Strongest finish

Cole-Wigington birdie two of the final three holes to break tie with Wells-Wilborn, win Calhoun County Team Championship.

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

SILVER LAKES — Gary Wigington could not recall ever being on the winning team in the Calhoun County Team Championship. Ty Cole’s was’t certain, but said it might’ve occurred early in his time as Wigington’s two-man partnership.

Feed the data into the Spandau Ballet “I Know This Much Is True” computer, and it’s at least been a long time.

Cole-Wigington birdied two of the final three holes to break out of a tie with Tanner Wells-Chandler Wilborn in Sunday’s final round Silver Lakes and definitely put their name on the list of teams that have won the county’s two-man championship.

They have the plaques to prove it and posed the picture, for posterity’s sake, with Cole standing atop the Silver Lakes fireplace hearth base next to his much taller teammate.

“It feels good (to win the county two man),” Wigington said. “I didn’t think we were ever going to.

“We’ve played in it every year, as far as I know, that they’ve had it.”

Cole-Wigington’s victory comes on the same day that Jeremy McGatha aced No. 17 to help him and partner Brennan Clay take the first flight by three strokes. They played in the same group with Mark McCaig and Sawyer Edwards.

‘I hit a gap wedge right up behind the hole, and it started trickling back,” McGatha said. “It got right to the lip and hung there, and we were like, ‘Ugh!’

“Then it disappeared. It was crazy.”

The county two man is not a points event but kicks off the Calhoun County Golf Tour each year. Individually, Cole and Wigington have combined to win 10 county player-of-the-year titles, including Cole’s title in 2023.

They’ve won just about every event and title there is to win on he county tour, but the season’s first event has proved to be, at the very least, elusive.

“I want to say we won it the first year we played in it together,” Cole said. “Whatever year we played in the Sunny King together for the first time, I think we won it that year.”

That would’ve been 2016. Cole-Wigington won the Sunny King in their maiden run together, and Cory Etter-Caleb Bowen won the county two-man title that year.

More certain was Cole’s clutch shooting in the final three holes Sunday.

Cole-Wigington entered Sunday’s final round at 12 under par and tied with Wells-Wilborn and Vance Lewis-John Rollins. They led by two strokes after Saturday’s first round.

Cole-Wigington and Wells-Wilborn were tied at 20 under par for the tournament going into No. 16, with Cole-Wigington play one group ahead of Wells-Wilborn’s group. Cole came through with birdies on the next two holes, and he an Wigington finished at 22 under par.

With Cole having culled his bag lately, he improvised.

‘I changed my bad setup, so what I normally would hit on that shot on 16 would be like a hybrid,” he said. “But I took the hybrid out and put my 3 iron in, and I was down, so I had to choke up a 3 wood.

“It just ended up on the back and then two-putted.”

His birdie putt on No. 17 needed every last bit of umph he put behind it.

“It would not have made if it had to roll another half inch,” Cole said. “I thought I hit it good, but it just broke more.”

Cole came close to sinking a birdie on 18 for good measure.

“We typically don’t play good early in the year, anyway,” Cole said. “For us to win this feels pretty good.”

Calhoun County Team Championship scores
TEAM	RD. 1	RD. 2	TOTAL
Championship Flight
Ty Cole-Gary Wigington	60	62	122
Tanner Wells-Chandler Wilborn	60	64	124
Vance Lewis-John Rollins	60	66	126
Zach Contris-Cole Contris	65	63	128
Dustin Sanders-Austin Sanders	65	64	129
Nick Ledbetter-Mark Hudgins	64	65	129
Scott Martin-Randy Reaves	62	68	130
Bob Eaton-Jason Rich	64	67	131
Andrew Gunnels-Jeff Chapman	62	70	132
Hunter Carr-Chase Hollingsworth	64	68	132
Mark McCaig-Sawyer Edwards	65	71	136
First Flight
Brennan Clay-Jeremy McGatha	66	61	127
Jake Nichols-Randy Lipscomb	66	64	130
Ott Chandler-Sheldon Stankowic	66	65	131
Benji Turley-Cole McNeal	66	66	132
Jody Wooten-Chris Scott	66	67	133
Daily Thomas-Dustin Underwood	67	68	135
Kyle Webb-Brandon McCracken	67	69	136
Blake Grisham-Chris Cox	67	69	136
Timmy Woodard-Chase Thomas	67	69	136
Chad Calvert-Chase Whatwood	66	70	136
Second Flight
Chad Key-Taylor Jones	69	67	136
Clay Calkins-Chris Hubbard	68	68	136
Brian Johnson-Ross Johnson	68	70	138
Jake Goggans-Rob Davie	70	70	140
Danny Owens-Bumper Jones	68	73	141
Draeven Bowman-Luke Ivey	69	73	142
Robin Wood-Caden Wood	68	74	142
Kenny Fulmer-Jeff Noah	70	73	143
Lamar Cater-Billy Thompson	70	73	143
Kolby Slick-Will Brown	70	73	143
Tony Hicks-Danny Whittaker	68	76	144
Tyler Smith-Cody Wesson	70	80	150
Third Flight
Matt Greer-Dre Davenport	71	69	140
John Powers-Todd Powers	74	71	145
Doug Huie-Ted Heim	72	73	145
Mark Gaines-Andy Jenkins	73	73	146
Milton Wald-Chester Lovelace	73	73	146
Michael Benson-Bobo Peoples	71	75	146
Zach Mangum-Dillon Parker	72	75	147
Chris Maye-Cooper Maye	72	75	147
Houston Black-Adam Benefiel	74	74	148
John Carpenter-John Carpenter Jr.	72	80	152
Dakota Clark-Nick Hubbard	75	WD	WD
Fourth Flight
Brien Phillips-Braden Phillips	76	73	149
John East-Jeff Lanford	76	74	150
Tate Heuer-Ben Cook	81	73	154
Bradley Elliott-Aiden Elliott	77	77	154
Thomas Crawford-Matt Dankert	79	79	158
Jamie Payne-John Menchio	77	82	159
Pat Patterson-Daniel Grisham	76	87	163
Dakota Dawson-Rick Brogan	82	86	168
Alex Thornton-Tyler Thornton	111	101	212
Ashton Gulledge-Jake Outlaw			WD

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