 66 a few groups later, but no one in the morning wave of the 120-plus-player field did better.

Jake Goggans is third after 69. He birdied his last four holes and five of his last six. Brennan Clay, Jeremy McGatha, Layton Bussey and Morton Holcomb all shot 70. They were the only players under par.

Edwards has posted better scores before – 65 twice at Pine Hill, with nine birdies – but nothing in the heat of competition like he put together here.

The only hole he came close to making bogey was No. 2 when he found the water off the tee. But after taking his penalty he stuck his approach to four feet and made the putt. It was the only green he missed in regulation in the round. He saved a par on 10 for par after running his birdie putt some eight feet past the hole.

He three-putted for par on 15, but made a 20-footer on 18 for a closing birdie, the only putt of an appreciable length he had all day.

“I’ve shot better before, but I was really consistent,” he said. “First ever time I had no bogeys, so I was really proud of myself for that.”

People may remember Edwards’ broke his driver at the tip on the his 11th hole in the Boys 4A sectional at Silver Lakes Monday. He didn’t use it the rest of the round and shot a medalist-winning 75, but it was in his bag Saturday although he didn’t really need it as short as the course played.

He also showed up with the arm-lock putting style made popular by PGA Tour pro Matt Kuchar after goofing around in the Pine Hill pro shop and winding up making a bunch of birdies over the weekend. It fell out of favor when he wasn’t making enough short putts to be good and lost a putting contest with Cider Ridge director of golf and swing teacher Jammie Lett. He was back to the old style Saturday.

“Get that out of here,” he said with a dismissive wave.

Straub said he didn’t have any expectations coming into the round, but his hopes took a big turn when he eagled No. 9 after hitting from 162 yards to 15 feet. That got him to 4-under for the round and he added birdies on 11 and 18 on the back.

He missed three fairways, but birdied two of them and parred the other in large part because he hit 17 of 18 greens. The 66 beat his previous low round on the Calhoun County Golf Tour by three shots — here in last year’s final round.

“I came in today with no expectations,” he said. “I’m ecstatic, honestly. I hadn’t been playing great coming in to this weekend. We’ve just been really busy at work so golf has been kind of on the back burner.”

Goggans wasn’t expecting much, either. He hadn’t hit any balls since hurting his ribs a couple weeks ago and was just hoping for the best. He bogeyed two of his first three holes and was 2-over through 12 before catching fire.

He would have finished with six birdies in a row but left his 10-footer on 14 dead in the heart but one inch short. He two-putted for birdie on the par-5 15 and hit the pin on 16 then made two short birdie putts on 17 and 18.

“It felt good,” he said. “It was all fairways and greens. There weren’t any weird shots, it was just normal golf.” [*** read more]

