Akins wins 69th Classic

GOLF CART GALLERY - The leaders of the Meadowbrook Classic normally get a little more attention on the back nine of the final day of the tournament. Here, Ken Burnham (left), Randy King (center) , and Brent Akins play on the green on hole No. 7 as the gallery looks on. Hudson Johnston was also a part of this group. Below: Akins, a Spring Hill High School graduate, smiles after accepting the trophy from Mike Beane. Brent Akins wasn't a newcomer to the Meadowbrook Classic this year. In fact, he's played at Meadowbrook Country Club quite often.

But it's likely Akins never left the Kilgore golf course any happier than he did Sunday afternoon, as the champion of the 69th playing of the Meadowbrook Classic.

Akins shot a three-day 214 to win the traditional East Texas classic tournament by four strokes. The 2005 champion, Clint Bowden, had a rough first day, but bounced back, coming as close as anyone to winning his second straight title. He was one of three golfers - Ken Burnham and former Kilgore High School standout Patrick Palmer were the other two - to finish at 218, tied for second.

GET ON THAT GREEN - Brent Akins tries to hit the green on hole No. 8. Akins became the 69th winner of the Meadowbrook Classic on Sunday, coming back to scoot past a trio - including last year's champion Clint Bowden - to win the tournament by four strokes. Akins was one of three golfers to shoot a 69 in at least one round; Bowden and Kilgore's Randy King were the others. All three second-place finishers will receive a second-place crystal trophy, MCC pro Flint Nelson announced after the event concluded.

Finishing third were Hudson Johnson and Randy King, who each finished with a 220, and three-time Classic champion Rick Maxey, a late entry into the tournament, finished with a 226.

For a complete list of scores, see the information box on page 5.

For Akins, much of the tournament was spent chasing Meadowbrook's resident course expert, multi-time club champion and former Classic champion King.

"He's got a lot of knowledge when it comes to this course," said Akins, a former Spring Hill High School golfer. "He's a great golfer."

Much of the talk over the weekend was the pin placement, and how much more difficult it made the course.

That wasn't lost on the newest champion, either.

"Wow, the pin placement was really challenging," Akins said.

Akins should know. He just finished Oklahoma City University as an NAIA golfing AllAmerican, and was second in last year's NAIA national tournament and was a part of this year's national title team.

Again this year, the team play format was back (the first two days of play only), and this year's team champions are Jimmy Stroope, Hagen Taliaferro, Doug Runkel and Tom Murdock. They had a two-day 235, beating out the second-place team of Lynal Carey, Eric Carey, Shane Mason, and Ron Mason by seven strokes.

Flights other than the championship flight were again named after notable PGA events or courses.

Ken Plunk Jr. won the Masters flight, finishing with a three-day 223. Hot on his heels was Scott Clark, who finished with a 224.

On the Pebble Beach flight, Stroope and David Plunk each finished with a 234. They were followed by Lloyd Vanderwater with a 241.

Wes Skeeters won the Pine Hurst flight by one stroke over high school friend and rival Bill Marshall and Shane Mason - Skeeters shot a 253. Jack Ward shot a 266 to win the Colonial flight.

The Meadowbrook Classic is rich in tradition, and many of its entrants would be part of a who's-who in East Texas golf.

The first tournament was in October, 1937, but the event has been played in July since the late 1940s.

It was played every year since, except 1955 when it canceled due to clubhouse renovations. Its first name was the East Texas Invitational, and it has also been known as the Meadowbrook Invitational, the Kilgore Invitational, and even the East Texas Victory Invitational, during World War II.

Members of the invitational's planning committee this year were chairman and pro Flint Nelson, Bobby Beane, Mike Beane, Grant Boyd, Marvin Hall, Melvin Jordan, Harvey McClendon, Kenneth Plunk, and Jack Ward. Boyd is the club's president.

Breakfast was provided each day of the tournament by City National Bank, Regions Bank and Citizens Bank.

Platinum sponsors this year area Citizens Bank, City National Bank, Regions Bank and SW Operating, Inc.

Gold sponsors are Dyna-Coil, J. Michael Beane Consulting, Energy Weldfab, Inc., Laird Insurance Agency, Martin Gas, Mustang Operating Co., and Ward Agency.

