By Justin Graves
Caleb Neighbors had already started preparing himself for a sudden-death playoff.
If only the Good Hope High senior knew he was getting psyched up about nothing.
Thirty-six holes of golf, and the Cullman County golf championship came down to a three-way tie…
… Or so it appeared.
Just moments after Good Hope High coach Danny Welborn announced there would be a sudden-death playoff between Neighbors, Dustin Schwaiger and B.J. Albright, Cullman Golf Course professional Chess Harris announced that there would not.
Huh?
For the second straight day, simple math skills failed one of the leaders at the Cullman County golf tournament. And the final tally helped the player with the “scorecard malfunction.”
While getting ready to play a sudden-death playoff, Neighbors was told that he would not be taking part in the event… nor would anyone else.
That’s because Neighbors had already won the individual crown, giving the Raiders senior a nice plaque to go along with the trophy his team received for winning its fourth straight county championship.
Neighbors won the individual title by firing an 84 in the final round — which was better than the 85 he was going to turn in. The Raiders senior finished the tournament with a 163.
“At least it wasn’t a Fairview kid today,” joked Aggies coach Kurt Knight, who had a player do something similar the day before.
Finishing his final county tournament as the low medalist was nice, but the plaque awarded to the individual winner isn’t what Neighbors was playing for.
Now, that big gold trophy with “Cullman County Champions” inscribed on it, well, accepting that really put a smile on Neighbors’ face — along with his four other teammates…
… And let’s not forget Welborn — the longtime Raiders coach who has won more county titles than any of his peers.
“I didn’t want to have to do a playoff,” a relieved, yet excited, Neighbors said after the awards presentation. “I thought I had an 85… thought there was a three-way tie. But I’m glad we didn’t (have to).
“But still, an 84. I’m not really thrilled about that. It should’ve been better.”
Welborn didn’t have much to say after the tournament, but the Raiders coach didn’t have to. The grin on his face said it all.
After the crowd started to clear, Welborn took a few moments to reflect on the tournament. Then he posed for a picture in front of the scoreboard — holding on tight to his team’s county championship trophy.
Good Hope fired a 336 in the final round, giving the Raiders a 661 on the tournament.
With that score, Good Hope beat Fairview by 23 strokes. The Aggies finished second at 684, while Holly Pond shot 686 during the two-day tournament.
But Good Hope actually could’ve won by much more.
Schwaiger shot 85 on the final day to finish in a two-way tie for second at 164. That gave Good Hope two golfers in the top two.
And then there was Eli Marty: Good Hope’s seventh-grade phenom.
Marty shot an 81 Tuesday — the final day’s low round — and the Raiders seventh grader was actually on pace to win the individual crown heading into the last four holes.
But Marty stumbled down the stretch, four-putting his final hole of the tournament.
Marty finished with a 166 on the tournament. Matthew Easterwood also shot a 90 in the final round for Good Hope to finish at 172.
“The weather was better today since it wasn’t raining and all, but it was still pretty windy,” Welborn said. “That affected the scores some.”
Heading into the tournament, Fairview and Holly Pond were expected to challenge Good Hope for the title. But midway through Tuesday’s final round, it became clear that the only real competition this year was for second place.
Fairview won that battle, but Holly Pond made it interesting. The Broncos fired a 348 Tuesday to finish two strokes behind the Aggies in third place at 686.
“We just didn’t play our best golf,” Knight said. “Plain and simple. It was pretty windy and we had a couple of guys who didn’t post the type of scores they normally do.
“But still, I’m glad the guys finished second. I’m proud of them for that.”
Drew Adams paced Holly Pond in the final round with an 83, while Shane Briscoe shot 87. Zach Floyd and Austin Rowell both shot 89s.
Albright led Fairview with an 85 Tuesday. He finished in a tie for second at 164.
Blake Lancaster had Fairview’s low score in the final round. He shot an 84, while Dalton Sullivan shot 88 and Jordan Fulmer shot 93.
West Point finished fourth overall with a 724. Hunter Griffin shot an 88 while Jordan Tuten shot an 89. Led by Jarrod Brown’s 89, Hanceville took fifth place at 783.
Layne Rice led Cold Springs with a 91. With only two players on the team, the Eagles were not competing for the county championship.
Justin Graves can be reached by phone at 734-2131, ext. 257 or by e-mail at jgraves@cullmantimes.com.
