E.A. Sports Today

ACC Invitational

Wigington, Archer shoot 68 to lead championship qualifying for the Wilfred Galbraith ACC Invitational

By East Alabama Sports Today
 
The Wilfred Galbraith ACC Invitational at Anniston Country Club has been the most unpredictable tournament of all the Calhoun County Tour events.
 
Every so often club players like Freeman Fite, a four-time winner, and two-time champ Garrett Burgess jump in and win the event, but the last five years have had different winners with Jeremy McGatha (2015), Fite (2016), Dalton Chandler (2017), Jacob LeCroy (2018) and Ty Cole (2019).
 
If the outcome of Friday’s championship flight qualifying holds through the weekend, the trend of a different winner will continue.

Gary Wigington is coming off a Tour win in the Etowah County Open and has never won this event, but Friday battled the heat and a tough course 
to carve out a 2-under-par 68 to share the lead with Logan Archer.
 
“It was tough out there, but I kept it together,” Wigington said.

Archer had his game going as well.
 
“I was just trying to play steady and keep it in the fairway,” he said. “I missed a couple of short putts and I could have very easily been at 5-under for the day.
 
Archer, who has one Tour win to his credit (2018 Cider Ridge), did roll in a couple of long putts at 5 and 16 that helped his cause.
 
The tournament lost its original May date to the coronavirus pandemic, but it moved into the Sunny King Charity Classic dates when that tournament was canceled due to the crisis.
 
Harrison Hughston was the clubhouse leader after the morning wave with a 1-under 69. The Montevallo freshman, who played high school golf at Donoho and was a Calhoun County High School Championship medalist, works at the course during the summer and at day’s end was washing down all the carts, getting them ready for Saturday’s round. Because of pandemic protocols, the field is playing in single-rider carts.

“The course was in great condition; there were no bad lies,” he said. “I have been playing here all the time, so it really helps to knows the greens and what I can hit out there from different spots. It gives me a lot of confidence. The second shot is the key for me and it was working today.”
 
Jackson King fired a 70 and is alone in fourth.
 
Cole, the defending champion, lurks just three strokes back after an opening-round 71. He’s tied with Ohatchee football coach Scott Martin, Ott Chandler and Randy Lipscomb.
 
LeCroy, who teamed with Jacob Harper for a record-setting SKCC win in this time slot last year, shot 77.
 
”I have been playing a lot and playing well. I was just horrible, horrible today. Just a bad day,” the South Alabama sophomore-to-be said with a grin. 
 
Burgess, a winner in 2008 and 2009, shot a first-round of 78, as did 2015 winner McGatha and five others.

WILFRED GALBRAITH ACC INVITATIONAL
Championship flight qualifying
Logan Archer 68
Gary Wigington 68
Harrison Hughston 69
Jackson King 70
Scott Martin 71
Ty Cole 71
Randy Lipscomb 71
Kevin Daugherty 71
Ott Chandler 71
Landon Winfrey 73
Clay Calkins 73
Brennan Clay 73
Blair Hollan 73
Lance Evans 73
Daniel Black 74
Jake Goggans 74
Ryan Howard 74
Chip Howell 75
Gage Miller 75
Charlie Smith 76
Jeremy Pannell 76
Adrian Geeting 76
Ryan Huff 76
Hank Smith 76
Frank Brady 77
Kenny Fulmer 77
Chase Hollingsworth 77
Jacob Lecroy 77
Jonathan Pate 77
Caleb Morrow 77
Jeff Bain 78
Jerry Kemp 78
Mike Hughston 78
Mark Guyther 78
Maverick Smith 78
Garrett Burgess 78
Matt Rogers 78
Jeremy McGatha 78
Chris Cox 78

Saturday’s tee times
7:45 a.m. – Matt Rogers, Jeremy McGatha, Chris Cox
7:55 – Mike Hughston, Mark Guyther, Maverick Smith, Garrett Burgess
8:05 – Jonathan Pate, Caleb Morrow, Jeff Bain, Jerry Kemp
8:15 – Frank Brady, Kenny Fulmer, Chase Hollingsworth, Jacob Lecroy
8:25 – Jeremy Pannell, Adrian Geeting, Ryan Huff, Hank Smith
8:35 – Ryan Howard, Chip Howell, Gage Miller, Charlie Smith
8:45 – Blair Hollan, Lance Evans, Daniel Black, Jake Goggans
8:55 – Ott Chandler, Landon Winfrey, Clay Calkins, Brennan Clay
9:05 – Scott Martin, Ty Cole, Randy Lipscomb, Kevin Daugherty
9:15 – Logan Archer, Gary Wigington, Harrison Hughston, Jackson King
12:30 p.m. – Chase Thomas, John Lindsey, Timmy Woodard
12:40 – Lewis Lecroy, Chance Harris, Kyle Daugherty, Rick Taylor
12:50 – David Sanders, Graham Morrow, Randy Archer, Charlie Estes
1:00 – Brian Stewart, Scott Murphree, Eric Messer, Daniel Gaddis
1:10 – Chris Messer, Taylor Morrow, Jared Waits, Sam Bone
1:20 – Bradley Young, Lamar Ward, Greg Rainey, Heath Waldrop
1:30 – Andrew Gladden, Michael Rich, Benji Turley, Rob Davie
1:40 – Michael Downey, Mark Hansil, Kenneth Willingham, Ken Reeves
1:50 – Patrick Cooper, Chris Leonhardt, Drew Anderton, Kelly Rogers

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