April 2016 FORE Georgia Magazine

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APRIL 2016

Harbor Club Ranked #3 Best Course to Play in Georgia

By Mike Blum

or the past few decades, Lake Oconee has been known for its outstanding golf courses located along its shores. Now its beautiful resort course, Harbor Club, has been ranked the 3rd Best Course to play in Georgia.

Harbor Club was one of the three original resort courses on Lake Oconee that opened in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since then, five courses have been added to the area. Designed by golfing legends Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, Bob Cupp, and the duos of Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw and Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish, Lake Oconee’s golf courses are fabulous. But all of these courses are fully private, except one, Harbor Club.

Featuring an exceptional design by acclaimed golf course architect Jay Morrish and former PGA Tour standout Tom Weiskopf, Harbor Club offers the only course on the lake that is accessible to golfers who are not club members or staying on site.

Along with its beautiful collection

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of 500 lake front, golf front and woodlands homes, Harbor Club has always been considered a top residential community with an exceptional golf course.

The most current ranking of statewide courses by Golfweek Magazine reinforces Harbor Club’s well-deserved golf reputation, now ranked the #3 Best Course to play in Georgia for 2016, behind only Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside course and Reynolds’ Great Waters.

A Full Time Residential Community with Non-Resident Membership Options

Harbor Club is semi-private, offering membership to individuals and families living outside the club’s gates. Several different membership levels are available, including corporate memberships

and an under 40 executive membership.

Brandon Matney, Harbor Club’s General Manager, says 85 percent of the property owners are primary residents. “One of the things that sets Harbor Club apart from every other community on Lake Oconee is that most of our residents live here full time.”

Matney says Lake Oconee offers a “laid back, highly amenitized lifestyle.” Thanks to the many additions that have made life on the lake much more convenient and enjoyable, Lake Oconee has become a very attractive option as a full-time residence.

For families with school age children, an exciting addition is Lake Oconee Academy, a charter school 2 miles from Harbor Club. Lake Oconee Academy has been selected as one of the five finalists for Georgia Charter School of the Year.

Chic shops, great restaurants, an 8screen movie theater, a new Publix and the new St. Marys Good Samaritan Hospital, winner of the Georgia Small [ See Harbor Club, page 6 ]

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Instruction Fore You

P R E S E N T E D BY

Set make-up changes as swing speed slows

By Danny Elkins

PGA Head Professional, Georgia Golf Center Thirty years ago, back in my so-called prime, the clubs in my bag consisted of a driver, a 3-wood, a 1-iron through the sand wedge and a putter. Boy, have times changed.

My current set make-up consists of a driver, a 3-wood, a 5-wood that I view as a 4-wood, another 5-wood that is the equivalent of a 3-iron, a 7-wood that I view as a 4-iron, a 25-degree hybrid I use as a 5-iron, a 29-degree hybrid used in lieu of a 6-iron, a 7-iron through the pitching wedge, another pitching wedge bent to function as a gap wedge and a sand wedge. And of course, a putter.

One obvious reason for the dramatic change is that I'm 30 years older, and a bit heavier, and therefore have less clubhead speed. Less clubhead speed means less spin on the ball, less spin means that it’s more difficult to get the ball up in the air.

Adding to the problem is the fact that the present day golf ball spins MUCH less than the balls we played with years ago.

The combination of my reduced clubhead speed and the reduced ball spin forced me to look for options that would get the ball airborne. For me, that meant trading in the long irons for fairway woods and hybrids. The changes to my set makeup resulted in lower scores immediately.

There are a couple of keys to maximizing your set make-up. The first of these is to match all of the club specifications as best you can. This does not necessarily mean that all clubs must be the same

brand. In fact, I have five different brands in my bag. Matching really means that the lengths and weights are similar enough that no club feels significantly different than the others. I recently replaced two graphite shafted hybrids with two steel shafted hybrids to more closely match the weights.

The second consideration in set makeup is to choose clubs that will leave you manageable gaps between them. While the two sets noted above were very different in their makeup, they have one thing in common; the gaps between the clubs in each set were in a 10-12-yard range. And here it should be noted that with slower swing speeds the gaps will be smaller, and with faster swing speeds the gaps will be bigger.

Once you have decided to take a critical look at your personal set make-up it is HIGHLY recommended that this be done with a qualified fitter using a launch monitor. In this day and age there is no reason to do it yourself.....but I know some of you will. Doing it on your own is no easy task and will certainly be less precise than using a launch monitor, but it can be done.

If you choose to do your own gap fitting do it during actual play. Chart your real life numbers on the golf course, keeping track of normal, solid shots on windless days.

Try to find your ball mark on the green, and after you have repaired the mark, immediately write down the yardage that club flew in the air, not how far it rolled. Do this over a number of rounds so that you have a sufficient sample to be confident of your data. If you have compiled honest information you might be surprised at the actual numbers. Many players are shocked

Forecast

INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES:

Gwinnett Champions preview . . . . 8

GSGA preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Masters analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

DEPARTMENTS:

Ga. Senior Open preview . . . . . . . . 16

Men's college roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Women's college roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Golf FORE Juniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Billy Andrade feature . . . . . . . . . . . 10

GPGA Match Play preview. . . . . . . 14

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Lee McCoy feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Georgia PGA news. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 FOREGEORGIA.COM

3021 Kalah Place, Marietta, GA 30067 770-933-04GA / 770-953-6638 fax FOREgeorgia.com / foregeorgia@comcast.net Send all press releases to: info@foregeorgia.com PUBLISHER

Golf Media, Inc. / John Barrett E D I T O R Mike Blum W E B S I T E / FA C E B O O K / S O C I A L M E D I A

to find that they have very small gaps, or at times NO gaps between some clubs.

The rules allow us to carry 14 clubs with no restrictions on what you choose; you could even carry 14 putters if you like. In reality this restriction forces most of us to make a choice at one end of the set or the other. Either carry an extra long club, or carry an extra wedge.

Decisions on which clubs to carry should be based on where you have the biggest need, and perhaps on your own personal strengths and weaknesses.

Because I still play in some events that stretch the yardage to 7000 yards I need more options in the 180 to 230 range. As a result I only carry three wedges instead of the four that many comparable players might choose. This allows me to have smaller gaps in the above range with the resulting compromise of a bigger gap between my gap wedge and sand wedge.

This makes particular sense for me as I’m pretty accomplished with the longer clubs and not nearly as skillful with the wedges.

So in this case I have tried to maximize my strengths. (Some of those who have played with me are wondering why I still carry three wedges instead of two, or one......)

In conclusion I want to stress the importance of being honest with yourself. If you are having trouble hitting mid to long irons that you previously hit well, it is most definitely a sign that you have lost clubhead speed. Get over it. I certainly have.

At one time I was an excellent long iron player; I consistently hit my 1-iron 240 yards (back when that meant something) Now, no less than eight of the clubs in my bag have head covers on them! If you subtract the putter that still means that those with head covers outnumber those without. And I’m perfectly okay with that because I can get the hybrids and lofted fairway woods up in the air with ease, something that was no longer possible with the long irons.

My guess is that many of you need to swallow your pride too. By adding long clubs with more loft, you’ll shoot lower scores almost immediately. And you’ll get used to the derisive comments after a while. If fact, they’ll start to sound like compliments.

Jason McCullough / Carly Aronin / Rebecca Rast / Olivia Rawlings JUNIOR / COLLEGE GOLF NEWS COORDINATOR

Samantha Stone MARKETING & ADVERTISING

National Sales: Ed Bowen/Bowen Group, edbowen.foregeorgia@gmail.com Local & Corporate Sale: John Barrett/Rick Holt, foregeorgia@comcast.net • Brandy Jones, brandy.foregeorgia@gmail.com Corporate/Professional Relations: Scott Mahr A R T D I R E C T O R Lori Ors C R E AT I V E S E R V I C E S Dwayne Walker CONTRIBUTORS

Danny Elkins • Steve Dinberg Rob Matre • Ed C. Thompson GEORGIA SECTION, PGA OF AMERICA OFFICERS

President Brian Albertson, PGA / bamulligan@bellsouth.net Vice President John Godwin, PGA / jgodwinpga@earthlink.net Secretary Brandon Stooksbury, PGA / bjstooks@pga.com Honorary President Mark Mongell, PGA / mmongell@cherokeetcc.org CHAPTER PRESIDENTS

Central Chapter President Cary Brown, PGA / cary@valdosta-country-club.com East Chapter President Brandon Youmans, PGA / brandonyoumans@pga.com North Chapter President Jordon Arnold, PGA / jordonarnold@hotmail.com AT - L A R G E D I R E C T O R S

Brian Conley, PGA / pgaugadawg@aol.com Jeff Dunovant, PGA / jdunovant@pga.com Matthew Evans, PGA / mevans@pga.com Shawn Koch, PGA / prokoch@pga.com Mark Lammi, PGA / mal9599@msn.com Todd Ormsby, PGA / taormsby1020@gmail.com Rashad Wilson, PGA / rashadwilson40@gmail.com SENIOR DIVISION

President Scott Hare, PGA / shhare@pga.com A S S I S TA N T S ’ D I V I S I O N

President Will Bartram, PGA / will@hawksridge.com S E C T I O N S TA F F

Executive Director Mike Paull Assistant Executive Director/ Junior Golf Director Scott Gordon Tournament Director Pat Day, PGA Operations Manager Eric Wagner Foundation Program Manager Maria Bengtsson Section Assistant Carrie Ann Byrne FOREGeorgia is produced by Golf Media, Inc. Copyright ©2014 with all rights reserved.

Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content is prohibited.

Georgia PGA website: www.georgiapga.com.

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2016 APRIL

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tiful ovides a beau Lake Oconee pr

Harbor Club Ranked #3

[ Continued from the cover ]

Hospital of the Year Award, have transformed the lake area into a community that has it all.

Harbor Club is well positioned for exceptional growth as well, with exciting new Signature Series model homes from the $500s, a new Cottage Collection of homes starting from the $300s, 17 homes under construction, and 600 acres yet to be developed. And to top all of that activity, The Boathouse, a new restaurant, marina and boat storage facility, recently opened for the summer months. There is even a boat rental option. The Boathouse, like the resort golf play, is open to the public.

For visitors considering a move to Lake Oconee or for those that just want to play the course, there are Discovery Packages available with select local hotels.

25 Year Celebration

John Matney purchased Harbor Club in 1992 and owns it debt-free. His stewardship, along with that of his son and General Manager, Brandon Matney, keeps the property financially stable, keeps the golf course one of the best in Georgia and keeps the Members and the homeowners happy.

