Tom Baird poses with the Chuck Jabaley Cup after winning his third straight Tennessee Super Senior Match Play Championship.
photo by Tennessee Golf Association
The reality that Tom Baird is now part of a small fraternity of some of Tennessee’s golfing legends was difficult for the Signal Mountain resident to process.
After winning for the third consecutive year in the 7th Tennessee Super Senior Match Play Championship on Friday, Baird became the seventh member of an elite group of men who have captured three straight wins in any Tennessee Golf Association individual event.
Baird joined esteemed golfers from the Chattanooga area such as Lew Oehmig, Polly Boyd and Gibby Gilbert Jr. along with west Tennessee icons Tim Jackson, Cary Middlecoff and Buzz Fly with his win at Cleveland Country Club.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be mentioned with some of the great golfers from this state,” Baird said. “They’re probably wondering ‘Who is this guy and who invited him to join our club?’ I grew up always admiring Lew Oehmig, and Tim Jackson has been a great player for so many years. It’s kind of humbling to see your name mentioned with those gentlemen.”
Baird, a member of Chattanooga Golf & Country Club, won the championship match over Fred McCord of Collierville, 2 & 1. He seized the lead at No. 2 with a par, then went 2-up with a birdie on No. 4. Baird increased his lead to three with a birdie at the par 5 7th hole, then made the turn 4-up after a par on No. 9.
McCord was able to slice the deficit to three when Baird found the hazard with his approach on No. 11, and a birdie at 14 reduced the margin to two with four holes to play. But McCord could draw no closer as both golfers posted pars on the next three holes, with Baird eventually closing the match at No. 17.
“I was three down with four to play yesterday and won, so I had to remind myself what could happen if you’re not careful,” Baird said. “Birdies were hard to come by this week with the challenging pin placements, so I was focused on hitting greens and making pars so he couldn’t gain any more ground on me.”
The thought of winning this event for the third consecutive year never distracted Baird in the midst of the competition.
“I was too focused on executing shots that going for three in a row never entered my mind,” Baird said. “But now that it’s over, I feel really good. I played solidly today and didn’t make many mistakes. I felt really fortunate to come back and win like I did yesterday not playing my best golf, but the last two matches were probably my best golf of the week.”
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Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Tom Baird, left, and Fred McCord shake hands at the conclusion of their championship match
photo by Tennessee Golf Association