Leaderboard flips at Pilgrimage 4-Ball

By Patrick Jones | The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, March 31, 2008

NATCHEZ — Just when it looked like five teams would end up in a first-place tie at the Pilgrimage 4-Ball Scramble, the team of Dale Cagnolatti and Gerald Tonore made sure that didn’t happen.

On a day in which most teams which started out by leading their respective flights began going the wrong way, Cagnolatti and Tonore teamed up to shoot a final-round, 3-under-par 69 Sunday afternoon at Beau Pré Country Club for a two-day total of 133 to win the championship flight by two shots.

“We got lucky today,” Tonore said. “It was a little different course today. We shot from the back tees. We made some birdies when we had to.”

As Cagnolatti put it, “The back tees are totally different than the tees were yesterday. I played good on the front nine. It takes good partnership to win on a tough golf course and we had that.”

It also took a little luck on a long putt on the par-4 17th hole. Tonore somehow made an 80-footer for birdie that clinched first place for he and Cagnolatti.

Among the five teams that finished tied for second with a two-day score of 135 was that of Gary and Jordan Farmer, who tied for the low round of the day with a 4-under-par 68 to back up the 67 they shot on Saturday. The other four teams ended up shooting 2-under-par 70 on Sunday — Jacques Vignes and Trey Blue; Frank Maxwell and Johnny Futch; John Davis and Eddie Meche; and Wayne Patin and Larry Wood.

John Talley and Brian Saunier ended up with a 70 for a two-day score of 138 to win the first flight by one shot over the team of Randy Moore and Trampus Butler.

“We played well. Kind of hung in there,” Talley said. “It was longer, that’s for sure. We had three birdies and one bogey.”

Chee Chee Barnes and Tom Matthews came from one down Saturday going into Sunday’s play to win the second flight after firing a round of 68 to finish at 140. But one wouldn’t know it after what player Barnes

said about their round.

“It was better than yesterday, but it still wasn’t great,” Barnes said. “We’ll get better. We had six birdies and two bogeys.”

First place in the third flight belonged to two teams that shot back-to-back rounds of 73 — Les Glanker and Gene Ledet as well as Bobee Leak and Mark Sigler.

Darrel LeBlanc and Ryan Mayard of Lafayette, La., pulled away in the final round to win the fourth flight. LeBlanc and Mayard shot a final-round, 1-under-par 71 to finish at 147.

Tommy Geoghegan and Lee Moore won the fifth flight by shooting an ever-par 72 for a two-day total of 151.

“Yesterday we made one birdie. I birdied 17. Today, we started off 2-over after four holes. Then my partner made a birdie on No. 15,” Geoghegan said. “We missed putts on 17 and 18. Then we made four birdies on the front nine. I knocked it up two feet on No. 2. Then we birdied 5, 7 and 8. We just played better.”

Milton Bonaventure and John Allen took first place in the sixth flight after a round of 76 gave them a two-day score of 157.