Former Bison Ryan Terry Wins Tillinghast Invitational
6/8/2020 11:29:00 AM | Men's Golf
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Ryan Terry really wasn't the bad guy, but he knew the home folks weren't exactly pulling for him.
Terry won the Tillinghast Invitational in a playoff over East Tennessee State's Jack Rhea on Sunday at Johnson City Country Club, and he ruined a good story along the way.
Rhea's father A.R. had won the Senior Division hours earlier and a victory for Jack would have meant a big party at the Rhea household.
Instead, Terry, a 28-year-old former Lipscomb University golfer, took the trophy back to Nashville.
"I think golf's one of those great sports where people just rally around good play," said Terry, who also won the Florida Azalea Amateur in March. "Jack played a great round, a great tournament. I know there's a lot more folks here that know him and were rooting for him. He's had such a good year and he'll keep playing well.
"When the pressure is on the line, it's good to know you can hit good shots. It'll help with my confidence down the line."
Terry and Rhea both finished 13-under-par 131, breaking the tournament record of 132 set by Ken Miller two years ago. Terry closed with a 66 while Rhea's 65 tied his dad's winning round.
Rhea came up just short on his birdie putt on the 18th hole, a putt that would have virtually clinched the title.
That opened the door for Terry, who needed a birdie on the final hole to force a playoff. He almost went one better. Terry's wedge shot skipped off the fringe, spun toward the hole and stopped an inch away from dropping for a dramatic eagle and victory.
He then tapped in the easiest birdie putt he'll ever have.
Rhea and Terry headed back to the 18th tee and both found the fairway. Rhea went first, and his shot spun off a slope on the green, stopping some 35 feet away, leaving him a difficult uphill putt to the back tier. The gallery assembled on the veranda behind the 18th green let out a collective moan as the ball rolled down the hill.
"I actually thought it was going to be pretty good, but then I heard everybody telling it to stop and I saw it at the bottom," Rhea said.
Terry, meanwhile, put his approach safely on the right level, 10 feet from the hole.
Rhea's first putt came up well short and Terry lagged down to a foot. When Rhea missed his par putt, Terry tapped in for the win.
"I played a good tournament and it just came down to a playoff hole," Rhea said. "It's tough."
Rhea said he was thinking about trying to join his dad in the winner's circle.
"I guess on 16 or 17 I kind of thought about it a little bit," he said. "I was trying to stay in my own world and not think about it too much."
First-round co-leaders Spencer Cross and William Nottingham, who both tied the tournament record with 64s on Saturday, finished third and fourth, respectively. Cross shot 69 to finish at 133. Nottingham shot 70 to finish at 134.
Chance Taylor, last year's runner-up, was fifth at 135, followed by Samuel Trubea (137), Connor Creasy (138) and Nick Cohen (138). Jackson Skeen, Trenton Johnson and Daniel Goode were all at 139.
