Forgey weathers the storm and playoff to capture Tennessee State Open title

It was like the epic closing scene out of the movie “The Natural” late Friday afternoon at the 77th Tennessee State Open.

As raindrops and cascaded down upon Adam Forgey after he emerged victorious from a one-hole playoff at Grassland Club’s Fairvue Course, the memories of near misses accumulated over the years while chasing an elusive dream came rushing back.

The 37-year-old Manager of Player Development at Fairfield Glade has established quite a reputation as a skilled instructor. But the life of a club professional does not allow much time to refine one’s own skills on the links.

However, Forgey finally had the cherished moment on Friday afternoon that he had dreamed about, and it was even sweeter than he imagined. Trailing by two shots to amateur Seth Smith with three holes remaining, Forgey managed to force a playoff where he won on the first hole.

“You spend so many years playing golf and trying to win, thinking about putts that you're going to make and all this practice you do constantly. But golf's a lot about failure,” Forgey said. “You're playing against so many great golfers and most of the time you're not going to win. To have finally won something very significant with a lot of meaning, it’s like just getting to breathe again. You get in these battles and then you lose so many times, and you wonder when your time will ever come. So, to finally put three days together is pretty special.”

Forgey entered the day one shot behind Smith but could have easily been ahead by one had he not bogeyed the final two holes in the second round. Smith was three clear of Forgey at 13-under after 12 holes, but three birdies over the next four holes pulled him within one shot as they approached No. 18.

After hitting their tee shots, torrential rain left the duo scrambling for their rain gear before attempting their approaches. Smith’s shot from the rough through the gusting wind was blown into the hazard, resulting in only his second bogey for the tournament. Forgey drained a clutch four-footer for par, sending the participants for cover tied at 13-under before starting the playoff.

Smith’s misfortunes continued as the combatants returned to the 18th hole, which is normally No. 9 at Fairvue as the nines were flipped for this championship. His drive careened left into the hazard, and his third shot also found trouble. Meanwhile, Forgey was able to avoid peril and converted a short par putt for the victory.

Smith, a Kentucky native who competes for Austin Peay’s golf team, was disappointed by his finish despite winning low amateur honors.

“It really kind of sucked how it ended,” Smith said. “I hit a good shot on 18 (during regulation) and it started where I wanted over the right edge of the green. But when the ball got to its apex, to be honest it looked like somebody grabbed it out of the air and just pushed it and just never let go until it found the hazard. I was obviously frustrated, but bad breaks happen in golf and there's nothing you can do about it. Golf can be a very cruel game, and things don't go your way sometimes. I think how you learn from it and how you come back is what makes a player great.”

Forgey’s final round 67 was the day’s low round, possibly becoming the first full-time club professional to capture the title since Kip Henley performed the feat in 1997 when he was also at Fairfield Glade.

“I've never won anything of this magnitude,” Forgey said. “This will be my biggest win of my career. I finished second in the Section championship, top five a couple times in this tournament, and went to the National Club Pro a few times. But nothing that ever comes close to winning the State Open.

“Club pros don't typically ever win this tournament. Even after I secured the low pro purse, I just wanted to win. I didn’t care about that check at that moment. I wanted my name on that trophy knowing that it will stay there forever.”

Clarksville’s Patton Samuels remained in contention most of the day, lurking one shot behind Smith until a bogey at 14 dropped him two back. He was able to muster only one more birdie down the stretch to finish third at 12-under after shooting 68.

Hendersonville’s Jacob Sherlin and Josh Bevell of Nashville both made early runs to close within one shot of the lead at the turn but were not able to complete their comebacks over their final nine holes. Sherlin placed fourth at 10-under after shooting a final round 69, while Bevell was fifth at 9-under while carding a 70.

Nolan Ray of Spring Hill, the 2021 champion, shot 31 over his first nine holes before closing with a 68, finishing in a four-way tie for sixth at 8-under. Joining Ray were Jack Morris of Franklin, Spencer Cross of Knoxville, and amateur Nick Daughtery of Strawberry Plains, who posted a 73 after entering the day as a co-leader.

Matt Mitchell, an amateur from Burns, placed 10th with a final total of 7-under.

For complete results from the 77th Tennessee State Open, click here.

This story from Paul Payne was originally published in The Chattanoogan.