W.E. Cole Cotton States Invitational Golf Tournament

The Cotton States Story By Keith Prince Nothing captures the spirit of Bayou DeSiard Country Club more than its prestigious annual W. E. Cole Cotton States Invitational Golf Tournament. Originally played in 1949 as the Bayou DeSiard Labour Day Golf Tournament, the festive affair was renamed The Cotton States Invitational in 1951 by the club's young head professional, W. E. "Winnie" Cole . Little did Cole know that 27 years later, in 1978, the event would be retitled again, forever to be known as the W. E. Cole Cotton States Invitational Golf Tournament. On its 50th anniversary, speaking about the 1951 name change he made, Cole said, "We needed a name that would make the tournament special and give it stature. I felt The Cotton States would be appropriate because those are the states from which we have always drawn the majority of our tournament players." Winnie Cole was right on target, and from the outset The Cotton States became one of the most popular late summer tournaments in the South. In fact, it originally preceded the U. S. Amateur Championship by one week and made the perfect tune-up tournament for some of golf's greatest young players. In the very first Cotton States (1951),Don January, then playing for North Texas State and later a highly successful participant on both the PGA and Senior Tours, came to Monroe and left with the championship. He was the first of many tremendous golfers to win The Cotton States. Eventually, because colleges began starting their fall semesters earlier, The Cotton States moved away from Labor Day and was played on earlier dates. It continues to draw a high-quality field, featuring some of the region's top veteran amateurs as well as college golfers from many states. Except for 1970 and 1971, the tournament has used a match play format which has brought about countless dramatic moments and last-minute victories. Among past Cotton States champions -- most of whom were in college at the time, later achieving national prominence -- are Hal Sutton (1976), Homero Blancos (1962-63-64), Jackie Cupit (1960), Hal Underwood (1966), Rik Massengale (1967), Stan Lee (1973-74), Mike Heinen (1987) and Perry Moss (1989). Gil Morgan also played here and was runner-up to Robert Shelton of Monroe in 1970. Other notables who played here include former British Open champion Bill Rogers (1972), former PGA champions John Mahaffey (1968) and David Toms (1986), and 1998 British Open runner-up Brian Watts (1984). Gene Dahlbender, of Atlanta, Ga., joins Blancos as the only three-time winner of The Cotton States, taking the title in 1955- 56 and 1961. Local winners have included Jack Rivers (1959),Clayton Cole (1965), Wayne Peddy (1968), Terry Peddy (1979), Doug Farr (1991), Bob Cooper (1999), ULM golfers Drew Proctor (1993) and Brian Frazier (1997), Paul Jones, Jr. (1980) of Bastrop and Tom Bryant (1981) of Lake Providence. Historical photographs provided by Henry Cole

14-Time PGA Tour Winner1983 PGA ChampionRyder Cup 1989, 1991,1999,& 2002 United States Captain, 2004 Ryder Cup "I have some very fond memories of the Cotton States Invitational. My most memorable match was against Randy Sonnier, either in the quarterfinal or semifinal. We finished 18 holes all square and halved only two holes the entire match. I was fortunate enough to win the match on the first playoff hole and I then went on to win the Cotton States Title. It was great experience for my professional career." Walker Cup 1979, 1981

"My most vivid memory is playing Frank Brame and being 5-down. I got it to all square on 18, but lost in a play-off. I also have fond memories of the Moses Motel.... We did have some good times in the Moses." David Toms 13-Time PGA Tour Winner 2001 PGA Champion 2002, 2004, 2006 Ryder Cup Team Member Presidents Cup player in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011 World Cup 2002

"I have nothing but the best thoughts about The Cotton States. The community really embraced the tournament, and made everyone feel truly welcome. I loved Bayou DeSiard and all the event festivities. I met some great friends in Monroe, and only wish the tour would have had events as fun as the Cotton States." Bill Rogers 6-Time PGA Tour Winner 1981 British Open Champion 1981 Ryder Cup Team Member Bill Rogers

Held annually at: Bayou DeSiard Country Club Mailing address: P.O. Box 4905 Monroe, LA 71211-4905

Telephone #’s 318-323-5136 Main 318-322-2127 Pro Shop 318-361-9385 Fax Email: info@cottonstates.org Tournament Chairman: Stewart Causey Tournament Co-Chairman: Golf Pro: Jim Justus

