DOTHAN, Ala. – Michael Arnaud made his first trip to the Dothan Country Club a successful one.
Arnaud, a veteran on the Korn Ferry Tour, won the Dothan Pro-Am as part of the Emerald Coast Golf Tour by defeating University of Alabama golfer Wilson Furr by 1-stroke on Friday.
The Covington, La., resident dropped a short par putt on No. 18 to secure the win just after Furr, competing as an amateur, barely missed a birdie putt that could have sent the two into a playoff.
Arnaud shot a three-day, 14-under par 196 (66-65-65), while Furr shot 64-67-66 for his 197. Two strokes back of the winner was Blake Caldwell of Ponchatoula, La., at 199 followed by Aaron Power of LaGrange, Ga., at 200.
Using the tournament as a tune-up for a return to the Korn Ferry Tour when it starts back up on June 11, Arnaud collected a check of $7,000 for the victory.
“I really liked this golf course,” Arnaud said. “It reminds me a lot of the courses I grew up on back home in southeast Texas.
“I like these old-school golf courses. The first time I had played it was Tuesday during the practice round. I fell in love with it quickly.”
Arnaud was steady with the putter throughout the three-round tournament.
“I played well the first two days,” he said. “Today, I was a little errant on a few tee shots, but was able to recover and I putted really well. That’s the name of the game — — putting. The greens were quick and you really had to pay attention.”