Oxford City Championship

CHAMPIONSHIP A
Sawyer Edwards 33 33 66
Landon Straub 32 34 66
Jake Goggans 37 32 69
Morton Holcomb 33 37 70
Layton Bussey 32 38 70
Jeremy McGatha 35 35 70
Brennan Clay 35 35 70
Kent Whitley 36 36 72
Ty Cole 32 40 72
Alex Harper 33 39 72
Corey Ray 33 40 73
Matt Bell 36 37 73
Gary Wigington 37 36 73
CHAMPIONSHIP B
Clay Calkins 36 38 74
Dalton Chandler 39 35 74
Kevin Daugherty 36 38 74
Landon Winfrey 35 40 75
Ryan Limbaugh 40 35 75
Brad Moultrie 43 32 75
Mason Dennis 36 39 75
Timmy Woodard 39 36 75
Logan Archer 40 35 75
Randy Archer 35 40 75
Daniel Black 37 38 75
Gage Miller 39 36 75
Chance Harris 38 37 75
FIRST FLIGHT
Adam Wright 38 38 76
Chad Calvert 34 42 76
Chris Reaves 40 37 77
Scott Martin 36 41 77
Billy McCroskey 41 36 77
Jason Rich 40 37 77
Hunter Carr 37 40 77
Wesley jenkins 41 37 78
Justin Graveman 40 38 78
Billy Thompson 38 40 78
Logan Craft 39 39 78
Chase Hollingsworth 37 41 78
Zac Mangum 42 36 78
SECOND FLIGHT
CJ Taylor 39 40 79
Kenny Wright 40 39 79
Mark McCaig 39 40 79
Casey Harmon 42 37 79
Kenny Okins 39 41 80
Chip Howell 42 38 80
Ward Campbell 37 43 80
Lamar Carter 38 42 80
Danny Whittaker 40 40 80
Skylar Dennis 38 43 81
Harrison Hughston 40 41 81
Tanner Wells 41 40 81
Dre Davenport 37 44 81
Eric Cannington 44 37 81
THIRD FLIGHT
Daily Thomas 40 42 82
Jared Chapman 40 42 82
Cole McNeal 42 40 82
Mark Durden 42 40 82
Jeff Bain 41 42 83
Bradley Elliott 42 41 83
Clayton Chandler 38 45 83
Andy Jenkins 42 41 83
Maurice Dates 42 42 84
Ryan Huff 39 45 84
Josh Poole 47 37 84
Josh Reynolds 41 43 84
FOURTH FLIGHT
Jared Waits 41 44 85
Brock Young 40 45 85
Matt Rogers 41 44 85
Michael Casey 42 43 85
Landon Holly 43 42 85
Rick Okins 45 41 86
Chance Haywood 39 47 86
Scott Watson 43 43 86
Austin Elliott 46 41 87
Tray Floyd 45 42 87
Adam Johnson 40 47 87
Benji Turley 44 43 87
Mike Hughston 43 44 87
Scotty McFry 38 49 87
FIFTH FLIGHT
Brad Young 43 46 89
Craig Duncan 44 45 89
Shane Lee 46 43 89
Heath Hammond 46 44 90
Kolby Slick 49 43 92
Mark Gaines 48 45 93
Bart Smith 40 53 93
Mark Guyther 42 52 94
Josh Davis 50 44 94
SIXTH FLIGHT
Alex Whaley 44 51 95
Nash Messer 47 48 95
Seth Collett 54 44 98
Riley Boyd 48 51 99
Kasey Ray 49 51 100
Ty Johnson 49 52 101
Rickey Carden 45 57 102
Kobe Messer 47 57 104
Ken Renfroe 54 52 106
Warren Sewell 59 60 119
SENIOR A
James Beavers 39 33 72
David Messer 37 36 73
Tim Steward 35 39 74
Gary Austin 39 37 76
Jerry Kemp 39 37 76
Charlie Estes 38 39 77
SENIOR B
Keith Haywood 37 41 78
Lamar Ward 47 38 85
Rick Barthel 40 47 87
Dennis Austin 43 47 90
Lee Clark 47 57 104

Sunday pairings

7:30: Kobe Messer, Ken Renfroe, Warren Sewell
7:40: Kasey Ray, Ty Johnson, Rickey Carden
7:50: Alex Whaley, Nash Messer, Seth Collett, Riley Boyd
8:00: Lamar Ward, Rick Barthel, Dennis Austin, Lee Clark
8:10: Tim Steward, Jerry Kemp, Charlie Estes, Keith Haywood
8:20: James Beavers, David Messer, Gary Austin
8:30: Bart Smith, Mark Guyther, Josh Davis
8:40: Heath Hammond, Kolby Slick, Mrk Gaines
8:50: Scotty McFry, Brad Young, Craig Duncan, Shane Lee
9:00: Tray Floyd, Adam Johnson, Benji Turley, Mike Hughston
9:10: Rick Okins, Chance Haywood, Scott Watson, Austin Elliott
9:20: Brock Young, Matt Rogers, Michael Casey, Landon Holly
9:30: Ryan Huff, Josh Poole, Josh Reynolds, Jared Waits
9:40: Bradley Elliott, Clayton Chandler, Andy Jenkins, Maurice Dates
9:50: Jared Chapman, Daily Thomas, Mark Durden, Jeff Bain
10:00: Tanner Wells, Dre Davenport, Eric Cannington, Cole McNeal
10:10: Lamar Carter, Danny Whittaker, Skylar Dennis, Harrison Hughston
10:20: Casey Harmon, Kenny Okins, Chip Howell, Ward Campbell
10:30: Logan Craft, CJ Taylor, Kenny Wright, Mark McCaig
10:40: Hunter Carr, Billy Thompson, Zac Mangum, Chase Hollingsworth
10:50: Billy McCroskey, Jason Rich, Justin Graveman, Wesley Jenkins
11:00: Adam Wright, Chad Calvert, Chris Reaves, Scott Martin
11:10: Starters Time
11:20: Randy Archer, Daniel Black, Gage Miller, Chance Harris
11:30: Mason Dennis, Timmy Woodard, Logan Archer
11:40: Landon Winfrey, Ryan Limbaugh, Brad Moultrie
11:50: Clay Calkins, Dalton Chandler, Kevin Daugherty
Noon: Alex Harper, Corey Ray, Matt Bell, Gary Wigington
12:10 p.m.: Brennan Clay, Kent Whitley, Ty Cole
12:20: Morton Holcomb, Layton Bussey, Jeremy McGatha
12:30: Sawyer Edwards, Landon Straub, Jake Goggans

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information

Shirley Millwood for Probate

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information

JLM Coms

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information

McClellan Inn Ad

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information