Kip Henley, left, and his brother Brent won the Senior Championship at the North Georgia Four-Ball
Over the course of the past four decades, there is one thing that can be counted upon right up there with death and taxes – if the Henley brothers are among the competitors in a golf tournament, there’s a strong chance you’ll find their names near the top of the leaderboard.
The latest chapter of Kip and Brent Henley’s strong showing on the local golf scene unfolded Sunday in the Chattanooga District Golf Association’s season-opening event at Dalton Golf and Country Club.
Entering the day tied for the lead at 6-under in the 3rd Annual North Georgia Four-Ball Senior Championship flight, the Henleys surged to a five shot with five holes remaining then withstood a late charge by long-time rival Richard Keene and his partner, Chris Hall, to win by a single stroke.
After starting on the back nine, older brother Kip reeled off four straight birdies beginning at No. 18 to increase their advantage to a seemingly comfortable five shots. But a bogey at the par 3 6th coupled with three birdies from Keene and Hall cut the margin to one approaching their final hole.
Both teams parred the par 3 No. 9, giving the Henley boys out of Creeks Bend Golf Club another prize to add to their crowded trophy case with a final round 66 enabling them to post a total score of 12-under 132.
An eagle by Hall on their opening hole gave him and Keene a one-shot advantage through four holes, but the duo posted a bogey and seven pars over the balance of the outward nine. Meanwhile, Kip’s putter started to heat up with his birdie string as the Henleys made the turn with a three-shot cushion.
Keene and Hall closed with a final round of 67, finishing at 11-under 133. Scott Davenport and Mike Nance tallied a pair of 68s on the weekend to place third at 8-under 136, followed by Tom Schreiner and Zeb Patton at 5-under 139 and Donny Phillips and Jeff Belk at 4-under 140.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than winning with my little brother,” Kip said. “It’s rare that we ain’t pecking around the lead. It’s usually only one of us that plays solid, but the other one always finds a way to figure in the mix when the other screws up. It was a special day today for sure.”
Even more satisfying for Kip, who led all golfers with 11 birdies on the weekend, was winning the event while being paired in the final group with his friend Keene in their longstanding good-natured rivalry.
“Richard is tougher than a Bonanza steak every time he’s around the lead,” Kip said. “He’s gotten the best of us a few times for sure, but he’s always a gentleman. That guy is first-class and is such a gracious winner and loser.”
In the Open Championship flight, the duo of Ty Pendley and Samuel Johnson extended their first-round lead to win by six shots, closing with a 66 to post an aggregate of 13-under 131.
Johnson, a senior at Heritage High School who plays at Council Fire Club, carded a 69 highlighted by an eagle on No. 2 to quickly seize control. Pendley, a member of the host club in Dalton, recorded six birdies on his way to a round of 70.
Taylor Smith and Bayley Craig finished second at 7-under 137, while two teams tied for third at 6-under 138 – the tandem of Mark Baggarly and Taylor Smith along with David Noll and Nash Nance.
Other flight winners in the championship division were Corey Ferger and Matt Beall in Flight A (11-under 133); Travis Russell and Barry Bright in Flight B (2-under 142) and Dylan Coffey and Kaleb Hill in Flight C (4-over 148).
Chattanooga Golf and Country Club’s Tom Baird and Neil Spitalny captured the Senior A Flight, finishing at 2-under 142.
The Nob North Invitational is the next event on the CDGA schedule, slated to be played April 20-21.
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Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Ty Pendley, left, and Samuel Johnson won the Open championship of the North Georgia Four-Ball