Pair win rain-soaked Halifax Country Club Two-Ball Tourney
- Last Updated on 08:52 AM 04/25/12
- BY Doug Ford
It came down to a four-hole playoff in cold, wet and rainy weather conditions Sunday for the Halifax Country Club annual Two-Ball Tournament title, with a birdie putt by Nick Lumsden deciding the win for he and partner, Brad Thomasson.
Lumsden and Thomasson were tied with Jimmy Clay and James Lewis after 36 holes of the tourney, played this year in honor of long-time HCC member Sam Lewis.
The two teams stayed tied through three playoff holes, before Lumsden drove the green on hole four and knocked in a birdie putt, according to Thomasson.
Clay and Lewis each missed a chance at a birdie to extend the playoff, he added.
After a picture-perfect day on Saturday, weather conditions took a turn for the worse Sunday morning when a nor’easter blew through the course.
All golfers agreed the playing conditions on Sunday were beyond difficult.
“It was rough, windy and rainy, probably the worst conditions I’ve played in a long time,” said Lumsden, adding the object Sunday “was just to stay in the hole and make pars.”
“A birdie was pretty much out of the question for a lot of the holes,” added Lumsden.
“It got really cold at the end and it was pretty rough.”
Lumsden and Thomasson shot an eight-under par 62 on the opening day of the tournament, good for a one-stroke lead over Clay and Lewis, David Meeks and Jay Burnette and Sam Puryear and David Day.
Sunday scores reflected the difficult playing conditions, Thomasson explained.
“It was brutal,” he pointed out. The only other tournament I played in with conditions as bad as these was a two-ball in Clarksville last year during a Hurricane (Irene).
“That was pretty bad, but this was right there with it.
“All day it was raining, your clothes and hands were wet and it was hard to hold a golf club.
“Yesterday, the course played pretty easy and you could see that because of the scores compared to today.”
It was a mental grind all day Sunday to stay focused on each shot, but the experience of playing with and against some of the better golfers in the area was a good one, he noted.
“It’s really an honor to play against and compete against Jimmy and James. Jimmy is a supreme golfer, and it really means something to us when we can go out there and compete with him like we did today,” explained Thomasson.
“He is the pinnacle, and it’s good for Nick. He is moving to San Diego next month, and this may be his last tournament here as a member.
“It’s great that he and I won the tournament, and it means a lot.”
Day and Puryear finished in third-place in the First Flight behind Clay-Lewis and Lumsden-Thomasson.
Derek Mason and Brandon Scearce won the Second Flight, with Grayson Throckmorton and Rodney Watts second and Drew Lewis and Brad Mele finishing third.
Bill Carter and Darryl Carter were Third Flight winners, followed by John Morgan and Tyler Willis and Leon Plaster and Ray Green, while Woody Long and Charles Jenkins were Fourth Flight winners, followed by Eric Arthur Jr. and Scott Bosiger.
Results
First Flight
Nick Lumsden-Brad Thomasson62-69-131
Jimmy Clay-James Lewis63-68-131
David Day-Sam Puryear63-69-132
David Meeks-Jay Burnette63-70-133
Philip Payne-Chris Young65-71-136
Phil Rinker-Ronnie Moore66-79-136
Dennis Witt-Mike Hailey66-73-139
Lurdy Stinespring-W.J. Long7-73-139
Second Flight
Derek Mason-Brandon Scearce68-69-137
Grayson Throckmorton-Rodney Watts68-71-139
Drew Lewis-Brad Mele68-72-140
Brent Myers-Dave Ashwell70-71-141
Bobby Wilborn-Mark Repokis71-70-141
Tommy Spencer-Robert Fallen68-77-145
Brandon Harris-Jay Henderson71-75-146
Bob Tysinger-Gary Gupton69-82-151
Third Flight
Darryl Carter-Bill Carter72-73-145
John Morgan-Tyler Willis72-74-146
Leon Plaster-Ray Green72-74-146
Bill Singleton-Clint Moon73-76-149
Charlie Baskervill-Jackie Caldwell73-77-150
Paul Butler-Jim Burton74-76-150
Cody Spencer-Reid Roller74-77-151
Walter Robertson-Bill Hite73-78-151
Donnie Hughes-Donald Gravitt72-79-151
Nookie Green-Ryan Green72-80-152
Teddy Holt-Bill White72-80-152
Roy Bradley-Bion Fite74-78-152
Nathan Lantor-Brad Strader74-79-153
Mike Dunn-Mark Dickerson73-81-154
Jeff Barger-Casey Spencer74-80-154
Fourth Flight
Woody Long-Charles Jenkins75-74-149
Eric Arthur Jr.-Scott Bosiger76-74-150
Charlie Payne-Mike Gregory75-76-151
Sam Lewis-George Burton75-76-151
Nelson Baskervill-Jody Nelson76-78-154
Mike Daniel-Preston Crowder79-76-155
John Courtney-Fred Palmore82-77-159
Jimmy Inge-Jimmy Allen81-82-163
Phil Saunders-Nick Long80-87-167
Randy Cage-Bill Smith85-82-167
Daniel Ivey-W. Rorrer83-95-178
