By Patrick Donahue
Assistant Sports Editor
Intermission at the annual drama at Black Creek Club lasted an hour. When the curtain raised again, Kyle Reifers finished his show-stopping performance.
Reifers, thanks to a course-record 11-under 61 in the final round, won the Chattanooga Classic on Sunday with a birdie putt on the first playoff hole, beating Brandt Snedeker. Reifers, who recently graduated from Wake Forest University and turned pro, was playing in his first Nationwide Tour event. Reifers and Snedeker each finished regulation at 26-under 262 on the par-72 course.
“It hadn’t really hit me,” said Reifers, who pocketed a check for $85,500. “Whatever it is, it feels great.”
But on Sunday, he made it all look easy. Reifers, a member of the 2005 U.S. Walker Cup team and two-time college all-American, dominated Black Creek Club in the final round, had 11 birdies and needed just 24 putts.
Reifers, a religion major at Wake Forest, birdied the first four holes of his final round. Then, he birdied holes 13-16. And when he birdied the 18th, he had the lead.
“I felt great,” he said. “I made a lot of great putts on the back nine. To shoot 11 under, you have to be on all cylinders. It just kinda happened. It was just my day.”
But Snedeker, who held at least a share of the lead after the first two rounds and was second coming into the final 18, saved his best for the last. Coming to the 18th and knowing he needed to make eagle to force a possible playoff, the former Vanderbilt University star drained a 10-foot putt to tie Reifers. Snedeker and Reifers even had dinner together Monday night in Chattanooga.
“My caddy said, ‘All we need is three perfect shots,’ and we did it,’” Snedeker said of his eagle on the 72nd hole. “I can’t complain. I played great today. You just tip your hat to Kyle. It was a great way to finish.”
Boo Weekley, the third round leader, had a chance to win on the last hole, but his eagle chip attempt, from the rough just behind the green, rolled past the cup. From there, he missed the birdie putt coming back to get into the playoff.
“It’s just golf. It wasn’t meant to be,” said Weekley, who posted a 3-under 69 and finished in a tie for third at 25 under. “Everything happens for a reason. It felt good to be in that spot.”
Thomas Hagler IV, a Ringgold, Ga., resident and member of the University of Alabama golf team, was the low amateur at 17 under and finished in a tie for 24th. Fellow Ringgold resident Luke List, a Vanderbilt University standout, finished at 15 under.
Hagler got as low as 19 under before a double bogey on the 16th and a bogey on the 17th tripped him up. He shot 68 Sunday.
“Those last three holes, I didn’t think I’d get nervous, but I did,” Hagler said after his first appearance in a professional tournament. “But it was worth it nonetheless. I’m thrilled.”
List missed the cut in last year’s Chattanooga Classic and barely made the weekend this year.
“I hit it well,” said List, who finished with a 71. “I hit some good putts and they scared the hole. They were just not going in today. But it was great. It was fun to be out here on the weekend.”
Four players led or shared the lead on the final day. Weekley’s two-shot margin to begin the round was gone by the second hole, when he recorded his first bogey of the tournament and Snedeker, playing in the same group, birdied to tie him at 22 under. Snedeker grabbed sole possession of the lead with a birdie on the fourth and was two shots in front of Weekley at the turn.
But Snedeker bogeyed the par-3 11th and Weekley made back-to-back birdies to go up by one again. Meanwhile, Andrew Buckle continued his charge to the top of the leaderboard. The Aussie, a winner on the Nationwide earlier this year at the Virginia Beach Open, forged a three-way tie for the lead at 21 under when he birdied the fourth hole. Consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th put Buckle ahead by a stroke at 26 under.
But on the 17th, his tee shot landed in the back edge of the front left bunker and hopped out into the adjacent rough. He lofted his second shot to within 15 feet, but missed the par-saving putt. The ensuing bogey dropped him to 25 under.
On the 18th, Buckle had to lay up and play his second shot back into the middle of the fairway. He missed his birdie putt there and ended his tournament at 25 under after a 7-under 65 on Sunday.
Snedeker and Reifers went back to the 18th tee to start the playoff. Both put their drives in the fairway. Then, their approach shots landed in the right-hand greenside bunker. Snedeker and Reifers each blasted out to the green, with Snedeker about 20 feet from the hole and Reifers 15 feet away from the hole.
At that point, tournament officials blew the horn, signaling a weather delay as a storm moved in. An hour later, Snedeker and Reifers went back to the 18th green and four minutes later, it was over as Snedeker’s birdie attempt ran just an inch or two by the left edge of the cup and Reifers’ putt rolled home.
“I just misread it,” Snedeker, who made $51,300 as the runner-up, said. “When I missed it, I knew it was over.”
Reifers had a similar line to Snedeker’s playoff putt, but said his 45-footer at the end of the regulation gave him a better idea of what to expect on his stroke.
“I was thinking he was going to make it and I’m going to have to make it to keep it going,” Reifers said. “Brandt’s a great player. You have to expect he’s going to make it.”
Reifers became the first Monday qualifier to win an event since Eric Axley at last year’s The Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, N.C. He also became the first Monday qualifier to win in his first Nationwide Tour start since Chris Nallen in the 2004 Gila River Golf Classic.
It’s all on the heels of being a pro for about two weeks and winning a week ago, at the Charlotte National Open on the Tar Heel Tour.
The win exempts Reifers for the rest of the year on the Nationwide Tour and also for next year. He is now 22nd in the money winning list and the top 20 advance to the PGA Tour next year.
“Handshakes after amateur events are pretty nice,” Reifers said. “But paychecks are cool. It’s never easy, but you’ve got to start somewhere.”
