VALDOSTA —
VALDOSTA — Chesley Gunn repeated as the Jack Oliver Invitational champion, shooting a 67 on Sunday and winning the tournament by two strokes at the Valdosta Country Club.
Gunn finished the 54-hole golf tournament with a seven-under-par 209. It was his second consecutive Jack Oliver title.
“I’m excited,” Gunn said.
Heading into Sunday’s final round, Gunn was tied with three-time Jack Oliver champion Sam Hogan at 142, while Chad Smith was one stroke behind the leaders. The three golfers in the final group on Sunday staged a battle. Gunn shot a 67, Smith had a 68 and Hogan shot a 69. They had the three lowest scores on Sunday.
“That was probably one of the most intense matches I’ve ever been a part of,” Gunn said. “We just played great golf.”
But in the end, Gunn came out on top.
“We were so close going in,” Gunn said. “I was two down after three holes. They both birdied 1 and 3. I birdied four. It was back and forth all day. Finally, we got to 15, I knocked it pretty close for birdie, and Sam chipped in for birdie. I made that (putt), and we tied up. The next hole, he made bogey, and that’s kind of where it all changed.”
Hogan and Smith tied for second at 211. Gunn, Hogan and Smith are all former Valdosta State golfers. Clark Hendrick, who finished fourth with a 219, currently plays for VSU.
David Hobby, a senior at Valwood School, finished fifth with a 221. Tevis Upton was sixth with a 222. Ty Howze and Valdosta State golf coach Jared Purvis tied for seventh at 223. Gavin Harper took ninth with a 224, and Nic Daugharty was 10th with a 225.
While the golfers in the championship flight played a normal stroke play format, the golfers in the other flights played a Stableford format, where a bogey was worth one point, a par was worth two points, a birdie was worth four points and an eagle was worth five points, and the highest score wins. Each golfer in flights 1-4 and the senior flight had a pre-determined number (based on their handicaps) subtracted from their on-course scores at the end of each round to give them their net scores.
Steve Seward won the first flight with a plus-4. Eric Saunders finished second with a plus-3, Mike Chapman was third with a plus-1 and Tom Honour was fourth at minus-1.
Russ Collett had a great weekend on the golf course, and won the second flight with a plus-18. Bob Baum was second with a plus-8, followed by Lee Redish (plus-1) and Eric Killgo (even).
Jim Brown won the third flight by eight points, with a plus-6. Greg Hunter took second at minus-2, followed by Charlie Watson (minus-3) and Bill Chapman (minus-9).
Britt Brantley earned a plus-9 in Sunday’s round, and won the fourth flight with a plus-15. Tom Warren was second at plus-8, and Buddy Adams and Jeff Duncan tied for third at minus-5.
Tom Getman had an amazing three rounds, highlighted by a plus-15 score on Saturday, and won the senior flight with a plus-21. Ed Trancygier took second with a plus-4, Jack Johnson was third with a plus-3 and Bob Bellingrath placed fourth with a plus-2.
The top 10 golfers in the championship flight and the top four finishers in flights 1-4 and the senior flight received gift certificates to the Valdosta Country Club’s pro shop. Gunn received a $750 gift certificate for winning the championship flight. The first flight winner received a $450 gift certificate, the winners of flights 2-4 received gift certificates for $425 and the senior flight winner received a $400 gift certificate.
A $50 gift certificate was given to the golfers that shot the lowest rounds on Sunday in each flight without placing. Mabry Smith (73) had the lowest Sunday score in the championship flight, Hank Adams (minus-1) won the award in the first flight, J.D. Sessums (plus-2) earned the honor in the second flight, Tim Bosworth (plus-3) got the gift certificate in the third flight, Jim Kent (plus-4) got the award in the fourth flight and Bryant Martin (even) was the recipient in the senior flight.
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Related Photos
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Chesley Gunn putts the ball during the 2010 Jack Oliver Invitational at the Valdosta Country Club. Gunn won the tournament for the second year in a row. Jonathan M. Chick | The Valdosta Daily Times
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Chesley Gunn repeats as Jack Oliver Invitational champion
Former VSU standout shoots 67 on Sunday, wins by 2 shots
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