Gallery by Tina Laney
Pipestem – A year ago Davey Jude took the lead on Day 2 of the Mountain State Golf Classic, shooting a 65, 7-under par, at Pipestem.
The Summers County course wasn’t as kind to the three-time champion on Sunday.
Jude, who shot 8-under Saturday at Grandview, had a subpar day by his standards, firing a 73, 1-over par, on the day.
The showing was enough to maintain his lead heading into Monday’s final round on the Cobb Course at Glade Springs but gives him considerably less breathing room with Shady Spring graduate Tanner Vest just three shots backs.
“The mentality was to hit the gas pedal but today it came with a u-turn,” Jude chuckled. “But we’re just going to go out and make some birdies on the first few at Cobb tomorrow and score a little bit. Cobb’s going to be playing tough with how firm it is, but hopefully I’ll make a couple putts.”
For Jude, Sunday’s showing was almost identical to last year’s through the first nine holes as he even bogeyed the same hole (No. 4) that he did a year ago. Sunday’s miscues came on the back nine where an eagle on No. 13 seemed to be the turning point and just never was. He bogeyed No. 15 and sliced right on his tee shot off the par 3 No. 17, double-bogeying the hole.
“I just couldn’t get any momentum going,” Jude said. “I missed a three-footer on No. 1 and a five-footer on No. 2 for birdie and it kind of set the tone for the day. I found myself just wishing putts in that wouldn’t go in. I didn’t miss a green except the one I hit out of bounds on No. 4. Man, the eagle was literally the only thing that went right today. I just kind of lost the swing there. This course plays a lot different whenever it’s this firm. It tightens up a lot and balls run off 30 yards further than they should. Instead of hitting driver on a lot of the par 4s, I have to hit with a hybrid because a driver’s too much. It’ll run over the green. It was kind of a different course this year where last year we started off with a little bit of rain.”
Sunday marked the first time Jude had played at Pipestem since last year and the second time he had played there since 2012.
“I don’t practice enough for this tournament,” Jude said. “I just kind of come up here and try to have fun the first few days even though today was not fun. I can’t remember the last time I’ve hit some shots like that. Especially like the one I hit on 17. That was just a wedge and I don’t think the ball went 25 yards. But I’ll have a chance tomorrow.”
Closing in on Jude is Vest who was one of four different players to shoot two-under on the day. Vest’s round, which featured four birdies on the back nine including three straight on holes 11-13, vaulted him up to within striking distance of Jude. He’s now four-under for the tournament.
Landon Perry, the 2017 champion who came into the day in second place, had a shot at closing the gap but bogeys on No. 15 and 17 took two strokes from him, keeping him four back of Jude with a score of 3-under par for the tournament.
The Cobb Course, where the final day of the tournament will be played on Monday, is one of the home courses of both Vest and Perry, though Jude has historically fared well there. He trailed heading into the final day of the 2021 tournament before capping a comeback at Cobb and led by two strokes last year heading into the final day. The reigning champion, he won last year’s event by five strokes.
