Rusty Strawn 2022 Trans-Miss Senior Champion (Credit: TMGA)
For much of the Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship,
Rusty Strawn had Trinity Forest in the palm of his hand. The Georgia native continued an excellent stretch of golf in 2022 with his second senior major victory, to go along with the
Florida Senior Azalea title he won in March.
An opening 68, which included four birdies and an eagle, earned Strawn a three shot lead that he never relinquished. Two players did their best to track him down but ultimately ran out of holes.
Jerry Slagle, who finished in third place, fired a second round 67, the lowest score in the senior division. That score was highlighted by six birdies, including three in a row on holes 10-12, and it put Slagle two shots behind Strawn heading into the third round.
The other competitor with a chance was
Mike McCoy, who is fresh off his first FSGA victory last month and a second place showing at the Coleman Invitational. He was the picture of consistency, shooting 72 all three rounds and tallying three birdies in each of his rounds.
By the fifth hole of the final round, Strawn's lead was gone.
“It was much more difficult, it was hard to get the ball close to the hole from the fairways," Strawn told the TMGA. "I hit every fairway today, but I just couldn't get the ball close.”
Slagle bounced back from an opening bogey with a birdie on the second hole and an eagle on the fifth. McCoy also made birdies on the second and fifth to reach 2-under par.
However, the eagle on the fifth was the last time Slagle would play any hole better than par, and bogeys on holes on 8, 11, and 18 sealed his fate. McCoy also made three bogeys on his closing 14 holes. A birdie on the 14th helped McCoy pull into a tie with Slagle for second place.
While Strawn never fell back to even par, he did have a stretch in the middle of the round that dropped him back to 1-under. A birdie on 17 gave him some insurance at 2-under par. It turned out he needed the extra shot.
“On the first putt I blew it eight feet by and ended up making bogey," Strawn said about his 18th hole. "I still ended up winning by one, so we’ll take it.”
Mid-Master
Jason Enloe, a Trinity Forest member and former SMU Men's golf coach, won the mid-master division by two shots over
Chris Kamin.
The tournament might have been won during the back nine of Enloe's second round. After teeing off on the 10th hole, he shot a back nine 33, carding birdies on holes 2,3,5,6,7.
That impressive run allowed Enloe some breathing room, which he needed. A slow start to round three, a bogey on the first and a double bogey on the third, gave his closest pursuer, Chris Kamin a bit of life.
Kamin didn't get off to a hot start either. He opened the final round two shots behind Enloe, but an opening 38 was one worse than Enloe's 37. It seemed like Enloe was off the hook for his slow start.
Kamin wasn't going to give up though, and he erased the three shot deficit in short order. By the time they were on the 13th tee box, Kamin and Enloe were tied for the lead. Kamin had birdied the 10th and 12th and Enloe dropped a shot on the 11th.
Both Enloe and Kamin played solid golf on their way to the clubhouse, but Enloe was able to birdie holes 14 and 16. Kamin carded six straight pars and couldn't catch Enloe for a second time.
“I kinda of struggled most of the day really. It became pretty tight the last four or five holes," Enloe told the TMGA following the round. "On my 18th hole he (Chris) hit a good seven wood which forced me to play a more aggressive shot and I hit a good putt from twenty feet, it was a fun putt, and I made it to close it out."
Enloe and Kamin were both Nationwide pro players, and coming down the stretch at Trinity Forest reminded Enloe of the rush that hits when the tournament gets tight.
“I miss pro golf a little bit, it's nice to get the juices flowing under the gun again," Enloe said.
Super Senior
Jeff Burda is no stranger to winning Trans-Miss trophies. The 2014 senior champion added another notch in his belt, successfully defending the Super Senior title he won at the Meadow Club last year. He finished 3-over par for a five-shot victory over
Randy King.
Legends
Ed Brooks led Kurt Bernhisel by one shot heading in the final round. Brooks' 77 in the third round was the best score of the day and helped him edge out
Kurt Bernhisel by four shots.
ABOUT THE Trans-Miss Senior
The championship will be contested over 54 holes
of individual stroke play with three divisions:
Senior
(55+, max
handicap 6.0), Super Senior
(65+, max handicap 10.0) and Legends (70+, max
handicap
12.0).
Must be a
member
of
Trans-Mississippi Golf Association member
club
(players may make an individual contribution of
$100
minimum to the Turf Scholarship Fund as part of the
entry process, in lieu of club membership).
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