Mullinax tops Ozark native in playoff

Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 2, 2006

After shooting a shaky front-nine 40 on Sunday, Trey Mullinax of Mount Olive rebounded to shoot a back nine 38 and held off Ozark's Cole Claassen on the fourth playoff hole to win the 12-13 year-old Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail junior tournament title at Cambrian Ridge Golf Course on Sunday.

The 100-plus junior golfers were scheduled to play an 18-hole round each day of the two-day tournament starting Saturday, but rain washed out the first round. So it was all or nothing on Sunday for the junior golfers.

Erik Hussey of Ozark came one stroke shy with a 79 from forcing a three-way playoff. Ben McKeller carded the lowest back-nine score (36) of the day among the age group to finish fourth with an 80.

Jasper's Gabe Hyde also found a way to master the back-nine of the Canyon Course at Cambrian Ridge by carding a 36 to win the 14-15 year-old division by three strokes over Daniel Garrett of Florence. Garrett got off to a strong start with a 36 on the front nine, but struggled with a 43 on the back nine to finish three shots off the pace.

Deane Rikard of Killian took third with an 83, while Grant Gilbert of Troy, Adam Rosenthal of Hoover and Will Morrow of Athens tied for fourth with an 85.

Birmingham's Hunter Harper started out strong and held off a late surge by Troy's Chase Rogers to win the 16-18 year-old division by two strokes. Harper carded a front-nine 36 and followed it up with a 39.

Rogers struggled out of the gate with a front-nine 40, but picked up speed a little too late with a back-nine 37 for a 77.

Charlie Hearn of Hoover settled for third with a 79, while Chris Collier of Irvington shot an 81 for fourth.

Fort Mitchell's Haley Wilson captured the girls title by topping Kristen Dorsey of Gulf Breeze, Fla., by 10 strokes.