A WORTHY CHAMPION! | Watkins takes Meadowbrook by storm, sets new record in Classic win

Watkins carded in the 60s in all three days of the oldest golf tournament in East Texas, played Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Meadowbrook Golf and Event Center here in Kilgore, the 85{sup}th{/sup} playing of the Energy Weldfab Meadowbrook Classic, a tournament that dates back to 1937, sponsored the last several years by Energy Weldfab – and when all was concluded, and he handed in his scorecard, he had the tournament’s lowest score ever for a three-day event: a 195.

Watkins, a 6-foot-2 young man from Winthrop, Arkansas, shot a 65 on day one, an unreal 63 on Saturday, and finished it off with a 67 on Sunday, all three days in scorching-hot weather and only having two bogeys (two holes where he shot over par) the entire tournament, just an amazing performance in 54 holes of championship golf.

The tournament’s championship committee congratulated the young man and presented him with his trophy early Sunday evening, and invited him to come back and defend his title next year. He does have a year of eligibility left at UH, because of the COVID-19 exemption given to students who lost a year of competition due to activities being halted in 2020 because of the pandemic, and the business major apparently does plan to play for the Cougars another season.

Runner-up to Watkins this weekend was another college golfer, Corbin Barton, who plays for nearby LeTourneau University in Longview. Barton fired a 71 on Friday, a 73 on Saturday and a 70 on Sunday for a 214 final score, and on a normal year would have had an outstanding shot of winning with that score, but Watkins’ red-hot 195 was just too much.

Kirk Hale, the two-time defending men’s club tournament champion, came in third (219). Collin Thompson (220) and Cameron Hubbard (221) rounded out the top five.

See complete scores with this story.

Rick Maxey, the four-time champion whose entry into the tournament’s championship flight made news prior to the tournament, pulled out just before it began – Maxey phoned the championship committee from Arkansas and had to pull out due to illness. Maxey is one of just two men (the late Raleigh Selby the other) to win the tournament on that many occasions.

The Classic’s other flights are named for famed courses or tournaments, and Matt Gandy was the winner in the first, or Masters, flight, firing a three-day 213 (74-70-69).

Jeff Caperton held off Scott Clark to win the St. Andrews flight. Caperton shot a 79 on each of the first two days of the tournament, then shot a 74 to finish with a three-day 232; Clark was only four shots back, finishing with a 236. Clark almost caught him – Clark fired a 75 on Sunday.

Heath Mills edged out Kyle Verner for the Pebble Beach flight title. Mills finished with a three-day 235 (76-79-80-235). Verner was two shots back at 237.

Likewise, Jeff Long did the same, winning in the Pine Hurst flight with a 255 over the three-day event, holding off Tim Faustner’s 257.

The Colonial Flight was the closest finish, going to Forrest Williams, who won by just one stroke: Williams had a 261, and Steve Evans came in just one shot back at 262.