"He deserves it,’’ she said.

And Sandee is right. Jenkins has spent endless hours promoting and organizing the CDGA and certainly deserves the recognition.

CDGA President Richard Keene and Jenkins have always wanted to promote more inter-club competition in Chattanooga. Consequently, they came up with the Four-Ball Match Play Tournament last year. And starting this year, the new Michael C. Jenkins traveling trophy will be given to the winners for display at their club for the following year.

"Wes Brown ran the CDGA for years, then retired and put Mike in there. Without Mike, there wouldn’t be a CDGA, especially one as good as it is now,’’ Keene said. "He has been instrumental in the Metro being run so well and in putting together the new Four-Ball Tournament. Naming the trophy after him was a way to give him recognition for all the hard work he’s put in.’’

Jenkins and Keene started the Four-Ball Tournament last year with a field of 12 teams. More teams would have participated, but there was a misunderstanding about the priority list. Still, all the players on the 12 teams pleaded for them not to drop the event.

Instead of being disappointed in the small field, Jenkins and Keene persevered and are hoping for a maximum field of 32 teams for the Aug. 22-25 tournament. Jenkins said if the number of teams entered exceed 32, the 32 teams that make the field will be determined in accordance with the priority list set forth in the application.

"Anyone who is member of CDGA club may enter, you do not have to be on the priority list to enter,’’ Jenkins said. "The priority list will only be used if the number of entries exceeds 32.  This is the part that a lot of players seemed to misunderstand last year.’’

To be eligible for this four-ball match play event, both team members must be male amateur golfers, both players must have a USGA/GHIN handicap, and both team members must be members of the same CDGA club. For non-private clubs, team members must have USGA/GHIN handicaps established at the non-private club that they represent.

"We’ve already had numerous verbal responses, so we’re looking for a strong field this year,’’ Jenkins said. "We’re expecting as many as four teams from some clubs.’’

Jenkins has changed the original format for the tournament, moving to something he compares to the NCAA Tournament.

"We’ll have four 'regions' at four different golf courses the first two days,’’ Jenkins said. "That lets us play later in the day so there won’t be so many work conflicts on Thursday and Friday.  Two teams from each region will advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday.

"And in the long term we’re not asking that much of any one golf course. Nobody has to give up their entire golf course for the majority of a day.    We’ll have only four tee times per course on Thursday now, and only two per course on Friday. This will get more courses involved and hopefully will increase participation.’’

The first- and second-round matches will be played on Thursday (Aug. 22) and Friday (Aug. 23) at 2 p.m. at Valleybrook Golf and Country Club, Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club, Council Fire Golf Club, and Lookout Mountain Golf Club. The highest seeded team (determined by total handicap indexes) from each of these four clubs will play at their respective home courses. If entries permit, no two teams from same club will play each other in either of first two rounds.

The quarterfinals will be played at Chattanooga Golf and Country Club on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 24) at 2:30 p.m. The semifinals and finals will be played Sunday (Aug. 25) at Black Creek Club.

SEVEN QUALIFY FOR STATE AMATEUR: John Maupin from Franklin shot a 66 on Monday to lead the qualifying for the 2002 State Amateur on Aug. 6-9 at the Ridgeway Country Club in Memphis.

Also qualifying during competition at the Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club were Athens’ Andy Burris (68), Chattanooga’s Bryan Hartley (68), Brentwood’s Jonathan Fulks (69), Hixson’s Patrick Williams (69), Etowah’s Blake Bivens (71) and Cleveland’s Mitchell McCracken (72).

Williams, the former Soddy-Daisy High standout who will be a junior this fall at Middle Tennessee State, had consecutive birdies Monday on Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Perhaps the most disappointed golfer Monday was Chattanooga’s Andrew Black, who shot a 73 for the spot of fourth alternate. Black recently finished second in the 96th Southern Amateur Championships at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta with rounds of 69, 72, 72 and 67 for a 280.

The other alternates were Hixson’s Mark Guhne (first at 72), Decatur’s Matthew Robertson (second at 72) and Signal Mountain’s Nick Kinzer (third at 73).

WOOD QUALIFIES FOR CANON CUP: Chattanooga’s May Wood recently qualified to play in the 2002 Canon Cup representing the East team on Aug. 5-8 at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill.

The prestigious Canon Cup pits 10 boys and 10 girls from the East against 10 boys and 10 girls from the West in a three-day match play format similar to the Ryder Cup. Wood was one of eight girls who automatically earned a spot on the East team based on their position on the official American Junior Golf Association point list.

Wood is also a third alternate for the U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship on Aug. 12-17 at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. She recently shot a 73 at Chapel Hill in Douglasville, Ga., in qualifying.