Gilliland-Elliott vs McKenna-Harris, Vaughn-Deck vs Jenkins-Baird
in Semi-Finals at Council Fire

Mike Jenkins and Tom Baird are representing Chattanooga Golf and Country Club in the CDGA Four-Ball Match Play Tournament, but on Saturday, they could just have well been representing the tournament’s quarterfinals venue, Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club.

That’s because both players are well familiar with the Signal Mountain layout, particularly Baird, who grew up on the course and was a member there until just a few years ago.

The local knowledge showed as Jenkins-Baird outlasted the Lookout Mountain team of Pat Corey and Jim Ferguson, 3 and 2 to advance to Sunday’s semifinal round against Ben Vaughn and Chase Deck.

The day’s last match was the only one to advance to the 16^th hole. All three of the other matches ended early. The Brainerd one-man team of Jimmy Watkins had an excuse; he was missing partner Richard Keene, who was attending his niece’s wedding on Saturday. Without the former Metro and Tennessee Mid-Amateur champion, Watkins had a tough time, losing to a couple of college players, Chattanooga’s Tyson Elliot and Furman’s Chris Gilliland, who are representing Council Fire.

The Valleybrook team of David McKenna and Tripp Harris showed no mercy on another team from their club, John Lambert and Kyle Cothran, winning 7 and 6. And Vaughn and Deck of Battlefield dispatched Brainerd's Greg Privette and Matt Mathis, 4 and 3 in a match that featured 16 birdies.

“We ran into a buzz saw today,” Privette said. “Those boys, they’re scary,” Mathis said of Vaughn and Deck.

Vaughn and Deck are now the problem of Jenkins and Baird, who jumped out to a 2-up lead over Corey-Ferguson on the strength of Baird’s birdies at Nos. 1 and 2 and never relinquished the lead. Baird tacked on birdies at No. 9 and 11 and Jenkins contributed a birdie at No. 13 as their lead grew to 4-up at one point.

“I grew up here and took lessons from [Signal Mountain pro emeritus] Don Malarkey,” Baird said. “We’d come up here at daybreak and Don would put us to work. And we’d stay until dark. I guess you could say I’ve got local knowledge up here, but I had a fabulous partner.”

Jenkins, it seems, provides the drive for the duo.

“What I like about playing with Mike,” Baird said, “is he doesn’t even let me think about being complacent. He’s always full bore, which is good for me, because I don’t go there. He’ll hit the ball in the woods and I’ll say ‘Are you going to pitch out?’ And he’ll say ‘No way, I can make a birdie.’ ”

The duo will probably need to make a few more birdies in Sunday’s semifinals against Vaughn and Deck, who were 10 under through 15 holes against Privette and Mathis, who shot 6 under through that point but felt as though they’d been hammered.

McKenna and Harris will take on Gilliland and Elliott in Sunday’s first semifinal match at 8:45 a.m. at Council Fire Golf Club. The Vaughn-Deck/Jenkins-Baird match follows at 8:53 and the final match will be played 45 minutes after the completion of the last semifinal match.