Anthony Baker and Mark Kriston survived the fall’s coldest temperatures to shoot 6-under-par 65 Sunday to win the 2026 Lexington Barbecue Festival Tournament at Lexington Golf Club.

The Forsyth County duo posted 11-under 131 for the 36-hole, best-ball event to beat second-place Justin Taylor and Derek Lipe by two strokes. Taylor and Lipe fired 64, the low round of the tournament.

The 44-year-old Baker won the event almost two decades ago with Stephen Mabry. It was the first for Kriston, 43.

Baker supplied the big shot of the round, hitting his second shot from the left rough to within five feet of the pin on the par-5 14th  and sinking the eagle putt.

Mark Kriston (left) and Anthony Baker won the Lexington Barbecue Festival Tournament.

“It was an amazing golf shot,” Kriston said.

The full field of 56 teams battled significant wind on Saturday and cool temperatures on Sunday — play was delayed 30 minutes by first frost of the season on the 6,100-yard course. Baker said final-round pin placements also were tough.

“In the years I’ve played in the tournament, this was the hardest it’s played,” said Baker, who has also won the Davidson County Amateur at Lexington and qualified for the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Pinehurst with Bryan Colquitt.

Kriston (top photo, putting on No. 18), a former professional player, won the Forsyth County Amateur for the second time in August.

The tournament didn’t use live mobile scoring, so teams didn’t know results outside their foursome until completing their rounds. Prizes were awarded in four flights.

Jamie Gilley and Brant Stovall, who shared the first-round lead with Baker and Kriston and played with them in the final foursome, shot 70 and finished third at 136.

Josh and Clint Smith, Rodney Thomas and Buck Hall, and Dewayne Blakley and Chris Logan tied for fourth at 137 with identical scores of 70 and 67.