Hunter, hunted
- Updated: June 1, 2025
LeCroy holds off Burgess’ record-tying Sunday charge, beats old coach by one stroke to win fourth Wilfred Galbraith Invitational title.
2025 Calhoun County Golf Tour
March 29-30
Anniston City Championship, Cane Creek (Jacob LeCroy)
April 5-6
Calhoun County Team Championship, RTJ Silver Lakes (Layton Bussey-Cam Hurst)
April 26-27
Gadsden City Championship, Twin Bridges (Ty Cole)
May 3-4
Pine Hill Country Club Invitational (Cody Robinson)
May 30-June 1
Wilfred Galbraith Invitational, Anniston Country Club (Jacob LeCroy)
June 28-29
Etowah County Open, The Links, Briarmeade
July 12-13
RTJ Silver Lakes Championship
July 26-27
Oxford City Championship, Cider Ridge Golf Course
Aug. 1-3
Gadsden Country Club Invitational
Aug. 16-17
89th Calhoun County Championship, Anniston Municipal Golf Course
Sept. 27-28 or Oct. 18-19
16th Calhoun County Match Play Championship, Anniston Municipal Golf Course
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
ANNISTON — Jacob LeCroy caught a leader quickly then found himself stalked in Sunday’s final round of the Wilfred Galbraith Invitational.
In the end, he fought off Garrett Burgess’ record-tying Sunday charge to hold on.
LeCroy shot a final-round 70 Sunday at Anniston Country Club to finish a 5-under-par 205 and beat his high school coach. LeCoy bagged his fourth Galbraith title and third in four years.
LeCroy also scored his second victory in four points events on the 2025 Calhoun County Golf Tour.
A day after quickly catching and passing first-round leader Gary Wigington with a second-round 66, LeCroy fought off Burgess’ final-round 62 Sunday to win by one stroke.
Burgess’ 8-under round, the low round for the tournament, tied the course record. He went into No. 18 at 9 under par.
LeCroy went into Saturday’s second round four strokes back of Wigington, who shot a 5-under 65 Friday. An eagle on No. 17 helped LeCroy overcome Wigington to take a two-stroke lead over him into Sunday’s final round.
Burgess went 75-69 in the first two rounds and went into Sunday’s final round tied for seventh, nine strokes back of LeCroy.
Burgess played one group ahead of LeCroy’s group. Word of Burgess’ barrage of birdies reached LeCroy with five holes to go.
By the time LeCroy teed off on No. 17, he became aware that Burgess had tied him,.
“I was out there, kind of knowing I was winning,” LeCroy said. “All of a sudden, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. He’s done caught me.'”
Both players consider Anniston Country Club their home course. Even during his time at the University of South Alabama, LeCroy usually came back home to play in ACC’s big tournaments. Burgess, who was LeCroy’s coach at Donoho School, moved to Florida with his family two years ago.
“Since I’ve moved away almost two years now, I haven’t gotten to play much here,” Burgess said. “It’s a lot different when you don’t play here all of the time, so the first two days, I played terrible the first day. I kind of got back into it on the second day.
“Today, it just seemed like every putt went in.”
Burgess’ round broke down 30 on the front nine and 32 on the back. He finished with 10 birdies … on Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 17 to reach 9 under. A 3-putt green on No. 18 prevented him from taking sole possession of the course record.
He also had a bogey on 12.
“It was just, if I could get on the green, I had a chance at birdie,” Burgess said. “It just made gold simple to a certain extent. It was fun. …
“You just go back to when I was growing up as a kid, just knowing every break out here. Nothing’s changed, in that regard.”
Burgess briefly took a one-stroke lead with his birdie on No. 17, but LeCroy birdied the same hole, one group behind Burgess’ group. This a day after LeCroy eagled the same hole.
LeCroy went birdie-eagle-birdie on No. 17 for the weekend.
“I’d been waiting on something to happen,” LeCroy said. “I shot 2 under on the front and was feeling good, and I couldn’t get anything going on the back nine.”
Wigington finished third at 1-under 209 (65-72-72), three strokes back of Burgess and four back of LeCroy.
“It feels great beating them,” LeCroy said. ‘They’re always hot my tail, and I’m always hot on their tail. I love playing in these events.”
