FORE Georgia - Fall 2014 by FORE Georgia

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FALL 2014

Ford Plantation among state’s best layouts Dye’s re-design enhances little-known gem

By Mike Blum

erhaps the best course in Georgia very few in the state have heard of, let alone played, is located in the community of Richmond Hill, less than 20 miles south of Savannah on the Ogeechee River. The Ford Plantation is a Pete Dye design (one of only two in the state) that was originally built in the late 1980s as essentially a plaything for a wealthy Saudi businessman, who then owned the expansive property that was once the winter home of famed industrialist Henry Ford. Dye recently completed an extensive $7 million-plus renovation of the course, which is now owned by its membership and is debt free. After the year-long project was completed, the renovated course re-opened in October and is the spectacular centerpiece of a private 1,800-acre sporting club that features ample amounts of amenities and natural beauty, as well as a colorful history that dates back to the mid 1700s.

The modern history of the property, which included three antebellum rice plantations, began in 1925 when it was purchased by Henry Ford, and once encompassed some 70,000 acres (120 square miles) south of Savannah along the Ogeechee River. Ford built a winter home on the property during the 1930s, and his former residence is now known as The Main House. The architectural treasure’s five guest suites upstairs are used to lodge out-of-town visitors, with the downstairs rooms serving as a meeting place for the club’s members. The downstairs area includes a formal living room, library and cozy breakfast room serving some of the tastiest and heartiest morning meals you will experience. The atmosphere surrounding both The Main House and the Clubhouse, which overlook the Ogeechee River and low country marshlands, is friendly and accommodating. The Clubhouse serves lunch and dinner upstairs and offers some splendid views along with exceptional dining in a distinctly Southern setting.

Ford Plantation clu

bhouse

The club’s amenities begin with a Marina that has been expanded from the original built by Henry Ford for his cabin cruiser Little Lulu. It can accommodate boats up to 65 feet and features the Ogeechee Outfitters Store, which can equip those with tastes for hunting, fishing and shooting.

Other amenities include an equestrian center, a fitness center and full-service spa, three Har-Tru tennis courts, two pools and 10 miles of hiking trails. Membership is limited to property [ See Ford Plantation, page 6 ]

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Instruction Fore You

More than one correct way to grip the club By Danny Elkins

PGA Head Professional, Georgia Golf Center

Forecast

One of the most talked about “fundamentals” in golf instruction is the grip. One school of thought believes that all players should use what is termed a neutral grip. Those on the other side of the discussion believe, equally sincerely, that there are MANY correct choices for all levels of players. I am firmly in the latter group. The entire scope of this subject could fill a very large volume, but for the purposes of this article we’ll confine ourselves to the basic grip types. There are three basic grip types; ten finger, overlap and interlock. A ten finger grip, also known as a baseball grip, has all ten fingers on the golf club. Over the years it has received a bad reputation and is seldom used at the highest levels these days, but it is in NO way inferior to the other options. In fact, for those of you with small hands, the ten finger grip is clearly the best option. The ten finger’s bad reputation is due to a misunderstanding of the role of the right hand in the golf swing. For years golf was taught as a left hand dominated game. Hooks were ascribed to having “too much right hand” through impact. Since the right hand is more easily felt and therefore used in the ten finger grip, this viewpoint would quickly lead a player to overlap or interlock in an attempt to minimize the use of the right hand.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES:

DEPARTMENTS:

Brendon Todd feature . . . . . . . . . . . 8

College round-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

McGladrey Classic report . . . . 10, 12

Women's college round-up . . . . . . . . 27

Champions Tour trio . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Peters Cup wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Mason 2nd in Senior PNC . . . . . . 20 Web.com qualifying. . . . . . . . . 22, 24 Mini-tour problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The truth is that there is no such thing as too much right hand. There is a great deal of power in that hand and arm, and one either uses it correctly by maintaining a bent right wrist at contact, or incorrectly, by allowing the right wrist to flatten prematurely thereby bending back the left wrist and destroying the alignments. Art Wall won the 1959 Masters with the ten finger grip and it has been used to win other tour events through the years. Recently, Bob Estes has successfully used this grip on tour. The second most popular of the basic options is the interlock. In this option the little finger of the right hand and the index finger of the left hand lock together, thus the name. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, arguably the two best players of all time, both use this grip. While that would seem to indicate that this would be the best choice, I believe their usage is either just coincidence, or a conscious decision by Tiger to copy Jack. While I don’t know this for a fact, my conjecture is that Tiger, who studied Nicklaus intensely as a kid, probably latched onto the interlock because of that. (I used this grip until sometime in my twenties for the same reason). A common belief is that the interlock is best for people with small hands. For the life of me I cannot understand why. As stated previously, I used the interlock for the better part of a dozen years. And I ALWAYS struggled with my grip. Even when

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Golf FORE Juniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chip shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

I was significantly more slender, I had short, pudgy fingers. With the interlock grip the knuckles would be in line with each other and produce a discomfort which made it very difficult for me to hold onto the golf club. In my opinion, people with longer, skinnier fingers should be more comfortable using the interlock grip. The third and final option is the overlap grip, which was not invented by Harry Vardon, but was certainly popularized by him. In this option the little finger of the right hand is either placed over the index finger of the left hand, or positioned between the index finger and middle finger of the left hand. The selection is totally the players’ option and they are equally effective. The overlap is by far the most popular of the three grip options, both among the best players and the everyday players. To some degree it is more popular because it is the one favored by most teaching professionals, therefore it is the grip that is most taught. And, in my experience as a teacher, it seems to be more comfortable for the greatest number of players. I have used all three grips in tournament play. I have won events both with the interlock and the overlap. Using the ten finger grip I finished as high as second place in a team event a few years ago and as recently as last year I finished second in the Georgia Senior Open using the ten finger. If I had started playing golf with this grip I believe I’d still be using it today. But most of the time I use the overlap as it is the one that feels the best for ME the most often. It allows my short fingers to work together better than the other two. And it produces less stress on my finger joints and on my wrists than the other two. The type of grip has no effect on the grip position which is much more complicated. There are essentially three options here; neutral, strong, and weak. The choice is determined by a number of factors, but really boils down to this; whichever options produces the most good shots is the one you should choose. And that is a subject for another day.

Georgia Golf Center was recently named by Golf Range Association of America as one of the top 50 stand alone ranges in the U.S, for a third straight year.