In this 25th Year, Brandon Matney says there has been “a big uptick in golf rounds played as well as interest in the club’s membership options.” Further, he says , more families want to play golf at Harbor Club. To better accommodate the next generation of golfers, Harbor Club is a member of the PGA Family Tee program and is in the process of 6

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th ho backdrop on fif

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placing two sets of kid friendly tees on the course.

And, of course, a 25 Year Celebration means there will be parties. Bonfires and music at The Boathouse, anyone?

Always a winner.

The Harbor Club Course – Designed to be Exciting

The Morrish-Weiskopf design has proved to be durable. In its 25 years, the only significant change was a re-positioning of the green on what is now the 18th hole. The course features a dramatic opening group of holes and an extremely diverse finishing stretch, concluding with a perilous par-4 18th hole, which includes both a tee shot and approach over a creek that extends the length of the hole.

Measuring just over 7,000 yards from the tips with a Course rating/Slope of 73.6/138, Harbor Club is a tournament caliber course and has hosted early stages of PGA Tour qualifying, the Georgia Open and the GSGA Four-Ball Championship.

With six sets of tees, two of which share tee boxes with a slightly longer or shorter set, Harbor Club offers a comfortable yardage for all skill levels, ranging from around 6500 yards from the blue tees (71.5/132) to 6200 from the combo greens (70.0/129) and 5900 from the whites (68.7/123). The gold tees are also a combo set and play a comfortable 5500 (66.6/111) for seniors, with the red tees in the 5150 range.

Harbor Club features a terrific mix of holes, with a quintet of very strong par 4s offset by an equal number of considerably shorter two-shotters, two of which are drivable by longer hitters with the other three yielding short iron

approaches even to the distance challenged.

Off the tee, Harbor Club offers generous landing areas, with almost every hole tree-lined along with some strategically placed fairway bunkers. The course borders Lake Oconee, so the lake comes into play on a number of holes, including 16, 17 and 18, which are three of the toughest finishing holes on Lake Oconee.

The ample putting surfaces are not overly undulating, but the subtle slopes can produce some putts with deceptive breaks. The size of the greens alone will produce their fair share of three-putts, with the greenside bunkering relatively modest with a handful of exceptions.

Additionally, Harbor Club boasts the lake area’s only bent grass greens, widely regarded as the truest and smoothest putting surface in golf.

The par 3s are split between two vulnerable holes of short to moderate length with little danger, along with the tourlength second (240 from the tips) and the extremely demanding and treacherous 17th, which was modeled after No. 12 at Augusta National with an additional 25 yards and a much more sloping putting surface.

At just over 500 yards from the back tees and in the 480 range from the blues, the two par 5s on the opening nine are within reach in two for low handicappers and offer scoring opportunities for the rest of us, providing you can avoid a sizeable number of bunkers along the way on both holes and some encroaching tree lines on the eighth.

The dogleg 11th is just plain long and tree-lined like the eighth, but with a lot less sand, although the bunkers that flank the fairway in the landing area of the tee shots get plenty of action. The 15th is part of the memorable group of finishing holes that begin with the longest par 4 on the course, the punishing 13th.

The par-5 14th is ranked as the No. 1 handicap hole, but if you two hit decent, well-positioned shots, it’s not nearly as demanding as the previous hole. However, if you attempt to carry the ravine with thick vegeta-

tion down the left side, the hole just might earn its most difficult status. Playing down the right side around the oak tree in the middle of the fairway off the tee is the more prudent option, with a downhill third to a large green offering an inviting shot, but one that might leave you with a substantial birdie putt if you come up short to a back pin.

Among the highlights of the thoughtfully-crafted Morris/ Weiskopf design is a trio of par 4s that average around 340 yards from the back tees.

Water hugs the entire right side of the 374-yard third, with a bunker on the opposite side of the fairway making a layup off the tee a smart choice. The short second can be dicey with the water uncomfortably close to the edge of the green.

The risk/reward seventh begins with an angled tee shot over a finger of the lake, with longer hitters having the option of going for the green off the tee at some peril. Three bunkers across the fairway are within reach for those who bail out or over-club, but if you can find the short grass, the hole will yield a nonthreatening approach.

The 15th is shorter (312) and less perilous than the other two short 4s, but sand is in play right and left off the tee, along with two deep bunkers that pinch the green, which has an unseen water hazard just off the back if you catch your second a little thin.

With the change in nines, the first view of Lake Oconee occurs on the fifth, with the lake forming a beautiful backdrop on the lengthy par 4 and the downhill nature of the second shot effectively reducing the yardage a bit. Like the 14th, you can expect an extremely long birdie putt if you’re on the front of the green with the pin at the back.

The one hole that has undergone a significant change since the course opened is the lengthened 18th, which now requires the tee shot to carry a creek that runs the length of the hole, with the repositioned green requiring a second carry over water to reach it, making for a very challenging finale.

Conditions are excellent, and the course is an easy drive on I-20 from Atlanta to the west and Augusta to the east, with both Macon and Athens even closer.

Call today to schedule your tee time at 706-453-4414 or visit www.HarborClub.com.

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Langer tops field for Gwinnett Champions event Almost all of tour’s stars to play at TPC Sugarloaf

By Mike Blum

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Bernhard Langer

ED C. THOMPSON

he PGA Tour Champions return to TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth for a fourth time this month, with a strong field expected to battle for a title on one of the tour’s strongest courses The Mitsubishi Electric Classic is scheduled for April 15-17, with tournament week beginning April 11 with the Matt Ryan Celebrity-Am Classic. The State Bank Pro-Am will be played Wednesday and Thursday of tournament week, with the 54-hole Champions Tour event teeing off on Friday.

The tournament has a purse of $1.8 million, with the winner taking home $270,000.

After serving as presenting sponsor the past three years, Mitsubishi Electric has assumed title sponsorship for 2016, ensuring that the tournament will remain in metro Atlanta for the immediate future.

Leading the field for this month’s tournament is Bernhard Langer, the top player on the Champions Tour since 2008 and the winner of the first Champions Tour event at Sugarloaf in 2013.

Langer has finished as the tour’s leading money winner seven of the last eight years, with an injury in 2011 keeping him from possibly going 8-for8. He was the leading money winner at an early stage of the 2016 season, collecting his 27th career Champions victory in Naples, Fla. Prior to playing in the inaugural Champions Tour event at Sugarloaf in 2013, Langer had never played the course during his years on the PGA Tour, but quickly acclimated to the Greg Norman design a few days after making a run at a third Masters title at the age of 55.

After a 73 in the rain-delayed opening round, Langer followed with a tournament best 66 to move within one of the lead after 36 holes. He closed with 67 for a 10-under 206 total, three shots ahead of Tom Lehman and Tom Pernice, who tied for second.

Langer bettered his 54-hole mark by two shots in 2014, but had to settle for second place at Sugarloaf, as Miguel Angel Jimenez won his Champions Tour debut, one week after finishing fourth in the Masters thanks to a final

round 66. Jimenez shot a 65 at Sugarloaf in cold, rainy conditions to take a 3stroke lead after the opening round, and was one in front of Langer after a 70 the next day.

The final pairing in the final round matched Jimenez, Langer and Fred Couples, who was two shots behind Jimenez. The colorful Spaniard fired a 67 to finish two ahead of Langer and five in front of Couples, who finished fourth.

For the third straight year, the tournament was hampered by inclement weather in 2015, with the first round halted by afternoon showers. Conditions improved enough for the first and second rounds to be completed the next day, which was fortunate because heavy overnight rain made the course unplayable for Sunday’s scheduled final round.

Olin Browne, who had not won on the Champions Tour since the 2011 U.S. Senior Open, wound up with a victory after a second-round 64 gave him a 36total of 12-under 132, one ahead of Langer, who also shot 64 in the second round under lift, clean and place conditions.

The one break tournament officials got was the second round pairings, as almost all the contenders teed off on the first hole Saturday, making things convenient for both the fans in attendance and the Golf Channel broadcast.

Rocco Mediate moved into the lead with four straight birdies on the opening nine and another on the par-5 10th. But he made double bogey on the par-3 11th after his tee shot came up short in the water. Browne moved to the front with birdies at 12 and the drivable par-4 13th, and expanded his lead with three birdies on the final four holes, rolling in a 20footer on the 17th followed by his eighth birdie of the day on the par-5 18th.

Browne needed all eight birdies, as Langer finished birdie-eagle to take second at 133, with Mediate the only other player within five shots of the winner at 135 after a second round 69.

The second round was played with the knowledge that it would likely be the final round, as the weather forecast of rain later Saturday night proved accurate.

Tournament officials are hopeful of better weather this month after three straight years of having rain impact the tournament. They are more hopeful of

fielding a strong field, with almost all of the Champions Tour’s elite players expected to compete at Sugarloaf.

Other than the three tournament champions, players to record top-5 finishes in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic include Lehman, Pernice, Mark Calcavecchia, Jay Haas, Couples, Mediate, Mark O’ Meara and Jesper Parnevik. Fred Funk, Kenny Perry, Colin Montgomerie and Bart Bryant all have top 10s at Sugarloaf at least once in the past three years.

With the possible exception of Couples, all those players are expected to be in the field for this month’s event, along with occasional Champions Tour participant Tom Watson.

Georgia’s Champions Tour members have yet to place in the top 10 in the tournament, although Savannah’s Gene Sauers was a contender for 36 holes in 2013 before falling back the final day.

Atlanta’s Billy Andrade and Duluth resident Scott Dunlap both tied for 12th in 2014, and all three played respectably last year, with low Georgian honors going to Larry Mize, who tied for 25th.

Mize, an Augusta native and Columbus resident, will be one of several players who will be playing at Sugarloaf after competing in the Masters the previous week.

Champions Tour veteran Larry Nelson will also be in the field and is closing in on 20 years on the tour.

Among Nelson’s many career titles are a

PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club and two victories in Atlanta’s PGA Tour stop in the 1980s at Atlanta Country Club.

The big story on the Champions Tour last year was the emergence of Jeff Maggert, who challenged Langer and Montgomerie for Player of the Year honors with four wins, two of them majors including the U.S. Senior Open after joining the tour in 2014. Maggert will be playing in the PGA Tour event at Hilton Head the week of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, as will St. Simons resident Davis Love.

The most prominent Champions Tour addition for 2015 is two-time major champion John Daly, who turns 50 in late April, too late to compete at Sugarloaf.

Winners already this season along with Langer include Duffy Waldorf and Esteban Toledo, who have both played well at Sugarloaf the past few years.

