Wayne Grandy
March 06, 2008 10:51 pm
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MOULTRIE — Today’s first round of the 53rd Pot o’ Gold Pro-Am appears in jeopardy with a 100-percent chance of heavy rain in the forecast.
But if the storms should find a way to bypass Moultrie, the Sunset Country Club’s two teams will have a little something extra to bank on.
Adam Thomas, who will be playing for Sunset pro Bob Windom’s Black team, won Friday’s long drive contest, sending a shot measured at 318 yards.
And Brad Eunice, who is on Windom’s Gold foursome, finished in a tie for third at 310 yards.
The long drive contest helps kick off the tournament, held annually at Sunset Country Club. The Pot o’ Gold’s 58 teams are scheduled for shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. The tournament will continue on Saturday and Sunday.
Longtime tournament chairman Max Hancock said if rain washes out today’s round, the tournament’s prizes will be based on the scores from the Saturday and Sunday rounds.
A washout of the first round would be especially disappointing to Hancock, who said the Sunset course is in the best shape he’s ever seen it. And he gives much of the credit to superintendent Carl Edmondson, who also has worked at Arrowhead Country Club in Montgomery, Ala., and has 30 years of course maintenance.
“He knows his business,” Hancock said. “He’s done a superb job.”
The golfers who took advantage of a practice round and/or the long drive contest got to get a feel for the course on Friday.
Thomas went off early in the long drive event and held his lead for most of the two-hour competition.
The 1995 Georgia Amateur champion will team up with Ernie Venet and Kevin Blanton to give Windom’s Black team a shot at the team championship.
And Thomas is no stranger to Sunset. He has played the Ramsey Pidcock with Blanton. The two also traveled together on the Hooters Tour.
Justin Gupton, an amateur who will play with Jeff Peck’s foursome from Carolinas Country Club, was second in the long drive contest at 315 yards.
Eunice and Bo Burdette, who is playing with the team led by Highlands Country Club professional Bill Robinson, tied for third.
Eunice, his brother Chad and Jon Ladson will make up Windom’s Gold team.
Scott Curiel, who won the long drive contest last year, took first place among the seniors with a drive of 303 yards. Curiel is the pro at The Standard Club in Duluth. Gary Blackwell, an amateur playing for the team led by Jacksonville’s Ray Barr, was second at 291 yards.
Former Colquitt County player Darin Bentz, who will play in his eighth straight Pot o’ Gold this weekend, did not take part in the long drive contest for the first time.
Bentz, who is in charge of maintenance of the playing fields at Florida State University, hurt his back not long ago helping deploy the tarp at a Seminoles baseball game.
Bentz will join Ben Fuller and Reed Davis on the foursome headed up by David Beck of Summerbrooke in Tallahassee.
Aaron Elrod, who joins Lavon Stripling and Glen Fowler in playing for Richard Crawford’s team, took part in his first long drive contest.
Elrod is a freshman member of the Darton College golf team that has turned in pair of second-place finishes so far this season.
Matt Smith, Elrod’s former Colquitt County High teammate and current Darton teammate also is in the Pot o’ Gold field. Smith is playing for Rob Allen, the Stonebridge Country Club pro.
Andy Blanton, the former Colquitt County and Valdosta State player now an assistant pro at the Country Club of Columbus, was fourth in the long drive contest with a drive of 308 yards.
Blanton is playing in his second Pot o’ Gold as a professional and again brings to Bobby Brent Jr., Bobby Brent III and Boo Miller to Moultrie.
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