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Ford Plantation's par-3 fourth

[ Continued from the cover ]

STEVE DINBERG

Ford Plantation

hole

owners, with about 100 sites still available among the six neighborhoods within the development. The Ford Plantation has also made two types of National Memberships for non-property owners available by invitation only. In addition to The Main House, accommodations include a number of privately owned cottages and homes. The renovation of the course was originally planned as a restoration to make infrastructure upgrades, but it expanded into a full re-design, with Dye expanding the corridors, significantly altering the greens complexes and shifting some tees and greens from their original locations. The level of much of the back nine was also raised along with the addition of major drainage enhancements to enable the low-lying course to quickly recover after periods of heavy rain. The end result is a course that has already been named by Golf Digest as one of the top new courses of 2014 and is ranked among the best in Georgia. Dye says it rates with his best Southern designs, which is no small compliment considering his resume of Southern layouts includes TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town and the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. The Ford Plantation course, formerly known as Ogeechee Golf Club at the Ford Plantation, features two distinctly different nines with a few notable similarities. The tree-lined front nine circles around the interior of the property, with six different lakes bordering holes 2 through 7. The compact back nine is surrounded on three sides by Lake Clara, named for Ford’s wife, and was constructed on the site of a rice plantation 6

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amid the marshes. The nine is almost devoid of trees, with panoramic views of the entire nine available from several spots. Dye re-designed the course for member play, although a back set of tees that measure 7,400 yards will give the best tour players a run for their money. Savannah native and resident Gene Sauers, who suffered a life-threatening skin disorder that has since been treated, played his comeback round of golf at the Ford Plantation before resuming his pro career. The Ford Plantation course features five sets of tees, with a combination set between the gold (6,800 yards) and blue (6,150). The white tees measure 5,763 yards and the forward tees are right at 5,000. The course is rated at 75.9/142 (black), 73.1/135 (gold), 71.4/133 (combo), 70.0/128 (blue) and 68.3/125 (white). The fairways on the parkland-style front nine have been significantly expanded, but the constant presence of bordering hazards and waste areas – a Dye staple at Atlanta National, his other Georgia design – will prevent you from getting too complacent when viewing the ample fairways in front of you. With an exception or two, length is not a major concern, with the intriguing group of par 3s on the short side and no monster par 4s, apart from a handful of holes from the tips. The par 5s are inviting from the blue and white tees, with two of them just a shade over 500 yards from the golds. Although the many lakes and marshes border all but a handful of holes, only a few shots have to clear hazards to reach greens (mostly on par 3s), with no forced carries of serious length. However, a number of holes have water not that far removed from the putting surfaces, which will result in some precarious approaches depending on the angle of

the shot. When Dye widened the corridors, he also made extensive changes around the greens, involving bunkering, mounding and the putting surfaces themselves. The greens complexes can be very demanding, with your short game, green reading skills and putting touch all likely to face some tests that can seem as daunting as the SATs from your scholastic days. A number of the greens are raised up just enough from Pete Dye fairway level as to require some delicate pitch shots to get close to front hole locations. With mounds and slight fall-offs along the edges, you will likely encounter a few shots along the way that leave little margin for error, with Dye also utilizing tiny greenside bunkers that can produce some awkward lies or stances. Some of them have relatively steep faces that can be a concern if you get too close. Then there are the putting surfaces themselves. The Tift Eagle greens are excellent, extremely firm and quick and feature plenty of movement, much of it around the hole locations. Downhill putts, even ones that are reasonably flat, tend to roll out, and you can expect to face plenty of comebackers if you get the least bit aggressive. With the changes Dye made to the greens complexes, the club’s members will have an entertaining, if sometimes perplexing time, learning their nuances, as well as pondering the length of putts they’re going to concede to their playing partners. From the opening tee shot on the first hole to the last putt on the demanding 18th, the Ford Plantation provides a succession of appealing views and memorable holes, with Dye creating a truly unique and thoroughly enjoyable golf experience that is comparable to the best courses on St. Simons and Hilton Head islands. The course conditions are superb tee to green, with the Celebration Bermuda fairways providing an outstanding playing surface to go along with the quality of the putting surfaces. With so many holes that will stick in your memory after you’ve played the Ford Plantation, there is not a solitary “Signature” hole on the course. The tree-lined opening hole is a par 4 of modest length and one of a handful with no water in play. It is among the tightest

on the course, with a narrow green protected on the right by one of Dye’s many waste bunkers that frequently serve the role of keeping your ball from ending up in an even more unpleasant spot. You get your first look at one of the many lakes in play at the Ford Plantation on the second hole, a longer, dogleg left par 4 with the lake and a thin strip of waste bunker all the way down the left side and a friendly mound right of one of many greens with all sorts of movement. Water remains in play on every hole on the front side until you reach the ninth, the shorter of the two relatively narrow par 5s on the nine, each of which feature some interesting greenside bunker patterns. Both par 3s on the nine require carries over water, but neither has much length, with the fourth featuring one of the more Dye-abolical putting surfaces on the course, and the eighth sporting a 250year old oak tree just behind the green. Holes 5, 6 and 7 all have greens perched precariously close to lakes, with the narrow 6th including OB stakes tight to the right and some trees that can impede approach shots from both sides. The links-style back nine begins with a short par 4 guarded by the marsh on the left and a waste bunker and Lake Clara on the right. The marshes and/or lakes are in play on the remaining par 4s on the nine, three of which have ample length, with the short-ish 14th surrounded by the marsh but bunker-free. The 18th is a standout finishing hole, with an angled tee shot that has to clear marsh and a helpful waste bunker down the left side to set up the best approach to a green well-guarded by sand to the right. Both par 3s on the incoming nine are short but pesky and subject to coastal breezes, with the 17th surrounded by a variety of bunkers and its small, angled green a tough target to hit. The two par 5s are also on the friendly side, as long as you stay out of the sand on the relatively short 11th and avoid the marsh along both sides of the fairway at the 16th. Thanks to Dye’s creative re-design, the Ford Plantation is likely to attract more attention for the quality of its golf course, which is just part of a private community with plenty to offer to those able to take advantage of the opportunity.

