By Jerry Love, LBF Communications
ALEXANDRIA – Columbia’s Bruce McGee won individual honors and First Baptist Church of DeRidder convincingly reclaimed team title honors May 9-10 at the annual Baptist Golf Fellowship.
McGee, a retired pastor who is now serving as an evangelist, shot an impressive one-over par (73) at the 18-hole, par 72 Oak Wing Golf Course facility to earn the title of Grand Champion while First Baptist DeRidder, after having their win streak stopped six months earlier, reclaimed the team title with a combined 314 score.
Last fall First DeRidder lost by two strokes to Unity Baptist Church in Cotton Valley. Members of the winning team included Tony Branham, Jerry Istre, Eddie Joslin and Chad Johnson.
Eighty pastors and laymen enjoyed pleasant weather, good fellowship and a couple rounds of golf May 9-10 at the annual spring Baptist Golf Fellowship held recently at Oak Wing.
A team from First Baptist Church in DeRidder won in the category of team competition.
The Fellowship, sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Foundation and the Baptist Message, is a time for pastors and laypersons to come together for a little light-hearted competition around the game of golf.
Medalist and Team play was completed on Monday afternoon.
During the evening banquet at the Baptist Building trophies were given for the best scores in Super Seniors (70 and above), Seniors (60-69), and Under-60 age brackets with each bracket divided into Ministers and Laymen.
Tuesday the Fellowship had a 4-Man Scramble in which teams are derived from the score rankings from Monday’s medalist play.
The team of Jimmy Ray Young, Eddie Joslin, Dick Powell and Brian Rankin captured the scramble with a 59 score.
They edged out Tony Branham, Jody Babin, Tony Lawrence and Richard Kaufman who finished second despite also have a 59 by virtue of a score card playoff that went eight holes deep to determine the winner.
The scramble team winners were Jimmy Ray Young, Eddie Joslin, Dick Powell and Brian Rankin.
Prior to the start of the scramble each player can purchase 2 Mulligans, which are sold for $5 each. A total of $505 was raised with the proceeds going to the Shepherd’s Fund, a ministry of the Louisiana Baptist Convention that assists retired ministers and wives with supplemental needs.
The next Baptist Golf Fellowship will be held Oct. 17-18 at Oak Wing Golf Club in Alexandria. Watch for information in the Baptist Message or check the website of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation (www.LBFinfo.org) for details as the date approaches.
