Whittington cruises to third Ladies Championship

Published 9:32 am Monday, August 3, 2015

Karley Whittington, left, high-fives Parker Rutherford at the end of the Warren County Championship Sunday at Clear Creek Golf COurse. Whittington won the women’s tournament, and Rutherford won the men’s. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Karley Whittington, center, high-fives Parker Rutherford at the end of the Warren County Championship Sunday at Clear Creek Golf COurse. Whittington won the women’s tournament, and Rutherford won the men’s. At left is Rutherford’s sister, Peyton Rutherford. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

In terms of both quality and quantity, Karley Whittington didn’t face a lot of competition in the Warren County Ladies Golf Championship this weekend.

Most of it came from her own high standards, and in Sunday’s final round she found a new way to raise the bar.

Whittington shot a bogey-free round of 70 — the first time she’s ever played a round without making at least one bogey — and cruised to her third consecutive County Championship.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

“I’m very happy. I’ve been waiting on it for a while. I have many milestones left, but that was one of the bigger ones to fulfill,” Whittington said of being bogey-free.

Whittington finished with a two-day total of 139 for a 30-shot win over runner-up Linda McHann. Dinah Lazor was the only other golfer competing in the Ladies Championship and was 65 shots back.

Whittington started the day with a 13-shot lead on McHann and didn’t face a lot of external pressure while demolishing both the field and the course.

Whittington joined Karen Carroll and Jean Bishop Rule as the only women to win the tournament at least three times. Rule won it nine times and Carroll won it six.

“I just wanted to go out and shoot a solid round. That’s about it,” Whittington said. “I’m happy with it even though I left a lot of birdies out there. I can deal with it.”

In the Senior Men’s Championship, Jeff Cowan rallied from a five-shot deficit heading into the final round to win. Cowan shot 71 on Sunday for the low round of the day and finished with a two-day total of 147. He beat Mike Caruthers by two shots and Rodney McHann by three.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

email author More by Ernest