Recent high school graduate, Gage Primeaux, wins 40th annual championship
Published 6:00 pm Monday, June 26, 2017
Gage Primeaux, who recently graduated from Barbe High School, has been one top young players in Southwest Louisiana lately and he showed why this weekend by winning the 40th annual Lake Charles Toyota/Lake Charles Men’s City Championship at Mallard Cove Golf Course.
Primeaux shot a three-under 69 in the final round and held off Neithan Allen, who was on fire Sunday with a six-under 66, to win by one shot with a total score of 204 (12-under). It was the third lowest score in tournament history.
Gage Primeaux tees off from the par 4 No. 12 Sunday in the Lake Charles Men’s City Championship.
Back in May, he won the LHSAA Division I medalist state title and finished sixth at the LGA Amateur Championship earlier this month.
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“I feel excited but I just don’t know what to think,” Primeaux said. “My game has really been improving.
“To be honest, I don’t ever practice. I just play a lot. You will hardly ever see me putting or hitting balls.”
Primeaux was not intimidated playing against two seasoned golfers in Allen, who has won twice, and Hank Shaheen, who has finished in the top five several times.
“I knew I had the advantage because I play out here every day,” Primeaux said. “I am more familiar with the greens.”
And in classic City Championship fashion, it came down to the final hole.
Primeaux had a two-shot lead after a birdie on No. 15, but Allen birdied his third par-three, No. 16, to cut the lead to one.
Both parred No. 17, and Primeaux caught a big break when Allen’s tee shot on No. 18 went into some trees left of the fairway. Allen had to take a penalty stroke and eventually holed a chip shot for park.
“I felt like I needed to shoot 10-under today,” Allen said. “I figured both of them (Primeaux and Shaheen) were going to shoot under par today.
“I tried to give myself opportunities all day long. I got a few of them to fall but I came up one short. Gage played solid all day long to hold it off. My hat is off to him.”
Primeaux had two chances for the win. He missed a 15-foot birdie putt, but made a short one for par and the title.
Allen started the day five shots off the lead, but put together a string of five consecutive birdies from No. 6 to No. 10. Over the last five years, he has won two City Championships (2013, 2015) and two runners up (2016, 2017).
Primeaux made several clutch putts early in the round and started off with five straight pars before a birdie on No. 6 gave him the lead.
“I got off to a rough start,” Primeaux said. “It took a while to get some putts to go in. I got up and down 5 out of 5 times on the front nine and it kept me in it.”
For Shaheen, who was playing in the final group for the third straight year, it was another disappointing finish. He started the day with a one-shot lead over Primeaux and five on Allen.
Shaheen bogeyed the second hole to drop into a tie with Primeaux at nine-under, but was just two shots off the lead at the turn when disaster struck when he dropped four shots in three holes. On the par-four No. 12, his second shot landed short of the green in a sand trip. His next shot sailed over the flag stick and landed on a hill on the back of the green which turned into a double-bogey.
“Nothing went right,” Shaheen said. “It was bad from the beginning.
“He (Primeaux) played well and he deserved it. He played better than anyone else. He played bogey free today. Neithan lit it up and it was fun to watch.”
Gage Primeaux (left) gets congratulated after how won the city championship by Neithan Allen.
John Morrissey, who shared the lead with Primeaux in the first round, finished fourth at 211 while defending champion Matt Nicholas shot a 69 on Saturday and finished in a three-way tie for fifth at 214 with Zak Barton and 2009 champ Jason Horn.
Randy Tadlock won the first ever Lake Charles Men’s Senior City Championship with rounds of 70 and 78. Other flight winners include Reid Giardina (1st), David Martin (2nd), Eric Eskew (3rd), Mike Beglis (4th), Tyler Richard (5th), Mike Fuselier (6th), and Mario Ramos (Senior 2nd).
