Jackson golfer Kyle Cornett thought it might just be his day when he eagled his first hole.
Turns out he was right.
Cornett finished almost as strong, birdieing the last hole to win the 31st Annual Bill Egbers Memorial Tournament by one stroke, shooting 143 over 36 holes.
“It feels special,” Cornett said after the tournament. “I won my favorite high school tournament. I like the course, the format (36 holes), I like the fact that it remembers Bill Egbers and I like the people who run it.”
After missing the cut as a freshman and finishing outside the top 15 as a sophomore, Cornett believed he could win.
His first hole signaled to the rest of the field that he would be a contender.
With a shotgun start format, Cornett opened on the par 4 8th hole. After his drive, Cornett holed out his second shot from 130 yards.
Riding that momentum, Cornett shot a 71 in the first round to stay in contention.
“I wasn’t putting very well, but I was hitting the ball okay and able to score well,” he said.
Cornett maintained his consistant play in the second round as conditions became windy and even colder, but the junior admitted he didn’t realize how close he was to the top of the leaderboard.
“I didn’t know I had a chance to win until (before) the last hole,” said Cornett. “I heard I was tied for the lead.”
All that pressure did not faze Cornett. Finishing on the 18th hole, a par 5, Cornett landed his second shot on the green, only 25 feet from the hole. After narrowly missing an eagle, Cornett calmly made a three-foot putt for birdie to wrap-up the tournament.
At Skagit Golf &Country Club
36, par 72
Individual results (top 10): 1. Kyle Cornett (Jac) 71-72-143; 2. Garber (Jua) 73-71-44; 3. Emory (MV) 70-74-144; 4. Anthony Allen (Arl) 68-77-145;
5. Carlson (Clar) 72-74-146; 6. Mogg (Sky) 71-76-147; 7.Harvie (Ort) 76-72-148; 8-t. Price (SWhid) 73-77-150; 8-t. Johnson (Ride) 69-81-150; 10-t. Davis (Stan) 75-76-151; 10-t. Fonua (OD) 77-74-151; 10-t. Denneson (GP) 74-77-151; 10-t. Babcock (Shorewood) 73-78-151.
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