Little wins Jefferson Cup in playoff

It seems that if Nick Little is participating in a local golf event you can just about be certain that he’ll be walking away with the hardware.
While the former Western Albemarle and Radford golfer won comfortably in both the Faulconer and Old Trail Invitationals, this time he needed two playoff holes to finish on top at the Jefferson Cup at Birdwood golf course.
“Granted, it’s always fun to have a lead and just go as hard as you can at the course, it’s always a lot of fun when you have tight competition,” Little said.
Squaring off against UVa golf coach Bowen Sargent after a brief weather delay, Little found himself in a good bit of trouble on the second playoff hole.
While Sargent hit his drive deep and down the center of the fairway, Little’s tee shot sailed right and dropped him in the trees below the hole.
“Going down there I was just hoping for some sort of punch-out so I could get close to the green,” Little said. “I saw I had a clear line, pretty comfortable yardage and just happen to hit a good shot and then hole the putt.”
Little’s shot put him 10 feet from the hole on the left side of the green, earning him a round of applause from the crowd that was watching, many of them members of the field.
Sargent’s second shot also put him on the green, about 12 feet facing down and on the edge of the fringe.
After Sargent just missed his putt, Little was able to sink his and wrap up the dramatic win.
“Nine times out of 10 you get hung up behind the tree,” Sargent said of Little’s remarkable save. “He was fortunate to draw a clear line to the flag and hit a hell of a shot. I couldn’t have hit four better shots. Give credit to Nick, he’s a great player and deserved to win.”
Just one hole before, on 18, Sargent wound up victorious when he hit a long 20-foot putt from the fringe that just missed the cup. It was a risky shot that worked out for Sargent, as it was far enough away that he contemplated a chip shot instead of a putt.
“In the business they call that a Texas wedge,” Sargent said. “I rolled it up there. I really could not have done a better job if I had chipped it, so I was fortunate there.”
Sargent tapped in and Little was able to two-putt to save par and force the last hole.
While the level of play in the playoff was superb, both Little and Sargent put in their worst rounds of the tournament on the previous eighteen holes, shooting 4-over 76 and 6-over 78 respectively.
Yet while the two played slightly off, so did the rest of the field. Not a single golfer finished above par overall. Little and Bowen were tied heading into the playoff at 5-over each.
“It was pretty bad golf,” Bowen said. “We made it a lot harder than it was. It’s amazing. You’d never guess that you could shoot a 78 and still have a chance to win this thing.”
Little had the opportunity to win in regulation on 18 but missed a six-foot putt and allowed Bowen back into contention.
It was the second time he squandered his lead. On the 13th hole Little struggled with water hazards and shot an eight, and went from three strokes ahead of Bowen, to one behind.
However, his ability to out drive the field and aggressive approach shooting paid off in the long run.
Little plans to finish up his last year of school at Radford before making a run professionally. However, there is something he plans to do first.
“Before I do anything I’ve been told that I need to play in the Greene Hills Invitational,” Little joked. “I need to get that local career slam.”
With his outstanding play through out the summer Little added another trophy to the case this weekend, taking home the Battle trophy given to the area’s top golfer.
“I was unfortunately never able to meet Mr. Battle,” Little said. “But hopefully he would have been happy with the way I’ve played.”