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The following article is reprinted with permission from the Monday, October
8, 2001 edition of the Panama City News
Herald.
Smallwood wins fourth Tapper title
 (Photo:
From left, Chris Adkison, Mike Pledger and Gary Grant keep an eye on leader
Clay Smallwood at St. Joseph's Bay Country Club. News Herald Photos: Tom
Needham.) Buy Photo
RYAN BASEN
The News Herald
PORT ST. JOE (October 8, 2001) - Clay Smallwood shot a 78 and finished with a 153 Sunday to
win the 27th annual George G. Tapper Invitational Golf Tournament. The win
was Smallwood's fourth straight Tapper title.
The Port St. Joe native held off a stiff challenge from Gary Grant of
Lynn Haven, who shot a 79 to finish at 156 in the two-day event at the St.
Joseph's Bay Country Club.
Lynn Haven's Mike Pledger, who competed in the same foursome as Grant and
Smallwood, struggled to a 90 a day after shooting a 78 Saturday. He finished
10th overall.
The third-place finisher was Chris Adkison.
The results were not uppermost in the golfers' minds, however. The 92
participants were playing to raise money for Gulf Coast Community College.
Each golfer donated $275 to enter the tournament.
The George G. and Amelia G. Tapper Foundation organized the weekend,
which included a cocktail party Friday night. The proceeds will go to Gulf
Coast's campuses in both Panama City and Port St. Joe.
Tapper started the event as just a way to get together with cronies to
play golf. It became a charitable tournament 15 years ago.
Since then, it has raised about $150,000 for the college.
The Tapper Foundation, which George Tapper started just two days before
his death in June of 1986, has now given over $1 million to Gulf Coast,
according to David Warriner, Tapper's son-in-law, who is the foundation's
vice president. The foundation also raises money for many organizations
throughout Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties.
Several organizations donated $1,000, $500 or $275 to the foundation to
sponsor the golf tournament. As a result, Trish Warriner, the Tappers'
daughter and current foundation president, said this year's event raised
over $10,000 for the school.
"Most people get into the tournament for the fact that the money goes to
Gulf Coast," said Harrell Holloway, a friend of George Tapper who has played
in every tournament since 1975. "I look forward to it. I don't think Trish
had any doubts about continuing it (after her parents died)."
Since he has dominated the tournament in recent years, Smallwood is
probably as happy as anyone that Warriner has kept it going - although he
was hardly excited about the 78 he shot Sunday.
"It's good competition, but we played terribly today," said Smallwood,
president of the St. Joe Timberland Company, who has played in the Tapper
for 15 years. "There is no excuse. The course was in great shape today."
Pledger, whose wife graduated from Gulf Coast, said one reason the scores
generally were higher Sunday than the day before was the wind.
"It was harder out there today with the wind blowing," said Pledger, a
sales manager for Nextel who was raised in Panama City Beach.
But "Clay is real consistent," he said. "If he has a bad hole, it's only
a bogey."
The writer can be contacted at
rbasen@pcnh.com
© The News Herald
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