PGA Professionals Storm Back To Claim Tennessee Challenge Cup

History was not on the side of the team of PGA Professionals entering Tuesday’s 57^th Tennessee Challenge Cup.

It had been more than 15 years – perhaps longer given more digging into the tournament archives – since a champion trailed heading into the singles competition. So, facing a 9 to 7 deficit as they embarked on the 16 individual matches pointed to the Professionals being on the short end of the stick for the fourth time in the past five years.

But a new chapter in the event’s history was scripted at the historic Colonial Country Club on the outskirts of Memphis. The Professional team won five consecutive matches, claiming 7½ of the final 11 points to complete a 10-6 day in sealing their comeback over the Amateur squad by a final count of 17 to 15.

It was the largest margin of victory in singles for the Professionals representing the Tennessee PGA Section since 2018, when they also used a 10-6 surge on the final day to capture an 18 to 14 win at Cherokee Country Club.

“It’s kind of an old cliche, but we just focused on going out there and winning your point,” said Colonial Country Club professional Bobby Cochran. “You just take care of your match and win your point. We’ve got a lot of great players and we just went out there and took care of our business as individuals. Chase Harris led us off with a win by birdieing the last hole, and then everybody kind of followed from there.”

The Amateurs representing the Tennessee Golf Association maintained a two-point lead, 11½ to 9½, after the first five matches on Tuesday before the Professionals made their charge. The next five matches resulted in PGA wins, giving them a 14½ to 11½ advantage.

Kelvin Burgin of Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain earned an improbable point during that run, overcoming a 3-down deficit with five holes remaining to defeat Lenoir City’s Ray Morton.

The deciding match that nudged the Professionals above the needed threshold of 16½ points occurred in the 14^th match when Josh Bevell of Nashville’s Profectus Golf defeated reigning Tennessee Amateur champion and University of Tennessee golf assistant Payne Denman by a 2 and 1 verdict.

“I was very proud to be on such a good team and get to play with and against such good players and people on both sides,” Bevell said. “This event brings us together to meet new people every year for a fun and competitive few days. I was thrilled to help the team win, but even happier to see Aaron Ingalls there doing well after his surgery.”

Ingalls served as the Amateur captain after undergoing recent surgery to remove a brain tumor, and his presence provided a sense of camaraderie between the competing teams.

“I played in the last eight of these, and this is my fourth time to win,” Cochran said. “After losing back-to-back the last two years, it’s good for the pros to win again. There are not many times when everybody’s hugging your fellow pros, and it’s good to compete as a team instead of always playing against each other.”

The event also provided the opportunity to display one of Tennessee’s historic golf courses with Colonial serving as host for the first time. After completing renovations last year, Cochran – who has been at Colonial for almost eight years - was proud of the way his home course challenged the participants.

“A lot of these guys have never played Colonial,” Cochran said. “They've heard about it and knew about its history, but it had lost some of its luster over the years and been overlooked. But we were able to showcase how special it is and show that it needs to be up there among the top courses in Tennessee again.”

Bevell and Glenn Hudson of Dick’s House of Sport in Knoxville were undefeated in three matches for the Professionals, while Bear Trace at Tims Ford’s Jared Melson and Johan Kok of Troubadour Golf and Field Club had a pair of wins and a tie.

The Professional team now owns a 33-24 edge all-time in the series.

Challenge Cup Singles Matches: Professionals 10, Amateurs 6

Chase Harris (PGA) def. Seth Brandon (TGA), 1 up. Brandon birdied No. 8 to go 2 up, only to have Harris even the match after a birdie at 10 and par at 11. Brandon again went 1-up with a par at 14, then he and Harris traded wins on the next three holes to enter 18 all-square where Harris birdied for the win. TGA 9, PGA 8

Jay Potter (TGA) def. Audie Johnson (PGA), 2 and 1. Potter saw an early 2-up lead disappear as Johnson tied the match with a par on 14. However, consecutive bogeys on 16 and 17 gave Potter wins with pars to close out the match. TGA 10, PGA 8

