Everything was going great for Tip Price at the SCJGA’s Morgan-Lucas championship, until it wasn’t.

The Greenville golfer shared the first round lead with David Oliver from Pageland , after both posted one-under par 71s to start the tournament on the Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer course.

In the second round, Price put some distance between himself and the rest of the field. He birdied five holes on his front nine, with a bogey for a 32 and a 5-shot lead.

It looked like it was going to be a run-a-way win for Price.

“That would have been nice,” said Price. “I thought that is where it was going, but a couple of bad shots and bad stretches and it got pretty close at the end,” he said.

After the turn Price bogeyed 11 and12. He lost another shot to the field on 15 with another bogey.

His lead had shrunk down to just two shots when he bogeyed 17, a par five which is considered a birdie hole.

It was like he lost two shots on 17, not just one.

Going to the final hole, Price still had the lead, but not by much.

Major Lenning, from Mauldin, had been chasing the leader. He finished at 1-over par, in second place with Price still on the course.

“I had a good round,” said Lenning, who was the only golfer to go under par in the final round. “I didn’t look at the leader board all day. I didn’t know I was that close until I finished,” he said.

While Lenning waited, Price had the chance to claim the win if he could sink a 12 foot par putt on number 18.

Like so many of his better shots , Prices’s putt just missed.

After leading once by 5-shots now Price was headed for a playoff with Lenning .

“I never felt uncomfortable, even if it looked like that. I was in control and felt like I could win in a playoff,’ said Price.

On the first extra hole, Lenning couldn’t take advantage of Price’s out of bounds drive. Both golfers bogeyed the hole.

The second playoff hole was number 2, a par 3 and both golfers remained tied after carding pars.

On the par-5 third hole, after a mammoth drive, Price was left with 200 yards.

“I had a good number and thought with my adrenaline pumping I could pound an 8-iorn in there,,” he said.

Price’s ball made it over the creek in front of the hole and was in birdie position 18 feet from the cup.

Lenning hit a good drive, but decided to lay up rather than go for the very fast green.

‘I didn’t think I could hold the green with my shot and adrenaline kicked in and I hit a bad shot,” said Lenning.

Price missed an eagle putt, but only needed to tap in his birdie putt to win the championship after a tough three-hole playoff.

“It is cool to win. There was some added pressure this week with all the support I got from people, I didn’t want to let them down,” he said.

Lenning, who will play college golf at Wofford, was disappointed with the outcome, but believed he learned something about his game.

“It is not easy to win a golf tournament. Your body does some things it does not normally do when you are playing with friends. Having the experience of trying to win a big tournament like this, I’m going to learn from it and keep going,” he said.

Price also believes the playoff experience will help him in the future.

“I feel much better about my game now, than I did this morning, so it is positive,” said the Morgan Lucas boys champion.

Scores from the boys Morgan-Lucas companionship https://scjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/scjga23/event/scjga235/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

Chapin’s Lilly Reed Black wins girls championship

On a weekend when the wind kicked up and the greens got faster each day, the only numbers that mattered in the girls championship was the victory margin.

Lilly Reed Black from Chapin had that number and it was 4.

Black, who earned All-State High School honors last fall, was the only golfer to shoot in the 70′-‘s in the first round.

In the second round several golfers posted better scores than Black, but only Olivia Ireland from Inman was able to move up and hold on to second place.

The win was Black’s first SCJGA victory. Previously she enjoyed success on the PKB Tour.

“It is amazing,” she said. ” All of my hard work paid off. It feels so good. I haven’t had much success in the past, but this should be a great jump start for the new year,” said Black

After Ireland defending state AA champion Olivia Roberts form Chesnee was third. Mia Carles form Clinton finished in fourth place.

Scores from the Girls Morgan-Lucas championship https://scjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/scjga23/event/scjga235/contest/5/leaderboard.htm