Andrade lost in a playoff to Toledo in Boca Raton, Fla., and Dunlap tied for third the next week in Naples.

The big change in the Champions Tour 2016 schedule is the addition of two Playoffs events the two weeks prior to the Schwab Cup Championship, with the top 72 players on the money list qualifying for the opening event. The tour will play at Sherwood CC in Los Angeles Oct. 2830 and in Richmond, Va., Nov. 4-6, with the Schwab Cup set for Nov. 10-13 in Scottsdale.

A new tournament in Wisconsin in late June was also added to the schedule, and the tour is slated to return to China after last year’s event was cancelled.

Tournaments in Chicago and San Antonio have dropped off the schedule, with the tour having 26 events as opposed to 24 last year, when the tournament in China and one in Calgary were late dropouts.

Major championship sites for 2016 include the Jack Nicklaus-designed Harbor Shores in Michigan (Senior PGA, May 26-29), its second time as host in three years; the historic Philadelphia Cricket Club (Senior Players, June 9-12), the site of last year’s PGA Professional National Championship; Carnoustie (Senior British, July 21-24); and Scioto in Columbus, O. (U.S. Senior Open, August 11-14), which will go head-tohead with men’s golf in the Olympics.

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Andrade’s career thriving after broadcast stint 3 wins in last year elevates Champions’ status

By Mike Blum

ost of the top players on the Champions Tour remained competitive on the PGA Tour until they reached the age of 50 and could join their peers on golf’s over-50 circuit.

Most, but not all.

Long-time Atlanta resident Billy Andrade was a successful player on the PGA Tour for two decades, but his game began to slip as he advanced past his early 40s.

After an unproductive year on the PGA Tour in 2009 at the age of 45, Andrade decided to step away from his career as a player, joining the broadcast staff of Golf Channel for the next three years.

Andrade returned to his playing career at the age of 49 to prepare for the Champions Tour, and met with mixed results in a limited number of starts. But one successful week in a second-tier PGA Tour event in Mississippi gave Andrade some hope that he could still play at a high level, and he joined the Champions Tour after turning 50 early in 2014.

Two years later, Andrade has emerged as one of the tour’s top players, winning three times last year and finishing fifth on the 2015 money list. He came close to a fourth victory this year, losing in a playoff in the first full field event of the season in Boca Raton, Fla., and comes into this month’s Mitsubishi Electric Classic as TPC Sugarloaf as one of the favorites to take home a victory.

Andrade says his time away from golf in his late 40s was key to his success thus far on the Champions Tour.

“Taking those three years off was a blessing,” he said after returning home to Atlanta following a top-20 showing the previous week in Tucson. “I was re-energized.

“I learned a lot from my three years working in TV. I did some events on the Champions Tour and learned about what it takes to be successful on that tour.

When I turned 50, I was excited and fresh.”

Andrade made only seven starts on the PGA and Web.com Tours after turning 49 in 2013, and did nothing to distinguish himself in six of the seven. But one outstanding week of golf in the PGA Tour’s opposite field tournament in Mississippi convinced him he still had

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some game left in his bag.

Scores of 66-67-65 the last three rounds of the Sanderson Farms Championship propelled Andrade into a tie for fifth. Even though he played only one more tournament the rest of the year after the July event in Mississippi, Andrade was convinced that he had a shot to succeed on the Champions Tour.

“That made me confident that I could still play at a high level.

When I turned 50, my mindset was to have fun. I embraced the Champions Tour and the players accepted me. I had played with these guys for so long, but you don’t learn how things are going to be until you do it.”

Andrade tied for eighth in his second Champions Tour start in south Florida and placed second,

Billy Andrade

“I haven't had a whole lot of success at Sugarloaf, but the course is fantastic and I look forward to playing better there.” —Billy Andrade

again in Mississippi, one month later. He finished a successful “rookie” season 23rd on the money list including a playoff loss to Fred Couples in Canada, shooting 62 in the final round.

During his 20-plus years on the PGA Tour, Andrade was a 4-time winner, most recently in Las Vegas in 2000. He scored his first victory in almost 15 years last spring in the Legends of Golf, the event played in Savannah for a decade before moving to Branson, Mo., in 2014. He teamed with Joe Durant to win the team event, which plays two of its three rounds on a par-3 layout.

Apart from a final round 63 in the U.S. Senior Open that vaulted him to a tie for fifth, the next few months were mostly uneventful for Andrade until he scored his first individual victory of the year in Seattle.

Andrade held off a challenge from Bernhard Langer, the Champions

Tour’s No.1 player since 2008, winning by one shot despite taking a triple bogey on the fifth hole. Andrade led Langer by three shots after 36 holes and was four in front until he almost gave up the lead on one hole.

After taking two penalty strokes following a pair of wayward shots from the tee, Andrade was facing a quadruplebogey or worse on the par 4, but holed a pitch shot for a triple bogey, describing it as “the greatest seven I’ve ever made in my life.”

Andrade fell into a tie with playing partner Langer after a bogey at the seventh, but regained the lead for good when he birdied the par-5 eighth after his third shot barely cleared the water to set up a birdie putt. He protected his lead from that point with nine pars and a birdie over his final 10 holes, holding off a late rally by Langer.

The two players again battled for a vic-

tory in the season-ending Schwab Cup Championship, with Andrade shooting a final round 64 to rally from a 4-stroke deficit and force a playoff with Langer.

Andrade again overcame adversity during the round, making bogey on a par 5 on the back nine after hitting his third shot into the water, earning a spot in the playoff with a birdie on the final hole.

Andrade again birdied the 18th to win the playoff on the first extra hole, making him two-for-two in duels with Langer.

“Bernhard is such a great role model for us,” Andrade said, and was touched by Langer’s congratulatory remarks following their battle in Seattle.

“He said, ‘To come back from adversity is the sign of a champion.’

That meant a lot to me.”

After the triple bogey, Andrade said “all of a sudden I was uncomfortable. But you have to learn how to play when you’re uncomfortable, and that’s what Seattle was like.”

Andrade finished the year fourth on the money list, and picked up right where he left off late in the 2016 season, shooting a final round 68 in Boca Raton in February to force a playoff with Esteban Toledo before losing on the second extra hole.

Coming into April, Andrade was eighth on the money list, and is looking forward to a rare home game at Sugarloaf.

“It’s always nice to play at home,” he said. “I haven’t had a whole lot of success at Sugarloaf on either the PGA or Champions Tour, but the course is fantastic and I look forward to playing better there.”

After playing in just 12 tournaments in four years prior to joining the Champions Tour, Andrade has responded well in his return to playing full time. But family considerations also figured in his decision to step away from his playing career.

“My oldest son was in high school, my daughter was in middle school and my wife was studying for her theological doctorate (she’s now a Presbyterian minister). It was the perfect time to take some time off. I was home a lot and I needed to be home.”

Andrade’s son Cameron is now in college and is a senior on the golf team at Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C. APRIL 2016

Gosling’s Dark ‘n Stormy Classic LPGA Presence Back in Atlanta

By Bret Lasky

acey Agnew of Jonesboro, Georgia didn’t pick up a golf club or know anything about the game until she was 11 or 12 years old. That all changed when she went to the 1998 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship at Eagle’s Landing Country Club. Through a family friend, Agnew got a chance to go into the players’ locker room and meet Nancy Lopez, who won the event the year prior, and plenty of other LPGA Tour players.

Lopez immediately became Agnew’s favorite golfer and she was hooked on the sport. She attended the event every year and even had the chance to play in the pro-am a few times.

The LPGA Tour left Atlanta after 2006 and hasn’t been back until now.

“Of course it was disappointing to lose the LPGA,” said Agnew. “It was a huge influence on my life and so many people loved it."

There are probably many girls, now women, who grew up attending the LPGA Tour events in greater Atlanta and became fixated with golf.

Fast forward to today and Agnew is a professional golfer and not surprisingly still has the autograph book she used as a young girl.

The best news for greater Atlanta is that professional women’s golf is back.

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Lacey Agnew of Jonesboro grew up attending the LPGA events and is now a professional on the Symetra Tour

The Symetra Tour, the official qualifying Tour of the LPGA, announced in early March that the Gosling’s Dark ’n Stormy® Classic will be played at Atlanta National Golf Club May 16-21. The top 144 up-and-coming stars in women’s golf from the United States and around the globe will bring the sport back to the area for the first time since ’06.

First round play of the 54-hole event will begin on Thursday, May 19 with the final-round on Saturday, May 21.

The Symetra Tour is the Road to the LPGA. The top 10 players on Tour graduate to the LPGA and there have been a long list of success stories including

Professional Marita Engzelius of Norway celebrates her breakthrough win at the 2014 Symetra Tour Championship

Lorena Ochoa, Inbee Park, Gerina Piller, Mo Martin and Cheyenne Woods to name a few.

Women’s professional golf has a deeprooted history in greater Atlanta. Eagle’s Landing witnessed winners like Dottie Pepper (1992), Laura Davies (1995), Nancy Lopez (1997), Annika Sorenstam (2001, 2005), Juli Inkster (2002) and Se Ri Pak (2003).

More than the household names that won in Atlanta, the LPGA event gave girls like Agnew and longtime golf fans an opportunity to experience the sport first hand.

The Gosling’s Dark ’n Stormy promises to have something for everyone. It’s a chance for parents to expose their kids to golf, it’s a chance for companies to entertain clients in the pro-am and it’s a

chance for Atlanta sports fans to watch the next generation of LPGA Tour stars.

So come out and enjoy everything the return of the LPGA to metro Atlanta has to offer and support these young women as they aim to fulfill their dreams. Don’t miss your chance to watch the next generation of LPGA Tour stars, and enjoy a Dark ’n Stormy…or two.

For more information on how you can take part and support this event either as a volunteer, pro-am participant, or to simply attend log onto www.goslingsclassic.com or contact Tournament Director Michael Vajda at 678-778-2000 or mvajda@synertiapartners.com.

Could the Goslings Dark 'n Stormy Classic lead to an LPGA event?

By Bret Lasky The addition of Atlanta is another sign of the continued growth of the Symetra Tour, which in the last three years has seen growth from 15 tournaments to 23 and a doubling of total purses for which the ladies play.

