A strong field will play three rounds of stroke play with the championship concluding on Sunday. Three age divisions will compete: 50-56, 57-64 and 65+.

Steve Hudson of Birmingham is the defending champion and is included in an impressive list of 15 former winners of Alabama Golf Association championships in the field. He also won the 2010 State Mid-Amateur and has been the AGA Player of the Year multiple times.

He fired a closing round of 68 last year at Saugahatchee Country Club to beat overnight leader Robert Nelson who closed with a 72. Hudson opened with rounds of 70 and 73 for a five-under-par total, two clear of Nelson and three ahead of Scott Johnston of Auburn, who finished second in 2010 and third in 2011.

Other AGA champions in the field include: Richard Jeffers of Mobile who has won more different AGA titles than anyone else. He has won the State Four Ball with Joey Dzwonkowski in 1996 and 2002; the State Amateur in 1997; the Mid-Amateur in 2004; the State Senior in 2005; and the State Senior Four Ball with Mark Miller. (Jeffers is playing this week; Miller and Dzwonkowski are not).

Don Blanton of Selma has a total of five AGA wins: three wins in the State Senior Four Ball with Sam Farlow (who is not playing this week), and he also won it with the late Art Gleason. Plus the 2009 State Senior.

Tom Jungkind of Bessemer has won the last two State Senior Four Ball titles with Mike Greer, and Jungkind has also won the State Four Ball twice (in 2006 with Mark Lindsey and in 1993 with David Minshew). Jungkind is playing this week, but Greer, Minshew and Lindsey are not.

John Stewart of Birmingham won the State Four Ball with Greer in 1992 and the 2005 State Senior Four Ball with Robert Straub of Courtland. Stewart is playing this week, but Straub is not.

Emile Vaughan of Pike Road won the State Mid-Amateur in 1989 and the 2007 State Senior.

Earle Bidez of Birmingham won the State Senior Four Ball with Jon Golden in 2007. (Bidez is playing this week; Golden is not).

Tab Hudson of Jasper won the 1990 State Mid-Amateur. He also won the 1980 Alabama Open (not run by the AGA).

Nelson won the 2009 State Mid-Amateur and the State Junior in 1978.

Stan Sherlin of Montgomery won the State Mid-Amateur in 1996 and ‘97, as well as the ‘01 State Four Ball, with former State Amateur champion John Coles III. Both are playing this week.

Talbert Griffin III of Birmingham won the State Amateur in 1984.

2007 State Four Ball champion Del Wood III of Birmingham (with Alan Coshatt) is teeing it up (Coshatt is not old enough to do so).

Frank Vines of Birmingham won the State Four Ball in 1990 with Tom Jones. (Vines is playing; Jones is not).

David Fry of Montgomery won the 2003 State Senior Four Ball with John Pitcher. (Fry is playing; Pitcher is not).

Tee times on Friday are from 7:30 – 9:20 and 12:30 – 2:10 off Nos. 1 and 10.

Will Golden (67) and Richard Douglas (69) also advanced, as did Hunter Hawkins (70) and Chip Deason (70) after a five-way playoff for the final two spots to advance to sectional qualifying.

Curl had a flawless card with seven birdies (Nos. 3, 4, 6, 10, 13, 15 and 16) and 11 pars. He is on the comeback trail after a series of injuries have derailed this 33-year-old who plays on the Nationwide Tour and has lived in Birmingham for less than a year.

His father, Rod Curl, played on the PGA Tour for 20-plus years, including winning at Colonial in 1974, and Jeff is trying to follow in his footsteps.

“I’ve had full status on the Nationwide Tour for the last four years, but I’ve had a lot of health issues (two shoulder surgeries, knee trouble, a fractured back and issues with an ankle), but I’m feeling good now and I’m really just getting my season going,” Jeff Curl said.

Curl, who plays at Greystone when not on the Nationwide Tour, had two-time Alabama Open champion Frank Shikle caddying for him, who is also a Greystone member.

Curl moved to Birmingham as his wife, who is a dermatologist, is from here.

“I played very solid and the putts started to fall. I’m hoping this is a breakout round that gets my year going.”

Golden is a mini-tour player who lives in Auburn and Douglas lives in Mountain Brook. Hawkins is from Fort Payne and is a senior at UAB, while Deason, who played for Alabama some years ago, now lives near Augusta, Ga. and plays the NGA/Hooters Tour.

Michael Johnson of Birmingham, Jacob Joiner of Albany, Ga. and Rob Garland of Nashville, Tenn. all shot 70, but missed out in the playoff.

Hunter Hamrick, a senior at Alabama who hails from Montgomery, also advanced to sectional qualifying from local qualifying at Pensacola (Fla.) Country Club.

Earlier in the day they had beaten the team of Cole Skaggs and Jonathan Henderson after 19 holes, while Kyatt and McRae, both former Samford University golfers, defeated local favorites and Athens residents Jim McClary and Stewart Whitt in the other semifinal 3 & 2.

