Weathers Captures Second Men’s Metro Championship

The last time Andrew Weathers had his name etched onto the Michael C. Jenkins Trophy given to the champion of the Chattanooga Men’s Metro tournament, his life looked much different than it does today.

That was in 2017 with Black Creek Club the venue, and Weathers was a junior at the University at Tennessee at Chattanooga with grandiose aspirations of his golfing future.

Fast forward seven years, and Weathers finds his relationship with golf in a much different – and more agreeable – place. It makes his second victory in this event on Saturday at the Lookout Mountain Club even more rewarding

Weathers overcame a two-shot deficit entering the day, then built a two-shot lead with a ticklish four-foot downhill birdie on No. 14 that held up after reeling off pars on the final four holes to shoot 69, capturing the title by three strokes with a final score of 1-under 139.

“This one feels a lot different than the other one,” Weathers said. “The pressure of winning is off the table. I just go out and play golf to have fun. It’s no longer life and death with my future on the line, which makes winning even more enjoyable.”

The win is Weathers’ third of the year, having won the Nob North Invitational in a playoff and also claiming a victory at RTJ Silver Lakes in Alabama.

The outcome was ultimately decided between Weathers and his playing partners in the next-to-last grouping, Bennett McNabb and Jacob Clark. Clark, the son of 1990 Metro champion Lamar Clark, led for much of the front nine, but three bogeys on the back led to a tie for second at 2-over 142.

McNabb made a valiant charge after birdies on 10 and 11 brought him into a four-way tie at 1-over with Weathers, Clark and defending champion Cody Godfrey. After two bogeys, his eagle on 14 and birdie at 15 left him one-down to Weathers with three to play. But a double-bogey on the last ended his comeback hopes, finishing at 2-over 142, tied with Clark and Seth Brandon, who shot 69 on Saturday.

Taylor Lewis and Brett Cooper recorded scores of 3-over 143 to tie for fifth, one shot better than first-round leader Keoni Vidrine and Trent Mansfield, who finished at 4-over 144.

Vidrine struggled early with bogeys on his first two holes on his way to a 41 on the front side, but rallied on the final nine including an eagle on No. 14.

Hunter Garrett and D.J. Stewart tied for ninth at 5-over 145.

“It was a grind today,” said Weathers, who plays out of Council Fire Club. “I focused on staying patient because I knew there would be a lot of tough pins. I just tried to hit the middle of greens and make some birdies when I could.”

Repeating as winner of this event is something Weathers does not take lightly.

It’s really cool to look at the names on that trophy, some of the greatest players in Chattanooga’s golf history, and to realize my name is now on there twice,” Weathers said. “This is the one tournament I put on my calendar every year.”

Johnson Claims Senior Division Crown

Prior to the extensive work done at Lookout Mountain Club in restoring the golf course to its originally-intended design, Steve Johnson had an intimate knowledge of the nuances of his home track.

But with the imaginative overhaul of the green complexes, Johnson’s historical advantage was buried with the old putting surfaces. He’s having to reconfigure his understanding of the new greens and their subtleties.

After entering Saturday trailing leader Jay Potter by three strokes, Johnson was able to make a critical 12-foot birdie putt on No. 14 then closed his round with four pars to win the Men’s Metro Senior Division.

“I’ve been playing up here for 20 years, so it’s been an adjustment,” Johnson said. “On the old greens, I never even bent down to look at it because I knew exactly how they would break. I’m having to relearn these new greens because I can’t putt from memory any longer.”

Johnson shot his second straight round of 73 to close at 6-over 146, winning by one shot over Joe Markham Jr. In doing so, he claimed his first Metro title after finishing runner-up in the Regular Division on more than one occasion.

Five golfers were within two shots of each other after Johnson’s birdie on 14 tied Markham Jr. for the lead. But the other contenders could get no closer down the stretch and Johnson held steady. Finishing in the group ahead of Johnson, Markham Jr. missed a four-foot par putt that would have forced a playoff.

“I thought I needed to make a birdie on 18, and I had a good chance,” Johnson said. “I knew we were tied headed into the hole and assumed we were going to a playoff."

Defending champion Brent Henley shot the day’s best round of 72 to finish in a three-way tie for third with Shonn Weldon and Potter at 8-over 148. Potter struggled on his final nine carding a 42, and his lone birdie came on his opening hole to increase his advantage to four shots at the time.

Bob Rice and Tom Schreiner tied for sixth at 9-over 149.

Johnson is hopeful the education he acquired this weekend will parlay into a favorable result on Tuesday when he competes in the U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier on his home course.

“I’ve got some confidence heading into the qualifier,” Johnson said. “I basically hung in there today and managed to get it done. I’ve just got to figure out how to make a few more putts to have a chance.”

Brame Wins Super Senior Title

Even with his background in accounting, it doesn’t take higher math to compute Richard Brame’s winning percentage in golf tournaments this year. The Ooltewah resident has played in four events, and won them all.

That level of perfection was on display on Saturday as The Honors Course member returned to his old stomping ground that once served as his home course for 15 years to claim his latest prize. Brame pieced together two days of near-flawless golf to win the Super Senior championship in the Chattanooga Men’s Metro by a gaudy 12 shots.

Brame shot 3-under 67, including an eagle on No. 14, to post an aggregate of 4-under 136 as the only golfer who finished below par. A bogey on the final hole was the only blemish on his scorecard, as he recorded only two bogeys for the tournament on the challenging layout.

“The key was my putting,” Brame said. “I did a good job of leaving all my long putts close, and I made all of my little ones. This course is defended by the greens, and it always has been. I was nervous over every putt because the margin of error is so slim.”

Brame credits improvement in his short game the past two years as the reason he’s now able to win tournaments.

“I used to be really poor around the greens, mainly with my chipping,” Brame said. “I’ve worked hard to where my chipping has gotten decent, but not great. The rest of my game was a plus-one handicap, but my chipping was more like a 22-handicap. It’s made all the difference in my ability to score.”

Brame covered the front nine both days with nine straight pars, and doing so on Saturday left him with a five-shot advantage at the turn against runner-up Tom Baird, who finished at 8-over 148 after posting a final round 75.

Jim Lett improved by 10 strokes on Saturday to record a round of 70, finishing tied for third with Neil Spitalny at 10-over 150. Rob Smith claimed the fifth spot at 12-over 152.

It had been 35 years since Brame last competed in the Metro when Lookout Mountain Club hosted the 1989 edition. But he will find himself back at the course on Tuesday for the USGA qualifier for this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur hosted by The Honors Course.

“I’m 71 and probably too old for the Senior Am, but it’s at my home course and the qualifier is at a place I know well that used to be my home course,” Brame said. “I’ve now gotten in four rounds to get familiar with the course since the renovation, and I know it will all come down to putting.”

For complete results, go to Men's Metro Results.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com