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Lawson outduels Holley

8/12/2016

By Dan Manley
Advocate Sports Editor

Kevin Lawson was in familiar territory. Brian Holley was too.
When things were finally settled Sunday evening, Lawson won on the first playoff hole to capture the 55th annual Gate City Invitational Tournament title at Indian Creek Golf Course.

“It felt really good to battle and win another one,” said Kevin Lawson, who won for the fifth time in his career and became the first five-time winner of the event. Holley was the defending champion and was shooting for his third title.

Ironically, some of the golfers who didn’t enter the championship flight, Phil Grayson of Maysville and Jacob Vaughn of Corbin, finished with lower two-day scores. They were playing from the blue tees instead of the black which made the course about 500 yards shorter but that still left Lawson impressed.

“Phil Grayson, a 65 on Saturday, that was a really great score,” Lawson noted.

Lawson led after the opening round when he fired a 71 to stand one shot ahead of Jace McCarran, a young Florida golfer. Ben McClure was third after the opening day and MCHS athletic director and former MCHS golf coach Kevin Letcher was fourth as they stair-stepped the scoreboard at 71-72-73 and 74.

Holley also shot a 74 in the opening round and was paired with Seth Profitt, Ryan Neal and recent MCHS graduate Jay Adams who will play this fall at Georgetown, in the final round just ahead of Lawson’s group.
“I felt like I was in pretty good shape if I could keep things around par,” Lawson said. “It was working out until a three-putt at number thirteen and then I knew I’d better be watching what people were doing in front of me because it would probably go down to the wire.”
Holley had some trouble off the tee on the final hole, which he entered with a one shot lead.

But he was able to scramble and get up and down to make bogey.
Lawson then needed a par to move into a first place tie. His approach shot was a little short but on the green and he was able to two-putt to send the tournament into a sudden death playoff.

Holley was left off the tee when the golfers went back to the first hole, a par 5, and he was unable to make up the ground and he bogeyed the hole while Lawson parred for the win.

Last year, Holley shot rounds of 71 and 72 for a 143, two shots better than this year. Lawson finished tied for fifth last year with a 147.
Lawson, who won earlier this year at Danville, said the tournament title was probably No. 47 or 48 that’s he won as an amateur.

“It never gets old,” Lawson said. “When you win on a great course like this against some really good competition it’s always special.”
Lawson said with his coaching duties that he played a lot of golf early in the summer but hasn’t played a lot since mid-July.

“Sometimes that can be a blessing,” he added.
Lawson first won the tournament back in 2004, when it was still a 9-hole course.

He once finished eight under for the tournament, saying that he had putted exceptionally well that year.
“The course is just really challenging,” he noted. “With all of the rain and the way they’re setting the course up it may be a little more forgiving, but not much. You still have to strike it well and position yourself on the greens to score well. There are plenty of places out there to make mistakes.”

The tournament featured plenty of outstanding performances.
J.P. Gentry, the winner two years ago, started out with a 78 but came back with a 74 on Sunday, including a birdie at 18, to capture fifth place in the championship flight.

MCHS athletic director Kevin Letcher had a 74 in round one and he ended up at 154 for seventh place.

Local golfer Kyle Beckham, who has never won the Gate City but is a multiple times winner of the Club Championship, was back in action.
Kyle has battled injuries in the last couple of years and although he didn’t challenge for the title he was back in the tournament and no doubt will be heard from again in this event.

The McCormick family (Denny won the tournament in 1988) was well represented with Denny (146 and third in the first flight), Michael (160 and ninth in the first flight), Logan (165 and sixth in the second flight) and Mac (169 and seventh in the third flight).

Ed Razor came in fourth in the first flight with two solid days of play and was just one shot ahead of high schooler Jonathan Kosier and five ahead of Caswell Fuller, who shot a 70 on opening day from the middle tees.
His younger brother Luke won the second flight with Collin Jones coming in third.

“Despite the rain on Saturday we had a great tournament,” said Andrew McCord, the general manager of Indian Creek. “Hopefully everybody had a good time and will come back next year and bring a friend. This is an outstanding event on a challenging golf course.”

Championship
Flight
Kevin Lawson 71-74—145
Brian Holley 74-71—145
Jace McCarron 72-78—150
Seth Profitt 75-75—150
J.P. Gentry 78-74—152
Jason Davita 78-75—153
Kevin Letcher 74-80—154
J.R. Maxam 79-77—156
Chris Smith 79-77—156
Marty Anderson 83-73—156
Alex Tipton 82-76—158
Ben McClure 73-86—159
Jay Adams 75-84—159
Ryan Neal 77-82—159
Kyle Beckham 80-83—163

First Flight
Phil Grayson 65-74—139
Jacob Vaughn 69-73—142
De.McCormick 71-75—146
Ed Razor 76-74—150
Jon Kosier 74-77—151
Caswell Fuller 70-85—155
Kendall Back 75-80—155
Will Clark 76-84—160
M. McCormick 76-84—160
S. Williams 78-83—161
Jamie Davis 77-86—163
Rob Ledington 76-88—164
M. Christopher 73——WD

Second Flight
Luke Fuller 79-79—158
Howard Koff 78-80—158
Collin Jones 80-80—160
Kirk Ruggles 82-79—161
Tracy Triplett 81-83—164
L. McCormick 82-83—165
J.R. Fields 83-83—166
Teddy Jones 80-87—167
Nate Mainwald 82-85—167
Delbert Brown 80-93—173
Jordan Harvey 83-90—173
Ch. McCoy 82-94—176
Mike Scott