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Clarke fires 70, 69, 71 to win ms pga trustmark
Cameron Clarke (a), of Pittsboro,
Mississippi, fired rounds of 70, 69,
71 for a three-day total of six-under
par, 210, to claim the 2018 MS PGA
Trustmark Invitational. Clarke’s final
round included three birdies, two
bogies, and 1 pars. Clarke will be a
sophomore on the Mississippi State
University Men’s Golf team this fall.
The 2018 MS PGA Trustmark
Invitational was held at Mossy Oak
Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi
July 20 – 22. The tournament field
consisted of 130 players with the
state’s top PGA Professionals and
Amateurs.
Thomas Watkins, of Madison,
Mississippi, claimed the Low PGA
Professional title with rounds of
73, 72, 71 for a three-day total of
even-par, 216. Howard Waugh,
of Gulfport, took home the title of
Super Senior Champion with scores
of 70, 74, 74, for a three-day total
of two-over par, 218. Olly Thomson,
of Canton, MS, shot a first round of
two-under par, 70, and was awarded
the William E. Sonny Lawson Cup,
which is given to the round one Low
PGA Professional.
Additional Flight winners include:
1stFlight – Hunter Wolcott
2ndFlight – David Coleman
3rdFlight – Creede Mansell
4thFlight – Mark Hatfield
Super Senior 1st – Brother
Sandifer
Super Senior 2nd – Mike
Thompson
The Gulf States Section thanked
Melanie Morgan, Senior Vice
President, and everyone at Trustmark
Bank for continued support and
partnership for the tournament.
The Section also thanked the
owner of Mossy Oak Golf Club,
George Bryan, PGA Director of
Golf, Chris Jester, Golf Course
Superintendent, Jason Perkins, as
well as the rest of the staff at Mossy
Oak Golf Club for their hard work.
The Mississippi PGA is comprised
of 130 PGA Professionals who are
recognized experts in the game and
business of golf and are employed at
65 of Mississippi’s golf facilities.
Dennis Smith qualifies for US Senior Amateur Championship
Broussard, LA – July 31 – Dennis
Smith of Lafayette fired a six-under
par 66 on Tuesday at Le Triomphe
Golf & Country Club in Broussard
to earn medalist honors and qualify
for the 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur
Championship. Smith, an LGA
Member at Oakbourne Country
Club, advances to compete in the
championship proper at Eugene
Country Club in Eugene, Oregon,
Aug. 25-30.
This is the first time Smith has
qualified for a USGA Championship,
and he did it in dominating fashion.
Smith was the only competitor to
finish under par, shooting a 33 on his
front nine and a 33 on his back nine.
Grady Brame of Hammond bested
Doug Quienalty of Lake Charles in a
sudden death playoff to become First
Alternate after both competitors
carded an even par 72 on Tuesday.
Smith’s 66 included one eagle, five
birdies, and one bogey. He first two
birdies came at the par 4 4th hole
(402 yards) and the par 3 6th hole
(180 yards). Smith was in the 7th
fairway when play was suspended due
to a dangerous situation at 9:22 AM.
Once play resumed at 10:08 AM,
Smith finished out the par 5 7th hole
with a par. He made a birdie at the
par 3 8th hole (165 yards) and then a
par at the 9th hole to make the turn
at three-under par. Smith showcased
his incredible iron play by making
another birdie at the par 3 11th hole
(170 yards). His only stumble came
with a bogey at the par 4 13th hole,
but Smith quickly responded and
regained momentum with an epic
eagle at the par 5 14th (497 yards).
Smith hit his tee shot in the fairway
and then blasted a wood hole high on
the left fringe. He chipped in for the
eagle to get to five-under par for the
day. Smith added one more birdie at
the par 4 17th hole and cruised in
with a solid par on hole #18.
A total of 2,381 entries were
accepted for the championship
proper. The U.S. Senior Amateur
Qualifier was conducted by the
Louisiana Golf Association, an Allied
Golf Association of the USGA.