Ginger Starlin State Farm team wins SGTC Jets Booster Club Sparky Reeves Golf Tournament
The Ginger Starlin State Farm golf team consisting of Payne, Jarrod and Peyton Sells captured first place and “Red Jackets” with a score of 45 at the 10th annual South Georgia Technical College Jets Booster Club Sparky Reeves Golf Classic Tournament at the Griffin Bell Golf and Conference Center in Americus, Georgia.
There was a three-way tie for first place with identical 45 scores but a regression tie scoring option left the Ginger Starlin State Farm team in first place over Magnolia Manor and Alfa Insurance teams. The “Sparky Reeves Team” of Kevin Reeves, Brian Simmons and Stan Gann were the winners in 2023 and they were in the hunt for a repeat title grab with a 46 score.
Sparky Strong – Shown above are members of the Reeves family showing their support of the SGTC Sparky Reeves Golf Tournament Classic. Shown (l to r) are: Reeves Young, Mandy Reeves Young, Ryan Reeves and Jenny and Kevin Reeves.
The State Farm team consisting of the three Sells graciously accepted the first-place trophy and “Red Jackets” and the second-place team from Magnolia Manor consisting of Chad Roland, Ty Kinson and Steven Avant came in a close second in the tie breaker process. The Alfa team of Bray Bishop, Todd Hilton, and Ryan Landruff finished in third place.
For the second year in a row, a hole in one was had at the tournament. This year, Todd Hilton had a hole in one on number 17. Stan Gann from the “Sparky Reeves” team had a hole in one on the sixth hole in 2023. A total of twenty-seven teams participated this year and there were 38 hole sponsors.
Allene Reeves is shown above with SGTC Jets head coach Chris Ballauer, and SGTC Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach Jason Carpenter.
Kevin L. Reeves, son of SGTC President Emeritus Sparky Reeves, kicked off the tournament and thanked everyone for participating. “On behalf of Dad and our entire family, we thank you for your support today and over the past year. Dad loved South Georgia Technical College and the Jets and Lady Jets intercollegiate athletic teams. This golf tournament was his way of giving back to the SGTC athletic program,” said Reeves.
The first tournament was held in 2015 and was planned to honor retiring President Sparky Reeves. He had been a driving force behind the success of the nationally recognized intercollegiate Jets and Lady Jets basketball program during his 11-year tenure as President of the prestigious two-year institution. The tournament was named in his honor in recognition of his leadership and support of athletics at South Georgia Technical College. This was the 10th annual tournament and over $100,000 has been raised to support the Jets and Lady Jets Athletic teams.
Even though President Reeves has passed own, his spirit, enthusiasm, and love was felt as individuals quoted some of his favorite sayings such as “Big Time,” “Every Day is Special,” and “Sparky Strong.” In addition to Kevin Reeves and his wife Jenny, Sparky’s wife, Allene Reeves, and their daughter and son-in-law, Mandy and Ryan Young, were all present at the tournament to thank individuals for the support.
South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford took a few minutes before the tournament began to also “thank everyone for their support of the college and this great tournament. We all appreciate what Sparky Reeves has done for South Georgia Tech and this community and this is a great way to support and give back to the Jets and Lady Jets basketball teams.”
The teams that signed up for the tournament this year included: Sparky Reeves Team; Magnolia Manor, Perry Brothers Oil Company, Dan Torbert team; Lumature Wealth Partners, Parker’s Heating and Air, Century 21, GSW Foundation, Sumter Broadcasting, South Georgia Technical College and Dr. John Watford’s team, Mike Donnelly Team, Pineland Communications, Sam Hunter Team, Ginger Starlin State Farm, Martha Arrington, Citizens Bank, Kinnebrew Company, Alfa Insurance, Stone River Spa, JW Werling, Synovus Bank, Jimmy Windham, Tree toppers, It’s Miller Time, and Mitsubishi Electric.
This was the 10th annual Sparky Reeves Golf Classic Tournament. In 2023, the “Sparky Reeves team” of Kevin Reeves, Brian Simmons and Stan Gann won. The Magnolia Manor team of Ty Kinslow, Steven Avant, and Bradley Kitchens won the tournament in 2022 and the Peterson team of Chandler Studdard, Corey Stallings, and Bray Bishop won the 2021 tournament. The Synovus team led by Buddy Guth, Jason Evans, and Jodie Hayes won the 2020 tournament and TSG took first place in the 2019 tournament with Brandon Horne, Kory Hobbs and Gatewood Ledbetter. The Georgia Southwestern State University Foundation was the 2018 tournament champion. Karl Booker and the Harrod Tree team won in 2017 and 2016 and the Hooks Agency was the winner in the inaugural tournament in 2015.
The tournament was a three-person scramble which featured a shotgun start. In addition to prizes for the top three teams. Dr. David Finley won a grill and the 50/50 raffle and Daryl Brown won the drawing for a Kayak.
In addition to the teams who participated in the tournament, there were a number of hole sponsors that supported the event including: Dan Torbert, Magnolia Manor, Riccardi General Dentistry, Perry Brothers Oil Company, Barry and Tami Blount, Lumature Wealth Partners, Parker’s Heating & Air, Easterlin Pecan Company, The Baldwin Agency, Janis Webb, Mike Cheokas; Gatewood, Skiipper, Rambo & Moore, PC; GSW Foundation, Sumter Broadcasting, Sparky Reeves Team, Imerys, Carrier Corporation, Sherrell Bailey, Hooks Simmons Agency, Georgia Power, Parker’s Heating and Air, South Georgia Technical College, Pineland Communication, Accelerated Physical Therapy, Citizens Bank, Tree toppers, Synovus Bank, Mitsubishi Electric, Clinic Drug Store, Kinnebrew company, Little Brothers Bistro, Toboggan Steve’s Buddy & Cherilyn Guth, Brothers & Little Sisters of Pi Kappa Phi – Randy and Linnie Gilliam; Brothers & Little Sisters of Pi Kappa Phi – Dick and Brenda Robbins; Café Campesino and Whaley Realty.
