Goforth and win
- Updated: August 3, 2025
Recent-former collegiate golfer from Birmingham slays demons at Gadsen Country Club, surges on Sunday to win the Gadsden Invitational.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
GADSDEN — Ken Goforth played enough good rounds of golf to get through a formal career at Oak Mountain High School, Central Alabama Community College and Western Carolina University.
Of course, that tough day at Gadsden Country Club when he was 12 haunted his memories.
Goforth avenged himself against Gadsden Country Club on Sunday, shooting a tournament-low, 7-under-par 64 to win the Gadsden Invitational.
He went 68-70-64 to finish three rounds at 11-under-par 202 for the tournament, beating four-time champion Ty Cole by six strokes and fellow Greystone member Andrew Gladden by seven.
Cole, Gladden and Luke Armstrong were first-round co-leaders after shooting 5-under 66s, and Cole held a one-stroke lead on Gladden coming into Sunday.
Goforth stood four strokes back of Cole coming into Sunday, but went forth with a round that threatened the black-tees course record of 62. Goforth shot a 5-under 30 on the front nine and reached as low as 12 under for the tournament through 16 holes.
“It feels pretty good,” he said. “Everything just clicked. I got a couple of breaks to go my way.
“My swing felt good this morning, on the range, and sort of just went out there and said, ‘I just need to make a lot of birdies.’”
Goforth, now studying entrepreneurship at UAB, birdied the first three holes then birdied Nos. 6 and 9.
After his birdie on No. 1, the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association All-District 4 team member wanted to have a talk with his 12-year-old self.
“I played the State Junior here, back when I was 12 and made a 12 on the first,” he said. “That little left-side OB has been scaring me all week.
“I got three straight in the fairway this week, and I just got off hot.”
Playing partner Chris Hummel, who won the Gadsden Invitational in 2023 and 2024, helped Goforth get over his fears on No. 1.
“We play aa lot back home, at Greystone, and I was like, ‘I am scared right now that I’m about to snap hook it,’” Goforth said. “He’s like, ‘Nah, you’re good. Just play out here like you’re out at Greystone with me.’
“That kind of settled me down, and I put some good swings on 1 every day.”
Goforth’s victory makes him a first-time winner on the Calhoun County Golf Tour. Gadsden Country Club rejoined with the Tour this year after a two-year absence.
Goforth said he hadn’t heard much about the Calhoun County Tour.
“This week is the first week I’ve heard about it,” he said. “I wanted to play in a golf tournament this week.
“My girlfriend was on a bachelorette trip, and I got lucky, so I got to go out and play for three days. Just happy to be out here.”
| FLIGHT 1 | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-3 | TOTAL |
| Ken Goforth | 66-70-64 | 202 |
| Ty Cole | 66-68-74 | 208 |
| Andrew Gladden | 66-69-74 | 209 |
| Jacob LeCroy | 70-71-68 | 209 |
| Brennan Clay | 67-72-71 | 210 |
| Gary Wigington | 71-68-73 | 212 |
| John Rollins | 73-67-73 | 213 |
| Dane Moore | 70-70-75 | 215 |
| Luke Armstrong | 66-75-86 | 227 |
| FLIGHT 2 | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-2 | TOTAL |
| Harrison Martin | 73-70-73 | 216 |
| Eli Edge | 75-70-71 | 216 |
| Chad Calvert | 74-68-75 | 217 |
| Corey Ray | 75-72-70 | 217 |
| Justin Graveman | 73-70-75 | 218 |
| Layton Bussey | 75-69-74 | 218 |
| Daily Thomas | 74-71-74 | 219 |
| Trent Mansfield | 71-73-76 | 220 |
| Jeremy McGatha | 74-72-75 | 221 |
| Mark McCaig | 72-76-73 | 221 |
| Morgan Cunningham | 71-74-77 | 222 |
| Kevin Daugherty | 71-78-74 | 223 |
| Mason Dennis | 77-70-80 | 227 |
| FLIGHT 3 | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-2 | TOTAL |
| Chris Hummel | 79-71-74 | 224 |
| Timmy Woodard | 81-69-77 | 227 |
| Tanner Wells | 77-75-76 | 228 |
| Lee Hubbard | 77-74-77 | 228 |
| Chandler Richards | 73-79-77 | 229 |
| Randy Lipscomb | 75-79-76 | 230 |
| Jason Britton | 79-77-78 | 234 |
| Jonathan Gibson | 79-78-77 | 234 |
| Houston Black | 81-76-81 | 238 |
| Jeff Noah | 79-76-84 | 239 |
| FLIGHT 4 | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1-2 | TOTAL |
| Cove McHugh | 81-79-76 | 236 |
| Chris Sanford | 81-79-79 | 239 |
| Dre Davenport | 81-81-78 | 240 |
| Chad Reavis | 80-83-78 | 241 |
| Andrew Gunnells | 80-79-84 | 243 |
| Michael Thomas | 77-81-88 | 246 |
| Josh Ballew | 79-93-91 | 263 |
| Vance Lewis | 78-WD | |
| REGULAR A FLIGHT | ||
| NAME | RD. 1 | TOTAL |
| Anthony Mancini | 70-69 | 139 |
| Keith Crumpton | 72-74 | 146 |
| Matt Rogers | 73-74 | 147 |
| Jake Goggans | 72-77 | 149 |
| Tyler Coley | 77-75 | 152 |
| Chase Hollingsworth | 73-80 | 153 |
| Eric Messer | 77-76 | 153 |
| Malachi Taylor | 77-78 | 155 |
| Michael Downey | 75-81 | 156 |
| Charles Brand | 76-80 | 156 |
| Bumper Jones | 75-82 | 157 |
| Brian Woodfin | 75-84 | 159 |
| Aaron Gregerson | 77-82 | 159 |
| Jeff Hammontree | 77-85 | 162 |
| REGULAR B FLIGHT | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1 | TOTAL |
| Brad Landin | 78-76 | 154 |
| Caleb Morrow | 78-78 | 156 |
| David Coffey | 78-82 | 160 |
| Ted Gregerson | 80-81 | 161 |
| Hank Bangs | 80-82 | 162 |
| Ryan Huff | 80-82 | 162 |
| Greg Stack | 82-80 | 162 |
| Graham Morrow | 84-81 | 165 |
| Alan Smedley | 81-85 | 166 |
| Nathan Nailer | 80-91 | 171 |
| Andrew Ford | 79-82 | 171 |
| Justin Pickard | 84-88 | 172 |
| Chase Thomas | 84-91 | 175 |
| Danny Whittaker | 83-93 | 176 |
| REGULAR C FLIGHT | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1 | TOTAL |
| Dylan Jackson | 85-81 | 166 |
| Henry Pritchett | 85-86 | 171 |
| Matt Greer | 86-86 | 172 |
| Mason Aulsbrook | 86-87 | 173 |
| Mark Gaines | 93-86 | 179 |
| Scott Jimmerson | 87-92 | 179 |
| Kenny Fulmer | 90-90 | 180 |
| Larry Champion | 89-91 | 180 |
| Ryan Townley | 92-88 | 180 |
| Keith Hutcheson | 95-92 | 187 |
| Stephen Jenkins | 97-93 | 190 |
| Drew Keenum | 102-99 | 201 |
| James Harrison | 92-WD | |
| SENIORS | ||
| PLAYER | RD. 1 | TOTAL |
| Donnie Sutton | 72-85 | 157 |
| David Lipscomb | 79-87 | 166 |
| Ed Lindsey | 87-94 | 181 |
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