By BY BRUCE HIXON – sports editor
Future Boo Weekley Invitationals will have a tough time matching the suspense the 2007 event had over the weekend at the Country Club of Brewton.
Six of the eight flights were decided by two strokes or less and four were decided by one stroke. An additional flight ended with a tie for the top spot.
A total of 91 teams and 182 players competed in the third annual tournament, which is named after PGA player and Country Club of Brewton member Boo Weekley.
The team of Jerry Driggers and Chuck Neiman won the seventh flight, which consisted of 14 teams. Driggers and Neiman had identical Saturday and Sunday rounds of 69 for a final total of 138. That was one stroke better than Ashley Weaver and Jerry Cotton, who had rounds of 70 and 69 for a total of 139. Daniel Saba and James Parker took third with a score of 141 after they posted rounds of 71 and 70.
The team of Darrell Bond and Benny Gardner won the sixth flight, which fielded 10 teams, with a score of 131. Bond and Gardner had a first day total of 67 and clinched their win with a round of 64 Sunday.
Frank Dittreck and Danny Breault shot rounds of 67 and 66 for a total of 133 to finish runner-up. There was a tie for third place between Sonny Knight and Buck Lee along with Ray Craddock and Billy Montgomery. Both had final totals of 136. Knight and Lee went 68 and 68 to get their score, while Craddock and Montgomery went 65 and 71.
The fifth flight, which consisted of 12 teams, was won by the team of Ralph Innes and Chad Helton. They had rounds of 65 and 69 for a final score of 134.
Ed Williamson and Tommy Thompson were one shot back at 135 with their rounds of 67 and 68. Patsy Weekley and Scott Tyra were just two shots back of the top spot, as they went 69 and 67 for a final score of 136.
The tournament's largest margin of victory, four strokes, came in the fourth flight. Dewayne Youngblood and Scott Campbell led the nine-team field with rounds of 64 and 67 for a final score of 131.
Gary Mooneyham and David Beach were second at 135 after they compiled rounds of 66 and 69. Bill Henderson and Don Ward took third with identical rounds of 68 for a composite score of 136.
The third flight, which had 11 teams, featured the second largest margin of victory, three strokes. Murray Rutledge and Kelly Gillis compiled rounds of 63 and 65 for a composite total of 128.
Lee Talbot and David Hyde took second with rounds of 66 and 65 for a total of 131.
There was a tie for third place between Randy Allison and Nathan McCants along with Stephen Wesley and Thomas Brittan. Allison and McCants had two rounds of 66 to notch their score of 132, while Wesley and Brittan went 68 and 64 to get their score of 132.
The tournament's closest flight was the second, in which the duos of Regan Stouestill and Todd Larson along with Tim Salter and John Hart had identical scores of 126 to pace the 12-team field. Stouestill and Larson went 62 and 64 to get their score, while Salter and Hart were reversed at 64 and 62.
Tommy Chapman and Rainey Lee were a close third, as they shot 62 and 66 for a composite score of 128.
The team of Jody Dortch and Dusty Ellis took first place in the first flight, which had 13 teams, with rounds of 60 and 64 for a final total of 124.
Jeff Cummings and Brad Prescott were just one stroke back at 125 with their rounds of 65 and 60. Cuz Strickland and David Allen came in third with scores of 63 and 64 for a final tally of 127.
The championship flight, which had 10 teams, was won by Gary Martin and Steve Wilson. They shot rounds of 63 and 59 for a final tally of 122, one stroke better than runner-up Dan Odgens and Danny Stout. Odgens and Stout went 62 and 61 for a final round of 123.
Todd Norman and David Hancock were also in the running until the end, as they ere just two shots back with identical rounds of 62 for a final total of 124.