Defending Ridgefields Invitational champion Brandon Worley and two-time winner Lucas Armstrong headline the list of entries at this year’s 74th version of the tournament. It’s also the 75th anniversary of the Ridgefields Golf & Athletic Club which started in 1949. Worley won by seven strokes over fellow Kingsport golfer Taylor Kilgore last year when the tournament was cut short after two rounds due to damage from storms.
Still, it didn’t dampen the spirits of Worley, who was thrilled to win the historic tournament on a course which he played growing up. “I absolutely love that golf course. It had been years since I’d been up there and it felt awesome,” Worley said.
“I was hoping we’d get to play that Sunday round, but unfortunately it got washed out. Fortunately, I got a nice big trophy.” Worley waxed nostalgic about the old McDonald’s Invitational tournament for high school teams at Ridgefields when he was at Sullivan South.
He talked about so many of the South and Dobyns-Bennett alumni still playing in the area. “We have so many of the old South and D-B golfers still playing in the local area,” Worley said. “It’s always good to get together and reminisce.
” That includes Nick Cohen, another South alum, won his second East Tennessee Amateur title at Elizabethton back on June 30. Cohen went 10-under 61 to lead the first round of the Lonesome Pine Invitational last weekend. He ultimately finished third behind Garland Green who had a two-day total of 17-under 125 and Worley.
The ETA, Lonesome Pine, Ridgefields and the Tillinghast Invitational at Johnson City Country Club make up the four “local majors.” Worley said Ridgefields has some of the best characteristics of the four courses. “Ridgefields, out of all those, has the best design.
It’s a classic Donald Ross course,” Worley said. “It’s not a ‘pitch-and-putt’ course. You have to strike it well around the course and manage your game or you will be in trouble.
” It’s something that Armstrong agrees with. He will do double-duty, getting there early as course superintendent before playing his round. The course design includes beautiful scenery like the Holston River along hole No.
9 and a mountain backdrop on the back nine. However with that, a round can be spoiled in a hurry. “You can make so many bogeys out here,” Armstrong said.
“It’s tight. You can get in the trees or in the river on nine. You don’t have to go super low, but you have to play solid and shoot 2 or 3-under every day.
” Worley is excited to see all the work he’s heard about. Armstrong and his staff have put in countless hours on the greens and the bunkers. Some bunkers are still being renovated and those will be played as “ground under repair.
” “I haven’t been back since we played the Invitational and I’m excited to see the changes to the course,” Worley said. “I’ve heard about all they’ve done with the bunkers. The course was on the way up last year.
The fairways were amazing and the greens were starting to come in. It started to feel like the old Ridgefields that I know and love.” Armstrong, who recently competed in the Tennessee State Open Championship, is excited to show off the work of his staff and hopes it gives folks a chance to see it as a great place to play.
The tournament has meaning for him beyond being a former champion. It’s a family tradition. “I grew up here watching my dad play in the invitational,” he said.
“It was always one of the best tournaments around. My little girl now will be able to come out and watch me.” It is a place where a golfer can be aggressive, but it’s more about being calculating.
That’s the challenge of Ridgefields which Armstrong loves. “This course is one of the only ones that I play where you hit every club in your bag,” he said. “Not every hole is the same.
It’s unique and a great place.” Ridgefields Invitational Friday Tee Times 8:00 a.m.
— Reunion group 8:10 a.m. — Reunion group 8:20 a.
m. — Reunion group 8:30 a.m.
— Reunion group 8:40 a.m. — Super Seniors 8:50 a.
m. — Super Seniors 9:00 a.m.
— Charles Smith, Lyman Fulton 9:10 a.m. — Michael Clark, Cary Daniels 9:20 a.
m. — Tony Green, Mark Halvorsen, Rick Hudson 9:30 a.m.
— Bill Lewis, David Meade, Mike Poe 9:40 a.m. — Nick Cohen, Brandon Worley 9:50 a.
m. — Mike Wood, Joe Culpepper, Mitchell Nidiffer 10:00 a.m.
— Starter group 10:10 a.m. — James Steffen, Esteban Hicks, Carter Wolfe 10:30 a.
m. — Dakota Rash, Tyler Courtney, Matthew Johnson 10:40 a.m.
— Grant Rabbitts, Tim Wayne, Chuck McLain, Matthew Johnson 10:50 a.m. — Greg Palmer, Tim Shanks, Stan Pace 11:00 a.
m. — Sam Blaylock, Bryan Palmer, Brian Eiselstein, Rick Tunnell 11:10 a.m.
— Brad Moore, Rob Arnold 11:20 a.m. — Bill Giacometti, Danny Tunnell Sr.
, Danny Tunnell Jr., Chad McLain 11:30 a.m.
— Starter group 11:40 a.m. — Chad Smith, Brett Adams, Wes Blaylock 11:50 a.
m. — Eli Fagan, Dustin Davis, Bill Austin 12:50 p.m.
— Jake Fowler, Eddie Karst, Gabe Sanders 1:10 p.m. — Dalton Sharp, Julian Smith, Dan Sanders 1:20 p.
m. — Blake Adams, Blake Blizard, Taylor Kilgore 1:30 p.m.
— Ben Treadway, Matthew Love, Nick Bowen 2:00 p.m. — Lucas Armstrong, Caleb Christian, Joe Brooks 2:20 p.
m. — Gibson Miller, Chris Wynn.
