The US Pro Mini Golf Association’s TN Pro Mini Golf Open was held Saturday, August 26, at Mossy Creek Mini Golf in Jefferson City, TN. Randy Reeves (Montgomery, AL) won the five-round event after opening the tournament with a new course record round of 30 including six aces and no bogeys. Reeves was off to a hot start sitting at 9 under after the first two rounds. Gary Hester’s (Calabash, NC) final round of 35 (-1) secured his second-place finish over last year’s champion Joey Graybeal (Bristol, TN).
Hester got off to a slow start shooting rounds of 38 and 37 leaving him 3 over par and 12 shots back of the leader. He shot his best round of the day at 33 in the third round to bring him back into contention, especially with Reeves’s third-round score of 39. Graybeal also shot a 33 in the third round and left himself sitting at 2 below par heading into the afternoon. At this point, Graybeal was ahead of Hester’s even par after 3. Hester beat the heat and finished the afternoon session two under par while Graybeal shot one over in the humid afternoon session.
Mossy Creek member Jason Raby (Knoxville, TN) represented the local contenders well, finishing the tournament at 2 over par with rounds of 36, 38, 38, 35, and 35. This placed him in a tie for fourth with Kingsport, TN native Joey Baldasano. Baldasano also beat this heat shooting 34 and 35 (-3) in the afternoon session to overcome a tough five over-par third round.
Susan Crane (Soddy Daisy, TN) was able to take home her first Pro Women’s Division Championship. Her best round of 37 in the third round extended her lead in the women’s division, going on to win the title by 28 strokes.
Randy Reeves is a former USPMGA Masters champion, winning the tournament in South Carolina in 2016. He is also a past Nationals champion and past National Invitational Match Play champion with the Professional Putters Association (PPA). Reeves was inducted into the PPA Hall of Fame in 2012. The next major USPMGA event will be the USPMGA Masters held in North Myrtle Beach, SC October 5-7.
The TN Pro Mini Golf Open this year was part of the inaugural season of the Southern Swing Tour. Hester won the first stop of the tour, the Putters League Championship, at The Fringe mini golf course in Roswell, GA. Hester’s second-place finish in the TN Open placed him securely in the points lead for the Southern Swing Tour. The final stop on the tour is the North Carolina Pro-Am at Lakeview Putt and Play in Arden, NC on September 16, 2023.
