By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
June 2, 2003
One hole after unlucky 13, Mike Easterwood nailed a putt that bailed out his playing partner, Willie Frazier, and cinched a top finish at the 2003 Boy Scout Golf Tournament at Briarwood Country Club on Sunday.
Frazier missed his putt on the 14th hole, Easterwood, whose approach shot landed about four feet from the pin, sank his putt. The duo finished with a two-day total of 122, hitting 61 on both days of the tourney, to win the championship flight.
Scotty Elliott and Daniel Boles won a scorecard playoff to take second in the championship flight with a 123. Richard Goforth and Shane Bishop, who entered the final day in first place hitting a 60 on Saturday, finished in third with a two-day score of 123.
While Easterwood's putt put his team in good position to win the scramble in which the proceeds go to help fund the local Boy Scout programs, the duo had a scare on the next hole.
Easterwood and Frazier suffered their only bogey of the weekend when their approach shot on No. 15 sailed 40 yards past the hole, but they finished strong scoring birdies on both the 17th and 18th holes to win.
Scout executive Noel Evans said the two-day tournament, that changed from a four-ball tourney to a scramble this year, raised around $24,000 to $25,000 dollars.
The funds will be put to good use to train new leaders, expand the scouting program in the area and organize new units.
Along with its new format, the 16th annual tournament also added a new division.
Along with the regular division and the senior division, a father and son division was added this year.
Leslie and Vaughn Rush took the top spot in the championship flight of the newly formed father and son division hitting a two-day 128.
Tom and Randy Warden took second in the division with a 129, and Ed and Nicholas Brown finished in third shooting a 130 over the weekend.
Bobby Parker and Fletcher Rosenbaum followed their 66 performance on the first day with another 66 to finish with a 132 to win the senior division.
Doug Martin and Sonny Fisher combined for a 137 to finish second, and Don Cagle and Scotty Peek finished in third with a 138.
The field for the tournament included 82 teams, with five in the senior division and 22 in the father and son division.
The duo of Welch and Kennedy took the top spot in the regular division first flight with a 132, and the team of Blass and Thompson ended first in the second flight.
Hinson and Grantham grabbed first in the third flight with a 141, and Bailey and Hammack took the top spot in the fourth flight with a 147.
Clint and Bo Fletcher took first in the father and son first flight with a 141, Sidney and Steven Bowers ended in second in the flight with a 142.
The top five finishers in each flight received gift certificates to the club's pro shop, but the two days on the links were more about helping a good cause than the scorecards.