Going for four
- Updated: September 9, 2023
Three weeks after McGatha won his fourth County Championship, he and Rogers seek fourth Buddy Moore victory on The Hill
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
Jeremy McGatha won his fourth Calhoun County Championship title at Anniston Municipal in August, and he and playing partner Matt Rogers are positioned to win their fourth Buddy Moore Charity Tournament on the same course.
The team of McGatha-Rogers was one of three to shoot a 16-under-par 54 in Saturday’s first round, joining Tanner Wells-Kevin Daugherty and Layton Bussey-Jesus Montenegro.
They hold a one-shot lead over Ty Cole-Gary Wigington and Andrew Tyson-Guy Bradley.
Eleven of 40 teams shot in the 50s and enter Sunday’s final round in the Buddy Flight.
McGatha-Rogers won the Buddy Moore in 2009, 2013 and 2014.
“We’d love to get our fourth one,” McGatha said. “It’s been awhile.”
The same was true when McGatha entered the County Championship in August. He shot 6 under par for the final six holes to win his fourth County Championship.
He and Rogers finished with eagles on Nos. 1, 3 and 17 to go with 10 birdies. They shot 14 under on the last 13 holes.
“I wasn’t playing good early, and Matt was playing good,” McGatha said. “Then late, I started hitting it better, and we brother-in-lawed great.
“It’s going to be hard for us tomorrow. There’s two or three groups ahead of us who can hit it a mile. We can’t hit the ball as far as they do, but we can wedge and putt with the best of them.”
Wells-Daugherty eagled No. 12 and got the rest of it done with 14 birdies.
“We brother-in-lawed really good today,” Wells said. “We started on 3. I hit a good drive, and K.D. hit a wedge from 100 yards out to 6 feet, and I made the putt, so we started with an eagle, and that just helped start the round.
“I hit some good drives, but mostly we played his and some of my wedges, which is opposite of how we was expecting it to go, but it worked.”
Bussey-Montenegro finished with three eagles (Nos. 10, 12 and 18) and 10 birdies.
“It was a really solid round,” Bussey said. “Nothing crazy, we just really did what we needed to do, and my partner hit it right where he was looking all day, so that keeps the stress pretty low.”
First-round scores
| BUDDY FLIGHT | |||
| TEAM | RD. 1 | RD. 2 | TOTAL |
| Wells-Daugherty | 54 | 54 | |
| Bussey-Montenegro | 54 | 54 | |
| Rogers-McGatha | 54 | 54 | |
| Tyson-Bradley | 55 | 55 | |
| Cole-Wigington | 55 | 55 | |
| McCaig-Edwards | 56 | 56 | |
| Thompson-Woodland | 58 | 58 | |
| Brooks-Clay | 58 | 58 | |
| Calkins-Hubbard | 58 | 58 | |
| Carter-Black | 59 | 59 | |
| Lipscomb-Calvert | 59 | 59 | |
| MARY ANN FLIGHT | |||
| Eaton-Elliott | 61 | 61 | |
| Hicks-Hubbard | 61 | 61 | |
| Howell-Pate | 61 | 61 | |
| Barnes-Carden | 62 | 62 | |
| Straub-Johnson | 62 | 62 | |
| Heim-Heim | 63 | 63 | |
| Clonts-Key | 63 | 63 | |
| Brown-Dopson | 63 | 63 | |
| Mullendore-Mullendore | 63 | 63 | |
| SCOTT FLIGHT | |||
| Braxton-Mullendore | 64 | 64 | |
| Hill-Fitzgerald | 64 | 64 | |
| Towns-Snow | 64 | 64 | |
| Phillips-Hughston | 65 | 65 | |
| Ramey-Shultz | 65 | 65 | |
| Noah-Fulmer | 65 | 65 | |
| Akers-Sapp | 66 | 66 | |
| Wheeler-McClellan | 66 | 66 | |
| Bussey-Sears | 67 | 67 | |
| Jones-Jones | 68 | 68 | |
| ANGIE FLIGHT | |||
| McGinnis-Dulaney | 69 | 69 | |
| Salmon-Randall | 69 | 69 | |
| Huie-Huie | 70 | 70 | |
| Strickland-Herndon | 70 | 70 | |
| Rogers-Gann | 70 | 70 | |
| Jenkins-Gaines | 70 | 70 | |
| Stewart-Jackson | 72 | 72 | |
| Whitaker-Thomas | 73 | 73 | |
| Webb-Gable | 74 | 74 | |
| Renfroe-Renfroe | 74 | 74 |
Sunday tee times
8 A.M.
Hole 1B: Hill-Fitzgerald, Towns-Snow.
Hole 1A: Braxton-Mullendore, Phillips-Hughston
Hole 2: Noah-Fulmer, Ramey-Shultz
Hole 3: Wheeler-McClellan, Akers-Sapp
Hole 4: Bussey-Sears, Jones-Jones.
Hole 5: McGinnis-Dulaney, Salmon-Randall.
Hole 6: Rogers-Gann, Strickland-Herndon.
Hole 7: Jenkins-Gaines, Huie-Huie.
Hole 8: Stewart-Jackson, Whitaker-Thomas.
Hole 9: Webb-Gable, Renfroe-Renfroe.
1 P.M.
Hole 1B: Bussey-Montenegro, Rogers-McGatha.
Hole 1A: Wells-Daugherty, Cole-Wigington.
Hole 2: Tyson-Bradley, McCaig-Edwards.
Hole 3: Brooks-Clay, Thompson-Woodard.
Hole 4: Calkins-Hubbard, Lipscomb-Calvert.
Hole 5: Carter-Black, Howell-Pate.
Hole 6: Eaton-Elliott, Hicks-Hubbard.
Hole 7: Straub-Johnson, Barnes-Carden.
Hole 8: Mullendore-Mullendore, Heim-Heim.
Hole 9: Clonts-Key, Brown-Dopson.
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