Matt Richie
Photo | Tommy Hicks
The 76th annual Alabama State Boys Junior Championship, conducted by the Alabama Golf Association, arrived at Lakewood Golf Club’s Dogwood Course on Tuesday and is scheduled to continue through Thursday. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will crown the 2021 Alabama State Boys Junior champion.
Only the overall championship is decided. Players as young as 12 are entered in the event, which has several players who are 18 years old. The tournament is being played at the site of the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, which will be contested at the Point Clear course in September.
The first tee times on Tuesday were scheduled for 7:40 a.m., with the final tee times slated for 2:15 p.m.
Several players from the Lagniappe coverage area have registered to participate in the tournament. The list includes:
Jackson Spybey (Loxley), Brody Quattlebaum (Fairhope), Cole Komyati (Spanish Fort), Zackery Coker (Orange Beach), Stephen Baker (Fairhope), Thomas Crane (Mobile), Ken Brown (Mobile), Abe Solomon (Fairhope), A.J. Nobles (Bay Minette), Blake Cornell (Daphne), Braxton Bonner (Mobile), Buddy Kinsey (Fairhope), Coleman Boothe (Fairhope), Eli Kinsey (Fairhope), Emory Walker (Daphne), Hank Miner (Fairhope), Harper Walker (Daphne), Jack Thompson (Fairhope), Jack Tobias (Mobile), John Daniels (Mobile), John Stubbs (Mobile), Luke Ferguson (Daphne), Max Johnston (Mobile), Michael Crocker (Mobile), Miles Jackson (Spanish Fort), Miles Miller (Point Clear), Nathan King (Citronelle), Noel Hand III (Gulf Shores), Pierce Guy (Mobile), Reid Larson (Spanish Fort), Scotty Cooper (Fairhope), Thomas Carey (Mobile), Timothy DeLong (Mobile), Trip Duke (Fairhope), Tyler Bjorgum (Gulf Shores), Tyler Chesser (Spanish Fort), Wells Lambert (Spanish Fort), Weston Enfinger (Loxley), Will Howard (Mobile) and Will Middleton (Fairhope).
Ritchie wins Woodall Invitational
Matt Ritchie bested the field and the weather Sunday to capture the first Woody Woodall Invitational golf tournament title at the Country Club of Mobile.
Ritchie turned in a score of 2-under-par 68 in Sunday’s final round of the three-day, 54-hole tournament named in honor of former CCM club pro Woody Woodall, who served as director of golf at the club for more than 33 years. He was inducted into the Dixie Section PGA Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He died in 2019.
Ritchie posted a three-day score of 206, one shot better than Michael Johnson, whose final round 70 placed him at 207. Robert Nelson (67 on Sunday) and Eric Howle (71) tied for third at 208, with Braxton Gillespie (69) finishing at 210.
Vincent Cave (72) tied for sixth in the 48-player field with a score of 211 along with Wilson McDonald (72). Bart Barnes (67) and Russ Etherton (66) tied for eighth at 213, with Conner Elder (72) taking 10th at 214.
Nelson was the winner of the senior division, with Richard Jeffers (71) placing second, finishing with the three-day total of 217, nine shots behind Nelson.
“Friday we kind of lucked out and had a little rain delay and Saturday we got it in, but of course [Sunday] it monsooned out here for two hours,” Ritchie said. “I was really hot on the front nine — I was 3-under through seven — and anytime you have a two-hour rain delay it throws a wrench in the system.”
Statkewicz turns pro
Sheldon Statkewicz, who played college golf at Spring Hill College and recently won the Mobile Metro championship at Azalea City Golf Course, will play in his first tournament as a professional in this week’s Alabama Open. Statkewicz qualified for the U.S. Amateur this year and said after winning the Mobile Metro he was going to retain his amateur status so he could participate in the U.S. Amateur. Now that the U.S. Am is complete, he is using the Alabama Open as his pro debut. He tees off at 9:10 a.m. at Twin Bridges Golf Course in Gadsden on Friday for the first round of play in the three-day, 54-hole event.
Other local golfers scheduled to participate in the Alabama Open include Steven Setterstrom (Mobile), Drew Mathis (Mobile), Mike Genovese (Loxley), Todd Bailey (Daphne), Jeffrey Darst (Mobile, amateur), Phillip Darst (Mobile, amateur), Matthew Stinebaugh (Fairhope), Robert Oppliger (Fairhope), Gregory Jones (Mobile, amateur) and Matt Luther (Mobile).
Lite Scratch Tour standings
The Lite Scratch Tour Regular Division and Senior Division standings are set as the tour awaits its next tournament, July 24-25 at Magnolia Grove Golf Course, Mobile’s stop on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. More points for the standings will be available at that tournament.
Conner Elder currently leads the Regular Division, followed in order by John Wright, Austin Hynson, Patrick Doggett, Haymes Snedeker and Michael Johnson. Preston Rich and Jay Friday are tied for seventh, followed by Matt Ritchie and Will Daigle. In the Senior Division, Danny Spybey has the lead, followed by Robert Nelson, Emile Vaughn, George Walker, Kurt Wielkens, Davis Sellers, Jefferey Darst, Richard Jeffers, Wayne Gardner and James Prim.
Jimmy Green Junior Tour winners
The Jimmy Green Junior Golf Tour continues with more tournaments planned in the coming days. Recently, the tour conducted three tournaments — the Huffman Golf Academy Junior Open at GlenLakes Golf Club in Foley, the Terry Thompson Chevrolet Open at Lakewood Golf Club in Point Clear and the Bay Business News Classic at Heron Lakes Country Club in Mobile.
Here are the winners of the respective tournaments and the age groups:
GlenLakes: Jackson Spybey (boys 16-18), Kylie Johnston (girls 16-18), Thomas Crane (boys 13-15), Addison Spears (girls 13-15), Tripp Hildreth (boys 11-12 A), Grayden Newell and Murray Seifert (boys 11-12 B), Ainsley Madden (girls 11-12 A), Anna Osterman (girls 11-12 B), Walker Reissiger (boys 10-under A), Matthew DeRoy (boys 10-under B) and Macy Mabrey (girls 10-under A).
Lakewood: Manton Davidson (boys 16-18), Ashford Madden (girls 16-18), Ken Brown (boys 13-15), Jade Neves (girls 13-15), Murray Walker (boys 11-12 A), Grayden Newell (boys 11-12 B), Maria-Jose Penaranda (girls 11-12 A), Anna Osterman (girls 11-12 B), Walker Reissiger (boys 10-under A), Matthew DeRoy (boys 10-under B) and Evelyn Lamar (girls 10-under A).
Heron Lakes: Manton Davidson (boys 16-18), Kylie Johnston (girls 16-18), Ken Brown (boys 13-15), Addison Spears (girls 13-15), Murray Walker (boys 11-12 A), Murray Seifert (boys 11-12 B), Maria-Jose Penaranda (girls 11-12 A), Anna Osterman (girls 11-12 B), Walker Reissiger (boys 10-under A), Matthew DeRoy (boys 10-under B), Maddie Claire Carpenter (girls 10-under A) and Grayson Kelly (girls 10-under B).
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