It’s Twig Time

With wrist mending and long-time playing partner surging, Wigington puts together strong weekend to win RTJ-Trail Championship at Silver Lakes.

2026 Calhoun County Golf Tour

Sponsored by Ted’s Flooring & Beyond
(Winner/defending champion in parenthesis)

March 28-29
Calhoun County 2-Man Championship @ RTJ Silver Lakes (Jacob LeCroy/Tanner Wells)
April 18-19
Anniston City Championship @ Cane Creek Golf Course (Ty Cole)
May 2-3
Pine Hill Country Club Invitational (Ty Cole)
May 15-17
Gadsden Country Club Invitational (Dane Moore)
May 29-31
Wilfred Galbraith Invitational @ Anniston Country Club (‘Ty Cole)
June 13-14
RTJ Silver Lakes Championship (‘Gary Wigington)
June 27-28
Gadsden City Championship @ Twin Bridges Golf Course (’25: Ty Cole)
July 18-19
Etowah County Open @ The Links, Briarmeade (’25: Gary Wigington)
Aug. 1-2
Oxford City Championship @ Cider Ridge Golf Course (’25: Tanner Wells)
Aug. 15-16
90th Calhoun County Championship @ Anniston Municipal Golf Course (’25: Ty Cole)
Sept. 26-27
17th Calhoun County Match Play Championship @ Anniston Municipal Golf Course (’25: Gary Wigington)

2025 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ty Cole. 

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

SILVER LAKES — Maybe it’s Gary Wigingont’s wrist healing. Maybe long-time playing partner Ty Cole’s big start to this Calhoun County Golf Tour season stirred the competitive juices.

Whatever the sparks might be, Wigington’s game is coming.

He shot 5-under-par 67 on Sunday and came away victorious in the RTJ-Trail Championship at Silver Lakes, finishing 68-67–135 and prevailing over Cody Robinson by two shots.

Cole, the reigning Tour player of the year and points leader after winning his first three starts this season, finished third, one shot back of Robinson.

The Trail Championship was the season’s fifth points event.

Wigington is known for slow starts but gaining strength around midseason. Four points events remain.

Cole, Wigington’s long-time teammate in the Sunny King Charity Classic and other two-man events, won at Cane Creek, Pine Hill and Anniston Country Club to reach 900 points on the season going into Silver Lakes.

“He’s just got such a huge lead, and can’t let him win them all,” Wigington said with a chuckle, “It’s fun to have someone else plugged in there with all of his names.”

Wigington, a five-time county player of the year, said this season’s first victory felt “great.”

“Sometimes, you’re getting old, and you start doubting yourself, and you don’t feel too competitive at times,” he said. “Finally, about a week ago, I started hitting some rally good shots and feeling like it used to.”

Wigington shot 66 in the first round of the season-opening tournament at Cane Creek, but he’s battled wrist inflammation all season. He sat out of the Gadsden Country Club Invitational to rest and ice his wrist, hoping to stem pain associated with it.

Swelling remains, but pain has backed off. He finished tied for fourth at Anniston Country Club, four shots back of Cole, largely because of misadventures with a concrete wall and a quadruple bogey on No. 15 in the first round.

No such issues at Silver Lakes this weekend. He shot 4 under to tie Cole for the lead through the first round then shot 4 under for the front nine Sunday, with birdies on 1, 3 and 5 and on 9, after a three-putt bogey on 8.

Wigington’s last birdie of the day would’ve opened a three-shot lead with two holes to go, but Robinson, who won at Pine Hill last year, chipped in on No. 16 to stay within two.

Wigington parred out then collected his trophy.

“I made a lot of good 5-, 6-, 7-foot par putts to keep everything going,” he said. “I hit it good, putted it good and chipped good. It all fell together.”

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