For membership information, contact Marianne Schofield at 912-756-2013, or visit www.fordplantation.com. FA L L 2 0 1 4

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Ex-Bulldog Todd enjoys best season of pro career By Mike Blum

f the 29 players who competed in the 2014 Tour Championship at East Lake, it’s hard to imagine any of them had a greater sense of satisfaction for that accomplishment than Brendon Todd. Like most of the players in the field, Todd was a highly touted young player who enjoyed success in amateur and college golf and quickly made his way to the PGA Tour. But shortly after arriving in golf’s major leagues at the age of 23, Todd’s ascending career began to spiral downwards. The highlight of Todd’s rookie season on the PGA Tour in 2009 was a tie for 12th in Memphis in mid-June. He shot 65-68-66 the last three days to come up just short of a top 10 finish and took home a nice check for $123,200. As it turned out, it was the last money Todd earned from his play on the PGA or Nationwide (now Web.com) Tours for almost two years. After his successful week in Memphis in mid-June of 2009, Todd did not make a cut on either tour until the Nationwide Tour visited Valdosta in late April of 2011. After failing to make it to the weekend in 26 consecutive events span-

STEVE DINBERG

Brendon Todd

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Brendon Todd

ning almost two years, Todd recorded a top-20 finish in the South Georgia Classic. Todd played well the next four weeks before enduring another lengthy stretch of missed cuts. He closed out the season with some solid play, culminating with a victory in the finals of Q-School that enabled him to return to the PGA Tour in 2012. Things went better for the former Georgia Bulldog in his second stint on the PGA Tour, but not well enough to retain his exempt status. He split 2013 between the PGA and Web.com Tours and played well on both, with a Web.com victory in Athens helping him regain full PGA Tour status for the 2013-2014 season. Todd, who has lived in Atlanta since graduating from Georgia, continued his solid play in the Fall events on the new wraparound schedule. He picked right back up when the Tour began its 2014 schedule in Hawaii, and kept playing well until he captured his first PGA Tour title in the Byron Nelson Championship. The victory started a six-tournament run of exceptional play by Todd, who had five top-10 finishes in that span along with a tie for 17th in the U.S. Open, where he was second after 36 holes before a bad third round knocked him out of contention. Todd did not play as well toward the end of the season, but shot 66 the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake to conclude the most successful showing of his seven-year professional career. With a victory, seven top 10s and only four missed cuts in 25 starts, Todd finished the season 18th in earnings ($3.4 million) and 27th in the final FedExCup points standings after being 12th coming into the Playoffs. He ranked in the top 10 in both the primary and total putting categories as well as in scrambling, and was in the top 20 in scoring average. Despite finishing around 150th in driving distance (280 yards) he was just outside the top 10 in par-5 scoring. “It was very satisfying to play the kind of golf I always knew I was capable of

STEVE DINBERG

Emerges a stronger player after 2 difficult years

playing,” Todd said after a practice session at East Lake during the Tour Championship. He said going through the long stretch of “struggles” a few years back “made me earn it,” and Todd has emerged a better and stronger player as a result. Scoring his first victory was “very important,” Todd said. “It was nice to win my first one early on. After the first one, you want to win multiple times.” Todd’s best finishes on the PGA Tour prior to his victory were a pair of ties for 6th in two tournaments earlier in 2014, and he quickly squashed any thought that it was a one-off effort with his play in subsequent weeks. “I didn’t win by mistake,” he said. “I was able to repeat that kind of play. If anything, I think I should have won another time.” Todd closed with a 66 to win by two shots over former Masters champion Mike Weir in Dallas, and was paired with another major champion (Louis Oosthuizen) in the final round. He made a strong run at a victory the next week at Colonial, shooting a final round 68 to finish two shots out of the Adam Scott-Jason Dufner playoff. After an eighth place finish the following week at the Memorial, Todd was second after 36 holes in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, near where he grew up in North Carolina. Playing in his first ever major championship, he struggled playing in the final group Saturday with runaway winner Martin Kaymer, but

bounced back with a 69 the next day, his third round in the 60s in the tournament. Two weeks later at Congressional, Todd again finished just two shots out of a playoff, and concluded his two-month stretch of superb play with a tie for fourth in the Greenbrier Classic. Todd came close to playing his way onto the 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup team, finishing 12th in the final points standings, But after some so-so showings in the big events just prior to the selection of the team, he was not given strong consideration by U.S. captain Tom Watson. Being overlooked by Watson did not come as a surprise to Todd, who admitted to some disappointment at not playing well enough to make the team on points. With his wife about to give birth, Todd was spared having to make a decision about whether he would be able to play had he made the team, but had some thoughts on Watson’s decision not to pick Chris Kirk, Todd’s teammate at Georgia. “I didn’t understand how you don’t pick the guy,” he offered. “It didn’t make any sense to me. He had a very good year, was playing well and had just won.” Todd has hopes of making a future Ryder Cup team, and says he’s looking forward to the opportunity to being on a team that includes another ex-Bulldog or two. During his career in Athens, Todd was part of the 2005 NCAA Championship team that included Kirk and fellow PGA Tour member Kevin Kisner. He was a second team All-American during the Bulldogs’ championship season and a first team selection as a senior. Shortly after turning pro following his graduation in 2007, Todd won on both the Hooters and eGolf Tours, and made it to the finals of Q-school to earn a spot on the ‘08 Nationwide Tour. In his first start of the season, Todd was in contention after 54 holes in the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill, and managed to record a top-25 finish after a difficult final round. [ See Todd, page 12 ] FA L L 2 0 1 4

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Streb closes with 63, wins McGladrey in playoff MCGLADREY CLASSIC

Rallies from 4 shots back with 5 holes to play

By Mike Blum

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Robert Streb

the back nine. After he two-putted the par-5 15th, Streb rolled in putts of 19 and 33 feet on 16 and 17 to conclude a 9birdie 63 on the par-70 Seaside layout. “I was just trying to make as many birdies as I could,” Streb said after his victory. “I’ve never really come back from that far behind. I know it could be done, but it didn’t really cross my mind there until the end.” MCGLADREY CLASSIC

