Jonathan Buck has been knocking at the door of the Oceana Golf Club championship for a few years now, but over the weekend, Buck finally found his way through it, edging two-time defending champion Titan Carter on the final hole to bring home the trophy.
“I’m happy to get it done at the age of 40,” Buck told the club’s website. “Glad to clear that hurdle.”
Buck lost to Carter, the Shelby Tigers’ star golfer, in each of the previous two club championship tournaments - in the 2024 semifinals and the 2025 finals.
Although Buck led the entire way once he took the lead on the second hole of the finals, the turning point, Buck said, came on the seventh hole. Two years prior, Carter seized control of the duo’s semifinal match by knocking a great shot to within 10 feet on that seventh hole. This time, it was Buck who came up with a huge shot, hitting a 7 iron to within six inches of the cup.
Carter didn’t let Buck pull away, getting within one by scoring a birdie on the 10th hole, but Buck responded on the 11th, making par after nearly holing a 70-foot putt. The two players continued swapping holes back and forth through the 17th, and Buck had to make par on the 18th hole to secure the title. He did just that.
“Neither player was particularly sharp with the putter, and meaningful putts were hard to come by,” the club said in its write-up. “In fact, the two competitors combined for just three birdies throughout the match. For Buck, who felt he had been putting well coming into the championship, it ultimately came down to staying steady and taking advantage when the opportunities were there.”
In addition to Buck’s overall title, the club produced three more champions in other divisions over the weekend. Mike Inglis beat Mike Schramm in the Handicap Division finals, Bob Sorensen defeated Gary Blohm in the Senior Division finals, and Carl Wenk topped Rex Lambert in the Super Senior Division finals.
