Chris Daniels rebounds to take 2025 Mountain State Golf Classic title

Golf

July 15, 2025•5 min read

Daniels wins WVGA Senior Amateur Title and Mountain State Golf Classic Title in the span of a week

With a rainbow shining in the sky over the 18th green, destiny finally turned its eye to local golf favorite Chris Daniels.

After enduring numerous close calls over the years, Daniels rolled in a birdie putt on the final hole of the 2025 Mountain State Golf Classic to secure the elusive championship title, much to the delight of crowd on hand.

"I have prepared a speech like seven times because I knew I was going to come out and win some year like 10 or 15 years ago, whenever it was. Today, I did not prepare a speech," Daniels said. "That helps I think. Don't let yourself get too far ahead. Think about every shot. One shot at a time. That is kind of what I did all day. Eventually somebody has to win and today was my day."

Entering the day two shots behind leader Josh Carpenter, the deficit went to six shots after the first nine holes.

After a bogey on hole No. 1 by Carpenter and a birdie on No. 2 from Daniels, the twosome was even going to the par-3, 3rd-hole.

Carpenter answered Daniels' charge by making two birdies and an eagle over the next four holes, while Daniels struggled to find the bottom of the cup.

"On the front nine, I didn't feel like I had much of a chance after missing a few make-able birdie putts. I made a few bogeys," Daniels said. "Going to the back nine (holes), only because I was keeping Josh Carpenter's scorecard, I knew he had shot a 34 and I had shot a 38. I was already two shots down (entering) today. That math was six."

Staring another second or third place finish in the face, Daniels kept grinding. A birdie on No. 10 was off-set with a bogey at hole-12, but when Daniels reached No. 15 tee he had shaved two shots off of that six-shot deficit.

With victory still off in the distance, Daniels moved closer to Carpenter with a birdie on hole-15.

"All of a sudden putts start falling," Daniels said. "I started making a few birdies on the back-nine and I tried to get it back to even par."

"(Hole) 16 happens to Josh and I make the putt," Daniels continued. "I really didn't know what he had made on the hole. I just knew he had hit one in the water and had to grind it out. I knew my putt probably mattered and I made that putt. I made the putt on 15 and I made the putt on 16."

Leading by just three shots after No. 15, Carpenter hit a drive on the next hole that left him with a precarious downhill lie. Carpenter faced a pond a huge bunker right in front of him for his approach shot.

"It was just a lack of course knowledge," Carpenter said. "In my practice round I hit a hybrid off of the tee, but I felt like it left me too far back on my approach shot. I thought I could hit my 3-wood today and be alright. The ball just went a little too far."

Carpenter hit his approach shot in the water and finished the hole with a triple-bogey. Coupled with the birdie from Daniels, the Pocahontas County graduate was now down by one shot.

The situation seemed to go from bad to worse for Carpenter when his tee shot at the par-3, 17th-hole, rolled down the hill, left of the green. With no clear shot to the pin, Carpenter punched his ball up on the green and rolled in a 30-footer for par.

Daniels was on the green, but, with the pin well back, the eventual champion had to navigate part of the fringe to reach the hole. Choosing to pitch the ball over the fringe, Daniels came up short and walked away with a bogey.

"I had a lot fringe to putt through and in hindsight I maybe should have putted it," Daniels said. "I had previously pulled off that shot in the (WVGA) Parent-Child (Tournament) and hit it perfect to get us a tap in par putt."

Now tied with Carpenter and only one hole to play, Daniels still believed he had plenty of work to do on the final hole, a reachable par-5.

"I had no idea. All I knew was I had made a couple of birdies. I knew I had a decent back-nine going, but I didn't follow where Josh was," Daniels admitted. "I thought I was still a couple down. I didn't think we were tied. In the fairway, I thought I might need to make a three."

Following a great tee-ball, Daniels knocked his second shot on the green for a lengthy eagle attempt. Two putts later, the reigning West Virginia Golf Association Senior Amateur Champion, was a champion for the second time in a week.

"I knew if I could get enough of it to clear the first fairway bunker, it would roll up there," Daniels said. "It came down perfect and settled down in the middle of the green. Then I two-putted. I didn't want to do anything silly. I skirted it down to six-feet for birdie, but I still did not know that was for the win."

"I made it and (2017 champion) Landon (Perry) said welcome to the club," Daniels went on to say. "It was a typical Mountain State Golf Classic final round. If you shoot even par, or one-under, you are going to be right there with the champion."

After shooting 2-over par for the front nine holes, Daniels rebounded to shoot 2-under on the back nine.

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