Madison, MS: The 2023 Inaugural Bank Plus Gulf States Open was held at Annandale Golf Club on July 14-16. The course was in phenomenal condition despite the scattered thunderstorms. The tournament field consisted of 104 players with the Section’s top PGA Professionals and Amateurs.
David Beard III (a) of Madison, MS, fired rounds of 71-65-69 for a three-day total of eleven-under par, 205, to claim the Low Amateur and the 2023 Bank Plus Gulf States Open title. Beard’s second round included nine birdies and an eagle. Hunter Logan (a) of Steens, MS (73-66-67–206), Jeff Berry (p) of Shreveport, LA (70-69-67–206), and Zach Longgrear (a) of Madison, MS (69-69-68–206) had a three-way tie for second. Jeff Berry also claimed the Low PGA Professional.
Beard later commented, “Today I got off to a pretty hot start and then cooled down with a lot of pars. I felt I was pretty good off the tee. I’ve been struggling a little bit, but I was hitting it well this week. I’ve never played at Metairie Country Club so 2024 should be pretty fun.”
Berry added, “I told my parents when I came here this week that I want to play ‘boring golf’. And for the most part, I really did. The only thing that happened is that my putter got hot. That’s kind of what saved me. I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, but I had 25 putts the last 2 days, so the hole was just big for me this week.”
Special thanks to Gabe Baldwin & Rob Armour of BankPlus, Benji Nelson, Seth King, PGA, & Ben Nelson, PGA of Ben Nelson Golf & Outdoor, and everyone at E-Z-GO for their support and partnership of this tournament. The Gulf States Section would also like to thank the Director of Golf, Jon Howell, PGA, Head Golf Professional, David Henninger, Assistant Golf Professional, DJ Rye, Head Golf Course Superintendent, Josh Bowen, and the entire Annandale Golf Club staff & membership for their hard work in making this a fantastic event.
Join us at our next event, the Gulf States PGA Professional Championship at Old Waverly Golf Club on July 31-August 1st.