Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson and Jon Barry pulled away from the start and never looked back. The duo set a new event record, holding the lead through the second nine holes to win the 2014 Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge and the $125,000 in scholarship winnings. With the win, Georgia Tech’s cumulative winnings from the event jump to $582,000.
Now three-time champions of the event held at Reynolds Lake Oconee, Johnson and Barry had an eagle and four consecutive birdies on day one to take an early lead. They continued their winning streak on the second day or play with six additional birdies on the second nine holes to secure the win.
“It’s always a great competition out here,” said Paul Johnson. “We got off to a good start. That gave us the momentum we needed to finish strong.”
“Paul and I just gel together. He’s a great putter and we have a good team. We birdied 18 (at the Oconee golf course), which I believe is one of the hardest holes in Georgia,” said Barry. “I had a great couple days with these coaches. The fellowship and the people at the Chick-fil-A Bowl are just great to be around. It’s a couple days I look forward to all year long and to win is fun because all these guys want to win. The Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge is competitive.”
A two-way tie between Mississippi State tandem Dan Mullen and Fred McCrary, and Cincinnati pair Tommy Tuberville and JK Schaffer, determined the second place winners, five strokes behind Johnson and Barry.
Five teams tied for a fifth-place finish at seven under, including N.C. State’s Dave Doeren and Terry Harvey; Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and Bo Jackson; Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Steve Fuller; Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze and Sean Tuohy; and Alabama’s Nick Saban and Mark Ingram.
Final official results from the 2014 Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge including scholarship winnings:
PLACE TEAM SCORE WINNINGS
1 Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson, Jon Barry) -13 $125,000
2 (T) Mississippi State (Dan Mullen / Fred McCrary) -9 $70,000
2 (T) Cincinnati (Tommy Tuberville / JK Schaffer) -9 $70,000
4 Arizona (Rich Rodriguez / Jack Wagner) -8 $50,000
5 (T) Alabama (Nick Saban / Mark Ingram) -7 $30,000
5 (T) Auburn (Gus Malzahn, Bo Jackson) -7 $30,000
5 (T) Clemson (Dabo Swinney / Steve Fuller) -7 $30,000
5 (T) N.C. State (Dave Doeren / Terry Harvey) -7 $30,000
5 (T) Ole Miss (Hugh Freeze, Sean Tuohy) -7 $30,000
10 Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer / Brad Clontz) -5 $25,000
11 North Carolina (Larry Fedora / Roy Williams) E $20,000
The Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge is the country’s premier head coach and celebrity charity golf event featuring NCAA head coaches and former athletes and celebrities from the same school competing against their rivals for a share of a $520,000 scholarship purse. Closest to the Pin Challenge winners, include Coach Dave Doeren and celebrity player Jack Wagner. Each won an additional $5,000 in scholarship winnings for their respective schools.