On Saturday Coggin and Davis had won a pair of close matches. In the round of 16 they won 1 up against Kevin Carden and John Randall and in the quarterfinals they beat Paul Vandiver and Mark Hightower 2 up.

McRae and Kyatt won their Saturday afternoon quarterfinal match fairly easily against N.H. Holt and Ed Kinzer, but their morning match was anything but, as it lasted an astounding 27 holes, before they finally overcame Jacob Harper and Chris Brannon on the ninth extra hole.

Coggin and Davis are both members at Vestavia Country Club and play regularly together. It is the first Alabama Golf Association championship for both players.

They had eight birdies in their first 12 holes to build a 3 up lead and never looked back from that point, closing the match out four holes later.

“I’m lost for words…this is very special,” Coggin said. “Doug and I play a lot of golf together and we knew the key was being in every hole as much as possible. We were able to do that.”

“Really what got us through was shooting four-under-par in the pouring rain in Thursday’s first round (of stroke play qualifying),” Davis said. “We had to really dig deep that day and our confidence grew with each day and each match.”

Coggin and Davis are childhood friends, going to Altamont School together. However, Davis started playing golf as boy, while Coggin did not start until he was 25, 20 years ago.

“I tell you, I’m 48 and didn’t know if I’d ever win an AGA title,” Davis said. “We had two birdie putts nearly every hole and never let up. Wow! We won, is how I really feel.”

Those thoughts were echoed by his good friend and teammate Coggin, who had his 11-year-old son Austin, a budding junior golfer, watching the final day.

Coggin also credited playing a lot of golf with his cousin, Alan Coshatt, as a help to his game. Coshatt and Del Wood III won this title a couple of years ago.

Whitt, a former golfer at the University of Alabama, and McClary shot 67-66 and Bethune and McCurdy the opposite scores to be tied on 133, one ahead of Paul Vandiver and Mark Hightower (68-66–134).

Whitt and McClary’s second round was highlighted by an eagle on No. 2, combined with five birdies and a bogey. Bethune and McCurdy had birdies on Nos. 2, 5, 10, 12 and 18.

Former champions Del Wood III and Alan Coshatt finished tied for fifth and advanced to match play.

Defending champions Woodie Eubanks and Forrest Crabtree finished six-under-par for the two rounds and ended up in a five-way playoff for the final three spots in match play. Also in the playoff group were former State Mid-Amateur champions Steve Hudson and Robert Nelson. Eubanks and Crabtree made it through, along with Russ Mitchell and Ray Neese and Cole Skaggs and Jonathan Henderson.

Nelson and Hudson and Zach and Jonathan Lynch failed to advance to match play from the playoff.

In all, 16 teams advanced to match play. Those teams will play matches Saturday morning and the eight advancing teams will play that afternoon, with four teams left Sunday morning and the final two teams playing each other Sunday afternoon to determine the champions.

Chris Brannon of Auburn and Jacob Harper of Valley are tied for the lead with Jordan Bethune and Zac McCurdy, both of Fort Payne, with both teams recording six-under-par 66′s.

Brannon and Harper had birdies on Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 11, while Bethune and McCurdy made birdie on Nos. 6, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 17.

They are one clear of Athens residents Jim McClary and Stewart Whitt, who carded a 67. Whitt, a former golfer at the University of Alabama, and McClary made birdies on Nos. 1, 2, 6, 14 and 18.

Next comes six teams on 68, with defending champions Woodie Eubanks of Trussville and Forrest Crabtree of Mobile in a group on 69, good for a tie for tenth.

The field in this Alabama Golf Association state championship will play their second round of stroke play Friday, with the low 16 teams at the conclusion of the second round advancing to match play. Those teams will play matches Saturday morning and the eight advancing teams will play that afternoon, with four teams left Sunday morning and the final two teams playing each other Sunday afternoon to determine the champion.

Five players will advance to sectional qualifying at various locations across the country, all with the goal of qualifying for the U.S. Open, to be played June 14-17 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.

Tee times will be from 8:00 – 9:48 off Nos. 1 and 10.

Players of note in the field include current University of Alabama golfers Tom Lovelady, Scott Strohmeyer and Trey Mullinax; current Auburn University player Michael Johnson; current UAB golfers Thomas Sutton, Hunter Hawkins and Sam Love; current Samford University golfers Casey O’Toole, Gabe Hyde and Drew Aimone; former PGA Tour winner Spike McRoy; current and former Nationwide Tour players Jeff Curl, Patton Kizzire, Zack Sucher, Chip Deason and Jimmy Brandt; mini-tour players Andrew Medley, Nick Rousey and Kyle Sapp; reigning Alabama Open champion Trey Del Greco; former Alabama Open champion Jordon Anderton; and three-time State Mid-Amateur champion Scott Weaver.

The Alabama Golf Association conduct USGA qualifiers in the state.