“We have a number of communities that are interested in hosting women’s professional golf, but that don’t have the corporate base to support an LPGA Tour event,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business

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Officer of the Symetra Tour. “Obviously, Atlanta does have the financial wherewithal to do so, but we haven’t been able to crack the code for the last ten years – so the LPGA Symetra Tour was a way to put a stake in the ground and build. The good news is that the volunteers and sponsors who support the Gosling’s Dark ‘n Stormy Classic will not only be helping to support the next generation of LPGA Tour stars, but hopefully paving the way to an LPGA Tour event. The response of the community to this event will determine the viability

of the LPGA.” Like the LPGA Tour, the main point of engagement for sponsors on the Symetra Tour is the pro-am – the opportunity for a company’s clients to play alongside some of the best golfers in the world. The relative benefit of the Symetra Tour compared to its big sister is the price, with amateur teams of three selling for $3,000, as opposed to $11,000 per foursome for the Champions Tour.

“Our players may not yet have the

Professional

golfer Emily

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name recognition of the men playing in Atlanta, but the corporate dollar definitely goes further with us,” said Nichols. “I’ll put the ultimate experience out on the golf course up against any Tour.”

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Long list of likely contenders in Masters Big 3, Scott, Watson top wide open field Phil Mickelson

By Mike Blum

n paper, the 2016 Masters is shaping up as one of the most competitive in history, with almost all the potential contenders for a green jacket in form coming into the tournament.

Of the 10 players at the top of almost everyone’s list of most likely contenders, seven have won in 2016. As for the other three, perennial challenger Phil Mickelson already has three top-5 finishes this year, Rory McIlroy advanced to the semifinals in the recent WGC Match Play Championship, and Justin Rose, who shared runner-up honors with Mickelson in last year’s Masters, has a string of solid finishes of late.

Beyond the obvious contenders, another 15 or so players with legitimate hopes of winning in Augusta are playing well coming into the tournament, making this month’s Masters one of the most wide open ever.

Any discussion of likely challengers in Augusta begins with golf’s current Big 3 – defending champion Jordan Spieth, recent Bay Hill and Match Play winner Jason Day, who has overtaken Spieth as No. 1 in golf’s world rankings, and McIlroy, who is looking to complete a career Grand Slam at the age of 26.

Coming off his sensational 2015 season that included victories in the Masters and U.S. Open, near misses in the British Open and PGA Championship, and a FedExCup title earned thanks to a win in the Tour Championship at East Lake, Spieth began 2016 with an 8-stroke run-

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Jason Day

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away in the Tournament of Champions.

Since then, however, Spieth has a succession of respectable showings, but did not have a top-10 finish in his next five starts coming into the final pre-Masters event in Houston. After rolling to three victories in the round robin portion of the Match Play Championship, Spieth struggled noticeably in a round of 16 loss, and headed to Houston looking to locate the game that made him golf’s dominant player in 2015.

In his only two appearances in Augusta, Spieth has placed second and first, matching the 72-hole scoring record last year that was set by Tiger Woods in 1997. Despite the absence of length off the tee compared to his two main rivals, Spieth has obviously already figured out an Augusta National layout that supposedly favors those with either power or experience (or both).

After a long off-season break, Day got off to a relatively slow start in 2016 before back-to-back wins at Bay Hill and in the Match Play. Despite encountering back issues late in his opening match, Day went 7-0 in Austin, taking down McIlroy and Louis Oosthuizen in the semifinals and finals. He showed no signs of being hampered by his aching back, but has to have some concern about walking the hilly terrain of Augusta National.

With wins in Canada, the PGA Championship and two of the first three Playoffs events after two very close calls in the U.S. and British Opens, Day was

golf’s best player through the Summer of last year. Until his win at Whistling Straits in the 2015 PGA, Day had a history of coming up just short in the majors, twice in Augusta. But now that he no longer has to shoulder that burden, it’s likely that his PGA Championship title will be the first of many.

McIlroy hasn’t won since taking the Match Play and at Quail Hollow in the Spring of last year. He played poorly with the final round lead at Doral and was out-dueled by Day in the Match Play semifinals after barely surviving a challenge from Kevin Na in the round robin.

Since his memorable Sunday back nine meltdown in 2011, McIlroy has finished eighth and fourth in Augusta the last two years, and should have his game ready this year when he tees is up on Thursday.

Next in line behind the Big 3 is a trio that combined for six Masters titles in an 11-year stretch from 2004 to ’14.

Mickelson won three times between 2004 and ’10, with Bubba Watson a winner in 2012 and ’14 and Adam Scott capturing a victory in between.

No player has a game better suited for Augusta National than Watson, but he has been more miss than hit during his seven Masters starts, with a tie for 20th his best finish apart from his two victories. Watson’s 2016 record includes a win in LA and a close second at Doral, both in battles with Scott. Watson will be looking to continue his every-other-year pattern of Masters victories, and based on

recent results, there’s no reason to expect that he can’t accomplish that.

Scott answered any questions about his ability to still contend without an anchored putting stroke, winning Honda and Doral in consecutive weeks after his narrow loss to Watson in L.A. After finishing a close second in the Masters in 2011 and winning two years later in a playoff, Scott has not been a factor in Augusta the last two years, but given his recent play, that is not likely to happen again.

Mickelson has by far the best record in Augusta among active players with three wins, six other finishes of second or third and 15 top 10s during his career. After disappointing showings in 2013 and ’14, Mickelson made a strong run at a fourth green jacket last year, one of the few highlights of a mostly unproductive 2015. With three top-5s in 2016, Mickelson appears to have regained enough of his game to make a run in the Masters, but has not yet displayed the ability to sustain a championship-caliber performance over 72 holes.

South Africans have a long history of success in the Masters, with Charl Schwartzel winning in 2011 with four birdies on his final four holes and Louis Oosthuizen losing a playoff to Watson the next year. Schwartzel hasn’t done much in Augusta since his victory, but with three wins this season, two in South Africa and one recently in Tampa, he seems poised to contend again.

Oosthuizen has some decent finishes in Augusta since his playoff loss, and comes into this Masters on a hot streak, winning a European Tour event in Australia before several strong U.S. efforts, including a loss to Day in the Match Play finals.

Rose has both a solid track record in Augusta (three career top-8 finishes) and a history of success in big events, but has gone almost a year without a win and has not seriously contended this year.

Rickie Fowler has a 2016 win in Dubai and lost in a playoff in Phoenix, coming off a 2015 season that included victories in the Players and the Playoffs event in Boston. Fowler showed he is a threat in the majors with top-5 finishes in all four Grand Slam events in 2014, and followed up his T5 in the Masters with a tie for 12th last year.

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and has nine PGA Tour victories between 2008 and ’15, at least one every year.

Johnson has made several runs at wins in Grand Slam events, but has not held up well under late-tournament pressure on several occasions.

Zach Johnson scored an unexpected Masters triumph in 2007, but did not have another top finish in Augusta until last year, when he tied for ninth. Johnson captured a British Open title later in 2016, and played well at both Bay Hill (T5) and in the Match Play, losing to McIlroy in the round of 16 after dominating his round robin group. He will need to be at the top of his game to offset his relative lack of power.

Patrick Reed, who played two seasons of college golf in Augusta and led the Jaguars to two NCAA titles, tied for 22nd in his second Masters appearance last year. He already has five top 10s in the 2015-16 season with a strong showing in the Match Play, where he routed Mickelson in the round robin before losing to Johnson in the quarterfinals. Reed has yet to face Sunday major championship pressure, however.

Henrik Stenson is the game’s highest ranked player without a major, and has never finished higher than 14th in

Augusta, but does have five finishes between 14th and 19th, including each of the last three years. Has the tee-togreen game to handle Augusta National, but putting is suspect on demanding greens.

Like Stenson, Bill Haas has three straight top 20s in Augusta and is off to a strong start in 2016 with a playoff loss in Tampa and a quarterfinal finish in the Match Play. But like Dustin Johnson, is not known for his ability to close out tournaments.

Matt Kuchar was third, eighth and fifth in the Masters from 2012 to ’14 and has been one of the game’s most consistently successful players since 2009, but his window for capturing his first major title may be nearing an end.

Brandt Snedeker had a win, playoff loss and tie for third on the West Coast to start the year and has a positive career record in Augusta, but did not respond well the first time he had a chance to win.

Sergio Garcia has three career top 10s in Augusta and has played well in the Masters in recent years, but no longer seems to have the will to claim his first major title.

Hideki Matsuyama, Danny Willett and Brooks Koepka are among the

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but there is a group of at least 15 players who have a realistic shot at leaving Augusta with a green jacket if none of the favorites claim it.

Paul Casey revived his career in 2015 with four top-3 finishes and a tie for sixth in the Masters, the fourth time he had placed 11th or better in the tournament. Casey has top 10s in his last two stroke play starts in Florida, and is near the top of the list of dark horse selections.

Long-hitting J.B. Holmes has made just two career starts in Augusta, tying for 25th in 2008 and missing the cut last year. After a strong 2015 that included a win in Houston the week before the Masters, he played well on the West Coast to start 2016 and defeated Watson in the Match Play, although he did not make the knockout round. Holmes does not have a history of major championship success, but has the length to handle Augusta National, although maybe not the short game.

Dustin Johnson, like Holmes one of golf’s most celebrated bombers, contended in L.A. along with Watson and Scott, and reached the Match Play quarterfinals before losing to Oosthuizen.

Johnson has played well in Augusta the last two years, tying for sixth in 2015,

Adam Scott

game’s rising stars who could break through in the Masters, with Ryan Moore and Jimmy Walker a pair of veterans who have typically not been major players in Grand Slam events but still have a shot at changing that.

Martin Kaymer, on the other hand, has won two majors, but has been thoroughly frustrated by Augusta National, never finishing in the top 30 in eight starts.

Scott, McIlroy and Day look to be the best bets, with Watson next in line along with Schwartzel and Oosthuizen. Casey, Snedeker, and Matsuyama are the brightest of the dark horses, with Willett a legitimate long shot.

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Anderson looks to defend GPGA Match Play title Three-time champ Weinhart top-seeded in event

By Mike Blum

he 2016 Georgia PGA tournament schedule has begun, with the first individual event on the Section’s calendar – the Match Play Championship – getting under way in early April but not concluding until mid-August.

The tournament, which consists of a 64-player bracket, will hold the semifinals and finals August 15 at Peachtree Golf Club, the third straight year the historic facility has hosted the final day of play.

The first four rounds will be played at sites determined by the two participants, with players having one month to schedule and complete each round of matches.

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switched in 2004 to playing at courses determined by the competitors with the semifinals and finals played on a predetermined course the same day. The tournament returned to its original format in 2006 before going back to its current status in 2013.

The change of formats has improved both the size and strength of the field, but has resulted in some of the Section’s pros not being able to compete in the tournament, which has filled its field well before the entry deadline since the change in 2013.