Silver sponsors are Basic Energy Services, BJ Services Company, Gary and Pat Boyd, Grant and Kristy Boyd, Jackie & Vicki Clayton and the Back Porch, Coastal Chemical Co., Brad and Denise Faulkner, Galyean Equipment Company, Inc., KK Mobbs, Kilgore National Bank, Kilgore Pontiac, McAlister Printing, Merritt Tool, Sabine Pipe Inc., Sonic Drive-In, county judge Bill Stoudt, and the 2000 team champs, the Plunk family. Meadowbrook Classic champions     Meadowbrook Classic Complete list of champions 1937     Bill Clark 1938     Jimmy Gauntt (pro)             Billy Russell (am) 1939     Bill Clark 1940     Billy Russell 1941     Raleigh Selby 1942     Gerald Joyce 1943     E.J. Gannon 1944     Wally Ulrich 1945     Raleigh Selby 1946     Gerald Joyce 1947     Earl Stewart Jr. 1948     Buster Reed 1949     Billy Maxwell 1950     Raleigh Selby 1951     Buster Reed 1952     Benny Castloo 1953     Leroy Roquemore 1954     Bobby Cupit 1955     No tourney 1956     Jacky Cupit 1957     Dick Whetzle 1958     Miller Barber 1959     Jacky Cupit 1960     Gene Teter 1961     Sam Love 1962     Jim Fetters 1963     Roy Pace 1964     Raleigh Selby 1965     Clay Laird 1966     Clyde Tomlinson 1967     Earl Clark 1968     Jim Murray 1969     Clay Laird 1970     Clyde Tomlinson 1971     Mike Hopson 1972     Jimmy Stroope 1973     Ernie McCray 1974     Rick Maxey 1975     Rick Maxey 1976     Kenny Rucker 1977     Billy Wiggs 1978     Mike Mayo 1979     Rodney Kimmel 1980     James Gillentine 1981     Mike Mayo 1982     Ben Smith 1983     Kevin Dillen 1984     Mike Tate 1985     Angus Baker 1986     Dan Blake 1987     Jeb Stuart (pro)             Mike Mayo (am) 1988     David Bowen 1989     Ren Budde 1990     Henry Coffman 1991     David Cline 1992     Ronnie Hooker 1993     David Bowen 1994     Randy King 1995     Randy Smith 1996     Mark Bradshaw 1997     Chris Beall 1998     Seane Richardson 1999     Seane Richardson 2000     Rick Maxey 2001     Jay Mitchell 2002     Blake Ladd 2003     Lance Dunaway 2004     Blake Ladd 2005     Clint Bowden 2006     Brent Akins* * Notes:  Akins, an NAIA All-American       recently graduated from Oklahoma City University, is a first-time champion.  2005 champion Clint Bowden       was in a three-way tie for second this year.  Raleigh Selby is the tournament's           all-time biggest winner;       he has four titles. Mike Mayo and Rick Maxey (who played in this year's classic) each have three. 69th Meadowbrook Classic final, complete scores

