A four-shot swing over a three-hole stretch, Nos. 14-16, enabled Marshall County’s Jay Nimmo to complete a regional three-peat on Monday.
The Marshall senior trailed Paducah St. Mary junior Rocco Zakutney by one shot through 13 holes in Monday’s 1st Region Golf Tournament at Murray Country Club.
But Nimmo, who will play college golf at Mississippi State, tied for the lead with a birdie on the par-4 14th hole while Zakutney settled for a par.
Nimmo parred No. 15 while Zakutney took a bogey-5. That gave Nimmo a one-shot lead with three holes to play.
Zakutney then ran into trouble on the par-5 16th, after finding the water off the tee. The led to a double-bogey 7 on that hole. Meanwhile Nimmo parred the hole to build a three-shot lead with just two holes to play.
Both golfers parred the par-3 17th hole.
On 18, Zakutney put his tee shot in the middle of the fairway and knocked his second shot in close from about 155 yards out.
Meanwhile, Nimmo missed the fairway to the right and was forced to punch out of the trees.
But Nimmo got his second shot near the green, then chipped in close for a gimme.
Zakutney made his birdie putt, but finished 2 shots back when Nimmo tapped in for par to finish the round.
Nimmo’s even-par 72 took medalist honors on a day that started cold and wet — even forcing a two-hour delay because of conditions — but finished sunny and pleasant.
Zakutney finished at 2-over 74, three shots ahead of Marshall’s Camdyn McLeod.
Sammy Greenwell of Crittenden County and Tyler Dew of McCracken County tied for fourth at 78.
Trigg County’s Hunter Reynolds was sixth at 79 while Marshall’s David Jack Morris and St. Mary’s Peyton Purvis tied for seventh at 80.
All of those players have earned a spot in the KHSAA State Golf Tournament in Bowling Green next week as have Davis Vessels of McCracken County and Grant Whitaker of Murray, who tied for ninth with 81s.
Marshall County had five golfers finish among the top 13 individuals and claimed the team championship by 15 shots. The Marshals’ Trey Wall tied for 11th with an 82 while Preston Futrell was 13th with an 83.
The Marshals had a team score of 311. St. Mary was runner-up at 326 while McCracken was third at 327.
