E.A. Sports Today

‘Wonder’ no more

Wigington allays own doubts, finishes strong to win Oxford City Championship and become fifth winner in five Calhoun County Golf Tour events this season.

Cover photo: Gary Wigington (left) and Cider Ridge Golf Course owner and president Cory Etter pose with the trophy Sunday, after Wigington won the 2024 Oxford City Championship. (Photo by Joe Medley)

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD — Golfers play into old age, but age and doubt dance as partners into the mind.

How long can one play at their highest level? When will seemingly younger and younger golfers begin to blast their way out of reach?

How many more times will one see his or her name in the championship flight, let alone on top?

“I was beginning to wonder,” the 55-year-old Gary Wigington said Sunday, reflecting on a long-for-him winless streak on the Calhoun County Golf Tour.

Wonder no more. Wigington sank a 40-foot birdie putt to finish off his latest Tour victory Sunday, finishing 69-70–139 to edge Jeremy McGatha by three strokes in the Oxford City Championship.

Wigington became the fifth winner in five Tour events this season. The four-time Tour player of the year bagged his 25th victory in Tour points events and 26th overall, counting last year’s County Match Play, the Tour’s de facto all-star tournament.

He scored his first points victory since winning 2023’s first points event, at Silver Lakes, and his latest victory ended a span of 12 points events without a first-place finish.

The victory left him feeling like he felt after winning last year’s match-play event … reaffirmed. Age hasn’t knocked him out of the always-contending group yet.

“Agewise, I’m 55, and it’s just hard to compete with these young guys,” he said. “They’re just good, and they hit that danged thing a mile.

“I’m not as sharp mentally or physically, for sure, so every win at this point is a lot more important than we was young, because they’re just harder.”

Wigington went wire to wire at Cider Ridge. He and McGatha finished the first round tied at 3-under 69, and Sunday’s five-birdie round kept him atop the field.

His day included two bomb putts … a 30-footer for birdie on No. 10 and the 40-footer on No. 18. The latter touched off applause from the clubhouse gallery, and he got high-fives from McGatha, Tanner Wells and Ty Cole, long-time Tour veterans who joined him in the day’s final foursome.

As Wigington cleaned his cart and put equipment into his pickup, two younger players in another pickup stopped, called him “Mr. Twig,” a reference to his nickname, and jokingly asking for his autograph.

“Give me about an hour,” he said with a chuckle.

Dawson Day, from Rome, Ga., finished third, four shots back of Wigington.

Ty Cole, tied with Wells for second after a first-round 70, struggled Sunday. This year’s winners at Cane Creek withdrew after running out of balls while playing No. 18.

Wells shot a 79 Sunday.

Four of this season’s five winners played in the Oxford City Championship, though Andrew Weathers (Silver Lakes) withdrew during the final round. John Rollins (Twin Bridges) finished in the first flight.

This was a day for one of Calhoun County golf’s most successful players over many years, another day to finish on top. He did it in a season that’s shaping up as one of the Tour’s most competitive in recent memory.

“Instead of it being five or six guys that legitimately have a chance to win one, now you’ve got 10-15,” Wigington said. “There’s just never been that many.

“The Tour has grown. We’ve taken people from everywhere, basically, and it’s just hard to win. It’s just all of the young kids, and they do it all day long every day. I think you’ll see a lot more of that in the future. There’s going to be a lot more different winners.”