After winning the Match Play Championship in 2011 and ’12, Weinhart was unable to compete for a third straight title in 2013 when the field filled up before he filed his entry prior to the deadline. Among the players

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Mark Anderson

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Tim Weinhart

Almost all the Section’s top players will be competing in the championship, one of Section’s four majors, with the top 11 players from the 2015 points list all in the field. Nine former champions are among the 64 players entered, including 2015 Match Play winner Mark Anderson and three-time champion Tim Weinhart, whose last two titles came back-to-back in 2011 and 2012, when the tournament was played under a slightly different format.

The Georgia PGA Match Play Championship began in 1980 as an event played at one site over three days, but 14

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who signed up for this year’s event after the field was filled almost three weeks before the entry deadline was Hank Smith, who won two of the Georgia PGA’s four majors in 2014 – the Atlanta Open and Section Championship.

Anderson and Weinhart top the list of former champions in the field, with Anderson winning the event for the first time last year at the age of 55 after going more than a decade without any success in the event.

After losing in the finals in 2004 to three-time champion Clark Spratlin, Anderson did not make it past the second

round until last year, when he defeated Weinhart 2&1 in the semifinals and Matthew Evans on the 19th hole in the championship match.

Anderson, an instructor at Brunswick Country Club, had scored only one previous Georgia PGA victory prior to last year, winning the long since defunct Lake Oconee Classic in 2003. Evans, the Director of Golf at Rivermont, was looking for his first Georgia PGA title in an event has played well in since 2010.

Evans has made it to at least the quarterfinals four times in the last six years, losing to eventual champion Brian Dixon in 2014.

Dixon joins Weinhart and Craig Stevens as players with multiple Match Play titles in the field. Dixon, an instructor at Fox Creek, won the event for the first time in 1997, his only other victory in a Georgia PGA Section event.

He had lost in the third round eight consecutive years before he defeated 2007 champion Greg Lee in the 2014 final.

Stevens’ two victories are also well spaced out, the first coming in 1985 and the second in 2000, when he defeated Weinhart for the title at Sea Island Golf Club. Since his second Match Play victory, Stevens has lost in the finals three times, including 2012 to Weinhart at the UGA course and 2013 at East Lake to Peachtree GC head pro Donn Perno.

Stevens, an instructor at Brookstone G&CC, has also reached the semifinals four other times, most recently in 2014 when he was defeated by Dixon.

Augusta CC head pro Tommy Brannen also has two Match Play victories, both coming in the 1980s. He was last a factor in the tournament in 2008 when he reached the semifinals.

Perno’s win in 2013 was one of the more surprising results in tournament history, as it represents his only career Georgia PGA title and was the lone time he has enjoyed a successful run in the tournament.

Weinhart won the Match Play the last two times it was played at one site, defeating Winston Trively in the 2011 final at Chattahoochee GC and the following year over Stevens at the UGA course. He also won in 2005, defeating Wolff in the title match. Weinhart, the Director of Instruction at Heritage Golf Links, captured his eighth Georgia PGA Player of the Year honor in 2015,

breaking a tie with Wolff. In addition to his three Match Play titles, Weinhart lost in the finals in 2000 and 2010 and reached the semifinals three times, including last year at Peachtree.

A loss in the finals to CC of the South instructor David Potts in 2010 kept Weinhart from winning the Match Play three straight years. Potts has reached the quarterfinals twice since, losing in a rematch to Weinhart in 2012 and to Evans last year.

Shawn Koch, the Director of Instruction at CC of the South, won at Callaway Gardens in 2007, but after reaching the semifinals the next year at Callaway, has not been past the third round since.

Lee, the head pro at Chicopee Woods, was the 2007 winner at Callaway Gardens, and has a long run of success in the Match Play, beginning with a loss in the title match in 2001 to Spratlin at Hawk’s Ridge. Lee also lost in the finals to Dixon at Peachtree in 2014 and was a quarterfinalist last year. He has two other trips to the quarters and two to the semis over the past 15 years.

Veteran tour pro Sonny Skinner, recently named head pro at Spring Hill CC in Tifton, won the Match Play in his first year of eligibility in 2006, but has not won the tournament since. Skinner has advanced deep into the tournament a number of times since his victory, reaching the semifinals twice, most recently last year, and the quarters on three other occasions.

Several players who have yet to win the Match Play have a history of success in the tournament. Towne Lake Hills instructor Bill Murchison has won multiple matches in the tournament six times in the last seven years, reaching the semifinals in 2013 and the quarters three other times since 2009, including last year when he lost to eventual champion Anderson.

Brookfield Director of Instruction Michael Parrott lost the finals to former tour player and current UGA head professional Matt Peterson at Callaway Gardens in 2009, and has reached the semis and quarters since.

Dunwoody CC head pro Kyle Owen reached the quarters in 2013 and the third round the last two years, and Wilmington Island head pro Patrick Richardson has made it to the third APRIL 2016

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and is seeded third in the bottom quarter of the bracket. He could meet Potts in the third round, with two-time tournament champions Dixon (No. 11) and Brannen (No. 22) also in Mason’s quarter of the draw.

Dixon and Brannen have two of the tougher first round matches, with Dixon

facing Todd Peterson of Capital City Club and Dixon taking on 2013 champion Perno. The winners of those two matches will meet in the second round, with No. 6 seed Joe Finemore of Big Canoe a possible third round opponent.

Finemore defeated Stevens and reached the third round last year.

Sonny Skinner

Missing from the field are two-time champion Stephen Keppler of Marietta CC and Currahee Club’s Spratlin, who won the tournament three times from 2001 to ’04 and advanced to the third round in 2015. Of the 16 players who reached the third round last year, Spratlin is the only one not in the 2016 field.

To Our Readers

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round each of the last four years.

Weinhart is the top-seeded player in the field, but faces a tough road to a fourth title. He could face Parrott in the second round, 2015 Georgia PGA PNC winner Karen Paolozzi, the 17th seed, in the third round, and either Owen (No. 8), Stevens (No. 9) or Lee (No. 24) in the quarterfinals.

2015 runner-up Evans (No. 4) and Murchison (No. 5) are the top seeded players in the next quarter of the bracket, with Koch (No.20) the only recent former champion in that group. Koch could face No. 13 Seth McCain of Jennings Mill, a quarterfinalist in 2013 and a semifinalist the next year, in what could be a very competitive second round match.

Skinner (No. 2) and Anderson (No. 7) are the top seeds in their quarter of the bracket, and could meet in the quarterfinals. No. 10 Todd Ormsby of Highland CC is a possible third round opponent for Anderson. Ormsby made it to the third round last year.

Veteran Champions Tour member James Mason is in the field this year

Beginning with our May issue, FORE Georgia will become a digital only publication. The April issue is our last print edition. For our print readers who want to continue reading FORE Georgia, please visit www.foregeorgia.com to download the current issue and fill out the required information to receive a free subscription to receive FORE Georgia each month. Our web site will continue to update tournament results, with April reports on the Masters and Mitsubish Electric Classic before they appear in the magazine.

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Chattahoochee GC to host Ga. Senior Open Defending champion Mason tops stellar field

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he Yamaha Georgia Senior Open has produced some memorable finishes in recent years, each of them featuring the state’s most prominent players over the age of 50.

Three of the last four tournaments have been won by a final hole birdie, with James Mason winning at the UGA course last year by going eagle-birdie on his final two holes to get into a playoff before winning with another birdie on the first extra hole.

The Yamaha Georgia Senior Open returns to Gainesville after two years in Athens, with Chattahoochee Golf Club again serving as the tournament host, as it did in 2013. Craig Stevens won that year with a closing birdie to avoid a playoff with Danny Elkins, who shot a final round 62, a tournament record.

This year’s tournament will be played April 25-26 at one of the state’s best daily fee courses. Designed in 1960 by legendary golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Chattahoochee GC has hosted the Georgia PGA Match Play Championship, Atlanta Open and Georgia Senior Open, all since 2011, and has produced exciting finishes each of the last two times it has been the site of a stroke play event.

The 2012 Atlanta Open was decided in a three-way playoff, with Mason losing in extra holes. Mason, Stephen Keppler and Stevens were among 11 players finishing within two shots of the leaders that year, with Keppler one shot back in fourth and Stevens two back in seventh.

Keppler was third and Mason fourth when Chattahoochee hosted the Georgia Senior Open in 2013, with Keppler losing in the three-way playoff at UGA

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By Mike Blum

Craig Steven s

last year and Stevens one shot back in fourth.

Mason, Stevens and Keppler are part of an outstanding group of seniors in the Georgia PGA Section, along with 2012 Georgia Senior Open champion Sonny Skinner. All four have made an impact at the national level in PGA events, and have been the dominant players among Georgia’s senior pros since Stevens, Skinner and Keppler all turned 50 in 2011.

Stevens won the Georgia Senior Open three of the first four years he was eligible, and has finished just one shot behind the winner the other two times he has competed in the event. Stevens, an instructor at Brookstone G&CC, ran away from the field in 2011 at Newnan Country Club, winning by eight shots, with Skinner tying for second and Keppler one shot farther back in a tie for fifth.

Skinner, Stevens and Keppler engaged in a spirited three-way battle the next year at Newnan CC, with Skinner scoring a birdie at the par-5 18th to win by a shot over Stevens, with Keppler, the Director of Golf at Marietta CC, two back in third. Skinner, a long-time tour pro who was recently named head pro at Spring Hill CC in Tifton, has placed in the top 10 the last three years, but has not finished higher than sixth.

Mason, who won the Georgia Senior Open in his first appearance in the event in 2001 at the Orchard, played the tournament just once over the next decade while he was a member of the Champions Tour, returning in 2013 at Chattahoochee. He has placed fourth, second and first in the event the last three years, and remains very competitive in Georgia PGA Section events at the age

James Mason

of 65, winning the Georgia PGA Championship for the fourth time last year, his first win in the event since 2000.

Stevens’ third victory in the Georgia Senior Open came in 2014 at the UGA course, when he pulled away from Mason and amateurs Bob Royak and Rusty Strawn to win by three.

Amateurs won the tournament in 2007 and 2008, but those are the only two victories by non-professionals since three straight amateur triumphs in the mid-1990s. Ed Everett of Albany’s Doublegate CC won five times in an 8year span from 1997-2004 with golf range operator Wendell Coffee scoring victories in 1998 and 2005 before amateurs Rocky Costa and David Nell won back-to-back at Planterra Ridge in 2007 and ’08.

