ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — For the second year in a row, the weather was cold, windy and rainy for the second round of the 46th annual Henry Tuten Gspantor Bowl Pro-Am.
Of course, it went to sudden death, where the team of professional Tee-K Kelly and amateurs Scott Riley, Scott Kennon and Andrew McLspanuchlspann survived three tee shots that missed the 18th fairway of the Sespan Islspannd Club’s Seaside Course and one that was 270 yards short of the green to win the aggregate playoff over pro Travis Trace and amateurs Jeff Dennis, Jack Comstock and Chase Baldwin.
Both teams finished 36-holes of regulation (one round each at the par-72 Plantation and par-70 Seaside courses) at 17-under 125 under a best gross ball format. Riley made a 20-foot birdie putt at the 16th hole to assure their spot in the playoff and Comstock birdied No. 2, his team’s next-to-last hole.
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The rain had stopped by the time the two teams went to the 18th tee for the playoff but the wind whipping off the St. Simons Sound was affecting swings, ball flights and hands that never warmed up in the few minutes they spent in the clubhouse waiting for the final scores to come in.
McLauchlan, a Neptune Beach resident and a freshman at Wake Forest, tugged his tee shot into the water. Kennon, a Ponte Vedra resident and a sophomore teammate of McLauchlan’s with the Deacons, found the right rough, as did Kelly, a former Ohio State player and a Korn Ferry Tour member.
Riley, who has played in the Gator Bowl Pro-Am a dozen times without winning, was in the fairway but popped his drive up. After hitting everything he had with a 3-wood, he was still 60 yards short of the green.
But McLauchlan salvaged a bogey after hitting his third shot short of the green and then wedging to within 3 feet, Kennon two-putted from 40 feet and Riley eventually made bogey. Kelly was the difference with an 8-foot birdie putt to give the team an aggregate score of 1-over.
Only Trace among his team hit the green in regulation. Baldwin double-bogeyed after driving into a penalty area, chipping out then missing the green left, Comstock failed to get up-and-down from the left greenside bunker, Dennis was short on a pitch from the left-front of the green and when Trace missed his 40-foot birdie attempt, the team was going to be 3-over at best and the long, chilly day was over.
Kelly earned $3,500 as the pro on the winning team.
“It was a great mix of guys,” he Kelly.
Trace, Dennis and Comstock are all former University of North Florida players and Dennis is now the assistant director of development athletics at UNF.
Riley, the owner of Live Forever Golf, a Jacksonville-based apparel company, put the team together after his friend and longtime teammate in the Gator Bowl, Matt Every, couldn’t play this year. He pulled some rank in putting the team together: Kelly, Kennon and McLauchlan are brand ambassadors for his company.
“It all kind of fell together, and then we wound up being a great team together,” Riley said. “On Sunday we watched the World Cup, played a practice round while we were watching the Jaguars on our phones and had a great time. It just carried over to the tournament.”
The team fired a 13-under 59 on the Plantation Course in Monday’s first round to take a two-shot lead over defending pro champion and two-time PGA Tour winner Russell Knox and his team of Luis Rivera, Matt Kleinrock and Chris Henderson; and another past PGA Tour winner, Keith Mitchell and his team of past Junior Players champion Bobby Wyatt, Matthew Wheeler and Jordan Gregory.
Trace’s team was four shots back entering the second round but posted the low round of the day with a 62.
Pro Pete Kellermann and amateurs Dan Kellermann, Tom Drill and Alex Dienes, the 2017 Gator Bowl champions, finished alone in third at 15-under. The Knox and Mitchell teams, plus teams headed by PGA Tour member Jared Wolfe and Korn Ferry Tour member A.J. Crouch tied at 14-under.
46th annual Henry Tuten Gator Bowl Pro-Am
At Sea Island Club: First round, Plantation Course (par-72); second round, Seaside Course (par-70).
Format: Best gross ball of foursome.
125 (17-under)
Tee-K Kelly (P), Scott Riley, Scott Kennon, Andrew McLauchlan (won on first playoff hole).
Travis Trace (P), Chase Baldwin, Jeff Dennis, Jack Comstock 125
127 (15-under)
Pete Kellermann (P), Dan Kellermann, Tom Drill, Alex Dienes
128 (14-under)
Russell Knox (P), Luis Rivera, Matt Kleinrock, Chris Henderson
Jared Wolfe (P), Lenny Schoenfeld, Luke McCann, Johnny Watts
A.J. Crouch (P), Conor Richardson, Phil Oweida, John Jonas
Keith Mitchell (P), Matthew Wheeler, Jordan Gregory, Bobby Wyatt
129 (13-under)
Scott Jamieson (P), Brendan Rager, John Driscoll, Chip Brooke
130 (12-under)
Jarrod Barsamian (P), Chet Stokes, Clayton Brewer, Carson Brewer
Jeff Hanson (P), Zach Lee, Tyler Brown, Tom Krystyn
Davis Thompson (P), Todd Thompson, John McKenzie, Trey Freeman
131 (11-under)
Patton Kizzire (P), Lee Knox, Jeremy Elliot, Phillip Weaver
132 (10-under)
Justin Hueber (P), Brad Parker, Blair Webb, Andrew Rhodes
Colin Monagle (P), Duke Butler IV, Scott Dellorso, Will Sprague
133 (9-under)
Frank Lickliter (P), Adam Krestalude, Jeff Golden, Sam Ohno
Wesley Hunter (P), Haymes Snedeker, Brinson Holder, John Wright
JT Poston (P), Jack Walsh, Bryant Odom, Grey Miller
134 (8-under)
Scott Wolfes (P),Patrick Parker, Henry Mabbett, Lewis Gruber
Ramon Bescansa (P), Michael del Rocco, Bois Farrar, Riley Skinner
Michael Broderick (P), Peter Catanzaro, Matty Miller, Dan Huffingham
136 (6-under)
Jeff Klauk (P), Pete Abernathy, Josh Hammond, Kevin Durkin
Ron Philo Jr. (P), Hank Kovalcik, Charlie Kovalcik, Miguel Coles
138 (4-under)
Vince Covello (P), Nick Sarianides, Sam Nicholson, Mike Graybeal
Matt Borchert (P), Matt Immerfall, Giorgio Vozza, Christian Vozza
Andrew Alligood (P), Dan Dearing, Scott Hoffmann, Marlen Vogt
141 (1-under)
Dillon Board (P), Michael McGrath, John Barber, Graham Nichols
144 (2-over)
Daren Johnson (P), Joe Gaetano, Max Baumer, Scott McGuire