Mercy!

Anniston, AL – Clay-Brooks shoot 12 under on final day, pull away win Buddy Moore Charity Golf Tournament in dominating fashion

By Brant Locklier

If it would have been a high school football game, they would have run the clock in the second half.

However, it was golf, and it was the 18th annual Buddy Moore Charity Tournament at “The Hill.”

Brennan Clay and Andrew Brooks started off with a bang, blew out to a big lead and coasted to a five-shot victory with a score of 28 under par for the two-day event. It was one shot short of the tournament record set by Cory Etter and Caleb Bowen in 2019.

Brooks/Clay started the day at 16 under and had a two-shot lead over Sawyer Edwards/Mark McCaig. They eagled the first hole and were 5-under par on the first six holes, and the lead was five shots.

By the time the 14th hole rolled around, Brooks and Clay were nine strokes up on Edwards/McCaig, three-time winners Matt Rogers/Jeremy McGatha were making a little noise behind them by shooting 13 under par on the day to pull with five strokes.

“It felt kind of strange on the back nine, with such a big lead,” Clay said. “But we could just kind of relax and play stress-free.

Ironically, it was the third Buddy Moore title for Clay and Brooks and pushed them into a tie all-time with Rogers/McGatha. Rogers/McGatha have played in all 18 tournaments.

Before the final round, it was an emotional time for families that have been helped by the money raised from previous Buddy Moore’s. The money has helped to pay medical bills and other stressful expenses for children.

“It was pretty tough to pull it back together again after seeing the families and the children and what they go through every day,” Clay said. “Just puts a lot of tears in your eyes and makes it worthwhile to play in this tournament.”

Said Brooks, “It is always fun to play with Brennan. We were doing a lot of piggy-backing off of each other out there this weekend. If one of us made a poor shot , then the other would make a good shot to make up for it.”

Brooks had his family riding the course with him down the back nine, which added to his perfect day.

It was all about the kids and Sandy Cook, mother of Brantley Cook.

”My son is fighting an illness, and we live with it every day,” Cook said. “Even when he is having a good day, it is still there in the back of our minds, and we thank the Buddy Moore Tournament for doing so much to help us.”

Buddy Moore Charity Tournament scores