Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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28 UCW OCTOBER 6-12, 2021 Best of Fayetteville COVER Old and new rivals ready to compete in the 2021 Cumberland County Golf Championship at Gates Four by EDDIE SOUTHARDS It's been a good year on and off the golf course for Thomas Owen. On the course, he played in his first USGA championship when he qualified for the U.S. Mid Amateur in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Off the course, Owen and his wife wel- comed the birth of their second daugh- ter in July. Now, Owen gets ready to defend his title in the Cumberland County Golf Championship on Oct.15-17 at Gates Four Golf & Country Club. "It's been on my short list of goals to make a USGA championship," Owen said. "I'm tickled to death. But I haven't played as much golf as I did the last couple of years. We've got a newborn baby girl and I didn't want to stray too far from her." Owen, 33, has been the dominant player in the CCGC for the last five years. Since 2016, he has won twice and finished as the runner-up three times. "I'm always excited to play in that," Owen said. "I have a better understand- ing of how to play that course success- fully. I know what clubs to hit and how to play it. I'm looking forward to it." Owen's biggest challengers are ex- pected to be two eight-time champi- ons of the event — Billy West and Gary Robinson. They tied for third place last year but were a distant 10 shots behind Owen when the final round was rained out. "I think Thomas Owen is the favorite, not trying to put pressure on him," West said. "He's the defending champion, he qualified for the U.S. Mid Am and he's among the top 10 amateur players in North or South Carolina." Robinson, who will turn 63 on the first day of the CCGC on Oct. 15, has a remarkable record of longevity in the tournament. He is not only trying to win the event for the ninth time but is seek- ing to win it in a fifth decade. His first victory came in 1982. "The ninth time would be great, it is important," Robinson said. "But win- ning it in five decades would be, to me, more important. It means more to me just to be able to compete at this age. I'm happy with that but it still doesn't mean I don't want to win." West, who is 47, is impressed by what Robinson has accomplished and the way he still can play golf. "One thing I've always admired about Gary and the reason I have so much respect for his game is he's obviously always set the benchmark," West said. "One of the things I have the most re- spect for is the longevity of his career." Robinson attributes being able to play at a high level for nearly 40 years to a couple of things. "One thing is, I've been blessed with good health," he said. "I try to stay in shape. I did do physical labor most of my life. I did a lot of stretching and it kept me limber. I don't lift weights but I do use bands and do a lot of stretching to try and stay loose that way." West said Robinson can still hit the ball farther than him despite the differ- ence in their ages. "The power he still has in his early 60s is incredible," West said. "It gives him a competitive advantage in those se- nior events he plays in and allows him to compete and win when he's playing people of all ages. He really is nothing short of extraordinary how he's been able to maintain his game at his age." But Robinson knows his chances of beating West and Owen, only 33, will be more difficult as he gets older. "I know Thomas and Billy with the age they are, they obviously still have more chances than I do," he said. "I would like to win a couple more if possible but we'll just take them one at a time." Gary Robinson, left, and Billy West, right, are among the top challengers for last year's winner, omas Owen, in the 2021 Cumberland County Golf Championship. Gates Four Golf & Country Club will host the CCGC again this year, but the tournament may resume the tradition of rotating to other courses in the county the following year. e 2021 Cumberland County Golf Championship will be held at the Gates Four Golf & Country Club Oct. 15-17.