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SPORTS
Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
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gainesvilletimes.com
Midweek Edition-April 5-6, 2023
THE MASTERS
50 years for Tommy Aaron
Associated Press file photos
Gainesville’s Tommy Aaron puts on the green jacket with help from the previous year’s winner Jack Nicklaus after winning the 1973
Masters in Augusta.
Strong final round
by Gainesville’s golf
great facilitated win
at Augusta National
BY BILL MURPHY
bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com
Gainesville’s Tommy Aaron waves to the crowd after winning the 1973 Masters in
Augusta.
MONDAY’S HIGH
SCHOOL BASEBALL
BILL MURPHY I The Times
North Hall’s Kaleb Sexton throws against
Cherokee Bluff on Monday in Flowery
Branch.
Sexton solid
for N. Hall
in win over
No. 1 Bluff
BY DAVID FRIEDLANDER
dfriedlander@gainesvilletimes.com
It quickly became apparent in Monday’s
Region 8-4A game between Cherokee Bluff
and North Hall that it would be one of those
days in which just about everything went
right for one team, while just about every
thing went wrong for the other.
Based on the two teams’ records com
ing in, however, the roles for each weren’t
what one might think.
Instead of the No. 1 and previously unde
feated Bears, it was the visiting Trojans
who did just about everything right.
Among that category was cashing in five
Cherokee Bluff errors, five walks and five
stolen bases into five runs at the plate.
North Hall also got nearly flawless
defense at the right times, plus a stellar
pitching outing from freshman Kaleb
Sexton to score a 5-3 upset in the opener
of a week-long, three-game series at Bluff
Ballpark.
The left-hander (5-0) allowed five hits
and three runs with seven strikeouts and
just two walks over seven innings to not
only help give the Trojans’ (14-7, 6-6) post
season hopes a boost, but also hand the
Bears (20-1,11-1), who had just broken into
scorebooklive.com’s national rankings at
No. 24, their first loss of the season.
“All year, (opponents) have given us
opportunities, but we haven’t capitalized
on anything,” North Hall coach Trevor
Flow said. “We got some really big hits in
crucial situations (Monday) and we ran the
bases well.
“I can’t say enough about our fresh
man’s performance on the mound. He’s not
scared of the moment. He threw unbeliev
able (Monday) night. I was super proud of
them. We needed that.”
Both halves of the first inning gave a
good indication that it was going to be
North Hall’s day.
Ajay Jones led off by drawing a walk
from Cherokee Bluff starter Braxton Beal,
and then promptly stole second and third,
and scampered home when the throw on
the latter steal got away for a quick 1-0 Tro
jans lead.
Then in the bottom of the inning, Sex
ton got some help from two diving catches
from left fielder Korbyn Sosebee to retire
the Bears in order.
Those plays, along with an even more
spectacular diving catch from Jones to rob
Cherokee Bluffs Caleb Miele of a potential
bases-clearing extra base hit in the bottom
of the third helped boost the freshman
southpaw’s confidence even further.
Meanwhile, North Hall kept the pres
sure on Cherokee Bluff on the basepaths to
force even more mistakes.
Another steal of third, this one Andrew
Hlavacek, and an errant throw brought
home another run in the third, and the
Trojans added single runs in the fourth on
a throwing error, the fifth on Mills Loth-
ridge’s RBI double and the sixth on a wild
pitch for a 5-0 lead.
“(Everything) kind of snowballed, (and
North Hall) did a good job of taking advan
tage of those things,” Cherokee Bluff coach
Jeremy Kemp said. “That’s what good
teams do, and they did a good job (Monday)
night.”
However, the Bears weren’t about to let
their season-long winning streak slip away
without a fight, and they finally able to
string some offense together against Sexton
in the sixth after being held to just two hits
to that point.
A single by Ty Corbin, a balk and back-
to-back RBI doubles from Miele and Bryce
England got Cherokee Bluff on the board
at 5-2.
The Bears pulled to within 5-3 when
Brett House reached on an error and K.T.
Thompson brought England home with a
fielder’s choice.
However, Thompson was caught in a
rundown trying after trying to score from
third on a pitch in the dirt, and then chang
ing his mind, later in the inning.
Thompson was also ejected from the
game, by rule, after a collision near the
■ Please see NORTH, 2C
Tommy Aaron’s final round at the Mas
ters wasn’t perfect in 1973, but he played
the course fearlessly, making a handful
of fantastic shots that facilitated the one-
stroke win over J.C. Snead.
Aaron’s bookend rounds of 68, with
scores of 73 and 74 in the middle two days,
were just enough to win the world’s most
prestigious tournament with a four-day
total of 5-under par.
In addition to Snead, the Gainesville
native and resident had to hold off fast
charging Jack Nicklaus, who carded a
magnificent final-round, 6-under par 66 to
earn a tie for third place overall.
Aaron’s win will also be linked to his
remarkable chip shot from just behind
the green on No. 15, but it was a full day’s
work that helped him insert his name in
the same category as the game’s greats.