Here is the complete list of scores for the 69th playing of the Meadowbrook Classic, played Friday, July 7 through Sunday, July 9 at Meadowbrook Country Club.                               Championship flight Brent Akins                     72         69         73                 214 Clint Bowden                   76         73         69                 218 Ken Burnham                   75         70         73                 218 Patrick Palmer                 73         74         71                 218 Randy King                     69         73         78                 220 Hudson Johnson               76         70         74                 220 Rick Maxey                     76         73         77                 226 Dillon Swain                   74         77         75                 226 Clayton Kersh                 76         79         72                 227 Mike Tate                         77         74         77                 228 Mark Bradsahw               71         79         81                 231 Terry Houke                     73         76         83                 232 Chuck Bassett                   83         71         83                 237 B.J. Hawkins                   77         80         87                 239 Alain Gee                         83         77         79                 239 Andy Woodring               76         78         86                 240 Lee Singletary                   86         75         83                 244 Rance Taylor                   83         80                               WD Jacky Lee                         80         90                               WD David Cline                                                                   DNS                                   Masters flight Ken Plunk Jr.                   73         75         75                 223 Scott Clark                       76         76         72                 224 Robert Buddie                 78         76         75                 229 Terry Stembridge             79         77         76                 232 Bobby Beane                   77         75         81                 233 Tom Murdock                 74         79         82                 233 Justin Honea                   82         79         77                 238 Steve Long                       79         78         82                 239 Jess Stephens                   81         83         75                 239 Gary Park                         80         78         82                 240 Jeff McBryde                   78         77         86                 241 James Gray                       85         78         78                 243 Chad Beale                       77         81         86                 244 Tom Bliss                         81         79                               WD                               Pebble Beach flight Jimmy Stroope                 78         75         81                 234 David Plunk                     79         80         80                 234 Lloyd Vanderwater           82         84         75                 241 David Theriot                 84         77         83                 244 Jay Stone                         80         78         86                 244 Joe Jones                         78         78         91                 247 Ken Plunk Sr.                   85         83         80                 248 Mike Beane                     86         79         85                 250 Taylor Campbell               79         83         89                 251 Hagen Taliaferro               88         78         88                 254 Eddie Little                     90         82         82                 254 Llynal Carey                     86         82         89                 257 John Patterson                 88         84         89                 261 Doug Runkel                   86         89         86                 261 Dean Fussell                     93         80         90                 263 Mike Mills                       87         84                               WD Max Strother                   85         81                               WD David L. Gray                 78         78                               WD T.C. Hamilton                 82         77                               WD                                 Pine Hurst flight Wes Skeeters                     84         87         82                 253 Bill Marshall                     84         83         87                 254 Shane Mason                   89         84         81                 254 John Parsons                     86         85         85                 256 Jeff Long                         82         88         88                 258 Kevin Wheeler                 81         87         93                 261 Eric Carey                       82         90         90                 262 Allen Gaylean                   82         91         90                 263 Harvey McClendon         88         87         90                 265 Jason Monroe                   82         95         91                 268 Rodney Barthelemess       86         92         92                 270 James Martin                   91         93         86                 270 Ronnie Hodgkins             99         85         86                 270 Justin Adair                     93         85         94                 272 Kevin Rush                     102       101       92                 295 Glenn Wood                   91         87                               WD Ross Taylor                       81         95                               WD Bubba Carter                   92         86                               WD Grant Boyd                     93         80                               WD Brad Faulkner                   96         86                               WD                                   Colonial flight Jack Ward                         82         92         92                 266 Brent Abernathy               90         88         89                 267 Denny Smith                   84         96         90                 270 Roland Velvin                   93         92         87                 272 J.C. Burnham                   93         88         95                 276 Sam McCord                   90         91         95                 276 David Brooks                   91         98         92                 281 Greg Collins                     89         99         93                 281 Perry Johnston                 90         100       92                 282 Brad Busselman               94         93         96                 283 Bill Bryant                       96         95         94                 285 Ron Mason                     87         96         104                 287 Bob Davis                       93         94         103                 290 Melvin Jordan                 94         98         99                 291 David Dildy                     103       91         101                 295 Brant Brantley                 96         93         107                 296 Perry Stovall                     97         88                               WD                                     Team scores Stroope, Murdock, Taliaferro, Runkel                         120       115       235 Carey, Carey, Mason, Mason                               120       123       243 Davis, Honea, Brantley, Taylor                             123       121       244 McClendon, Collins, Abernathy, Wheeler                       121       123       244 S. Clark, Elwood, Long, Kisling                                 123       124       247 Stone, Smith, Parsons, Fussell                             123       125       248 Carter, Bliss, Burnham                                       125       124       249 Plunk Sr., Plunk Jr., D. Plunk, Barthelemess                 123       126       249 Boyd, Faulkner, Gaylean, Wood                             125       126       251 Theriot, Martin, Boddie, Mills                                 125       127       252 M. Beane, Rush, Skeeters, Jones                               127       126       253 Beale, Campbell, Busselman, Adair                           125       128       253 Ward, Gray, Dildy, Brooks                               129       125       254 Stephens, Patterson, Vanderwater, McBryde                   128       126       254 Velvin, Little, Johnson, Marshall                         130       127       257 McCord, Edmonson, Long, Hodgkins                           130       128       258