Golfers from across the country came to Toqua Golf Course to compete in the annual Red-Tailed Hawk Invitational.
The annual member-guest tournament started Thursday with 72 teams and ended with a three-team shootout Saturday afternoon. Winners were the Ohio-born brother duo of Curtis and Jim Williams.
The tournament has been going on more than 30 years, although overall champions weren’t recognized until 2004. The names of winners have since been added to a hand-carved statue of a Red-Tailed Hawk, with miniature replicas given to champions.
Play began with 12 flights of six teams, with the top team in each flight advancing to Saturday’s finals. Three additional teams made it as a wildcard, forming three groups of five teams for the final day. Each group played four holes in a sudden death format, with the worst team on each hole eliminated.
The three group winners competed in the finale on Toqua’s Hole 9. Opposing the Williams brothers were Tim Kukla and Tim Malloy, who won the Jones flight and 11 Tee Group, and Larry Man and Michael Wood, wildcards from the Snead flight who won 18 Tee Group.
“We had 72 teams from literally all over the country, so that’s 144 players in 12 flights,” Chris Sykes, Tellico Village golf director, said. “They were whittled down to the three teams that qualified for the finale. It was survival of the fittest, so the week was about survival with the heat and then the finale here you just had to survive to beat the other ones, too.”
The whole tournament took place in near or over 90-degree heat, with over 1,500 bottles of water and 100 bags of ice needed over the three days.
“It was fantastic, other than being hot,” Sykes said. “Thankfully we played earlier in the day and I think everyone managed to survive the heat and we didn’t lose anybody, so that’s good.”
For the Williams brothers, it was the first time participating in the tournament after Curtis moved to Kahite less than a year ago. Topping the Hagen flight and then the 10 Tee Group ahead of their ultimate victory, they said it had been a positive experience they were eager to repeat.
“This is one heck of a tournament,” Jim said. “A lot of good players and we just happened to hit the ball really good on certain days to get us to leave our division.”
“We will defend (our title) if we can,” Curtis added.
The brothers got a chance to take photos with the trophy ahead of being formally recognized later that night at the closing banquet. Participants and guests gathered at the Yacht Club as flight winners, runners-up and the overall champions were announced.