Veteran mini-tour player Javier Sanchez captured consecutive titles in 2009 and ’10 at Callaway Gardens, before Stevens, Skinner and Keppler turned 50 in 2011 and Mason returned to the tournament field in 2013.

Mason, who plays out of the Orchard in Clarkesville, seemingly shot himself out of the tournament last year at the UGA course when he hit his tee shot on the short, par-3 16th into the pond fronting the green. But he chipped in for eagle at the par-5 17th and hit his second shot close on the tough par-4 finishing hole for a birdie to get into a playoff with Keppler and Mark Anderson, an instructor at Brunswick CC. Keppler and Anderson held the outright lead briefly on the back nine, but bogeys dropped both into a share of the top spot. Stevens had a chance to make it a 4-way playoff, but bogeyed the 18th after gaining a tie with a birdie at 17.

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The playoff started at the 18th and quickly ended when Mason hit another superb approach shot to easy birdie range for the victory.

New to the tournament this year is a Super Senior Division for golfers 65 and over. Those players will compete for a separate purse and play from shorter tees (6,100 yards vs. 6,700). For more information, contact the Georgia PGA at 678-46-8600 or visit www.georgiapga.com. Entry deadline is April 22.

divided $1,300.

Five teams tie for third at 62, including two teams from Cherokee Town & CC. Shooting 62 were the Cherokee teams of Kevin Roman-A.J. Griffin and Peter Jones-Gus Wagoner, the Dunwoody CC duo of Kyle OwenMichael Dausch, Oak Mountain’s Kevin Gibbs-Matthew Sanders, and the team of Eric Reeves (Capital City Club) and Brian Corn (Peachtree GC).

Eight teams tied for eighth at 63.

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Koch, Cartwright Pro-Pro winners

The team of Shawn Koch and Chris Cartwright won the Georgia PGA ProPro Championship at Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Creek on the fifth playoff hole over Drew Pittman and Scott Allen after both teams finished with scores of 11-under 61.

Koch, the Director of Instruction at Country Club of the South, and Cartwright, the head pro at West Pines, split $2,000 for their victory. Pittman, the head pro at Forest Heights, and Allen, the head pro at Pointe South,

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Pro-Pro winners Chris Cartwright (left), Shawn Koch

Skinner sweeps 3 senior events Veteran tour pro Sonny Skinner, recently named the head pro at Spring Hill CC in Tifton, swept the first three tournaments on the 2016 Georgia PGA Senior Division schedule, posting scores of 66 or better in all three of the events.

Skinner shot a second round 64 at Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta to win the tour’s season opener with a 9-under 135 total, two shots ahead of Stephen Keppler of Marietta CC, who shot 66 in the second round. Amateur Rusty Strawn was third at 68-69—137 and Glen Herrell of Doublegate CC took fourth at 142 after sharing the opening round lead with Strawn. Wyatt Detmer of Callaway Gardens tied for fifth at 143 with amateur Don Marsh.

Scores of 66 and 68 at Doublegate gave Skinner a 10-under 134 total and a 4stroke victory over Herrell, who was playing on his home course, and Mark Anderson of Brunswick CC. Both shot 67-71. Amateur Donny Phillips was third at 139 and fellow amateur Chris Hall was fourth at 140 after opening with a 67 Russell Smith of Bent Tree

took fifth at 141.

Skinner erased a 6-shot deficit at Sapelo Hammock, firing a 7-under 65 in the second round for a 140 total and a 2stroke victory over Craig Stevens of Brookstone G&CC. Stevens led after an opening 69, the only other tournament score in the 60s. James Mason of the Orchard was third at 143, with Strawn and Danny Elkins of Georgia Golf Center tying for fourth at 145.

Mongell among ’15 award winners

Mark Mongell of Cherokee Town & CC was named the 2015 Professional of the Year at the Georgia PGA’s annual banquet at the 755 Club at Turner Field.

Other award winners included: John Tillery, Cuscowilla, Teacher; Chad Parker, East Lake, President’s Award; Phil Wagoner, River Pines, Bill Strausbaugh Award; Mark Lammi, Reynolds Lake Oconee, and Brandon Stooksbury, Idle Hour, co-winners of the Horton Smith Award; Todd Ormsby, Highland CC, Youth Player [ See Georgia PGA, page 22 ]

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UGA’s McCoy places fourth in PGA Tour event Bulldog senior shines in home town of Tampa

By Mike Blum

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FOREGEORGIA.COM

Lee McCoy

the par-5 opening hole in two and followed with a second straight birdie after hitting his approach shot to six feet on the par 4. McCoy spent most of the next nine holes trying to save par, succeeding four of six times before rolling in a lengthy birdie putt on the par-4 12th.

He again reached a par 5 in two and twoputted for birdie on the 14th and parred in for a 69, finishing three back of Schwartzel and Haas, with Ryan Moore one ahead of McCoy in third.

“I don’t think I played quite as well as I did yesterday,” McCoy said. “Obviously, I didn’t make seven birdies, but it was pretty good. Playing with the number one player in the world on my home course on Sunday and just to be somewhat in contention was absolutely incredible. I really had to pinch myself a few times today.”

McCoy enjoyed his pairing with the game’s top player and came away impressed with how Spieth has acclimated to his rapid change in status.

“It’s really incredible to see a guy in his position to have that much class. At the end of the day, I’m still a little college am scrub playing out here with these guys trying to fit in. But the guy had nothing but great things to say and treated me like I really belonged out here. It’s pretty cool.”

Among the advice Spieth gave McCoy was to not look at the sheet in the scorer’s tent with the breakdown of the purse distribution.

“He told me not to look,” McCoy said.

UGA PHOTOS

ne of the most valuable lessons Lee McCoy has learned during his college stay at the University of Georgia is that persistence pays off.

So does begging.

McCoy utilized those two helpful traits hundreds of miles from the UGA campus near his hometown in the Tampa suburbs. McCoy grew up near the Innisbrook Resort and his parents were members at the club. As one of the country’s top junior golfers, McCoy played what he estimates as a thousand rounds of golf on the resort’s Copperhead course before moving with his parents to Clarkesville, Ga., prior to his senior year in high school.

“I’ve always dreamt of just getting a tee time here on Thursday,” McCoy said after competing in the Valspar Championship, the PGA Tour event hosted at the course since 2000.

McCoy received a sponsor invitation for the tournament after some very effective lobbying, making several unannounced visits to the office of the tournament director.

“Whenever I was home on break, I would spend a half hour just begging, pretty much all you can do,” McCoy said following his recent appearance in the tournament. “I thank those guys for giving me a shot. I hope I made them proud.”

He did.

McCoy turned in the best performance by an amateur in a PGA Tour event since Justin Rose tied for fourth in the 1998 British Open as a teen-ager. The UGA senior shot 4-under 280 on one of the toughest courses hosting a PGA Tour event, finishing three shots out of the Bill Haas-Charl Schwartzel playoff.

Not only did McCoy record a fourth place finish, he did it playing the final round with golf’s No. 1 player. McCoy was paired with Jordan Spieth on Sunday and won the head-to-head matchup with his fellow 22-year old, shooting a 69 to Spieth’s 73.

The two had played together during McCoy’s first college tournament at the

Farm outside Dalton. He played the second day of the event with Spieth, one day after being paired with Justin Thomas, like Spieth a current PGA Tour member.

McCoy has enjoyed an outstanding career in Athens, and is looking to follow in the footsteps of the sizeable number of former Georgia Bulldogs who have gone on to successful PGA Tour careers. He is no stranger to tour events, playing in three of them last summer, beginning with the U.S. Open. He made the cut in the John Deere Classic, and closed out a busy summer by competing on the U.S. Walker Cup team.

Prior to his hectic summer schedule, which included a spot on the U.S. golf team in the Pan-Am games, McCoy led Georgia the semifinals of the NCAA Championship. He was selected first team All-America as a junior, setting a school record with a 70.08 scoring average, and matching Chris Kirk and Russell Henley with a team record four wins during the season, including three in succession.

In the Bulldogs’ second event of their spring schedule, McCoy tied for second to lead Georgia to a 10-stroke victory in Mexico, and is ranked among the top 10 players in the country, in addition to remaining among the top 10 in the world amateur rankings.

McCoy opened the Valspar Championship with a birdie on the par-5 first hole, but that was his only birdie of the day and he finished with a 3-over 74.

He birdied all four par 5s in the second round and added a fifth birdie on his final hole for a 71 to make the cut on the number at 145.

Thanks to five straight birdies midway through the third round and a sixth birdie in seven holes at the 13th, McCoy was 7-under with five holes to play and closing in on the leaders. But his tee shot on the par-4 16th found the water and he settled for a double bogey and a 66, matching the low score of the tournament.

McCoy began the final round in the top 10 and was paired with Spieth, who was also six shots off the lead. He reached

“I looked. I shouldn’t have looked. Lot of money. Lot of money.”

Fourth place in the tournament was worth $292,800, which McCoy was unable to accept because of his amateur status.

McCoy will be an amateur for only a few more months and expects to turn pro immediately after ending his college career and “hopefully make some money.”

Until then, McCoy is looking to help lead the Bulldogs to another run at an NCAA Championship, and things got off to a strong post-Valspar start with a victory in the Southern Intercollegiate hosted by UGA at Athens Country Club.

After arriving in Athens in the wee hours Monday morning after driving from Tampa, McCoy turned in a respectable showing, posting scores of 70-71 in the one-day, 36-hole event to tie for seventh individually at 3-under 141.

In his next start, McCoy earned medalist honors in the annual Linger Longer Invitational played at Lake Oconee Reynolds’ Great Waters course.

It was the sixth title of McCoy’s college career, including the 2015 Linger Longer. He needs one more win to match Kirk and Henley’s career record. McCoy shot 9-under 207 to defend his title.

McCoy and the Bulldogs will compete in the SEC Championship at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside course April 15-17 before moving on to Regionals in May. APRIL 2016

Georgia Amateur set for match play finale GSGA turns 100 with ‘new’ title format

By Mike Blum

he Georgia State Golf Association celebrates its 100th birthday this year, with the organization’s premier event returning to the site of the first GSGA Championship in 2016.

Atlanta’s Capital City Club will host the 2016 GSGA Championship, with the club’s two separate facilities sharing the duties as the host venues. The event reverts to its original format of match play, with the two rounds of stroke play qualifying set for July 12-13 at the club’s Crabapple course, which has hosted a World Golf Championship (2003) and the NCAA Championship (2013).