Lee Whitehead (PGA) def. Craig Reasor (TGA), 4 and 2. A birdie on the first hole set the tone for Whitehead who never trailed in the match. Pars on holes 15 and 16 secured the win for Whitehead who had three birdies on his round. TGA 10, PGA 9

Jared Melson (PGA) tied Alan Jones (TGA). Jones held a 3-up advantage after a birdie on 12, but bogeys on three of the next four holes allowed Melson to square the match after 16 with pars. Both golfers tied the final two holes to halve the match as Melson parred every hole on the back nine. TGA 10½, PGA 9½

Brad Burling (TGA) def. Adam Forgey (PGA), 5 and 3. Burling took a 3-up lead after only three holes with a trio of pars as he shot even par on the front to lead 4-up at the turn and coasted to the victory. TGA 11½, PGA 9½.

Glenn Hudson (PGA) def. Steven Mann (TGA), 3 and 2. Mann opened with two birdies to grab a 3-up lead through five holes, only to have Hudson storm back to claim the next four holes with three birdies and a par to seize control. Hudson used a nine-hole stretch where he had seven winners to eventually lead by 4-up after 14. TGA 11½, PGA 10½.

Bobby Cochran (PGA) def. Matt Mitchell (TGA), 4 and 3. Competing on his home course, Cochran never trailed in the match as he shot even par on the front to take a 3-up lead he easily defended over the final nine holes. PGA 11½, TGA 11½

Greg Wyatt (PGA) def. Zeb Patten (TGA), 4 and 3. Wyatt won the opening hole with a birdie and never trailed, eventually increasing his lead to 4-up thru 13 after playing 1-under par over an eight-hole stretch. PGA 12½, TGA 11½

Kelvin Burgin (PGA) def. Ray Morton (TGA), 1 up. Burgin rallied from being 3-down with five holes to play to steal a critical point. He birdied 14 for a win, then parred his way in while Morton had three bogeys over that span including a decisive one on 18. PGA 13½, TGA 11½

Mike Vance (PGA) def. Brenton Flynn (TGA), 3 and 2. With Flynn 1-up after the front nine, Vance won four of the next six holes where he shot 1-under to take an insurmountable 3-up lead. PGA 14½, TGA 11½

Todd Burgan (TGA) def. Chris Woods (PGA), 1 up. The evenly contested match saw neither golfer own a lead larger than 1-up. Burgan took a 1-up advantage with a par at 15, then made it hold up as both players parred their final three holes. PGA 14½, TGA 12½

Jack Smith (TGA) def. Scott Moran (PGA), 3 and 2. Smith parlayed a pair of birdies to take a 3-up lead after seven holes, only to have consecutive birdies by Moran cut the lead to one thru nine. Smith covered his final seven holes in 1-under to regain control for the win. PGA 14½, TGA 13½

Allie Knight (PGA) def. Grant Milling (TGA), 2 and 1. Knight held a 2-up margin after a birdie on No. 9, then regained that advantage after another birdie on 13 as she played her final 12 holes in even par. Milling sliced the gap to 1-down with a birdie on 16, but a Knight sealed the match with a par at 17. PGA 15½, TGA 13½

Josh Bevell (PGA) def. Payne Denman (TGA), 2 and 1. Bevell led from the opening hole, increasing his margin to 3-up after a birdie on No. 12. Denman won the next two holes with a par and birdie close to 1-down with four to play. But the combatants tied 15 and 16 before Bevell sealed the team victory with a birdie on 17. PGA 16½, TGA 13½

Johan Kok (PGA) tied Winston Margaritis (TGA). Margaritis held a 2-up margin after a birdie on No. 13, but Kok leveled the match with a winning par at 15 and a birdie on 16. Both players tied the final two holes with a par and a bogey to end the match in a draw. PGA 17, TGA 14

Jeff Reuter (TGA) def. Braxton Hunter (PGA), 1 up. Reuter bounced back from a 3-down deficit with five holes remaining to salvage a point for the Amateurs. Reuter pulled even with birdies at 16 and 17, then won the match with a par on the final hole. PGA 17, TGA 15

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com