“Tommy Aaron, getting off to an unbe
lievable start and coming up with an
unforgettable finish, attained a pro golf
er’s dream here yesterday when he shot
a final-round 68 to win the most coveted
event of them all, the Masters tourna
ment,” Times sports editor Phil Jackson
wrote on April 10,1973.
Starting the final round four strokes
back of leader Peter Oosterhuis, who was
three shots clear of the field, Aaron knew
he was going to have to be aggressive but
smart about chasing birdies during the
first round.
It started well for Aaron, making all
birdies on the first three holes, thanks to
some great work with his putter.
On No. 1, Aaron drained a breaking
25-footer for birdie that got him back to
within three shots of the leaders, who
were still preparing to tee off.
Then on the par-5 second hole, Aaron
pitched the ball over the green for his
third shot. However, he went with a put
ter for about a 40-foot downhill birdie
attempt, which rolled in “like a gopher
in a hurry to get home,” Jackson penned
from Augusta.
Aaron wrapped up his trio of birdies to
open the final round with a short iron to
within 12 feet on his second shot on No.
3, then drained the mid-range birdie putt.
After a birdie on No. 8 and par on the
ninth hole, Aaron made the turn with a
one-shot stroke lead over Oosterhuis.
The throngs of fans in the gallery from
Gainesville were beaming with pride and
cheering for their friend Aaron.
Once Aaron was on the back nine,
things got a little bit dicey, but he was able
to recover.
On No. 10, he three-putted from 20 feet
for his first bogey. On No. 11, Aaron had
the same fate. However, the rest of the
day would be all about Aaron keeping an
arm’s length ahead of the rest of the field.
Aaron went ahead and birdied the
par-5 (13), thanks to a stellar drive off the
tee and approach shot to the front fringe
of the green, which left two putts for his
birdie.
Then, Aaron did his best to seal the deal
on No. 15. After Snead drove it into the
water on the 12th and Oosterhuis made
a bogey on the same hole, Aaron knew a
birdie would make it a two-shot lead.
He decided this was the time to go for it.
After a tee shot that didn’t meet his
standards on the 15th, Aaron knew it was
decision time.
And he chose to go for the green, know
ing that if he didn’t get there, it would land
in the greenside pond.
Aaron chose to hit a 3-wood, which
cleared the green and came to rest about
30 yards from the cup.
This left a “testy little shot,” as Aaron
said, needing to get his ball high enough
that it wouldn’t roll back down the green
and to his feet, but not put too much mus
cle on it, or it would roll down the back
side into the water.
With so much on the line, Aaron’s shot
was nearly perfect, leaving the ball about
four feet past the hole, which he sent in
About this series
■ This week, the Times will run a
four-part series to commemorate
Tommy Aaron’s victory in the 1973
Masters.
for birdie, sending the fans from Gaines
ville into another celebratory roar, Jack-
son wrote.
After making par on 16 and 17, Aaron’s
tee shot on No. 18 went to the left side of
the fairway.
However, he played a wonderful sec
ond shot that came to rest at the front of
the green, leaving only 25 feet for birdie.
Even though his first putt looked like it
had the right touch on the uphill path, it
just missed the cup, but he was able to tap
in for par and close the day 4-under par
and 5-under for the Masters.
Leading Snead by one stroke when he
hit Butler Cabin, Aaron waited patiently to
see the outcome.
Snead knocked in a tricky par putt on
No. 17, but missed his birdie attempt on
No. 18, making Aaron the official winner
at Augusta.
When it was over, Aaron was adorned
with the winner’s green jacket by the pre
vious year’s winner, Nicklaus, who would
finish his career with a record six Masters
titles.
However, in 1973, it was all about
Aaron, who was bringing it home to
Gainesville.
After it was complete, Aaron weighed
in on how important the fan support was
when talking with his friend Jackson.
“I’m happy for them,” Aaron said at the
time, noting he could hear the support the
entire day.
Rory looks to complete career Grand Slam
JAE C. HONG I The Associated Press
Rory Mcllroy walks to the 15th hole during the practice
round for the Masters on Tuesday in Augusta.
BY DAVID SKRETTA
Associated Press
Rory Mcllroy has had plenty of
memorable moments on the back
nine on Sunday, but two of the best
have had nothing to do with the
four-time major champion holding
up a trophy at the end.
One came in 2018, when Mcllroy
was paired with Tiger Woods in the
final group at the Tour Champion
ship. Mcllroy faded that Sunday at
East Lake, but he was left with the
best view possible to watch Woods
win for the first time in five years.
The other came just last year,
down the hill from the stately club
house at Augusta National, where
Mcllroy holed out from the bunker
I First round
When: 3 p.m. Thursday
TV: ESPN
on the 18th to finish off his Masters
— and then watched Collin Mori-
kawa do the same right behind him.
“Obviously the last time this tour
nament was played I walked away
from the course and the tournament
pretty happy with myself, as you
can see over there,” Mcllroy said
Tuesday, gesturing to a nearby pho
tograph of him standing in the bun
ker, his club raised and the vestiges
of a joyful cry still spread across the
Northern Irishman’s face.
What could top those two
■ Please see MASTERS, 2C