E-mail Pat Donahue at pdonahue@timesfreepress.com
Assistant Sports Editor
Intermission at the annual drama at Black Creek Club lasted an hour. When the curtain raised again, Kyle Reifers finished his show-stopping performance.
Reifers, thanks to a course-record 11-under 61 in the final round, won the Chattanooga Classic on Sunday with a birdie putt on the first playoff hole, beating Brandt Snedeker. Reifers, who recently graduated from Wake Forest University and turned pro, was playing in his first Nationwide Tour event. Reifers and Snedeker each finished regulation at 26-under 262 on the par-72 course.
“It hadn’t really hit me,” said Reifers, who pocketed a check for $85,500. “Whatever it is, it feels great.”
But on Sunday, he made it all look easy. Reifers, a member of the 2005 U.S. Walker Cup team and two-time college all-American, dominated Black Creek Club in the final round, had 11 birdies and needed just 24 putts.
Reifers, a religion major at Wake Forest, birdied the first four holes of his final round. Then, he birdied holes 13-16. And when he birdied the 18th, he had the lead.
“I felt great,” he said. “I made a lot of great putts on the back nine. To shoot 11 under, you have to be on all cylinders. It just kinda happened. It was just my day.”
But Snedeker, who held at least a share of the lead after the first two rounds and was second coming into the final 18, saved his best for the last. Coming to the 18th and knowing he needed to make eagle to force a possible playoff, the former Vanderbilt University star drained a 10-foot putt to tie Reifers. Snedeker and Reifers even had dinner together Monday night in Chattanooga.
“My caddy said, ‘All we need is three perfect shots,’ and we did it,’” Snedeker said of his eagle on the 72nd hole. “I can’t complain. I played great today. You just tip your hat to Kyle. It was a great way to finish.”
Boo Weekley, the third round leader, had a chance to win on the last hole, but his eagle chip attempt, from the rough just behind the green, rolled past the cup. From there, he missed the birdie putt coming back to get into the playoff.
“It’s just golf. It wasn’t meant to be,” said Weekley, who posted a 3-under 69 and finished in a tie for third at 25 under. “Everything happens for a reason. It felt good to be in that spot.”
Thomas Hagler IV, a Ringgold, Ga., resident and member of the University of Alabama golf team, was the low amateur at 17 under and finished in a tie for 24th. Fellow Ringgold resident Luke List, a Vanderbilt University standout, finished at 15 under.
Hagler got as low as 19 under before a double bogey on the 16th and a bogey on the 17th tripped him up. He shot 68 Sunday.
“Those last three holes, I didn’t think I’d get nervous, but I did,” Hagler said after his first appearance in a professional tournament. “But it was worth it nonetheless. I’m thrilled.”
List missed the cut in last year’s Chattanooga Classic and barely made the weekend this year.
“I hit it well,” said List, who finished with a 71. “I hit some good putts and they scared the hole. They were just not going in today. But it was great. It was fun to be out here on the weekend.”
Four players led or shared the lead on the final day. Weekley’s two-shot margin to begin the round was gone by the second hole, when he recorded his first bogey of the tournament and Snedeker, playing in the same group, birdied to tie him at 22 under. Snedeker grabbed sole possession of the lead with a birdie on the fourth and was two shots in front of Weekley at the turn.
But Snedeker bogeyed the par-3 11th and Weekley made back-to-back birdies to go up by one again. Meanwhile, Andrew Buckle continued his charge to the top of the leaderboard. The Aussie, a winner on the Nationwide earlier this year at the Virginia Beach Open, forged a three-way tie for the lead at 21 under when he birdied the fourth hole. Consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th put Buckle ahead by a stroke at 26 under.
But on the 17th, his tee shot landed in the back edge of the front left bunker and hopped out into the adjacent rough. He lofted his second shot to within 15 feet, but missed the par-saving putt. The ensuing bogey dropped him to 25 under.
On the 18th, Buckle had to lay up and play his second shot back into the middle of the fairway. He missed his birdie putt there and ended his tournament at 25 under after a 7-under 65 on Sunday.
Snedeker and Reifers went back to the 18th tee to start the playoff. Both put their drives in the fairway. Then, their approach shots landed in the right-hand greenside bunker. Snedeker and Reifers each blasted out to the green, with Snedeker about 20 feet from the hole and Reifers 15 feet away from the hole.
At that point, tournament officials blew the horn, signaling a weather delay as a storm moved in. An hour later, Snedeker and Reifers went back to the 18th green and four minutes later, it was over as Snedeker’s birdie attempt ran just an inch or two by the left edge of the cup and Reifers’ putt rolled home.
“I just misread it,” Snedeker, who made $51,300 as the runner-up, said. “When I missed it, I knew it was over.”
Reifers had a similar line to Snedeker’s playoff putt, but said his 45-footer at the end of the regulation gave him a better idea of what to expect on his stroke.
“I was thinking he was going to make it and I’m going to have to make it to keep it going,” Reifers said. “Brandt’s a great player. You have to expect he’s going to make it.”
Reifers became the first Monday qualifier to win an event since Eric Axley at last year’s The Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, N.C. He also became the first Monday qualifier to win in his first Nationwide Tour start since Chris Nallen in the 2004 Gila River Golf Classic.
It’s all on the heels of being a pro for about two weeks and winning a week ago, at the Charlotte National Open on the Tar Heel Tour.
The win exempts Reifers for the rest of the year on the Nationwide Tour and also for next year. He is now 22nd in the money winning list and the top 20 advance to the PGA Tour next year.
“Handshakes after amateur events are pretty nice,” Reifers said. “But paychecks are cool. It’s never easy, but you’ve got to start somewhere.”
E-mail Pat Donahue at pdonahue@timesfreepress.com
