A determined Gnam wins the Cotton States in extra holes
7/27/2020 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: View results for Cotton States Amateur, Bayou DeSiard Country Club
Ole Miss golfer Jack Gnam flips the switchon the back nine of the final match at Bayou DeSiard CC
By Adam Hunsucker of the Monroe News-Star
Golfers of all levels know that you may think you’re playing golf, but sometimes golf plays you instead.
Jack Gnam could relate early in Sunday’s championship round at the W.E. Cole Cotton States Invitational. It wasn’t that the Ole Miss golfer was playing bad overall, but inopportune gaffes had him trailing upstart Mitchell Ford by two strokes through 13 holes.
“I made a bad mistake there out of a bunker and gifted him a hole,” Gnam said. “From there on, I just decided I wasn’t going to lose this match.”
While keeping his cool mentally, Gnam’s game caught fire on holes 15 and 16. After sinking a putt on the 18th hole to force a sudden death playoff, Gnam outlasted Ford on the 20th hole to win the 2020 Cotton States championship at Bayou DeSiard Country Club.
“I’ve been involved in this tournament for 11 years and I’ve never seen a final match go extra holes,” Cotton States tournament director Stewart Causey said. “It was a great final match with lots of ups and downs and we had quite a crowd out here to watch it.”
Needing the putt on 18 to force a playoff, Gnam never considered an outcome other than winning the hole.
“I kind of had a good idea of the line and the only thing I was thinking of over the put was what I was going to do after it went it,” Gnam said. “You always say you expect it to go in, but it was a rush to have it go in.”
Ford, a Little Rock, Arkansas-native, started the tournament 23rd on the bracket and played his way into the championship match. He held a two-stroke lead coming off 10 and 13 and clung to a one-stroke advantage on 18.
“I was so grateful to Mr. Causey for letting me in the tournament,” Ford said. “I shouldn’t have been here or in the finals. I beat a lot of people that were better than me and I’m just extremely grateful to be here.”
Gnam credited his comeback to a pitching adjustment following a slow start.
“I just added about half a cup to my read and I did that the rest of the day,” Gnam said. “I hit maybe two bad shots, but I just wasn’t making putts and I knew I had to be patient and not let myself get mad.”
Results: Cotton States Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Ridgeland, MS | 400 | ||
| Runner-up | Little Rock, AR | 300 | ||
| Semifinals | Jackson, MS | 200 | ||
| Semifinals | Pottsboro, TX | 200 | ||
| Quarterfinals | Fort Worth, TX | 100 |
About the Cotton States Amateur
The Board of Directors of Bayou DeSiard CC has decided to cancel the 2025 W. E. Cole Cotton States Amateur and for the foreseeable futureOriginally played in 1949 as the Bayou DeSiard Labor Day Golf Tournament, the tournament's name was changed to th...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s
Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original