Eagles landed

Cole-Wigington go eagle-eagle to finish unusually strong front nine on the way to 17-under first round, one-stroke lead in what forecasts say could be shortened Sunny King Charity Classic.

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

SILVER LAKES — Ty Cole and Gary Wigington got off to an uncharacteristically good start on the front nine at Silver Lakes on Friday, and the 48th Sunny King Charity Classic might just validate their timing.

Cole and Wigington each came up with an eagle shot 17-under par 55 to lead after Friday’s first round.

They lead the tandem of Brennan Clay-Jeremy McGatha by one stroke headed into Saturday’s second round at Cider Ridge. Ted’s Charity Invitational champions Jacob Harper-Kyle Daugherty and Taylor McCullum-Dalton Chandler are two strokes back.

Cole-Wigington seek their fifth Sunny King title as a team. Wigington won five with Randy Reaves as his partner.

Wigington called his and Cole’s 17-under round Friday “probably the best round we’ve played for out here, probably.”

They were 9 under for the front nine.

“We’re usually struggling for whatever reason out here on the front nine then shoot good on the back to stay in it,” Wigington said. “We did much better than what we usually do on the front nine. We’re usually 5 under, or something like that.

“We’ve been par through six holes multiple times.”

Cole-Wigington picked a good year to have a good start. Weather forecasts have stoked washout fears for Sunday’s final round at Anniston Country Club. Weather.com shows a 90 percent chance for rain in the area on Sunday.

“With the possibility of Sunday being rained out, we’ve got to do it these first two days,” Wigington said. “Let’s be aggressive and make as much as we can the first two days with a good chance that it’ll be shortened or not play at all on Sunday.

“That was definitely part of our thinking, but you still have to go out there and do it.”

Cole-Wigington brought lightning and thunder on a partly cloudy Friday, starting with Cole’s hole-in for eagle on No. 8. He aimed long, hoping for shorter.

“It was a perfect number,” Cole said. “It was 72 yards, and I said, ‘hit it 80 yards,’ because I’d been hitting everything short. I hit an 80-yard number, and it went right in.”

Neither Cole nor Wigington saw that ball roll into the hole from the fairway. They knew from the reactions of Brock McNeely and Chandler Wilborn, who played in the same foursome.

“They’re ‘Go! Go! Yeah!’” Cole said. “They were already up on the green.”

Wigington made what Cole called “damned great putt” on No. 9 to complete the pair’s eagle-eagle finish to the front nine.

“That really got us going,” Cole said. 

Championship-Honda Passport

First-Grand Highlander

Second-Honda Pilot

Third-Acura RDX

Fourth-Tundra

Fifth-Honda Accord

Sixth-Toyota 4 Runner

Related Posts

• 
  This week’s schedule
• 
  🔒 Exhausted, exalted
• 
  Football roundup

You must be logged in to post a comment Login