LOGIN  |  JOIN  |  INFO  |  BENEFITS
W.E. Cole Cotton States: Garrett May wins 1 up
Garrett May <br>(Baylor Athletics Photo)</br>
Garrett May
(Baylor Athletics Photo)


MONROE, LA (July 31, 2016) -- The championship match of the W.E. Cole Cotton States was delayed three hours after five to six inches of rain overnight, but once it began it was an entertaining battle between two Big 12 rivals. No. 12 Blaine Hale, a rising sophomore at Oklahoma, faced off against Baylor sophomore and six-seed Garrett May, at Bayou Desiard Country Club. The match was tight throughout but in the end it was May outlasting Hale thanks to his ball striking.

“I was very happy with the way I struck the ball. I think that was the reason I was in this position today,” May told The News Star. “Looking back on it, I didn’t get a lot of putts to fall, but it felt like I was hitting 15, 16 greens a round.”

Early on, the match seesawed back and forth a bit with Hale taking an early lead on the 2nd hole, only to have May even the match on the ensuing hole. A few holes later, on the 7th, May hit a wedge to tap-in range which gave him a lead he would never relinquish.

May had a 1 up lead at the turn and extended it to 2 up on the 15th after putting his tee shot on the par-3 to 12-feet. On the ensuing hole, Hale clawed back within one but after a pair of halves it was May hoisting the trophy.

May reached the finals following a 4&2 win over No. 2 Blake Collyer, while it was Hale advancing via a 3&2 victory over Draegen Majors.

-The News Star contributed to this story

Results: Cotton States Amateur
WinTXGarrett MayTexarkana, TX400
Runner-upTXBlaine HaleDallas, TX300
SemifinalsOKDraegen MajorsTulsa, OK200
SemifinalsAustraliaBlake CollyerAustralia200
QuarterfinalsOKTrent EvansEdmond, OK100

View full results for Cotton States Amateur

ABOUT THE Cotton States Amateur

Originally played in 1949 as the Bayou DeSiard Labor Day Golf Tournament, the tournament's name was changed to the Cotton States Invitational in 1951 by the club's young head professional, W. E. "Winnie" Cole. He felt that the name better reflected the main states that the tournament's players originated from (and a move to mid-summer made the name a necessity later anyway). Little did Cole know that 27 years later, in 1978, the event would be renamed again, forever to be known as the W. E. Cole Cotton States Invitational Golf Tournament.

Past champions of this highly competitive, yet festive tournament include Don January and Hal Sutton. Gil Morgan, David Toms and many other PGA Tour players have also competed. The tournament field field is limited to 96 amateur participants having a verified USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 0.0. Long a match play event, the format was changed in 2021 to 72 holes of stroke play.

View Complete Tournament Information

Latest in 

Amateurgolf.com, Inc.
6965 El Camino Real 105-631
Carlsbad, CA 92009

Instagram X Facebook YouTube