ith five holes to play in the final round of the recent McGladrey Classic at Sea Island Golf Club, Robert Streb was four shots off the lead and needed a birdie or two for a top 10 finish. Streb, in his third season on the PGA Tour, had just two top 10s the previous two seasons and had only contended for victory once, earlier in 2014 in New Orleans, where he tied for second. A three-putt bogey at 13 seemingly dashed Streb’s hopes at victory after a torrid front nine that included five birdies in a seven-hole stretch vaulted him into contention. But Streb had one more hot streak left, carding consecutive birdies at holes 14, 15, 16 and 17. With the lead trio all stalled or falling back, Streb found himself in a three-way playoff, which he ended on the par-3 17th, the second extra hole. Streb hit his tee shot within four feet and holed the putt for birdie, making the swift leap from anonymous to PGA Tour winner and 2015 Masters qualifier. Streb defeated Brendon de Jonge, perhaps the most successful non-winner on the PGA Tour, and Will MacKenzie, known more for his non-golf pursuits than his exploits on the course, in the playoff. The three finished at 14-under 266, with MacKenzie playing his last 10 holes in even par and de Jonge closing out his round with six straight pars after holing a 40-footer for birdie on 12 and a share of the lead. Andrew Svoboda was tied for the third round lead with MacKenzie and still tied at the top early on the back nine Sunday. Three bogeys in a four-hole stretch dropped him out of the lead and into a tie for 8th, with no player other than Streb taking advantage of the inability of the leaders to get past the 14under par barrier. Streb shot himself into contention with a sensational stretch of golf on the front nine after a bogey on the first hole. Three of his five birdies on the opening nine came after approach shots within five feet of the cup, with his longest birdie putt among the five just 10 feet. Another superb approach shot at the difficult 14th began Streb’s birdie run on

Will MacKenzie

De Jonge, who birdied the first three holes in the final round but just two of the last 15, missed from inside 10 feet for birdie at the 15th, while MacKenzie needed a birdie at 17 to get into the playoff after three-putting from long range on 16. MacKenzie exited the playoff when he bogeyed the 18th, and Streb needed only one more hole to win, carding his 10th birdie of the day while de Jonge settled for his eighth straight par. Streb’s victory came as something of a surprise, much as the come-from behind wins by Ben Crane in 2011 and Tommy Gainey in 2012. Crane birdied eight of his last 11 holes for a 63 and defeated Webb Simpson in

a playoff after trailing by as many as eight shots in the final round. Gainey was seven off the lead entering the fourth round the next year, but closed with a course record 60 to overtake Jim Furyk and tournament host Davis Love. Other than Streb’s sizzling finish, there wasn’t much in the way of fireworks in the late stages of the tournament. Both Russell Henley and Chris Kirk, part of the well-publicized contingent of former U. of Georgia golfers who have enjoyed so much success on the PGA Tour the past few years, were poised to add to their growing list of victories, but neither could muster a late surge. Henley, who held the 36-hole lead after a second round 63, made two early birdies on Sunday, but they were sandwiched in between a pair of bogeys. He parred 12 of his last 13 holes, with a birdie at the 15th breaking up his par string. Henley had his chances, but his frequently deadly putter was not as lethal as usual. Kirk, the defending champion and a former St. Simons Island resident, rolled in birdie putts of 15 and 20 feet on holes 2 and 3, but a bogey at the fifth halted his early momentum. He made his share of putts on the day, but too many of them were par saves. A 30-footer for birdie on the 15th gave him a flicker of hope, but he dumped his second shot on the 16th into a bunker and had to scramble for par. He just missed his birdie try at 17 to close the door on a possible repeat victory. Both tied for 4th at 12-under 268, along with Kevin Kisner, Kirk’s teammate on Georgia’s 2005 NCAA Championship team. Kisner birdied 16

and 17 for a final round 65 and the best career finish in his fourth season on the PGA Tour. Kirk closed with a 67 and Henley shot 69 the final day. Streb did not get off to the best start in the tournament, hitting his first tee shot into a bush and taking an unplayable lie penalty on his way to a double bogey 6. Three birdies on his last four holes gave him a 69, four shots behind four players, including MacKenzie and former UGA golfers Erik Compton and Brian Harman, a St. Simons resident. A fast start Friday produced a 66 for Streb, who trailed Henley by four at the midway point. Harman, Svoboda and de Jonge were all one back, with a whopping 88 players making the cut. Among those who didn’t were locals Harris English, Jonathan Byrd and Zach Johnson along with Heath Slocum, who won the inaugural McGladrey Classic in 2010. An eagle on the 15th hole Saturday gave Streb a third round 68 and he began the final round at 7-under 203, five off the lead of MacKenzie and Svoboda. Streb had done little in his brief PGA Tour history to indicate he was a likely contender for the title. He enjoyed an excellent rookie season on the Web.com Tour in 2012, placing 7th on the money list with a victory to move up to the PGA Tour in 2013. He finished 126th on the FedExCup points list in 2013-14 to just miss retaining his exempt status, but a tie for 2nd in New Orleans locked up his tour card for 2014-15. He closed the 2013-14 season on a high note, recording a top-10 finish in the Playoffs event in Boston. “That second (in New Orleans) was pretty big for me,” Streb said. “I’m just trying to improve, trying to get better, and it obviously pad off pretty big today.” The 27-year-old Streb is an Oklahoma native and played his college golf at Kansas State. After finishing 71st in the FedExCup standings in 2013-14 (he was bumped out of the last of the Playoffs events prior to the Tour Championship by Jason Day’s birdie putt on the 72nd hole in Boston), he was 1st after his win at Sea Island, with a tie for 10th the previous week in Las Vegas. With a third straight top 10 two weeks later in Mississippi, Streb was still No. 1 on the points list at the conclusion of the 2014 portion of the schedule. FA L L 2 0 1 4

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Todd [ Continued from page 8 ]

He tied for ninth two weeks later in Valdosta and two more top 10s the next few weeks in the Carolinas solidified his playing status for the season. Todd locked up his spot on the 2009 PGA Tour with a late season victory in Utah, and was coming off the best showing of his rookie season when his game suddenly left him. Todd missed his last 10 cuts in a row, and was back on the Nationwide Tour in 2010. In 13 starts that year, Todd did not make a cut and broke 70 just once in 27 rounds. He missed his first three cuts of 2011 to extend his streak to 26 in a row, but once he returned to familiar turf, Todd’s struggles ended. Todd shot 68 in the first round at Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta and tied for 18th, the beginning of a 5-tournament stretch in which he made all five cuts, had 10 rounds in the 60s and finished 18th or better three times. When the tour left the Atlantic Coast, Todd’s run of solid play ended. He missed 11 of 12 cuts before notching a top-10 finish in Texas. Todd closed out the year by winning in the finals of PGA Tour qualifying and played well enough in his return to the PGA Tour in 2012 to retain partial status for 2013. Splitting his time 50-50 between the PGA and Web.com Tours, Todd played consistently on both, missing only three of 20 cuts and recording 13 top-25 finishes. He picked up his second Web.com win in what turned out to the final Stadion Classic at UGA, with his victory coming in anticlimactic fashion when the final round was rained out. That set the stage for his outstanding 2013-14 PGA Tour season, which has vaulted him into the top 50 in the world rankings and spots in all four majors for 2014, including his first ever Masters appearance. “That’s a huge accomplishment,” Todd said, adding the Tour Championship and World Golf Championships events to his resume. “But it’s also a huge challenge, playing all those places for the first time against fields that are very strong. I’ll have my work cut out for me in them.” Throughout his struggles from 200911, Todd maintained a good attitude and was convinced that they wouldn’t last forever. “I had a good routine and did the same things week in and week out. I had good practice habits, and was committed to them day in and day out”. Todd also began working with 12

