Crockett’s Victory At Tennessee Senior Match Play Carries Deep Meaning

Nine months ago, winning a golf tournament was the furthest thing from Dan Crockett’s mind. He had other challenges to encounter with greater consequences hanging in the balance.

Crockett, 55, was faced with the ominous combination of cancer surgery and repairing his rotator cuff. His return to the golf course was not on his radar, but instead his focus was on his faith and his future with his wife, Joy, and his daughters Sophia and Sloane.

Crockett was accustomed to challenges. Raised in a family of six boys tending to their 25-head cattle farm in rural Brentwood, hard work was part of his DNA. That same drive enabled him to build Franklin America Mortgage from four employees to more than 1,200 as CEO before selling the company in 2018 as the nation’s 14^th largest lender.

So, competing in the 20^th Tennessee Senior Match Play Championship final on Friday at Cleveland Country Club was familiar territory for Crockett. It was simply the next challenge in his life journey.

Crockett won his second Tennessee Golf Association title – the other coming in the 2007 State Mid-Amateur – by defeating Tullahoma’s Alan Jones, 3 & 2, bringing the past months of uncertainty full circle for the Franklin resident.

“I’m exhausted and I’m exhilarated at the same time right now,” Crockett said. “I’ve been through a lot in the last nine months. I’ve just started playing golf again and being away has made me really hungry for the game and our tight-knit community of golfers. I’m thankful to be back in this environment.”

The trials encountered earlier this year have given Crockett a fresh outlook on his priorities.

“I’ve had some successes along the way in business and athletics. But when you go through something like that, you recognize how you need God’s grace and mercy every day,” Crockett said. “It does give me perspective about what is important. Golf is a game, but I’m thankful that God has allowed me to be able to do this again.”

In the championship final, Crockett took advantage of some early miscues from Jones to go 3-up after five holes.

“I lost a ball on 4 and 5, and actually four-putted No. 3,” Jones said. “I dug myself an early hole. After that we were back and forth for the rest of the match. I couldn’t get any putts to fall, and Dan just didn’t make any mistakes. I would have liked to have played better early to make it interesting at the end.”

Jones cut the deficit to two after a birdie at No. 7, and stared down a five-foot downhill putt at the next hole to inch closer. But the putt burned the edge, and Crockett drained a lengthy birdie at No. 9 to make the turn again 3-up.

“The missed putt on No. 8 and his birdie on No. 9 made a big difference in the momentum,” Jones said.

After saving par with a ticklish 12-foot bender at No. 12, Crockett expanded his lead on the next hole with a par at the 198-yard par three.

“That par putt I made at 12 was critical. That saved me. Then I hit a good four-iron into 13 to win that hole with a par, and it gave me a comfortable margin,” Crockett said.

Jones fought back to 3-down with a birdie at 14, but two more pars enabled Crockett to claim the championship at No. 16.

Despite the disappointing outcome, Jones was pleased with his week’s work.

“This is the only finals I’ve been in,” said Jones, who retired from the Air Force and moved back to Tennessee in 1999. “Since turning 55 last year I started playing more. If you had told me earlier in the week that I had a chance to be competing in the finals, I would’ve taken it.”

Jones, who plays out of Lakewood Country Club, won his semifinal match earlier on Friday by defeating Brainerd Golf Club’s Tom Schreiner, 2 & 1. After Jones made the turn 3-up, Schreiner won holes 11 and 12 to cut the deficit to one. But Jones birdied 16 and halved the next hole with a par to close the match.

Meanwhile, Crockett made short work of his semifinal match. The Golf Club of Tennessee member won the opening five holes against Gallatin’s Tom Paulsen, and was 8-up at the turn. After Paulsen won No. 10 with a birdie, Crockett needed only one more hole to finish the match with a convincing 8 & 7 win.

The 11-hole victory left Crockett with some unexpected time to kill before the finals.

“Honestly it was great to win, but I had to spend two hours moving around until the next match,” Crockett said. “At 55, two hours off was challenging. I had to mentally forget that match. I stayed focused, hit some chips and putts and didn’t leave the golf course.”

Friday’s win helps bring a sense of closure for Crockett and all he’s endured these past few months.

“It’s hard to win a golf tournament,” Crockett said. “Everybody at this level is good, and when you’re the last one standing at the end, it’s pretty awesome. I’m humbled to be a state champion for the second time. We don’t play for money. We play for trophies and the incredible friendships we’re able to make along the way. So, this is a special day.”

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Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com