The top 32 stroke play finishers will then advance to the match play portion of the tournament, which will be played July 15-17 at Capital City Club’s original Brookhaven course. The first and second rounds will be played the first day, with the quarterfinals and semifinals the next day. The final will be played July 17.

This will be the first time the GSGA Championship has sported a match play format since 1963. The champion was determined by match play from 1916 to 1959 before changing to stroke play in 1960.

The format returned to match play in 1963, but went back to stroke play the next year and continued in that format until this year. Dru Love of St. Simons Island, a member of the U. of Alabama golf team, is the defending champion, winning at home last year at Sea Island GC. Love’s victory last year was the second straight by the son of a PGA Tour golfer.

Dru is the son of Davis Love, and 2014 champion Robert Mize is the son of Larry Mize. Lee Knox, a former U. of Alabama golfer and the son of one of the state’s most prominent career amateurs (Augusta’s Jeff Knox), won the tournament in 2010 and 2012.

Both Capital City Club courses have hosted the biennial Billy Peters Cup, a team event matching the state’s top ama-

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teur players against a team of club professionals representing the Georgia PGA. The Brookhaven layout hosted the Peters Cup in 2012, several years after it was extensively renovated.

The 10 courses that will host qualifiers for the GSGA Championship have all hosted the event since 1988. The qualifying sites are Augusta CC, Pinetree, Golf Club of Georgia, Doublegate, Atlanta Athletic Club, Savannah GC, Idle Hour, Great Waters, Green Island and Coosa CC. The 2016 GSGA championship schedule begins with the Four-Ball Championship April 22-24 at Glen Arven in Thomasville, one of the state’s most historic courses that has recently been renovated.

The Mid-Amateur Championship, the GSGA’s most high profile event after the Georgia Amateur, returns to Augusta Country Club for the first time since 2001. The classic Donald Ross layout was renovated more than a decade ago and has received rave reviews ever since.

This year’s event is scheduled for May 20-22.

Cobblestone GC in Acworth, one of the most highly-regarded daily fee courses in the state, will be the site of the Public Links Championship Sept. 10-11 after last hosting the event in 2012. The last individual event of the season is the Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship, which is returning to Rivermont G&CC after a two-year absence. Rivermont served as the tournament host from 2002-04 and from 2008-13. This year’s dates are Oct. 6-9.

The site and date for the GSGA Team Championship, which matches top players from clubs throughout the state representing their clubs, had not been determined as of press time.

The GSGA’s Senior events include the Match Play Championship (April 12-15 at Horseshoe Bend CC), the Super Senior (August 1-2, Heron Bay), the Senior Championship (Aug. 21-23, Legends at Chateau Elan) and the season-ending Four-Ball (Nov. 9-11, GC of South Georgia).

The GSGA’s women’s events include

the Match Play (June 1-4, Sunset Hills) and Top 60 (April 29-30, Laurel Springs). The Georgia Women’s Golf Association Championship, the state’s top amateur event for women, will be played July 25-27 at Pinetree CC, which has hosted both the Georgia Open and Georgia Amateur in recent years.

Other GSGA women’s events are the Senior Match Play (May 2-4, Summit Chase), Senior Championship (August 22-23, Houston Lake) and Team Championship (Sept. 19-20, River Forest). The GWGA Four-Ball is April 18-19 at Jekyll Island GC. The state’s two Junior Championships will both be played June 20-22 with the boys at Athens CC and the girls competing a short distance away at Reynolds Lake Oconee.

The GSGA will also conduct 16 qualifiers for USGA championships, beginning with local U.S. Open quali-

fiers at Planterra Ridge (May 10) and Jennings Mill (May 16). The state’s sectional qualifier is set for June 6 at Settindown Creek.

The U.S. Amateur qualifiers will be played July 19-20 at Horseshoe Bend CC and July 25-26 at Newnan CC. Other men’s qualifiers are the Senior Open at White Columns (June 27), Mid-Am at Cuscowilla (August 8-9), the Senior Am at Atlanta CC (August 18) and the 4-Ball at Berkeley Hills (Oct. 3).

The U.S. Women’s Open qualifier will be played May 23 at Dunwoody CC, with the Women’s Am at St. Ives (June 27).

Other women’s qualifiers are the MidAm at Rivermont (August 18), the Senior Am at Indian Hills (Sept. 1) and the 4-Ball at Atlanta National (Sept. 29).

The USGA Girls qualifier is set for June 13 at Cartersville CC, with the Junior Championship qualifier June 27 at the UGA course.

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Bulldogs win twice in early 2016 tournaments McCoy, Straka medalists in state events

By Mike Blum

he Georgia Bulldogs opened their Spring 2016 schedule with two wins in their first four starts and top-3 finishes in the other two. One of the two wins came in the Southern Intercollegiate, hosted by the Bulldogs at Athens Country Club.

After placing third in their 2016 opener in Puerto Rico, the Bulldogs won back-to-events in Mexico and Athens before a fast-finishing tie for second in the annual Linger Longer Invitational at Great Waters.

Georgia was fifth after two rounds at Great Waters, 12 shots behind Alabama.

After failing to break par in the first two rounds, the Bulldogs closed with a 12under 276 – the best score of the tournament – to finish three in back of Alabama, tying for second with Augusta at 9-under 855.

Lee McCoy, a senior from Clarkesville, was the tournament medalist at 9-under 207 with scores of 70-67-70. Teammate Sepp Straka, a senior from Valdosta, was one shot back in second, closing with a 65, matching the low individual score.

Greyson Sigg, a junior from Augusta, shot a final round 70 to tie for 27th at 219, with Peachtree Corners sophomore Zach Healy T33 at 221 after closing with a 71. Playing as an individual, Griffin freshman Tye Waller tied for 18th at 217.

Augusta shot 283-289-283 tie to the Bulldogs for second. Senior Robin Petersson led the Jaguars, tying for third at 209.

Kennesaw State led after an opening 278 and wound up fifth at 866.

Sophomore Fredrik Nilehn fired a 66 in the first round and finished fourth at 210. Chris Guglielmo, a junior from Cumming, tied for 14th at 215. Wyatt Larkin, a sophomore from Morganton, contributed to the team’s fast start with an opening 71. Jake Fendt, a freshman from Cumming, tied for eighth as an individual at 213.

Mercer was 11th in the 12-team field at 914, with Cumming freshman Brennan Bogdanovich contributing an opening round 70.

The Bulldogs won the one-day Southern Intercollegiate with scores of

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UGA PHOTOS

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Greyson Sigg

271 and 285 for a 20-under 556 total, finishing three shots ahead of runner-up Arkansas.

Sigg tied for medalist honors at 6671—137, earning a tie for first with a birdie on the 17th hole. Healy tied for third with scores of 68-70—138, with a bogey at the 18th in the second round costing him a share of first place.

Straka tied for fifth at 67-73—140, with McCoy T7 at 141 after driving all night from Tampa following his fourth place finish in the PGA Tour event there the day before.

Kennesaw was fifth at 590, with Guglielmo tying for fifth individually at 71-69—140. Larkin opened with a 68 but fell back to a tie for 22nd at 146.

Augusta also tied for fifth at 590 led by sophomore Broc Everett, who tied for seventh at 141.

Georgia’s win in Cabo was highlighted by a 16-under 268 in the second round.

The Bulldogs finished at 18-under 834 to win by 10 shots. McCoy tied for second at 205 with scores of 69-68-68, one behind the winner. Straka shot 65 in the second round and placed sixth at 207.

Sigg was 10th at 211 (70-68-73) and Healy shot 71-67 the first two rounds before finishing T18 at 215.

In their Spring opener in Puerto Rico, the Bulldogs shot 13-under 851 to finish 12 behind Alabama. Straka tied for seventh at 211, Healy was T11 at 213 and McCoy and Sigg were 19th at 214.

Georgia Tech also competed in Puerto Rico and finished sixth at 7-under 857. Sophomore Chris Petefish led the Yellow Jackets, tying for ninth at 212.

Albany sophomore Jacob Joiner tied for 11th at 213 after an opening 68, and junior Vincent Whaley shot 68 in the second round and tied for 27th at 216.

The sixth place showing was Tech’s best finish in their first three Spring tournaments, with the Jackets well back in their 2016 opener in Hawaii and in Tampa in March. The Jackets shot 1-over 865 in Tampa led by Whaley, who tied for fifth at 9-under 207. No other Tech player placed in the top 50. Whaley was again the only Yellow Jacket to finish better than 50th in Tampa, tying for 36th at 222 on a demanding course.

Like Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State opened its 2016 schedule in Hawaii, placing sixth in a different tournament hosted by the U. of Hawaii. Freshman Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero led the Owls, tying for 12th at 1-under 215.

Larkin was T26 at 218 and Fendt had all three rounds count.

Kennesaw’s top finish thus far this Spring is a fourth place showing in the Tiger Invitational, hosted by Auburn at the Robert Trent Jones Trail Grand National Lake course in Opelika, Ala. The Owls shot 879 led by Guglielmo and Nilehn, who tied for 13th at 219.

Buster Bruton, a redshirt freshman from Dallas, tied for 31st at 224 and Fendt was T38 at 225.

Georgia State also played in the Tiger Invitational, placing sixth at 883.

Sophomore Alex Herrmann tied for eighth at even par 216, with senior J.J. Grey T18 at 220 and Max Herrmann, Alex’s brother, T22 at 221.

The Panthers opened their 2016 schedule in Mobile, shooting 5-under 859 to finish fifth at Magnolia Grove Crossing. Grey tied for third at 5-under 211, with Alex Herrmann T17 at 216 after a final round 69. Freshman Nick Budd of Woodstock was T30 at 218 and Lexington junior Nathan Mallonee shot 220 to finish T38.

Grey tied for third, one shot out of a two-way tie for first in the annual Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights in Statesboro. Grey shot 69-65-70 for a 12-under 204 total as the Panthers finished sixth at 22-under 842. Max Herrmann tied for 15th at 209 and Alex

Herrmann was T25 at 212.

Host Georgia Southern did not enjoy a successful showing in its home event, placing 10th in the Schenkel at 13-under 851, 28 shots behind Vanderbilt’s winning total. The Commodores won by 10 over runner-up Wake Forest, with Vandy’s Will Gordon firing a final round 63 to share medalist honors at 203 with Auburn’s Michael Johnson.

Griffin senior Henry Mabbett was the Eagles’ top finisher, tying for 21st at 211 after an opening 67. Stockbridge freshman Steven Fisk shot 67 in the second round and tied for 25th at 212.

Parker Derby of Columbus, who transferred from Georgia to College of Charleston, tied for seventh at 207.