Scores

CHAMPIONSHIP A FLIGHT
PLAYERRD. 1RD. 2TOTAL
Gary Wigington6970139
Jeremy McGatha6973142
Dawson Day7172143
Matt Wilson7173144
Layton Bussey7273145
Logan Forrester7274146
Tanner Wells7079149
Ethan McCareeth7178149
Kevin Daugherty7277149
Mason Dennis7182153
Graham Morrow7284156
Ty Cole70WD
CHAMPIONSHIP B FLIGHT
Brayden Cochran7375148
Caleb McKinney7375148
Will Reaves7476150
Chase Hollingsworth7477151
Andrew Brooks7676152
Jake Goggans7478152
Hunter Carr7478152
Greg Shultz7379152
Benji Turley7380153
Kilgore Knight7480154
John Rollins7579154
Austin Elliott7483157
Chip Howell7484158
Andrew Weathers73WD
FIRST FLIGHT
Dalton Chandler7670146
Jonathan Pate7571146
Chad Calvert7571146
Janson Wilborn7572147
Cam Hurst7575150
Ott Chandler7674150
Ryan Huff7576151
Jeff Bain7676152
Carson Chandler7676152
Billy Thompson7579154
Jared Waits7581156
Sawyer Edwards7680156
Chris Reaves7681157
John Swader76NS
SECOND FLIGHT
Matt Miller7772149
James Otwell7772149
Daniel Black7773150
Nick Ledbetter7872150
Chance Harris7775152
Dustin Travis7776153
Landon Winfrey7876154
Stephen Keen7876154
Cain Hollingsworth7778155
Coleman Messer7778155
Bradley Elliott7877155
Vann Hall7779156
Tim Wilcox7781158
Bob Eaton7880158
Dre Davenport7785162
Caden Wood7884162
Lamar Carter7885163
Kobe Messer7887165
THIRD FLIGHT
Josh Reynolds7969148
Jason Rich8071151
Luke Armstrong7975154
Mark McCaig8075155
Chad Key7976155
Skylar Dennis7980159
David Coffey7982161
Jimbo Phillips8085165
Billy McCroskey80WD
FOURTH FLIGHT
Cody Boyd8174155
Michael Rich8176157
Wesley Jenkins8177158
Blake Drummond8179160
Timmy Woodard8278160
Robin Wood8283165
Jamarcus Stokes8283165
Nathan Williams8185166
Randy Archer8186167
Ryder Hudgins8187168
Wyatt Cotney8288170
James Lett8192173
Kyle Glover8195176
Clayton Chandler82WD
FIFTH FLIGHT
Scotty McFry8375158
Caleb Morrow8377160
Caleb Bowen8379162
Wade Richardson8382165
Craig Duncan8481165
Matt Greer8481165
Shane Lee8482166
Cypress Hathorne8484168
Ray Stover Jr.8485169
Mark Gaines8486170
Sean Kline8388171
Cole McNeal83WD83
SIXTH FLIGHT
Bradley Young8582167
Nash Messer8682168
Bart Smith8682168
Danny Whittaker8683169
Scott Watson8785172
Braxton Burnham8688174
Hunter Fordham8590175
Andrew Miller8788175
Aaron Gregerson8694180
Drake Bearden8796183
Ricky Carden86103189
SEVENTH FLIGHT
Matt Rogers8880168
Bailey Masters8880168
Jason Payne9178169
Tyrel Tucker9178169
Allen Hamlin9178169
Nate Pearce8981170
Jeff Roszell8985174
Greg Rainey8888176
Ted Gregerson9187178
Chance Haywood8893181
Joey Folker8994183
Larry Champion9192183
Jesse Miles9199190
EIGHTH FLIGHT
Houston Black9680176
David Medders Jr.9288180
Kolby Slick9586181
Heath Waldrop9389182
Chase Thomas9291183
Daniel Mitchell9687183
Daniel Ricks9293185
Scott Jimerson9692188
Chris Hollingsworth9698194
Adam Benefiel96107203
NINTH FLIGHT
Logan Turner9884182
Zoey Etter10098198
Bill Gowan10494198
Keith Hutcheson10296198
Palmer Pearce113102215
Jason Swope108117225
Shaughn Rankin114114228
Hayden Mann100NS
Andrew Kennemer101NS
SENIOR A FLIGHT
Mike Lett7571146
David Messer7673149
Jerry Kemp7776153
Bob Feicht7679155
Gary Austin7978157
Andy Jenkins7781158
Kevin Wells7485159
Keith Haywood7782159
David Sanders8079159
Charley Estes7984163
Jimmy Ingram7988167
SENIOR B FLIGHT
Ron Wheeler8178159
Rich Etter8477161
Wilton Page8183164
Allan Mangham8283165
Tim Steward8285167
Ron Fleming8188169
Dennis Austin8882170
Richard Patty9183174
Steve Perry8990179
Mike Thompson8991180
Lee Clark9296188
Lamar Ward96WD

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