Blanton claims club championship title

Published 7:35 pm Sunday, August 21, 2011

Barry Stapp hits out of the green-side bunker on No. 13 during the second round of the Selma Country Club Championship Sunday afternoon. -- Tim Reeves

Dr. Donnie Blanton, over the past few months, has come close to shooting his age twice. He was one putt away from shooting a 63 and then again, weeks later, one putt away from shooting a 64.

Sunday, the 64-year-old golfer, who has won “10 to 15” Selma Country Club Championships when he was “younger,” needed just one putt to claim the title once again.

“I was able to hit a 20-foot putt on the last hole to win it,” Blanton said Sunday afternoon at the Selma Country Club’s clubhouse. “I don’t remember the last time I won it; maybe 10 to 12 years ago.”

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Blanton shot a two-day score of 141 to win the tournament by one shot over Will Pearce, Blanton’s playing companion on Sunday.

The club championship title is the only one of the weekend to be decided on gross scores, meaning the actual number of shots hit, using no handicaps.

With the handicaps included, Pearce will be listed as the winner of the Championship flight, with Blanton coming in second.

David Cothran came in third in the championship flight with a net score of 144 for the two days.

Defending men’s champion Paul Garner finished tied for fourth in the championship flight along with past club champion Andy Stewart.

Stanley Burns came in first in the second flight with a score of 129, while Boris Levins came in first in the third flight with a score of 138.

David Ammons took first in the fourth flight, with Travis Johnson winning the fifth flight and Brennan Nedley winning the sixth flight.

Johnson, with a net score of 136 over the two days, also won the senior’s title, defending his 2010 title.

Sarah Chisolm and Barbara Moore tied for the women’s title, while Mary Ashlyn Pearce won the girls 11-and-under title.

In the boys’ junior titles, Teddy Henry won the 7-and-under title, while Gus Wilson Colvin won the 8-10 boy’s junior title with a an 83, 14 shots better than second place finisher Jones Free.

Phillip Peake won the boys’ 11-12 grouping, with Harrison Adams winning the 13-14 age group.