Georgia Southern was 10th in its season-opening tournament in Gainesville, Fla., at 19-over 859. Fisk shot three straight rounds of even par 70 to tie for 19th at 210. The Eagles tied for sixth in the Palmetto Intercollegiate at historic Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, S.C., at 863. Fisk closed with a 69 to tie for 19th at 215, with Mabbett contributing a pair of 70s.

Augusta also competed in the Aiken event, and placed third at 857, well behind South Carolina, which won by 18 shots. Senior Maverick Antcliff was second for the Jaguars at 6-under 204 with scores of 68-69-67, one behind South Carolina’s Matthew NeSmith, who is from nearby North Augusta, S.C. The Jaguars were sixth in their Spring opener in California, with Antcliff tying for sixth at 5-under 211.

Georgia, Kennesaw and Augusta all play conference tournaments this month in the state. Georgia competes in the SEC Championship at Sea Island GC April 15-17, Kennesaw plays April 17-19 in the Atlantic Sun Championship at the Legends at Chateau Elan, and Augusta travels to Savannah’s Crosswinds GC for the Mid-Eastern Championship April 21-23.

Georgia State and Georgia Southern play in the Sun Belt Championship in Destin, Fla., April 24-27. Georgia Tech competes in the ACC Championship April 22-24 in North Carolina, and Mercer, which has struggled thus far in its Spring schedule, plays in the Southern Conference Championship April 24-26 at Pinehurst, N.C. APRIL 2016

Georgia, Augusta, Mercer women score Spring victories

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UGA PHOTOS

Going into the annual Liz Murphey Classic, Georgia’s final event of the season prior to the SEC Championship, the Lady Bulldogs were ranked seventh in the country after winning two of their first four team events in 2016.

Georgia’s two wins came early in the Spring season in Puerto Rico and last month in Tucson. The Lady Bulldogs shot 3-over 867 in Tucson to win by three over Arkansas, and went wire-towire in Tucson, finishing with a 5-under 859 total to wind up seven shots ahead of Iowa State.

In Puerto Rico, the Lady Bulldogs were tied for the lead after an opening 283, but fell seven back after a second round 294. A final round 290 gave Georgia the victory. Junior Harang Lee shot 69 in the first and third rounds and tied for third at 213 to lead the Lady Bulldogs. Bailey Tardy, a freshman from Peachtree Corners, opened with a 68 and finished fifth at 215. Senior Manuela Carbajo Re was 12th at 220 and Roswell freshman Rinko Mitsunaga was T15 at 222.

In Tucson, the Lady Bulldogs posted scores of 282-288-289 to collect a second Spring victory. Freshman Jillian Hollis earned medalist honors by five shots at 11-under 206, opening with rounds of 66 and 67 before closing with a 72. Tardy tied for third at 70-72-71—213. Lee was T17 at 219 and junior Sammi Lee (no relation) tied for 24th at 222.

Harang Lee led Georgia in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in South Carolina, placing sixth at 3-over 216. Mitsunaga tied for 13th at 219 and Tardy was T17 at 220, with the Lady Bulldogs placing seventh at 883, 15 shots behind Alabama.

Georgia plays in the SEC Championship April 15-17 in Birmingham.

Augusta scored a Spring victory on its home course, taking the 3M Invitational at Forest Hills. After trailing by eight shots after the first round, the Lady Jaguars closed with scores of 283 and 280, the latter the low score of the tournament, to win by 10.

Junior Teresa Cabeller Hernani closed with a 68 to lead Augusta, placing

Bailey Tardy

sixth at 214. Jessica Haigwood, a junior from Roswell, shot 69-70 the first two rounds and tied for seventh at 215.

Evans junior Eunice Yi closed with scores of 70-71 to tie for 10th at 218.

Haigwood and Yi were 13th and 15th respectively as Augusta placed seventh in Puerto Rico.

In their most recent Spring event, the Lady Jaguars placed second in an event hosted by Kennesaw State at Pinetree CC. Augusta shot 900 to finish 10 shots behind Texas Tech, which led by 14 shots after one round and by 17 after 36 holes.

Josefine Nyqvist shared medalist honors for Augusta at 221, with Yi tying for fourth at 224 and Haigwood T15 at 228.

Mercer also scored a Spring win, opening its 2016 schedule with a victory in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Lady Bears finished with an 894 total led by Alpharetta freshman Payton Schanen, who shot 70-71-71 for a 4-under 212 total to win by eight. Fellow freshman Jaelyn Tindall and junior Marin Hanna of Moultrie tied for third at 224, with freshman Mary Juniga T16 at 224 and sophomore Hannah Mae Deems of Taylorsville T24 at 230.

The Lady Bears were sixth in a 41team field at Kiawah Island, S.C., with Tindall tying for 15th and Schanen tying for 21st. Schanen again tied for 21st to lead Mercer in the 3M Augusta Invitational.

Mercer was eighth in the tournament at Pinetree, with Juniga tying for 15th at 228.

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Golf FORE Juniors Valdosta juniors win 2 at home

The Georgia PGA Junior Championship will be played June 6-7 at Jennings Mill outside Athens, with all Georgia juniors age 11-18 as of June 6 eligible for the event.

The Georgia PGA Junior Tour began its 2016 schedule at Valdosta Country Club, and three local juniors came away with outright victories or shared titles in their respective divisions.

Padgett Chitty of Valdosta was the girls winner with scores of 77-85—162, with Parker Highsmith and Payne Elkins tying for first in boys 11-13. Highsmith shot 7978—157 while Elkins shot 72 the second day to erase a 6-shot deficit after 18 holes.

Jacob Rainey of Tifton was third at 158.

Roswell’s JonErik Alford was the boys 16-18 and overall winner by three shots with scores of 69-77-146. Ben Trancygier of Hahira was second at 149 and Valdosta’s Braden Colbert was third at 152. Hilton Beck of Macon was the 14-15 age group winner at 160, one shot ahead of Alex Colligan of Evans.

The Georgia PGA will conduct the North Georgia High School Classic at Chateau Elan April 15-16, with the next Junior Tour event set for June 1-2 at Legacy on Lanier.

Jordan Long of Stockbridge and Olivia Hickson of Brunswick were the overall winners of a recent Southeastern Junior Golf Tour event at Brunswick Country Club.

Long carded scores of 69 and 72 for a 3under 141 total to win by two shots in boys 16-19. Bartley Forrester of Gainesville was third at 145. Hickson shot 157 to edge Niquole Mangal of Sugar Hill and Keagan Dunn of Buford by one in the girls division.

Thomas Hogan of St. Simons Island shot 74-70—144 to take first in boys 14-15 by three over Harry Jones of Augusta.

Brantley Baker of Leesburg won the 12-13 age group winner by a whopping 16 shots with scores of 68-73—141.

The SJGT opened its 2016 schedule at Sea Island GC, with Ringgold’s Gavin Noble winning the boys 14-15 and overall

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Long, Hickson take SJGT titles

Padgett Chitty titles in a playoff. Noble won in extra holes against Carrollton’s Tyler Lipscomb after both finished with 219 totals on the Retreat course over 54 holes.

Jordan Rodriguez of Buford shot 223 to win the 16-19 age group by two over Andrew Ackerman of Milton and Garron Terrell of Woodstock. Marietta’s Connery Meyer was the 12-13 winner by eight shots with a 219 total.

Yu, Bae, Ross among winners

The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour recently held a pair of tournaments in the state at Chateau Elan and White Oak, with Duluth’s Louise Yu, Lawrenceville’s Jenny Bae and Atlanta’s Alex Ross among the winners.

Yu was the girls winner at Chateau Elan with a 153 total, three shots ahead of Christine McDonnell of Suwanee. Dario Ayala of Alpharetta shot 148 to get into a playoff in boys 16-18, but lost in extra holes.

Wesley Heston was one back in third at 149. Myles Jones of Suwanee shot a final round 70 for a 149 total to win boys 14-15 by one over Blake Parkman of Cumming.

Perry-Austin Kilburn of Monroe won the 11-13 age group by six at 157.

At White Oak, Bae shot 156 to win by two over Ivy Shepherd of Peachtree City and Skylar Thompson of Buford. Ross was first in boys 16-18 and overall at 147, three in front of Jordan Long. Dunwoody’s Jackson Perry took a playoff in the 14-15 age group over Nicholas Gibson of Duluth after both shot 154. Atlanta’s Frederick Bruce shot 153 to win boys 11-13 by two.

In earlier Hurricane Tour tournaments: Luke Schniederjans shot 71-69—140 (4-under) at Amelia Island, Fla., to win boys 16-18 by 19 strokes. Jackson Toole of Vidalia shot 146 in Bluffton, S.C., to take boys 14-15 by six, and won a few weeks later at Kiawah Island by two at 156. Kiira Rihijarvi of Rome won the girls division in Pinehurst, N.C., by 10 shots with a score of 152.

At Callaway Gardens, Kason Partridge of Hamilton was the boys 16-18 winner by

JonErik Alford five shots at 149, with Kevin Parks of Johns Creek the 11-13 winner by six at 176.

Keegan Dunn shot 169 to win the girls division by two over Macon’s Carol Pyon.

At King and Prince GC on St. Simons Island, Julianna Collett of St. Simons easily won the girls division by 12 shots at 149.

Preston Wagaman of Martinez shot 148 in boys 16-18, but lost in a playoff. Wilson Andress of Macon tied for third at 149. Will Spivey of Douglas won the 14-15 age group at 152, one ahead of Luke Dasher of Macon.

Georgia PGA [ Continued from page 17 ]

Development; Jeff Dunovant, First Tee at East Lake, Player Development; Karen Paolozzi, Druid Hills, Assistant Professional.

Merchandisers of the Year were Steve Archer, Capital City Club (Private); Craig Riddle, Bear’s Best (Public); Wyatt Detmer, Callaway Gardens (Resort). Other winners were John Stephenson, Acushnet, Salesman; Mike Baker, Warner Robins AFB/Pine Oaks, Patriot; and Billy Payne, Distinguished Service.

Albertson named GPGA President

Brian Albertson, the head pro at Rome’s Coosa Country Club since 1998, was recently selected the new President of the Georgia PGA, taking over for Mark Mongell of Cherokee Town & CC. Brandon Stooksbury of Idle Hour will be the new Secretary and John Godwin of US Kids Golf is the new Vice President.

Jeff Dunovant of the First Tee at East Lake and Shawn Koch of CC of the South were selected as At-Large Directors, with Rashad Wilson of Reynolds Lake Oconee filling the final year of Stooksbury’s term.

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