Jones holds on for GCBHS Real Okie championship
Hailey Jones survived a shaky back nine, and a charge from three golfers, to capture the 2025 Green Country Behavioral Health Services Real Okie Championship on Saturday at Muskogee Golf Club.
Jones, who hails from Dallas and played collegiately at Oklahoma State, shot an even-par 71 to finish with a four-round total of 16-under 268, one shot better than Nannette Hill of Jupiter, Florida and Lauryn Nguyen of Seattle, Washington, both of whom carded 5-under 67s.
Beside claiming the $ 10,000 first prize, Jones earned 500 points to increase her lead in the Callaway Golf Race standings.
It was her second title of the season and earned her an exemption into the Epson Tour Dream First Bank Charity Classic next month in Garden City, Kansas. Hill, by virtue of having more points on the Callaway leaderboard than Nguyen, received the second exemption.
“Oklahoma is like a second home,” Jones said. “I played at OSU and have always loved coming back here. I am thrilled to have won here.”
Rylee Suttor of Shelbyville, Kentucky, started the day 11 shots behind Jones at 5-under, had the lowest round of the tournament, a 9-under 62, to finish fourth at 14-under.
Nguyen, who finished her collegiate career at Northwestern University in May, said the key to her final round was consistency.
“Sticking with the game plan I had the first three days,” Nguyen said. “Not being too aggressive when I had to. Just playing smart.”
While she fell short of her first professional title, Nguyen said her confidence has not faltered.
“I just have to keep plugging away,” she said. “My game plan really doesn’t change much.”
It looked on the front nine that Jones was going to run away from the field. After her front nine, she stood at 18-under and had a six-shot cushion.
But that back nine proved to be a roller coaster ride, beginning with a bogey 4 on the 13th hole.
She followed that up with a birdie 3 on 14 and gave that back with a bogey 6 on 15. She regrouped and birdied the par 4 16 and dropped a shot on 17 to find herself with only a two-shot advantage heading into the final home.
Jones pulled her tee shot on 18 to the left behind a tree, leaving herself the only option to get the ball back in the fairway. Her third shot ended up pin high on the left edge of the green where she two-putted for a bogey 5, good enough for the win.
After picking her ball out of the hole, she was swarmed by several competitors who sprayed her down with water, a welcome relief from the heat.
“I think fatigue started to set in on the back nine,” Jones said. “It was a sticky day weather-wise today. But we were all playing in it and I just had to stay mentally focused.”
The tour is off this week before heading to Denver for the Colorado Championship at Todd Creek Golf Creek.
“I’m going to Colorado with a lot of momentum,” Jones said. “I just hope I can keep it going.”
