McNulty tops Davis for record 6th title
One of the first people to greet Wes McNulty on Sunday after he won the Arkansas State Golf Association Match Play championship was the man whose record he had just broken.
Five-time champion Stan Lee had just defeated Gordy McKeown 3 and 2 to win the Senior Division when he stopped and congratulated McNulty on winning his record sixth title, a 3-and-2 victory over Ben Davis at Rebsaman Golf Course in Little Rock. Lee’s last matchplay title came in 2013, while McNulty’s last before Sunday was in 2015. The victory gave McNulty his 12th ASGA major to go with six stroke-play championships.
“To be one better than Stan Lee is a heck of an
achievement,” said McNulty, 50. “People may argue with me, but I still say he’s the best player this state has ever seen. He’s a good friend, and I am truly honored to be included when his name is mentioned.”
McNulty, of White Hall, said he didn’t expect to be the one to be hoisting the winner’s trophy at the end of the week. He said after playing two matches both Friday and Saturday that he wasn’t sure how his body was going to react Sunday especially after a restless night’s sleep.
“I don’t think my old 50-year-old body could have taken it if I would have had to play 36 holes today,” McNulty said. “I didn’t sleep well last night. Just didn’t play with the tempo I was playing with earlier in the week.”
Davis, 38, a Texarkana native who played collegiately at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia and currently resides in Fayetteville, didn’t make things easy for McNulty who never trailed in the match that was all-square after 11 holes. McNulty won the par-5 12th and the par-3 15th to go 2 up, then watched as Davis’ par attempt at the par-3 16th slid by before making his par to close out the victory.
“It was a good year for me on the ASGA,” said Davis who credited recent changes in his game for a solid 2019 season. “I knew I had my work cut out for me today. I was just happy to be in the final with a legend in the state.”
McNulty went 1 up with a birdie on the par-5 2nd when Davis’ drop after his second shot left the ball below his feet and a tough pitch attempt over a bunker, leading to a thin shot to the back of the green.
Davis evened the match right away at the par-3 3rd when McNulty missed a short par attempt. The match remained all-square thanks to Davis making a clutch 10foot birdie at the par-4 6th and another birdie, thos one a 12-footer at the par-5 8th. McNulty stuffed a 54-degree wedge from 108 yards within 18 inches at the par-4 9th to make the turn 1 up.
McNulty lost the lead at the par-4 10th when his chip just off the green came up short leading to his third bogey of the day.
“I hadn’t mad that many bogeys the previous four rounds,” McNulty said. “Give Ben credit. He made some clutch putts there that kept things tight. I struggled all week chipping it seems.”
That was until he found his chipping stroke on back-toback holes on Nos. 13 and 14.
McNulty played a hook on the short 230-yard, par-4 13th and finished in the rough just left of the hole. His second shot grazed the flagstick leading to a birdie right after Davis missed by a couple of feet with his eagle chip attempt as the pair halved the hole. At the 228-yard, par-3 14th Davis went into rough well over the green, while McNulty found himself in trouble again when his tee shot went right and short, leading to an awkward lie and leaving, according to him, just one shot to get to the hole which was cut back and along the right side.
The end result was a shot over a hill, leaving him within 3 feet for a par, while Davis’ pitch ran by the hole. His par attempt barely missed, leading to a bogey to leave him 2 down with four holes to play.
“I had to open the face and swing hard like a bunker shot,” McNulty said. “I guess it it was a blessing knowing that was the only shot I had and didn’t give myself a chance to do anything really stupid.
“Neither one of us had our ‘A’ game today,” McNulty said. “At first my chipping was really bad. But there as it got later in the match my chipping saved me and kept me in it.”
After the pair halved the par-5 15th, McNulty converted his par attempt at the 16th to seal the match.
McNulty, who defeated good friend Chris Jenkins 2 up in Saturday’s quarterfinals and then Henderson State Mitchell Ford junior 1 up in the afternoon’s semifinals, credited his son Josh, who served as his caddie for the championship. Josh will be an incoming freshman for the Henderson State golf team in the fall. Ironically, Davis’ caddie, Grayson Jones, will be McNulty’s teammate after transferring from Oral Roberts.
“Josh did a great job,” McNulty said. “I was happy to have him in the cart and out on the course with me.”
Defending champions Trey Schaap (mid-senior) and Sam McAllister (masters) repeated in their respective divisions. Dill Gunn defeated Glen Talbert in 20 holes to capture the super-senior division.