Weathers report

Chattanooga’s Weathers fights off challenges from Wigington, Brooks to win Trail Championship, bag first win on Calhoun County Golf Tour. McGatha gets second ace in a month.

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

SILVER LAKES — Andrew Weathers weathered a debilitating stomach condition before resuming the game he loves.

No surprise the 30-year-old Calhoun County Golf Tour newcomer had the guts to weather challenges from two of the Tour’s best players in Sunday’s final round of the Trail Championship at Silver Lakes.

Weathers shot a par-72 round a day after taking the lead with a 9-under 63 and held off second-place Gary Wigington, winning by three strokes.

Andrew Brooks, whose first-round 64 put him one stroke back of Weathers headed into Sunday’s final round, finished tied for third and five strokes back.

Weathers won in his first appearance in a Calhoun County Golf Tour points event. He prevailed in a final-day foursome that included Wigington, Brooks and Ty Cole.

“They have 50-something wins between two of the guys I played with today (Cole and Wigington),” Weathers said, “so it’s pretty cool to edge them out.”

A new face winning on the Tour concluded a day that saw an old face make his second hole-in-one in a month. Jeremy McGatha, who aced Heartbreaker No. 8 with a gap wedge during the County Team Championship, aced Backbreaker No. 2 on Sunday as part of his final-round 71.

“I had just birdied 1, so was pretty happy about that,” he said. “We get to 2, and 167, just a solid 8 iron a little right of the pin, and it hit again and started coming left, and we were like, ‘Go in!’

“I thought it was coming short and then, bam, it hit the pin and disappeared. I was in disbelief, like, did this just happen again?”

Weathers’ golf journey took him to the University of Chattanooga, where he was Southern Conference freshman of the year. His college career included several top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish.

He spent two years after college on southeastern mini-tours, trying to make golf happen as a career before settling into the family real-estate business.

He said he experienced burnout with the game after trying to make golf his living. Then he lost 30 pounds while battling Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS), which occurs when the arc-shaped band of tissue in the chest area presses on the artery that sends blood to the upper abdomen.

“I had blood flow cut off in my stomach, so I was throwing up every morning,” he said. “I was in excruciating pain for about a year. …

“I went to 10 or 15 different doctors. They couldn’t figure it out.”

Weathers spent a year out of the game.

“I’m just grateful to be playing again, honestly,” he said.

Weathers stomached challenges from the Tour’s best Sunday. Wigington briefly took a one-stroke lead at 7 under with a birdie putt on No. 8, but Weathers answered with what he estimated at an 8-10-foot to match.

With Brooks staring at a possible eagle on No. 10, Weathers’ chip-in for birdie. He hit a 3 wood off the tee and had to chunk it out of a bunker, leaving it just short of the green before chipping in downhill.

“I hit a flop shot and got lucky,” he said. “It smacked the pin and fell in.”

It was the first of two consecutive birdies to start the back nine, and he parred out to hold ground.

After playing at the invitation of friends Jonathan Swader and Clayton Chandler, Weathers took home the trophy. Weathers said he might make more Tour appearances this year.

“I’m looking, hopefully, to play a few more of these this summer,” he said. “I’ll have to look at the schedule, but definitely a good group of guys.”

Scores

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
PLAYER	RD. 1	RD. 2	TOTAL
Andrew Weathers	63	72	135
Gary Wigington	67	71	138
Trent Mansfield	68	72	140
Zach Contris	71	69	140
Andrew Brooks	64	76	140
Ty Cole	67	75	142
Brennan Clay	71	74	145
Will Sanders	71	75	146
Mason Dennis	72	74	146
Scott Martin	72	74	146
Layton Bussey	71	76	147
CHAMPIONSHIP B FLIGHT
John Rollins	74	65	139
Will Reaves	74	68	142
Tommy Simmons	73	72	145
Dane Moore	73	74	147
Chris Cox	76	74	149
Jeff Chapman	73	76	149
Dustin Travis	75	75	150
Logan Forrester	75	76	151
Nick Ledbetter	75	77	152
Vance Lewis	75	77	152
Timmy Woodard	74	78	152
Daily Thomas	75	78	153
Dustin Underwood	75	81	156
Maverick Smith	74	84	158
Hunter Fordham	75	84	159
Ethyn Roberts	74	88	162
FIRST FLIGHT
Jeremy McGatha	78	71	149
Alex Harper	76	73	149
Sawyer Edwards	78	73	151
Jonathan Swader	76	76	152
Jeff Bain	78	76	154
Chandler Richards	76	78	154
Bob Eaton	77	77	154
Chance Harris	78	78	156
Cam Hurst	78	79	157
Fisher Prichard	77	80	157
Gabe Sanders	78	80	158
Bradley Landin	77	81	159
Ryan Huff	77	89	166
SECOND FLIGHT
Mark Sawyer	79	77	156
Greg Shultz	80	78	158
Dre Davenport	81	78	159
Michael Rich, Jr.	81	78	159
Chase Hollingsworth	79	80	159
Clay Calkins	79	80	159
Robert Daniel	80	80	160
Zack Pruitt	79	82	161
Mark Durden	81	82	163
Drey Reeves	81	84	165
Houston Black	79	86	165
Clayton Chandler	79	86	165
Danny Whittaker	81	85	166
Joseph Lacy	80	89	169
Tate Heuer	80	95	175
THIRD FLIGHT
Ott Chandler	82	73	155
Chris Leonhardt	82	74	156
Blake Grisham	83	78	161
Jason Britton	85	79	164
Chris Reaves	82	82	164
Taylor Vera	83	82	165
Kyle Webb	84	82	166
Matt Greer	86	83	169
Ryan Summerford	86	83	169
Andrew Gunnells	85	87	172
Michael Giddens	87	89	176
Jason McCain	85	92	177
Devin Williams	85		DNF
FOURTH FLIGHT
Cody Boyd	88	80	168
Cody Wesson	89	93	182
Ted Gregerson	90	93	183
Craig Graves	88	95	183
Mike Lett	98	87	185
Tyrell Tucker	96	89	185
Tyler Smith	93	93	186
Cory Wesson	90	97	187
Chase Thomas	91	97	188
Mike Ledbetter	96	104	200
Scott Jimmerson	106	100	206
Keith Hutcheson	98	108	206
Chris Grenert	110	99	209
Austin Martin	111	108	219
Harrison Culbert	103		103

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