Bear Trace Harrison Bay

The East Tennessee Amateur Players Tour returned to The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay on Sunday, November 8th in Harrison, Tennessee for a premier amateur golf tournament, and the sold-out field delivered one of the better scoring days of the fall on the Chattanooga amateur golf tournaments calendar. A field of 40 players competed across five divisions, with two net games running alongside them. Players are flighted into divisions based on their APT Tournament Index.

The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is a Jack Nicklaus design, and it asked plenty of questions of the field. The par-4 3rd was the sternest of them: it did not surrender a single birdie all day and played a quarter of a shot over bogey across 40 cards. At the other end of the spectrum, the par-4 15th gave up five birdies and 18 pars, making it the day’s most generous hole.

Conditions, by contrast, offered no excuses. It was a beautiful day in Harrison, which left the Nicklaus layout itself as the only thing defending par.

In Division 1, Tim Saunders of Hixson, Tennessee posted the low round of the day, a 1-over 73, for a three-shot win. It was anything but comfortable for most of the afternoon. Barney Sutley sat just one stroke back after six holes, one back at the turn, and still one back with three to play. Saunders had gone out in 3-over 39 before flipping the switch on the inward half, coming home in 2-under 34 with birdies at the par-3 11th, the par-4 13th and the par-4 18th to go with his earlier birdie at the par-5 6th. Four birdies, three bogeys and ten pars added up to the cleanest card in the building. Sutley, in from the Indianapolis chapter and playing out of Frankfort, Kentucky, took runner-up honors with a 4-over 76, turning in 3-over 39 and matching Saunders stride for stride until the last three holes, closing in 1-over 37 with birdies at the par-5 12th and the par-4 15th.

Division 2 belonged to Johnny Pierce of Chattanooga, Tennessee, who led from the front and never gave it back. Pierce was four clear of John Blackburn after six holes, stretched that to five by the turn, and held the same margin with three to play before signing for a 12-over 84 and a seven-shot victory. Blackburn, another visitor from the Indianapolis chapter and a resident of Greenwood, Indiana, finished with a 19-over 91.

Division 3 produced the best ball-striking story of the day. Charles Smith of Knoxville, Tennessee made five birdies on his way to a 7-over 79 and a three-stroke win — more birdies than any other player in the field. Smith went out in 4-over 40 with birdies at the par-5 2nd and the par-3 8th, then opened the back nine with another at the par-4 10th. His birdie at the par-4 13th was the most valuable of the five: that hole gave up only three birdies all day and played a shot and a quarter over par. He added a fifth at the par-4 15th and came home in 3-over 39. The chase was real for a while. Travis Millard of Rossville, Georgia was two ahead of Smith after six holes and Paul Harris of Evensville, Tennessee was level with him at that point, but Smith had a two-shot cushion on both by the turn and five on Harris with three to play. Harris and Millard shared runner-up honors at 10-over 82 apiece, Harris posting matching 5-over 41s on each nine and Millard going out in 3-over 39 with 11 pars on his card. Five players finished within five shots of the lead in the division.

Division 4 went to Russell Tays of Grimsley, Tennessee by three strokes with a 15-over 87. Tays was level with the chasing pack after six holes and never let anyone back past him, grinding out six pars and making his move on the inward half, where he came home in 6-over 42 after going out in 9-over 45. Behind him, three players tied at 18-over 90: Gary Barth of Cumming, Georgia, in from the Atlanta chapter; Michael Hatfield of Trenton, Georgia; and Terry Hodge of Trussville, Alabama, visiting from the Birmingham chapter. Hodge made the most dramatic recovery of the three, turning in 13-over 49 and then playing the back nine in 5-over 41 with a birdie at the par-5 17th. Barth’s lone birdie also came on the back, at the par-4 13th. Hatfield had been a stroke clear of the eventual winner after six holes before the margin turned.

Division 5 was settled by one swing as much as anything. Aaron Smith of Chattanooga, Tennessee made eagle at the par-5 12th and rode it to a 12-over 84 and a nine-shot win. Smith had been three behind Ronnie Bennett of Cleveland, Tennessee after six holes and went out in 10-over 46, but the back nine was a different round entirely: 2-over 38 coming home, with the eagle at the 12th, a birdie at the par-5 17th and a level-par finish over the last three holes. Bennett finished second at 21-over 93 after a 7-over 43 on the front.

Smith was not done. He also took the Mid-Am Net by six strokes with a net 9-under 63, the lowest net number of the day and comfortably clear of Millard, who added net 3-under 69 and second place there to his share of runner-up honors in Division 3. Millard had actually been five to the good through six holes and was still ahead through 15 before Smith’s finish settled it. For Smith, the Division 5 title and the Mid-Am Net completed the double-dip.

The Senior Net was the tightest contest on the property. Four players — Jason Dale of Knoxville, Tennessee, Paul Harris, Terry Hodge and Tim Saunders — all signed for net 2-over 74 and finished tied at the top, sharing the points and the purse, with the next group a single stroke behind. Eight players finished within two shots of the lead. Harris and Saunders had both been well under the pace early — Saunders by seven after six holes and by ten with three to play — while Dale and Hodge closed the gap over the last stretch. Saunders’ share of the Senior Net, on top of his Division 1 win, made him the second player of the day to complete the double-dip, and Hodge and Harris each backed up runner-up finishes in their gross divisions.

Next up in the East Tennessee chapter — a trip to Avalon Country Club on Sunday, November 15th. Space is limited and registration closes November 12th. After that, the chapter heads to The McLemore Club on Sunday, December 6th, with registration closing December 3rd.