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Past Champions of the W. E. Cole Cotton States Invitational YEAR - CHAMPION - RUNNER-UP copyright 2014 cottonstates.org all rights reserved 2012 Tyler Klava, Pace, FL Jade Scott 2011 Riley Pumphries, Georgetown, TX Billy Brozovich 2010 Ken Looper, Mandeville, LA Nakanintra Ratanakul 2009 No Tournament Held 2008 Bobby Massa, Grand Prairie, TX Will Osborne 2007 Oliver Bekker, Beaumont, TX David McKendrick 2006 Mark Ogren, Daphne, AL Creighton Honeck 2005 Andrew Dresser, Carrollton, TX Andrew Tampion 2004 Daniel McGurk, The Woodlands, TX Co-champions Kane Streat, Australia 2003 Neven Basic, Australia Zach Atkinson 2002 Zach Atkinson, Dallas, TX Scotty Free 2001 Billy Dressler, Lake Charles, LA Shad Muth 2000 Brock Mulder, Waterloo, IA Douglas Sinitiere 1999 Bob Cooper, Monroe, LA John Humphries 1998 John Humphries, Alexandria, LA George Cestia 1997 Brian Frazier, West Monroe, LA Daniel Steele 1996 Chip McDonald, Lafayette, LA Grady Brame 1995 Will Moore, Dallas, TX Doug Farr 1994 Brent Wolff, Ft. Worth, TX Brad Surles 1993 Drew Proctor, Little Rock, AR Brad Montgomery 1992 Rett Crowder, Jackson, MS Henry Cole 1991 Doug Farr, Monroe, LA Andy Bell 1990 No Tournament Held 1989 Perry Moss, Shreveport, LA Paul Davenport 1988 Course Renovation, No Tournament Held 1987 Mike Heinen, Welch, LA Perry Moss 1986 Frank Brame, Alexandria, LA David Toms 1985 Lindsey Spillers, Baton Rouge, LA Scott Sills 1984 Pat Stephens, Richmond, KY Henry Cole 1983 David Allen, Jackson, MS Frank Brame 1982 Jimmy Strickland, Lafayette, LA Michael Stephens 1981 Tom Bryant, Lake Providence, LA Bob Cooper 1980 Paul Jones, Jr., Bastrop, LA David Dougherty 1979 Terry Peddy, Monroe, LA Tim Graham 2013 Ian Davis Edmond, OK Preston Stanley 2014 Eamon Bradley Corbin Renner 2015 Cory Churchman, Andreas Gjestaby 2016 Garrett May, Hope, AR Blaine Hale Jr 1976 Hal Sutton, Shreveport, LA Tico Hoffman 1975 No Tournament Held 1974 Stan Lee, Heber Springs, AR Henry Cole 1973 Stan Lee, Heber Springs, AR Robert Shelton 1972 Jim Belton, Shreveport, LA Dick McMurray 1971 Curt Cox, San Antonio, TX Buddy Short 1970 Robert Shelton, Monroe, LA Gil Morgan 1969 John Paul Cain, Houston, TX Stokes McConnell 1968 Wayne Peddy, West Monroe, LA Mike Keck 1967 Rik Massengale, Jacksboro, TX Clayton Cole 1966 Hal Underwood, Del Rio, TX Mike Taylor 1965 Clayton Cole, Monroe, LA Bob Hartquist 1964 Homero Blancos, Houston, TX Henry Cole 1963 Homero Blancos, Houston, TX Roy Pace 1962 Homero Blancos, Houston, TX Fred Marti 1961 Gene Dahlbender, Jr., Atlanta, GA Jack Rivers 1960 Jackie Cupit, Longview, TX Gene Dahlbender, Jr. 1959 Jack Rivers, Monroe, LA Bud Humphries 1958 Tommy Wulff, New Orleans, LA M. C. Methvin 1957 H. P. Childress, Vicksburg, MS Gene Dahlbender, Jr. 1956 Gene Dahlbender, Jr., Atlanta, GA Bob Travis 1955 Gene Dahlbender, Jr., Atlanta, GA Jackie Cupit 1954 Ham Carruthers, Greenwood, MS Walley Bradley 1953 Jake Epting, Jackson, MS Scottie Rainey 1952 Bennie Castloo, Mineola, TX Don January 1951 Don January, Dallas, TX Alan Andrews *1950 Jim Hill, Memphis, TN H. D. Touchstone *1949 W. E. "Bill" Jones, Monroe, LA Frank Clark* As Bayou DeSiard Labor Day Golf Tournament 1977 Wayne DeFrancesco, Mclain, VA Mike LaBauve 1978 Louis Lee, Heber Springs, AR Billy Pierot 2020 Jack Gnam, winner, Charlie Miller, runner-up 2019 Charlie Miller, winner, Sims Abney, runner-up 2018 Blake Collyer, winner, Paul Gonzalez, runner-up 2017 Blaine Hale Jr. Dallas, TX Thomas Johnson

W.E. Cole Cotton States Amateur History The tournament was first held in 1949 as the Bayou DeSiard Labor Day Golf Tournament, won by Bill Jones from Monroe, Louisiana. In 1951 the new young Club pro, W. E. (Winnie) Cole, changed the name to the Cotton States Invitational to help elevate it to Regional status. That year the winner was Don January, who later went on to become a successful player on the PGA Tour and the Senior Tour (now the PGA Champions Tour). In 1978 the tournament was renamed again in honor of Mr. Cole and became the W. E. Cole Cotton States Invitational. Over the years the Cotton States has attracted some of the top collegiate and amateur players from around the Gulf South region along with players from other areas of the country and from around the World. The Cotton States has a rich tradition of high-level competition with several past contestants and champions moving on to success on the PGA Tour. A few Cotton States players of note were Don January, Homero Blancas, Jackie Cupit, Gil Morgan, Bill Rodgers, Hal Sutton, David Toms, Abraham Ancer and Marc Leishman. They have all gone on to successful careers on the PGA Tour. Rodgers, Sutton and Toms all became major championship winners.