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Cartersville Country Club head professional Scott Hamilton, whose growing list of Tour players includes Kirk, Russell Henley and Boo Weekley. After consecutive consistently successful seasons, Todd has joined Kirk, Henley, Brian Harman and Harris English as part of the talented UGA contingent, all in their 20s, who have already enjoyed considerable success on the PGA Tour with much more to come.

An overhead view of

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McGladrey extends title sponsorship to 2020

Several changes coming next year By Mike Blum

cGladrey has extended its title sponsorship of the PGA Tour tournament at Sea Island Golf Club through 2020, with several changes to the event coming next year. The McGladrey Classic has been played on St. Simons Island since 2010, and McGladrey extended its contract to sponsor the tournament an additional five years. The changes to next year’s tournament include a new date and the use of a second course for the first two rounds, which will enable the tournament to expand its field, as well as the Wednesday pro-am. Next year’s McGladrey Classic will be played Nov. 19-22 and will be the last tournament before the PGA Tour takes a six-week break prior to resuming its 2014-15 schedule in Hawaii in early January, The tournament has been played on the Seaside course since the inaugural McGladrey Classic in 2010, but the neighboring Plantation course will join Seaside as host course. Players will play each of the two courses in the first two rounds, with Seaside the site of the final 36 holes. Plantation plays to a par of 72 (Seaside is a par 70) and measures over 7,000 yards. Tees are positioned to

enable the PGA Tour to convert two of them into long par 4s so the par would match that of Seaside. Parts of Plantation adjoin Seaside, with the 10th hole bordering the Atlantic Ocean and visible from rooms in The Lodge. The Plantation course, which was renovated by Rees Jones in the late 1990s, has twice hosted the Georgia PGA Championship since 2007, with scores not appreciably different from those shot on Seaside, relative to par. With the addition of a second course, the tournament field will increase from 132 to 156 players. Based on the 2014 field, the additional 24 playing spots will not have much of an impact, but the change of dates could improve the field. In recent years, the tournament has been played just before or just after two PGA Tour sanctioned events in Asia, and a number of players who have previously competed in the McGladrey Classic elected to skip the tournament this year in favor of one or both of the Asian tournaments. This year’s McGladrey field included all 50 players who earned their PGA Tour cards through the Web.com Tour and Finals, as well as all the non-exempt players who finished between 126th and 150th in the 2013-14 FedExCup standings. No players in the past champions category got into the tournament other than

sponsor exemptions, but quite a few will be among the field next year unless more exempt players sign up to play. Although the McGladrey Classic has featured a strong field relative to other Fall PGA Tour events in the U.S. and Mexico, that has largely been due to the participation of the talented contingent of players who reside on St. Simons Island or live in Georgia or a bordering state. The highest ranked player in the field from the 2013-14 money list who does not live within relatively close proximity to the tournament was George McNeill, who was 43rd in earnings. The most prominent current player in the field from outside the South was likely Nick Watney, who has dropped out of the top 100 in the World Rankings. The only names of note at the top of the leader board on the weekend were former UGA golfers Chris Kirk and Russell Henley. The four players who had serious chances to win the tournament on the back nine had a combined two wins between them, both by Will MacKenzie in opposite events in 2006 and ‘08. During its first five years, the McGladrey Classic has enjoyed consistently beautiful weather, but the later date could jeopardize that streak.

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Dunlap, Sauers, Andrade enjoy successful seasons

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Scott Dunla

lead and stayed on Sauers’ heels all day, finally catching him when Sauers bogeyed the 16th hole. Montgomerie, who had come close to winning both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, losing the latter in a playoff, won the three-hole playoff for his first win on the Champions Tour while denying Sauers what would have been his first victory since a now-defunct PGA Tour event in Vancouver in 2002. Three years later, Sauers dropped off the tour and did not appear again until 2011 after his medical situation was correctly diagnosed and treated. Sauers accepted his disappointing loss in the U.S. Open and came right back with 3rd place finishes in two of his next ED C. THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHY

hree of Georgia’s four fulltime players on the Champions Tour enjoyed excellent seasons in 2014, but all three had some extremely close calls that could have made their seasons significantly better. The lone Georgia winner in 2014 was Champions Tour “rookie” Scott Dunlap of Duluth, who defeated Mark Brooks in a playoff in Seattle. Dunlap also had a pair of runnerup finishes, with his three best showings of 2014 all coming within the span of one month. Savannah’s Gene Sauers and Atlanta’s Billy Andrade combined for five top-3 finishes, with Sauers Billy Andrade losing a playoff to Colin Montgomerie in the U.S. Senior Open and Andrade losing in a playoff to Fred Couples in Calgary. of eagles, Andrade had an earlier runner-up finish the latter on the 18th hole. But fellow in the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic rookie Wes Short played his final 10 and Sauers added a pair of 3rd place holes in 8-under, matching Dunlap’s showings, like Dunlap all three coming eagle on 18 for a 64 that snatched victory in a condensed time frame. from Dunlap by a slim one-stroke Until this year, Dunlap was a career margin. journeyman who played for most of the Undeterred, Dunlap was back at the previous two decades on either the PGA top of the leader board in the next Tour or the various incarnations of what Champions Tour event in Hawaii. A final is now the Web.com Tour. He enjoyed round 65 with eight birdies got Dunlap much of his success on smaller tours in into the clubhouse at 18-under, but Canada, South Africa and South America, second round co-leader Paul Goydos and spent almost all the last 10 years on birdied four straight holes coming down the Web.com Tour. the stretch to withstand Dunlap’s surge. Dunlap narrowly made it through Dunlap was denied outright 2nd when Champions Tour qualifying, earning one Fred Funk scored a hole-in-one on the of just five exempt spots for 2014 in a 16th. playoff. He contended early in the season Dunlap finished the year 10th on the in Newport Beach, Calif., before money list with $1.1 million and 14th in recording top-10 finishes in the the Charles Schwab Cup points standChampions Tour’s two premier events – ings, with 2014 the best season in his the Senior U.S, Open and Senior PGA professional career. Championship. Sauers had five top-4 finishes in his A second round 63 in Seattle gave him Champions Tour rookie season in 2013, the lead heading to the final round. He marking a successful return to golf after a closed with a 68, playing his final 10 long stretch in which he battled a mysteholes in 5-under to make it into a playoff rious skin condition that nearly cost him against Brooks, who birdied six of his last his life. He followed up his outstanding seven holes. Dunlap birdied the par-5 effort last year with a strong sophomore 18th – the first playoff hole – hitting a season, highlighted by his runner-up beautiful second shot into eagle range finish in the U.S. Senior Open. and two-putting for the winning birdie. After three rounds in the 60s on Two weeks later in Quebec, Dunlap the demanding Oak Tree course in made a great run at another title, Oklahoma, Sauers led by three shots. But shooting 64 the final day including a pair Montgomerie made an early run at the

