UTC's Tyler Neff Edges Jabaley By 1 to Win CCC Invitational

Add Tyler Neff’s name to the list of UTC golfers that have made their mark this summer.

Strongly encouraged by coach Mark Guhne to make the most of their summer and play in as many tournaments as they can, the Mocs have ventured far and wide since their spring season ended, turning up on leaderboards and serving as walking recruiting posters with their increasingly familiar blue and gold bags, shirts and hats.

It started with last month’s Tennessee Open, where Mitch Brock played in the final group and ended up tied for sixth with teammate Jonathan Hodge, Bryce Ledford tied for 21^st and Neff tied for 45^th. A couple of weeks later, Tripp Harris won the Ira Templeton Chattanooga Open in a four-hole playoff. A week after that, Harris and incoming freshman Derek Rende advanced to the quarterfinals of the Tennessee Four Ball, a tournament won by Ledford and the University of Georgia’s Adam Mitchell.

This week, Ledford played in the Nationwide Tour’s Chattanooga Classic. And Neff, after an agonizingly long college season spent on the sidelines as a red-shirt, finally tasted victory again. On Sunday, his 6-under-par 66 at Cleveland Country Club beat first-round leader Chuck Jabaley by a stroke.

Understand that going to Cleveland, where Jabaley is a long-time member, and beating the former Tennessee Open champion is about as tough as barging into the Bada Bing and taking Tony Soprano’s wallet off him. It just isn’t done without a fight. Jabaley knows every blade of grass on the course and misses a fairway about once a month. Jabaley opened the tournament with a 66, leaving Neff four strokes behind as Sunday began.

The final round was predictably tight, but Neff jumped ahead with a birdie barrage, as in three straight, at Nos. 14, 15 and 16. Jabaley, who threatened to win this tournament for the second straight year before falling to a limberback, once again acquitted himself well. His closing 71 left him just a shot behind Neff.

“This was a big monkey off my back,” said Neff, a two-time junior college All-American at Cleveland State who finished fifth in last year’s Tennessee Amateur. “I’ve been working my tail off for this. An old friend of mine [Cedar Hills Golf Course pro Daniel Walker] has always told me that this game is a process that you’ve got to enjoy.”

And Neff does enjoy the process. He’s a range rat and also loves running and lifting weights.

“He loves to practice and work out,” Guhne said. “He works very hard and he works with a purpose.”

Neff’s labors have paid off. Guhne correctly identified that all Neff needed to break loose was some short-game work. He spent countless hours on the practice green, chipping and putting. The result is that Neff is able to capitalize more consistently when he hits the ball close to the hole, which he does often.

“He’s one of the purest ball strikers I’ve ever seen,” Guhne said. “Chuck called me over and said ‘Who is this kid? The guy’s unreal.’ Tyler’s got a tremendous amount of talent.”

Neff proved as much when he took the tournament from Jabaley’s grasp with that three-hole stretch on the back nine. At the par-4 15^th, he blasted a driver and 8-iron to just off the green and two-putted for his first birdie. He followed that with a lob wedge to three feet and another birdie at 15. He drained a 20-footer for his final birdie at No. 16, and the tournament was his.

“This is so big,” Neff said. “It’s a steppingstone for me. I’ve been waiting so long to see my hard work pay off. I’m going to head into next season with a ton of confidence.”