Scores
| CHAMP A | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-2-3 | TOTAL |
| Jacob LeCroy | 69-66-70 | 205 |
| Garrett Burgess | 75-69-62 | 206 |
| Gary Wigington | 65-72-72 | 209 |
| Kevin Daugherty | 70-70-71 | 211 |
| Ty Cole | 71-72-69 | 212 |
| Tanner Wells | 68-74-71 | 213 |
| Dalton Chandler | 70-74-74 | 218 |
| Layton Bussey | 69-74-76 | 219 |
| Chandler Wilborn | 73-71-77 | 221 |
| Jack Svensen | 77-72-72 | 221 |
| Caleb Bowen | 73-73-76 | 222 |
| Ryan Howard | 73-73-76 | 222 |
| Phillip Frazier | 74-74-75 | 223 |
| Jeff Chapman | 73-75-77 | 225 |
| Carson Chandler | 71-78-76 | 225 |
| CHAMP B | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-2-3 | TOTAL |
| Randy Lipscomb | 78-75-73 | 226 |
| Greg Shultz | 74-78-75 | 227 |
| Ott Chandler | 76-77-78 | 231 |
| Keaton Borrelli | 76-81-75 | 232 |
| Will Reaves | 74-80-78 | 232 |
| Jonathan Pate | 76-79-80 | 235 |
| Cam Hurst | 76-80-79 | 235 |
| Jeremy McGatha | 76-81-78 | 235 |
| Matt Hunter | 76-76-84 | 236 |
| Timmy Woodard | 73-82-82 | 237 |
| Ryan Huff | 81-76-81 | 238 |
| Bob Eaton | 77-80-83 | 240 |
| CHAMP C | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-2-3 | TOTAL |
| Jeff Bain | 80-79-72 | 231 |
| Scott Murphree | 78-82-72 | 231 |
| Dre Davenport | 80-78-78 | 236 |
| Rob Svensen | 81-79-79 | 239 |
| Bennett Hubbard | 80-80-80 | 240 |
| Matt Rogers | 81-81-79 | 241 |
| Caden Wood | 81-81-80 | 242 |
| Graham Morrow | 81-85-79 | 245 |
| Ted Gregerson | 78-84-85 | 247 |
| Benji Turley | 77-87-84 | 248 |
| Aaron Gregerson | 77-87-87 | 251 |
| Hank Smith | 80-84-87 | 251 |
| SENIORS | ||
| NAME | RD.`1-2 | TOTAL |
| David Sanders | 72-73 | 145 |
| Donald Springer | 82-78 | 160 |
| Tim Steward | 86-78 | 164 |
| Dennis Austin | 88-85 | 173 |
| Mike Thompson | 85-92 | 177 |
| Eric Stringer | 91-94 | 185 |
| Don Whitlow | 96-103 | 199 |
| FIRST FLIGHT | ||
| PLAYER | RD.`1-2 | TOTAL |
| Jake Goggans | 70-72 | 142 |
| Tyler Huckaby | 74-72 | 146 |
| Mark Durden | 75-75 | 150 |
| Caleb Morrow | 76-75 | 151 |
| Ethan McCareeth | 73-79 | 152 |
| Taylor Jones | 73-80 | 153 |
| Cain Hollingsworth | 75-80 | 155 |
| Chase Hollingsworth | 76-79 | 155 |
| Henry Pritchett | 80-80 | 160 |
| Chip Howell | 79-83 | 162 |
| Josh Ballew | 78-85 | 163 |
| Kole Chandler | 80-85 | 165 |
| Trent Leemaster | 80-87 | 167 |
| Michael Downey | 80-92 | 172 |
| SECOND FLIGHT | ||
| PLAYER | RD.`1-2 | TOTAL |
| Billy Thompson | 82-77 | 159 |
| Chance Harris | 88-79 | 161 |
| Bailey Masters | 83-81 | 164 |
| Joe Hedgepeth | 86-79 | 165 |
| Devan Williams | 83-82 | 165 |
| Brian Woodfin | 82-83 | 165 |
| Heath Waldrop | 83-84 | 167 |
| Kolby Slick | 83-85 | 168 |
| Kyle Daugherty | 82-87 | 169 |
| Mason Aulsbrook | 86-84 | 170 |
| Bubba Willingham | 84-88 | 172 |
| Park Denton | 86-92 | 178 |
| THIRD FLIGHT | ||
| PLAYER | RD.`1-2 | TOTAL |
| Easton Jones | 88-81 | 169 |
| Hunter Fordham | 88-82 | 170 |
| Tyler TenEyck | 89-82 | 171 |
| Bradley Elliott | 91-80 | 171 |
| Justin Goree | 87-87 | 174 |
| Andrew Gunnells | 90-86 | 176 |
| Mark Cotton | 89-88 | 177 |
| Matt Greer | 87-91 | 178 |
| Mark Hansil | 90-88 | 178 |
| Mark Gaines | 91-88 | 179 |
| Greg Rainey | 87-95 | 182 |
| James Harrison | 88-98 | 186 |
| Scott Jimerson | 91-95 | 186 |
| FOURTH FLIGHT | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-2 | TOTAL |
| John Hutto | 92-87 | 179 |
| Chase Arnold | 95-90 | 185 |
| Judson Miller | 96-91 | 187 |
| Landon Price | 98-95 | 193 |
| Larry Champion | 102-94 | 196 |
| Keith Hutcheson | 101-95 | 196 |
| Isaac Scroggins | 99-103 | 202 |
| Clay Culbert | 100-103 | 203 |
| Toan Nguyen | 94-112 | 206 |
| Shane Bowman | 107-99 | 206 |
| Ethan Beadles | 106-101 | 207 |
| Cole McBride | 109-101 | 210 |
| Marley Hedgepeth | 105-105 | 210 |
| Adam Benefiel | 102-NC | NC |
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