Fall Classic

The Memphis Amateur Players Tour returned to Wedgewood Golf Club on Saturday, November 7th, in Olive Branch, Mississippi, for the Fall Classic, the chapter’s latest stop on a fall schedule of Memphis amateur golf tournaments. A field of 33 players competed across five divisions, with the Mid-Am Net and Senior Net games running alongside. Players are flighted into divisions based on their APT Tournament Index.

Wedgewood’s par-72 layout did its heaviest defending around the turn. The par-4 9th played nearly a shot and a half over par and surrendered exactly one birdie from the entire 33-player field, which made the walk from the ninth green to the 10th tee the most expensive stretch of the day for most of the scorecards turned in.

In Division 1, Edward McDugle of Memphis, Tennessee posted a 4-over 76, the low round of the day, and held on for a two-shot win. McDugle went out in 1-over 37 and came home in 3-over 39, building the round on 11 pars and a pair of birdies — one at the par-5 3rd and another at the par-4 14th. He led Eric Webb of Germantown, Tennessee by three after six holes and by three again at the turn into the closing stretch, and the margin had stretched to five with three to play. Webb, who matched 3-over 39s on both nines and signed for 13 pars without a birdie on the card, played the last three holes in even par to McDugle’s 3-over and closed back to within two at 6-over 78 in second.

Division 2 produced the tightest finish of the gross divisions. Dennis Motsinger of Ripley, Mississippi won by a single stroke with a 5-over 77, turning in 1-over 37 before coming home in 4-over 40. His only birdie of the day came at the par-4 6th, the gentlest hole on the property — it played just over half a shot above par and gave up 14 pars and three birdies across the field. Jeffery Avant of Eads, Tennessee came the other way. Avant was three back after six and four back through twelve, but after going out in 5-over 41 he came home in 1-over 37, playing the closing six holes in 1-under with birdies at the par-5 3rd, the par-4 6th and the par-4 15th along the way. He finished second at 6-over 78, with two players inside two of the lead and four inside five.

Division 3 came down to a stroke as well. Ken Grisham of Olive Branch, Mississippi took it with a 12-over 84, turning in 4-over 40 with a birdie at the par-5 3rd. Tyler Byrd of Olive Branch, Mississippi was only one adrift after six holes and Ron Carlin of Jonesboro, Arkansas four back at the same point, and both sat five behind with three to play before closing to within one. Carlin and Byrd shared second at 13-over 85, and three players finished within two shots of the title.

Division 4 belonged to Steven Walkley of Cordova, Tennessee, whose 11-over 83 was a six-stroke win. It was not a procession early: Marshall Dean of Holly Springs, Mississippi was a shot to the good after six holes before Walkley went six clear by the twelfth and seven clear with three to play. Walkley made three birdies — at the par-3 7th, the par-4 15th and the par-5 16th — and balanced a 6-over 42 going out with a 5-over 41 coming home. Dean, who played the closing six in 3-over after going out in 9-over 45, finished second.

Division 5 ended level at the top. Michael Kelly of Nesbit, Mississippi and Tucker Watts of Saltillo, Mississippi both signed for 28-over 100, two clear of the next pair. The lead changed hands twice along the way: Watts was four behind after six holes, two in front after twelve, and two back again with three to play before the pair came together at the end. Four of the five finishers were separated by two shots.

Walkley made it a double in the Mid-Am Net, and he had to work for this one too. Kyle Kucharski of Memphis, Tennessee held the advantage through six holes, through twelve, and was still a shot to the good with three to play. Walkley’s finish flipped the script entirely: he signed for a net 4-under 68 to win by five, with Kucharski second at net 1-over 73.

Grisham completed a double of his own in the Senior Net, and that one turned late as well. McDugle was a shot ahead after six, four ahead after twelve and five ahead with three holes to play, but Grisham reeled all of it in and then some, taking the title by a single stroke with a net 2-over 74 to McDugle’s net 3-over 75. It was a busy afternoon for McDugle, who had already won Division 1 outright. Five players finished within five of the lead in a 10-man Senior Net field, making it the deepest of the two net games.

Next up in the Memphis chapter — the Winter Open on Sunday, November 22nd. Space is limited and registration closes November 16th, now’s the time to lock in your spot!