LAKE FINLAY IMAGE GROU P

By Mike Blum

AL KOOISTR

Champions Tour trio had multiple top finishes in ‘14

Gene Sauers

three tournaments. He shot 20under 196 (66-65-65) in Minneapolis but finished three shots behind Kenny Perry and two behind Bernhard Langer. Another final round 65 in Seattle gave Sauers a shot at victory, but he could not catch Dunlap and Brooks, finishing two shots out of a playoff. Sauers finished the year 10th in the points standing and 14th on the money list, his second straight season in the top 20. Like Dunlap, Andrade was a newcomer to the Champions Tour, and played well as a rookie after about five years of inaction near the end of his PGA Tour career. Andrade, whose last PGA Tour victory came in Las Vegas in 2000, took his first shot at a Champions Tour victory early in 2014 in the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. He shared the 36-hole lead with Funk, but was overtaken in the final round by Jeff Maggert, who birdied three of the last four holes. Andrade carded five birdies the final day, but also had four bogeys in a 1-under 71, three on the final nine. In one of the Champions Tour’s most explosive final round shootouts ever, Andrade and Couples took turns firing birdies and eagles at each other in Calgary, winding up in a playoff at 15under 195. Andrade, who began the day three off the lead, shot 8-under 62 with four birdies and an eagle on the back nine. But he needed the eagle on the par-5 18th just to get into a playoff with Couples, who shot 61 with a 29 on the final nine including a pair of eagles, one on the 18th hole. Couples came back to birdie the 18th to quickly end the playoff. With three other top-10 finishes, Andrade was 23rd on the money list and 27th in the points standings, giving Georgia three representatives in the Charles Schwab Championship. Larry Mize, the fourth Georgian playing full time on the Champions Tour, had a tough season, finishing 61st on the money list, his poorest showing in his six years on the tour. Mize, an Augusta native and long time Columbus resident, did not have a top 10 in 2014, with a tie for 14th his best finish. FA L L 2 0 1 4

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Georgia PGA scores third straight win in Peters Cup GEORGIA PGA

Weinhart, Koch go 3-0; Frasier, Davis score key wins

By Mike Blum

he Georgia PGA won the Peters Cup for the third straight year, winning the 2014 event 17-15 over the GSGA at Champions Retreat outside Augusta. The competition matches the Georgia PGA’s top club professionals against the state’s top amateurs, representing the GSGA. The Peters Cup was held annually from 1962 to 1987 before switching to a biennial event, and moved from an odd year date to even years in 2012. After the GSGA won the event four straight times from 2003 to ‘09, the Georgia PGA has won three in a row over the last four years. The club pros won the previous two matches handily by scores of 15-9 and 15 ½ - 8 ½, but this year’s competition was tight all the way, with the score tied 8-8 after the team matches. The format was changed prior to this year’s competition, with a session of alternate shot matches added to the first day of play, which previously had consisted solely of best ball matches. The Georgia PGA led 5-3 after the best ball matches, with the GSGA winning five of eight alternate shot matches to pull even going to singles the next day. The Georgia PGA went 8-6-2 in singles to score the victory in the most closely contested matches since 2003. The event was known as the GSGAGPGA Challenge Cup until 2007, when it became the Peters Cup in honor of Billy Peters, a 1993 inductee into the

GEORGIA PGA

Shawn Koch

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Georgia Golf Hall of Fame and a former president of the GSGA and honorary vice president of the Georgia PGA. This was the first time the matches were played at Champions Retreat, a 27-hole private club in Evans with nine holes each designed by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course had hosted the event since 2005. Only two players went undefeated in the matches – Tim Weinhart and Shawn Georgia PGA's winning Peters Cup team Koch of the Georgia PGA. They won their team matches by scores of 3&2 and 5&3, and both Koch hit his scored singles wins over two of the top approach shot on the par-4 first hole GSGA players. inside two feet, but had to settle for a half Weinhart, an instructor at the when Noll holed a bunker shot for a Standard Club, defeated Chris Waters, matching birdie. The front nine went the GSGA’s Public Links champion and a back and forth, with Noll winning the U.S. Amateur match play qualifier, 4&3 par-5 eighth with an eagle and Koch in the second match out. Koch, the pulling even with a birdie at the ninth. Director of Instruction at Country Club A pair of scrambling pars enabled of the South, won 2&1 in the anchor Koch to win holes 10 and 12 to take a 2match against David Noll, who has up lead, and he went 3-up with three to eight career victories in the GSGA’s three play when he birdied the 15th and Noll most prominent events. missed his chance to halve the hole. After Koch has a history of success in Noll won the 16th, Koch holed a 10Georgia PGA team events, being part of footer for par on the long par-3 17th to five winning teams in three different lock up his victory. competitions. He also has three indiBy the time the final match ended, the vidual wins, including two of the GPGA team had already secured the vicSection’s three majors. He said he and tory, with veterans Russ Davis, Charlie Weinhart, a 7-time Georgia PGA Player King and James Mason combining for of the Year, “paired up pretty good two points with a win and two halves. together,” winning both team matches Four of the GPGA’s 12 players who handily. competed in the non-senior division were Their alternate shot win was particu- over the age of 50, as a number of the top larly important, as only two other finishers in the Section’s points list were Georgia PGA teams won in that format. unable to compete due to scheduling “That can be a difficult format for conflicts. some people,” Koch said. “But we played Among the four was King, the head a good match.” pro at Griffin Golf Course, and Davis, With the Peters Cup tied going to sin- the Director of Instruction at Cherokee gles, the two teams had to determine the Town & CC. The two players were part order of play for the final day of matches, of the only GPGA teams to win in alterand the first order of business for the nate shot other than Weinhart and Koch, GPGA was to select a player to take on with Davis also scoring a key victory in Noll. singles. “They asked who wanted to play Noll, Davis defeated Chad Branton 2&1, and I raised my hand,” said Koch, who avenging a loss to Branton in a best ball suffered through a sub-standard showing match the day before. Davis was outin Georgia PGA tournaments for most of driven by considerable margins in his 2014. singles match, pointing out that Branton

