Wood earns shot at PGA national event
Brian Wood didn’t exactly set the world on fire after the first round of the 52nd annual Tennessee PGA Professional Championship.
The Memphis National golf pro’s 2over 73 placed him in a tie for 19th at the tournament held Aug. 10-12 at Franklin’s Vanderbilt Legends Club.
“I didn’t play very well. I hit the ball all over the place,” Wood said. “I really hit the ball awful in the practice round, too.”
Still, the 41-year-old Lakeland resident choose not to hit the panic button.
“Sometimes when you have low expectations, you can perform — if you just focus on the basics,” said Wood. “It’s so cliché and you hear about it on TV all the time, ‘One shot at a time’ or ‘Stay in the moment.’ But I’ve learned over the years, mostly through failures, that that is 100 percent accurate. If you can focus just on what you’re doing — not everybody else — for me, it’s a lot easier to be successful.”
Wood finished fourth overall with a 68 and 69 in the final two rounds for a 3-under par 210, but his showing wasn’t complete without a little bit of extra drama.
The top four individuals qualify for the PGA Professional Championship next April in Florida — and Wood was tied with Cherokee Country Club’s Andrew Bateman. His Knoxville competitor, though, would settle for first alternate, as Wood birdied the first playoff hole.
Another defining moment for Wood was a third-round weather delay. The golfers temporarily departed the course on No. 15.
“I had no idea where I stood, but that’s kind of where it hit me,” Wood said. “I saw the scoreboard for the first time. I knew I couldn’t catch the leader, so that wasn’t a concern, but I was close to the top four. After the weather delay, here came the nerves, but I stuck to my plan. I tried to play smart — and it paid off.”
Nashville’s Johan Kok won the tournament with an 11-under (202). Knoxville’s Braxton Hunter and Crossville’s Adam Forgey came in second (206) and third (208), respectively.
For Wood, it’s the fourth time he’ll participate at the national event having previously visited Oregon, California and his home state of South Carolina. There’s also familiarity with next spring’s destination, as he worked at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie after graduating from Clemson.
“In 2015, I played in the National Assistant Professional Championship,” said Wood, “and I actually did OK in that event. I’m not saying my course knowledge is going to get me a win or anything like that — you’ve still got to hit the ball — but it’s nice to go somewhere where you’ve played multiple times. You know something that could give you a little bit of an advantage.”
After about a year in Florida, Wood made his way to Memphis to work at Windyke Country Club in 2007. He’s now spent 4 ⁄ years at Memphis National.
“We have a great membership,” Wood said. “They’re very supportive. They’re very interested in how I perform, not just on the job, but in these golf tournaments. They love to follow me, and it’s great having that kind of support.”
Wood was one of four Memphis area golf professionals competing in Franklin.
Colonial Country Club’s Bobby Cochran finished in a five-way tie for 10th, Spring Creek Ranch’s Matthew Brock came in tied for 16th and The Links at Audubon’s Rafe Corder was 54th.
Athletic odds and ends
Former Desoto Central standout Grant Kimberlin has been named the wide receivers coach at Itawamba Community College in Fulton (Miss.). Kimberlin played two seasons for the Indians (201415) before transferring to Harding University. He was a graduate assistant at Murray State University (2018) and receivers coach at Millsaps College (2019). … Corey Beck, a basketball star at Fairley, will be inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor. At the 1994 NCAA championship, Beck posted a doubledouble (15 points and 10 rebounds) in a 7672 victory over Duke. He later played in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons. … Ben Moortgat has been hired as the strength and conditioning coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College. The Belgium native is set to bring NCAA Division I experience with him to Senatobia, having worked at Georgia (2018) and Oregon (2019).
Aces on the links
Bubba Clark aced the 125-yard No. 11 using an 8-iron at Orgill Park.
Michael Drake aced the 152-yard No. 7 using an 8-iron at Memphis Country Club.
Cooper Green aced the 181-yard No. 5 using an 8-iron at Mallard Pointe.
Bryan Miller aced the 134-yard No. 4 using a pitching wedge at Kirkwood National.
Sunday Sports Brunch is a weekly look at movers, shakers and newsmakers on the Memphis sports scene, from youth level to the pros. If you have an item of interest, please contact Chris Van Tuyl at christopher.vantuyl@commercialappeal.com