Shawn Hodge, Stan Gann Jr. have big lead at Peach Blossom Tournament
The good news is that all 72 teams that started the Peach Blossom Tournament on Saturday at Idle Hour Club were able to complete their rounds despite a long rain delay.
The bad news for 71 teams is that in all probability, they are playing for second place as the team of Stan Gann Jr. and Shawn Hodge blitzed the course early in the day with a 62, and no one could come close to them the rest of the day.
Gann and Hodge are at 15 under and enjoy a seven-stroke lead over the team of Brooks Colquitt and Josh Klipstein and last year’s winners, Adam Cooper and Bubba Gallops, heading into the final round Sunday.
Gann and Hodge got off to a quick start. Starting on the back nine, Gann birdied two of the first four holes and stretched that to 6 under by the time the team had its only stumble of the day, a bogey on its 14th hole. But Gann and Hodge got three more birdies in the final four holes, which included a spectacular pitch shot from Hodge from 55 yards for birdie on the final hole
Both players said they were motivated by last year’s Peach Blossom.
“We were never in the picture,” Gann said. “We both know that is probably the best four-ball tournament in Middle Georgia, and we have finished top five, but we have never won it. That has been a goal of ours all year.”
Hodge said he and Gann will stick to their game plan.
“Idle Hour is always in great shape, but this year it is just about perfect,” Hodge said. “I really think it is the best I have ever seen it. It’s hard to be too aggressive, and we just have to continue to play our game. Stan and I know each other’s games, and we will count on that experience to get us through (Sunday).”
The course got much tougher in the afternoon, with heavy winds and then a rain delay. When the players came back out, some of the wind had died down, but the conditions remained difficult. The low round of the afternoon came from Michael Standard and Rick Cloninger, who shot 64 to sit at 7 under.
Colquitt and Klipstein had a chance to be alone in second place, but Klipstein missed 3-footer on No. 18 for par, followed by Colquitt missing a 5 footer. Those misses dropped them to a second-place tie.
“It was very frustrating because we would have liked to guarantee us playing in the final group,” Klipstein said. “But we have to forget about that and come out and play our best golf on Sunday.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 8:49 PM with the headline "Shawn Hodge, Stan Gann Jr. have big lead at Peach Blossom Tournament."