had 90 fewer yards to the green for his approach on one hole. “It was like that all day,’ said Davis. “But that doesn’t get to me any more. I’m used to that.” Going into the match, Davis felt he could win despite the disparity in distance between himself and Branton, but things didn’t look good for Davis when he lost the 10th hole to go 3-down. He responded by winning the next four holes and closed out the match with a birdie at the 17th, his third birdie in a torrid closing stretch. Davis also was part of a crucial match win. He and Augusta Country Club head professional Tommy Brannen, another GPGA member in his 50s playing in the non-senior division, defeated Billy Mitchell and Bob Royak, one of the GSGA’s top duos, 4&2 in alternate shot. Brannen and Davis lost earlier that day to Branton and Cres Dodd 5&3 in best ball, but the Georgia PGA veterans meshed well in alternate shot. “We played poorly in the morning,” Davis said. “But I hit a lot of good shots in the afternoon and Tommy putted beautifully. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody putt like that.” Brannen had a rough day in singles , but his win with Davis helped provide the Georgia PGA with its margin of victory. All but one of the team’s 16 players accounted for at least one point, with 15 of the 16 GSGA team members also netting at least one point. Other than two matches that were [ See Georgia PGA, page 23 ] FA L L 2 0 1 4

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Mason ties for second place in PGA Senior PNC Skinner, Keppler also qualify for ‘15 Senior PGA

By Mike Blum

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James Mason

That bogey cost Mason a little money, but he still returned to his northeast Georgia home with a nice check of around $13,000. Mason opened with scores of 69 and 71 before moving into a tie for 3rd after 54 holes with a bogey-free 66. Skinner was tied for 7th after backto-back scores of 69 the first two days, making just one bogey over his first 36 holes. Five bogeys in the third round left him with a 73 and dropped him 10 shots off Esposito’s lead, but he came back the final day with a 71 to place 10th at 6under 282. Keppler, competing in the PGA Senior PNC for the first time, shot 69 the second day to move up to a tie for 25th at 3-under 141, and ended up tied for 18th after scores of 73-71 on the weekend. Stevens tied for 6th in the 2013 PGA Senior PNC, and joined Mason and Skinner in a tie for 15th after an opening 69. He narrowly made the cut after a 75 the next day but came back with a 70 in the third round highlighted by a 5-under 31 on the back nine, going 5-under for a 5-hole stretch capped by a an eagle. He finished the round at 70 to move back up into a tie for 30th, and closed with a 73, carding a birdie at the 17th to finish among the top 35. Stevens qualified for this year’s Senior PGA by tying

GEORGIA PGA

ith his 64th birthday not too far off, lifetime Georgia PGA member and veteran Champions Tour player James Mason still has enough game to compete at the national level. Mason made a run at winning the PGA Senior Professional National Championship in south Florida in midNovember, finishing in a tie for 2nd. Mason was one of three Georgia PGA members to finish in the top 35 and earn spots in next year’s Senior PGA Championship, with that tournament appearance extending Mason’s Champions Tour career for at least one more event. Joining Mason in the 2015 Senior PGA Championship at Indiana’s French Lick Resort will be fellow Georgia PGA member/tour player Sonny Skinner and Marietta Country Club Director of Golf Stephen Keppler, who will be making his first start in a Tour event since the 2001 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. Craig Stevens, an instructor at Brookstone G&CC, also was among the top 35, finishing in a 7-way tie for 32nd. The seven players went to a playoff for the final four spots available in next year’s Senior PGA Championship, and Stevens was eliminated after four of the seven parred the first extra hole. Mason shot 12-under 276 on the Ryder and Wanamaker courses at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to finish in a 3-way tie for 2nd, four strokes behind New Jersey’s Frank Esposito. Mason began the final round five off the lead, and got within two shots with two holes to play. Esposito birdied the 72nd hole and Mason bogeyed to lose sole possession of 2nd place. The bogey was the only one for Mason over the final 36 holes, as he closed with scores of 66 and 70. “I drove the ball really well,” Mason said after arriving at his home in Dillard the day after his runner-up finish. “And I putted good enough. The third round I made a good leap. I played without a bogey and I usually do pretty good when I don’t make a bogey. “I didn’t make a bogey the last day until the last hole.”

for 6th in the 2013 PGA Senior PNC. Five other Georgia PGA members competed in the Senior PNC but did not make the 36-hole cut. River Pines head professional Phil Wagoner shot 71-74—145, missing the cut by one. Crooked Oak head pro Winston Trively shot 71-75—146 and missed the cut by two. Also missing the cut were Mark Anderson of Brunswick CC, Bent Tree head pro Russell Smith, and Griffin City GC head pro Charlie King. Prior to joining the Champions Tour in 2002, Mason was a long-time Georgia PGA member, working as an instructor as he neared 50, and was among the top players in the Section in his late 40s. Mason won his first Georgia PGA event at the age of 46 in 1997 and won six Section events between ‘97 and 2000, including three Georgia PGA Championships. He earned Player of the Year honors in 1997, ‘99 and 2000, and collected wins in the Section’s top two senior events in 2001. After he turned 50 in early 2001, Mason began attempting Monday qualifiers on the Champions Tour. In his seventh start in a now-defunct event in New Jersey in 2002, he became a rare Monday qualifier to win an event, and was a tour regular for the next decade,

