Nix claims Chicken Dinner title again
Dalton State golfer and LaFayette native Levi Nix is blessed with a lot of talent when it comes to his game.
But on Sunday, in the final round of the 2016 Chicken Dinner Tournament, Nix had to rely on something else — experience.
The 2015 champion did what he needed to do in the late stages and became the 15th player to win the tournament multiple times as his final round of 71 to claim a one-stroke victory in the 80th edition of the event, which dates back to the late 1930’s.
“(Being a multiple winner) definitely means a lot, especially doing it on the course that I grew up on,” Nix said. “All the credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I had some scriptures running through my head and He helped me stay calm. Credit goes to my family and friends, who have been supporting me too.”
After a dazzling 7-under par 65 on Saturday, Nix — along with most of the field — found that the course showed a little more teeth on Sunday
“The course was playing a lot tougher today.” Nix said. “Mr. Ricky (Campbell) put the pins in some tough spots, but that made it a lot of fun too because you had to think your way around it (the course) and strategize a little bit.”
Nix teed off in the final group along with J.B. Bailey, who had a 66 in the opening round, Stephen Keen and two-time Chicken Dinner winner, Shonn Weldon, who both shot 67 on Saturday.
And while his playing partners stumbled coming out of the gate, Nix had four birdies and one bogey in his first five holes to move to 10-under and briefly give himself some breathing room.
However, the DSC Roadrunner would stumble himself in the middle of the round.
A bogey on No. 8 gave him a frontside 34 and left him at 9-under for the tournament with nine holes to play. But he would add bogeys at Nos. 10 and 12, leaving the door open for a couple of players in groups ahead of him.
Ryan Cannington, who carded a 70 on Saturday, shot an outstanding 30 on the front nine. He would take the lead in the clubhouse 7-under 137 after a final round of 67 — the lowest score of the day on Sunday.
Just behind him, in the penultimate group of the day, Steve Johnson was looking to add to his first round score of 67. He came home with an even 70 on Sunday to match Cannington at 7-under par.
Meanwhile, Nix was already getting the feeling that he needed to make a move.
“I started hearing rumors that a couple of other guys were playing pretty solidly and I knew I really needed to make a couple of birdies coming in if I wanted to have any chance at (winning),” he explained. “I didn’t realize I was actually still in the lead, so that’s what gave me the mindset to try and make a couple of birdies.”
Sitting at 7-under after his bogey at No. 12, Nix got one back with a three on the par-4 No. 13 hole and, following a par at No. 14, Nix went up by two after a birdie at No. 15.
Up by two with one hole to play, Nix’s second shot came up short of the green and well below the hole. After a pitch-out, he ran his par putt about two feet past the hole, but calmly sunk the bogey putt to give him his second straight title.
Nix is the second consecutive winner in the last four years, joining P.J. Shields, who won the tournament for the first and second time in 2013 and 2014.
Nix added that he
All-Americans again. We finished one (spot) better than we did last year, so there is still a lot to be proud of.”
Sophomores Lanier Guest and Grant Allen were the first to post scores on Friday afternoon, both carding rounds of 77, a total matched by freshman Tucker Venable moments later.
Another sophomore, Jordan Estes, birdied the 18th hole to finish with an even-par 72, setting the stage for sophomore Chase Cole to try and pull out the runner-up trophy for the Bobcats.
And Cole did just that.
Recovering from a tough 81 on Wednesday to post a 67 on Thursday — missing the tournament’s one-day record by one shot in the process — Cole was at it again on Friday. He posted a 4-under par 68 to give Georgia Northwestern second place and get himself in a playoff for the individual national title.
Cole’s opponent in the playoff was Mohawk Valley’s (N.Y.) Dante Migilore, who was tied with Cole for second place after Round 3 and who also put up a 68 in his final round.
Vincennes’ Jacob Bartley, who led the individual standings after 54 holes, managed only a 74 on Friday to finish third at 293, five shots behind the leaders.
Cole narrowly missed a birdie putt on the first playoff hole that would have given him the title and dodged bullets on holes Nos. 2, 3 and 4 as Migilore left birdie putts short.
A big crowd then followed the players to the par-5 fifth hole and after Cole’s second shot came up well short of the green, Migilore was able to get on in two and had a 12-foot eagle putt for the win after Cole’s third shot came up about eight feet short of the flag.
However, this time Migilore would not miss as he rattled in the eagle to claim the indi- vidual championship.
“I knew I had to go low (the last two days),” said Cole, who finished fourth overall a year ago. “I was just trying to make birdies. Still, second place was a good way to bounce back from that 81 on Wednesday.”
Cole, with his top six finish, was named first team All-American for a second consecutive year, while Estes earned a second team All-American honor after placing 13th overall. Estes was third last year to earn first team honors.
For Cole, Estes, Allen and Guest, Friday also marked the last competitive round for the quartet in Bobcats colors.
“I’m very proud of my sophomores,” Willerson said, fighting back tears. “I recruited them all two years ago to win a national championship. We fell a little short of that goal, but they are the finest young men I’ve ever had the privilege to coach.”