Amateur captain and Chattanooga Cup founder Mike Jenkins, right, accepts the winners trophy from professional team captain Dan Tribble, Jr. following the first event in 2003
After a 17-year hiatus, the Chattanooga Cup returns to Council Fire Club on Monday as the season-ending event of the local golf calendar. The 36-hole showdown will feature 12 of the top mid-amateur and senior golfers in a Ryder Cup style competition against area PGA professionals.
The two-man teams will battle in a Four-Ball format in the morning flight, and the afternoon session will utilize Foursomes (Alternate Shot) rules. The first team to earn 6 ½ points will be declared the winner.
The Chattanooga Cup returns to the site of the original tournament staged in 2003, where the amateurs won, 15-9. The amateurs won the next year as well at Chattanooga Golf and Country Club, 13½-10½. After skipping a year, the professional team won the last outing in 2006 at Black Creek Club in convincing fashion, 16½-7½.
The tournament was created by Mike Jenkins as a way to reward the top local amateur performers for their season and was patterned after the Tennessee Challenge Cup event. Jenkins, the current president of the Tennessee Golf Association and long-time leader of the CDGA, will serve as the captain of the amateur team. He will be assisted by Richard Keene, who along with Jay Potter are the lone participants from the original tournament in 2003.
Lamar Mills, Tennessee Section PGA President and Tennessee Golf Foundation regional director, will serve as captain of the PGA professionals. Windstone’s Jeff Craig will serve as Mills’ assistant.
“I just wanted to start the event back up so that we could celebrate the professionals and amateurs in this area that support the foundation,” Mills said. “Whether that be from course access and programs at our local clubs or the amateur players that support our events on a yearly basis. I think it creates an event that is a lot of fun and allows for banter that can be had among the amateurs and professionals in our local area. These guys all know each other. It’s also another way to celebrate those that have played really well all year long from our area.”
The tournament is made possible through the sponsorship of Brendon Wilson of EZ Loader and Allan Long with Long of Chattanooga Automotive.
The amateur team features a pair of golfers who enjoyed recent success at Council Fire in Chattanooga TPC champion Andrew Weathers and senior winner Tom Baird. Keoni Vidrine, who won the Brainerd Invitational and the Moccasin Bend Four-Ball, will also participate along with CDGA Four-Ball Match Play winner Potter.
Other members of the amateur team include Chris Wells, Spencer Honey, Brandon Cissom, Wes Farris and Rick Mays.
Joe Markham was the top local senior performer this season, capturing wins at the Signal Mountain Invitational, the North Georgia Invitational and the Brainerd Invitational. Markham will be joined by three-time winner Brent Henley, who earned senior titles at the Nob North Invitational, Chattanooga Men’s Senior Metro and the Moccasin Bend Four-Ball.
The PGA professional team will consist of Jordan Douglas (Black Creek Club), Sam Marshall (Chattanooga Golf and Country Club), Paul Apyan (Choo Choo Golf Academy), Greg Harnage (The Ooltewah Club), Josh Wall (McLemore Club), Brandon Arnold (Council Fire), Skylar Thompson (The Honors Course) and Mark Fermanian (Chattanooga Golf and Country Club).
Senior professional participants are Henrik Simonsen (The Honors Course), Chris DeBusk (Council Fire), Rob Riddle (McCallie School golf coach) and Doug Amor (McLemore Club).
Monday’s Pairings
Four-Ball
Keene/Henley vs. Simonsen/DeBusk
Markham/Baird vs. Riddle/Amor
Potter/Vidrine vs. Wall/Arnold
Cissom/Farris vs. Aypan/Harnage
Weathers/Mays vs. Douglas/Marshall
Wells/Honey vs. Thompson/Fermanian
Foursomes
Henley/Markham vs. DeBusk/Riddle
Baird/Keene vs. Amor/Simonsen
Farris/Mays vs. Aypan/Thompson
Weathers/Honey vs. Fermanian/Marshall
Potter/Cissom vs. Arnold/Douglas
Vidrine/Wells vs. Harnage/Wall
For complete results and live scoring, go to https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/4467060
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Paul Payne can be emailed at [email protected]