By Jed Blackwell, Associate Editor-Publisher

When his final putt dropped at the fifth hole at Greer Golf – the third playoff hole, and 57th of the weekend at the Greenville County Amateur Championship – Connor Blackwelder broke into a wide grin.

It was as much relief as elation.

Cole Patterson started the day at 8-under, thanks to a scorching 27 on the front nine (his back nine) on Friday and a steady round on Saturday. The final group, including Patterson and Blackwelder, went off at 9:40.

Sunday’s final round was a rollercoaster at the top of the leaderboard.

An hour later, Matt Wills had birdied Nos. 3, 6, and 7 to join the party, and Ferrell had absolutely caught fire to get to 8-under, making birdie on Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 9 to go out in 31 despite a bogey at No. 4. 

An hour after that, Jed Dirksen had made it to the magic number, with Jeremy Revis one shot back, Blackwelder lurking two behind, and Mitchell tied with Trey Cauthen one more back of that.

Then it got REALLY interesting.

The last four holes were the deciding factor, with good scores and disasters going hand-in-hand.

Blackwelder birdied 12, bogied 13, then birdied 15 and 16 to get to 8-under.

Mitchell made birdie at 15, 16, and sank a birdie putt at 18 to post 8-under in the clubhouse.

He was soon joined by Ferrell, who looked to have seized control with a two-shot lead after a birdie at 14. However, he was left of the green on the par-3 17th and made a double bogey, falling a shot off the lead before rebounding with a birdie of his own at the last.

Wills bogied 17 to fall short of the playoff by a single shot. Blackwelder almost made the extra holes unnecessary, bombing his drive and hitting his approach close on 18, but his birdie putt slid just past the hole.

Ferrell found the sand with his approach at 18 on the first extra hole and bowed out of the playoff.

At the par-5 first, Mitchell couldn’t get a birdie look to go, and both he and Blackwelder made par. That sent the pair to No. 5. Mitchell’s tee shot somehow stayed out of trouble to the left, and gave Blackwelder second thoughts.

“When he hit first and hit it left, we both thought it was gone and he was going to have to go back and re-tee,” Blackwelder said. “I almost went back to the bag and got an iron and was just gonna play it in. But it popped out, and luckily I went ahead and hit 3-wood.”

The three-wood was true, and his approach ended up on the left-hand side, just off the green.

Mitchell pitched on, about six feet past the hole, but Blackwelder’s chip nearly went in, leaving him about a foot for his par.

Mitchell’s putt didn’t go, and Blackwelder finished off his championship. He said he enjoyed the tournament, and was happy to be the Greenville County champion.

“This course is very tricky,” Blackwelder said. “It’s very short. For a long hitter, I’ve hit more irons off tees than I have in any round of my life. I just stayed patient, scrambled well, chipped and putted, and put together a couple of good rounds.”

Mitchell finished second, with Ferrell third, Wills fourth, and Dirksen fifth. Patterson, Jared Crane, Matthew Hopper, Cauthen, and Revis rounded out the Top 10.

Defending champion Daniel Brock won the first flight, with TJ Lee winning the second flight and David Monroe taking third flight honors.

In the Senior championship, things couldn’t have started much better for Greg Moore.

He birdied his first five holes on Friday, made nine birdies on the day on his way to a 64, and held a five-shot lead on Sunday.

Then he gave it away. He made doubles on 10 and 12 and bogied 14 to see the lead slip away before righting the ship with a birdie at 15. to seal a four-shot win over Todd Hendley.

“I just hung in there,” Moore said. “It was just a couple of bad swings. I just hung in there and didn’t get discouraged.”

Moore credited his hot start to hitting it close, and said he weathered some nerves in the final round.

“It feels awesome,” he said. “I really don’t even know how to explain it. I never expected it, it was just one of those weekends. I played really good.”

Ron Clontz and Jose Alvarez tied for third in the Senior Division, with Yancey Johnson fifth. Bobby Ream won the Seniors first flight.

Scores from the Greenville County Amateur https://greenvillecga.bluegolf.com/bluegolfw/greenvillecga24/event/greenvillecga243/contest/33/leaderboard.htm