Tim Jackson wins playoff at Birmingham National Invitational
Birmingham National Invitational champ Tim Jackson
is flanked by Runner-up Patrick Christovich (left)
and Joseph Deraney
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (May 31, 2015) —
Just two
weeks ago, Tim Jackson nearly beat the best
pros
and amateurs in his home state of
Tennessee.
Although he had to settle for a runner-up
finish in the
Tennessee
State Open, it
was clear to even that casual observer that
Jackson,
56, is playing some of his best golf.
Today at a challenging Country Club of
Birmingham
West Course — that hosted the 2013 U.S.
Mid-Amateur —
Jackson posted a tournament-low score of
three-under
68.
That number got the Germantown, Tenn.
resident to
two-under for the tournament, and was good
enough to
make up four strokes on 36-hole leader
Patrick
Christovich of New Orleans. Christovich, the
No. 4
ranked Mid-Amateur in the
AmateurGolf.com Mid-
Amateur
Rankings, had missed a lightning fast
birdie
putt on the 18th hole in regulation, which
would have
given him the win outright.
"I had that same putt last year to
win," said Christovich in a phone interview.
"It's one of those putts that's so fast you just
have
to
breathe on it to get it started. Last year I
knocked it
15 feet by and made the comebacker. This
year, I
barely missed and still had five feet left."
The two players headed out to the 18th
hole, a
relatively short par-four where Jackson made
an
unlikely birdie from the trees to win it. Forced
to hit
a low punch shot after missing the fairway
right,
Jackson was able to not only hit a deft
approach shot
to the green, but sink a 15-foot putt for his
birdie
(from the low side of the hole). Christovich
had a
chance to extend the playoff, but again had a
downhill six-footer that he slid by the edge.
Joseph Deraney of Lexington, Ky.
grabbed
third place at one-under, while Craig Smith of
Nashville
was alone in fourth at even-par 213.
ABOUT THE BIRMINGHAM NATIONAL
INVITATIONAL
The Birmingham National Invitational, called
simply
the "National Invitational" by the club,
continues to attract a solid field of mid-am
players
and should see its status elevated in the AmateurGolf.com Mid-
Amateur
Rankings, the only rankings dedicated to
golfers
aged 25 and over.
ABOUT THE
NIT
This 54-hole stroke play event, formerly
held the weekend after Memorial Day but moved to
November in 2020, dates back to
the early 1900's and is also known as the "NIT". Draws
a field of national-level mid-amateurs.
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