Hickory golfers at the Country Club of Jackson pose for posterity. Chief instigator, Keith Cleveland, is seated at far right.
By Keith Cleveland
The beautiful blue skies of Good Friday saw the arrival of 32 local hickory golfers at the Country Club of Jackson for the fourth annual playing of the CCJ Hickory Golf Association “Hickory Masters.” Dressed “to the nines” in period attire, players took to the course to compete in the annual two-man better ball event. The golfers vied for both low gross and low net championships.
Combined 12 -time Mississippi State Amateur Champions Mike Taylor (10) and Johnny Lang (2) were obvious pre-tourney favorites in the gross division. They did not disappoint in their hickory baptismal by winning the traditional mint julep cups with a one-under low ball total. Co-champ Lang commented that he found hickory “a really enjoyable but humbling experience.” Hickory veterans Becker Sams and Bob Croswell grabbed low gross runners-up honors.
Low net championship honors went to the brothers Jernigan – Bobby and Jimmy. The four-year hickory veterans took it low with a 5-under total on the strength of Jimmy’s new titanium hip acquired Jan. 2, and Bobby J’s well known short game. Bill Reed and Tommy Abernethy finished a strong second in the category.
Becker Sams easily garnered long drive honors as he launched a massive 272 yard bomb on No. 9, while Mike Taylor seized the closest-to-the-hole contest on No. 13 with a dart to 6 feet, 2 inches from 138 yards.
Hickory golf has taken root at the Donald Ross-inspired Country Club of Jackson links. Society of Hickory Golfers luminaries suggest that the CCJ contingent of hickory enthusiasts is one of the largest single club groups in the country, perhaps only behind the famed “Home of American Golf”, Pinehurst, N.C. Could there be a match in the making?