The Dogwood: Trey Rule wins in playoff

By Rory Sharrock, for AmateurGolf.com

ATLANTA, Georgia (Jun 28, 2014) -- It took four rounds, and two playoff holes, but The Dogwood Invitational finally showcased the same player who began and ended the day sitting atop the leaderboard.

Mercer University golfer Trey Rule teed off Saturday with a one-shot lead and concluded play with the trophy in hand, defeating Winthrop University’s Zach Seabolt to clinch The Dogwood Invitational at Druid Hills Golf Club.

Rule’s win didn’t come without its share of drama. When the pair squared off on the par-5 No. 18, Rule held a two-stroke lead at -22 and appeared to be in the driver’s seat for the title. Victory seemed a foregone conclusion when Seabolt misfired on an eagle attempt and had to settle for birdie. However, Rule, needing a relatively short par save for championship glory, left his putt short and made bogey, sending the tournament into a sudden-death playoff.

“I honestly didn’t think it would go to a playoff. When I hit that putt, I felt like I hit it with the putter cover on,” said Rule.

The duo moved to No. 1 for the first playoff hole where they traded shots and drew even with par scores. On the second playoff hole, the players returned to No. 18 where things began to unravel for Seabolt. After Rule blasted the ball down the middle, Seabolt hit an errant tee shot which sailed wide left of the fairway, landing in a rugged surface of twigs. Rule continued to stroll along uphill to the green while Seabolt needed two shots just to get back on the fairway. Upon his second trip to the green on 18, Rule was on point, sinking his shot and adding his name to the lure of this historic tournament.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Rule. “My favorite golfer is Webb Simpson. He won here (2007) and he’s one of the reasons why I wanted to play in this event. I’m so thankful and blessed to win The Dogwood Invitational. God is great.”

This was the third playoff finale at The Dogwood in the last 20 years. The last two occurred in 1998 (Michael Kirk) and 2001 (Kyle Thompson). This also was the second longest playoff in the history of this tournament.