Annandale serves as golf ambassador
Published 5:00 am Thursday, October 7, 2004
Strolling along the concrete cart paths at Annandale Golf Club,the red, clay hills of Mississippi seem almost alien to thisbeautiful corner of Madison County. Golfers can step from aparched, lunar landscape, a.k.a. the rain-famished Magnolia State,to the Garden of Eden when they arrive at Annandale.
Plant plenty of grass, add generous portions of fertilizer,water and tender, loving care. Spare no expense as Jack Nicklausdesigns another beautiful layout.
Wow!
Annandale is a good-will ambassador for Mississippi. Visitorsfrom other states leave with pleasant memories.
Forty-eight-year-old PGA pro Fred Funk might retire inMississippi or even suggest naming a grandchild in honor ofAnnandale. He won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic for a secondtime Sunday, ending a 6-year victory famine on the PGA Tour.
Personable, sometimes theatrical, Funk is a fan favorite. Hisdriving accuracy is best on the Tour. An accomplished golfer, he’susually in the money at tournament but had won only five timespreviously on Tour.
The SFBC championship check of $540,000. Funk earned it byshooting a record-tying 69-67-64-66 for a 268-total. He eluded PGATour rookie Ryan Palmer by one stroke. Palmer’s eagle putt on No.18 slid across the edge of the cup, almost forcing a playoff.
Poplarville native Glen Day was third at 268, shooting asizzling, final-round 63. He took home $144,000, sharing thirdplace with Loren Roberts, J.J. Henry and Kevin Na.
Certainly, it was a beautiful week for golf in Mississippi.
Professor Hoopla B.S., dropped off his list of predictionsWednesday, complete with sunscreen stains. Claims he is consideringthe PGA Senior Tour, perhaps as a caddy.
Hoopla predicted the winners of 26 games last week and staggeredto an 18-8-0 record. Special congratulations to the Crystal SpringsTigers and the Vanderbilt Commodores who are still celebratingtheir respective victories.
Here’s his preview of this weekend’s winners, starting with twoThursday night specials.
Gulf Coast at Southwest: Coaching buddies shakehands in Hurst Stadium as Dom Green welcomes Steve Campbell, theBulldogs’ new head coach. Gulf Coast 24-21.
Houston at Southern Miss: Golden Eaglescelebrate their first home game of the season with a rousingvictory over the Cougars tonight. Southern Miss 31-10.
Brookhaven at Terry: Panthers must rise to theoccasion on defense and slow down the Bulldogs’ powerful rushingattack. Brookhaven 28-10.
Oak Forest at Brookhaven Academy: In a classicmatchup between District 4-AA powers, the Yellow Jackets escapewith a victory. Oak Forest 24-21.
St. Andrew’s at Loyd Star: Saints march acrossSambo Smith Field and spoil the Hornets’ homecoming celebration.St. Andrew’s 27-12.
Bogue Chitto at Dexter: Bobcats aim for a thirdstraight victory. Bogue Chitto 30-20.
Enterprise at Natchez Cathedral: Yellow Jacketsmust step it up several notches to win on the road. Cathedral29-21.
Salem at West Lincoln: Wildcats are lookinglike Class 1A state playoff material. Salem 28-7.
Wesson at McLaurin: Tigers are one of thestrongest teams in Region 6-2A this season. McLaurin 24-12.
Magee at Lawrence County: Looks like anotheroffensive show in Cougar Country. Lawrence County 32-28.
Franklin County at Hazlehurst: This is a caseof an unstoppable object meeting an unmovable force. FranklinCounty 27-16.
Presbyterian Christian at Copiah Academy: TheBobcats are weary, road warriors. Copiah Academy 33-14.
In other area action, Jefferson County shouldwhip North Pike 41-12, Jim Hill should outscore McComb 29-24,Parklane should dump Central Private 21-10, Prentiss should pasteCrystal Springs 45-14 and South Pike should feast on Wingfield56-6.
Saturday’s scene kicks off with a community college special.
Co-Lin at East Central: Wolves are overdue toenjoy some lucky bounces and spoil the homecoming celebration inDecatur. Co-Lin 24-21.
Ole Miss at South Carolina: Most folks arebetting on the Gamecocks. South Carolina 37-17.
Alabama-Birmingham at Mississippi State: TheBlazers are making a name for themselves in Conference USA. UAB27-16.
Jackson State at Alabama State: Hornets put apainful sting on the Tigers. Alabama State 38-21.
In other Magnolia State action, Alcorn Stateover Prairie View 42-22, Grambling over Valley State 38-11,Belhaven over Georgetown 21-14, Delta State over Arkansas Tech31-10, Centre over Millsaps 14-7, McMurry over Mississippi College30-27.
In the SEC, Alabama over Kentucky 29-10, Auburnover Louisiana Tech 49-13, Florida over LSU 22-14, Georgia overTennessee 33-13, and Vanderbilt over Rutgers 24-12. Arkansas has anopen date to make sausage.