Wild Finish In Eagle Cup

Sean Covich
MCC Sports Information
Aug 24

(MERIDIAN)-With six points up for grabs in Thursdays single matches and with just one point separating the freshmen (3 ½ ) from the sophomores (2 ½ ) it was still anybody’s Cup to win. The final round of the inaugural Eagle Cup would be played at Briarwood Country Club under pristine conditions and with temperatures that reached the mid-90’s.

The first match of the day featured former MCC Athlete of the Year (2003) and former MCC All–American golfer, Clinton Hales, representing the sophomores vs. MJGA Cup Team member, Curt Sparks. Hales would grab a lead on the front nine and carry that advantage over to the back. Sparks fought his was back and with just one hole left, Hales had to fight off Sparks’ comeback with a clutch putt on the final hole to win 1 UP. With Hales’ victory, the sophomores evened up the points at 3 ½ a piece.

In the second match of the day, freshman team captain, Joshua Ivy faced off against returning sophomore, Cole Clopton. Ivy grabbed an early lead and held tightly to that lead all the way until the 15th hole where he ended the match by defeating Clopton 5 & 3. With Ivy’s victory, the freshmen were within 1 ½ points of winning the Eagle Cup.

Match #3 featured former West Lauderdale High School golfer, Ryan Hill and MCC sophomore, Reid Kennedy. Hill led the match virtually the entire round; up by four at one point over Kennedy, Hill let the sophomore creep back to within one midway through the back nine. But after an errant tee shot on #15, Kennedy went three down with three to play. Kennedy once against fought back winning the par 3 16th hole, but the comeback was short lived as Hill put the match away on #17, winning 2 & 1. With the win, Hill and the freshmen had 5 ½ team points- needing just 1 more point to claim the Cup.

With just three matches left on the course, the sophomores needed to win all three to have a chance at winning the Cup outright. Meanwhile, the freshmen were just ½ a point away from securing at least a playoff and just one point away from beating the sophomores.

In the fourth match of the day, former West Lauderdale High School golfer, Michael Burton squared off against MCC sophomore, Zach Rushing. Rushing, who lead most of the match played steady and won a much needed point for the sophomore team. Rushing defeated Burton 5 & 4 on #14. Rushing’s win kept hopes alive for the sophomores, who then relied solely on their final two players.

The Eagle Cup was down to the final two matches. In the next to final match, former Scottsboro (AL) High School golfer, Jarrod Lemaster faced NJCAA All-American and sophomore team captain, Justin Eaves. The match was close from hole #1 all the way until #18. After a birdie on #17, Eaves held a 1 UP advantage going into the final hole, guaranteeing the sophomores at least ½ with a draw. But a tie would also mean that the freshmen couldn’t lose the Cup- because it would give them 6 points. After a straight drive, Eaves hit his approach shot to within 10 feet and calmly drained his birdie putt to win the match 2 UP.

Then it all came down to this, the final match of the Eagle Cup. Former Tupelo High School golfer, Bryant Self vs. the 2006 MACJC/Region XXIII Player of the Year, Dustin Petit. Self and Petit were back-and-forth all day, and found themselves ALL SQUARE with just one hole to play. After two solid drives, both golfers were in the middle of the 18th fairway- with the Eagle Cup on the line. Teammates became cheerleaders and spectators on ‘The Hill’ beside #18’s green as they watched both Petit and Self miss the green with their approach shots. Self’s ball was short of the green on the fringe, while Petit was pin-high but had found an awful lie in the thick rough. Petit hit first and his chip shot came up about 10 feet short of the hole, leaving Self with an opportunity to win the Cup outright for his team with a birdie. Self was aggressive with his attempt, running close by the hole and about 2 ½ feet passed it. With Self virtually securing a par for the freshmen team, Petit had to make his lengthy left-to-right par putt. With the entire MCC golf team looking on, Petit calmly drained his putt to force a playoff for the Cup.

Both captains would represent their teams in a sudden death playoff beginning on Briarwood’s par 4, 1st hole. Still riding high after his birdie-birdie finish, Justin Eaves birdied the playoff hole to win the Eagle Cup for the sophomore team.

A physically and emotionally drained Eaves would accept the Eagle Cup on behalf of his teammates from MCC head golf coach, Sean Covich. Eaves thanked his teammates and congratulated the freshmen for their outstanding play.

The MCC golf team begins qualifying for their first official event Monday. The Eagles travel to five time NJCAA national champion, Central Alabama on September 10-11.