placing between 40th and 75th on the money list 10 straight years although he was fully exempt only in 2003. By 2011, Mason was an infrequent competitor, but he nearly revived his career in Hickory, N.C., shooting a final round 65 to get into a playoff. But he lost the playoff and hasn’t been able to get into more than seven events in a season since, making just seven combined starts in 2013 and ‘14. Mason still feels a little pain about his close call in 2011 at the age of 61. “I shot 19-under for three rounds and I’m not that good a putter to shoot that low. I wasn’t even thinking about winning. I got in my own world and didn’t worry about outcomes.” Mason elected not to attempt Champions Tour qualifying for the first time in years, and says he will play in Monday qualifiers next year only when they’re within driving distance. Because of his tie for 2nd in the PGA Senior PNC, Mason will play in next year’s Senior PGA Championship, and will do so with the realization that it could be his final Champions Tour start. “The end is near,” Mason admits. He says he will leave the Champions Tour “when I know that I definitely can’t compete at that level. “My scores will tell me when it’s time to quit. But I just shot 12-under for four rounds and I still feel competitive. I still feel I’ve got enough game, but the access is so hard. It’s just a matter of getting out there and playing. ” Mason played in just three Champions Tour events this year, two of them majors. He made it into just one tournament via Monday qualifying, and said he missed five times “either by one shot or a playoff.” The one time he Monday qualified, he recorded a top-30 finish in Quebec, and he also made the cut in the Senior PGA after a strong showing in the 2013 PGA Senior PNC . Mason describes his 13-plus years on the Champions Tour as “a fantastic run. I never dreamed I’d do what I did. I can’t really put it into words.” Along with the occasional attempt to play on the Champions Tour this year, Mason will compete in Georgia PGA events and teach at the Orchard in Clarkesville, which was recently acquired by the group that owns Indian Hills CC in east Cobb. FA L L 2 0 1 4

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10 Georgians reach Web.com qualifying finals Veterans Parel, O’Neal, Claxton advance

ore than 30 players with Georgia ties competed in the second stage of qualifying for the 2015 Web.com Tour, but only 10 made it to the finals. The third and final stage of qualifying is scheduled for Dec. 11-16 on the Fazio and Champions courses at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Three of the six second stage qualifiers in November were played in Florida, two in Texas and one in California. Advancing from a qualifier in Brooksville, Fla., were St. Simons Island resident Patton Kizzire, recent Georgia Tech golfer Richy Werenski and Web.com Tour veteran Scott Parel of Augusta. Kizzire, a recent Auburn graduate who placed 3rd in earnings this year on the Hopkins Peach State Tour, placed 3rd at 11-under 277, sharing the first round lead at 66. Werenski, a rookie pro, shot 70-69-71-69 to tie for 8th at 279. Parel, a long-time Web.com player who won a tour event in Wichita in 2012, needed a birdie on the 72nd hole to advance on the number at 7-under 281. Parel, who was 124th on the money list this past season, also shared the first round lead at 66 and was still tied for 1st after a second round 69. But a third round 75 dropped him into a tie for 18th, with the top 19 and ties advancing to the finals.

Scott Parel

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After a 3-under front nine, Parel was well inside the number needed to advance, but three bogeys on the back nine put him on the bubble before he birdied the 18th for a final round 71. Parel, who turns 50 next May, also competed in Champions Tour qualifying, narrowly missing earning conditional status for the 2015 season. He won his first stage qualifier by five shots in Winter Garden, Fla., finishing at 271 highlighted by a third round 63. After three rounds of the finals, also in Winter Garden, Fla., on a different course at Paul Claxton Orange County National, Parel was tied for 8th at 2under, but shot 74 the final day with bogeys on two of the final four Georgia Tech golfer Paul Haley, Pooler’s holes. Had Parel shot even par the final Chris Wolfe (Armstrong State) and day, he would have tied for 10th to earn Atlanta’s Sam Del Val (Berry College). conditional status for 2015. Recent UGA golfer Joey Garber Failing to advance from the Web.com missed by one shot in Kingwood, Tex., qualifier in Florida was recent Mercer tying for 21st with a 296 total in diffigolfer Hans Reimers, who tied for 24th cult weather conditions. Atlanta’s Brett at 283, two shots above the score needed Lange and Savannah’s Drew Aimone to advance. Reimers, a rookie pro, was also failed to advance. tied for 12th after a third round 68, but Advancing from a qualifier at the shot 74 the final day with three straight Hombre in Panama City was Web.com bogeys to end the round. veteran Paul Claxton and recent Advancing from a qualifier in Auburn golfer Michael Hebert of McKinney, Tex., was Savannah’s Tim Cumming. O’Neal, former Georgia Tech golfer Kyle Hebert, who made six Web.com starts Scott of Decatur and Atlanta’s Brent as a rookie in 2014, shared medalist Witcher. honors at 4-under 280, shooting par or O’Neal, who was 110th on the better in all four rounds. Hebert was the Web.com money list in 2014, was on the only player to break par in the opening bubble after 54 holes, but shot 8-under round, carding a 1-under 70, and shared 64 the final round to tie for 3rd at 280. the lead after the second and third O’Neal played an 11-hole stretch in 9- rounds. under the final day to easily advance. Claxton, a former UGA golfer and Scott tied for 9th at 283, shooting a 68 Georgia Amateur champion from in the second round to move up 22 spots, Vidalia, suffered through the poorest remaining in the top 10 after closing season of his 16-year Web.com Tour with back-to-back scores of 71. Witcher, career, placing 114th in earnings in who has played the tour on a limited 2014. He shot 69 the second round at the basis in recent seasons, also tied for 9th at Hombre to move up 25 spots into the 283, closing with scores of 69 and 70. top 10, and finished tied for 10th at 286 Among those who failed to advance after rounds of 70 and 72. was recent Georgia Tech standout Seth Missing by one shot was recent Reeves of Suwanee, who was tied for Alabama golfer Bobby Wyatt, now 10th at 142 after 36 holes, but shot 76 in living on St. Simons Island. He shot a the third round. Reeves tied for 31st at final round 69 for a 291 total. 289, four shots above the number needed Dawsonville’s Blake Palmer shot 74 the to advance. final day and missed by two at 292. Also Also failing to advance was recent missing by two shots was former Atlanta AL KOOISTA

By Mike Blum

resident Reid Edstrom, a veteran mini-tour player with Web.com experience. A first round 78 proved costly for Edstrom, who moved back into contention with scores of 71 and 70 before a final round 73. Also failing to advance was Chip Deason of Evans, former UGA golfer and Atlanta native Adam Mitchell, and Covington’s Jonathan Fricke, who was 107th on the 2014 money list. Recent Georgia Tech golfer James White of Acworth and Macon native Taylor Floyd, a member of Augusta State’s two national championship teams, qualified in Plantation, Fla. White was the leader after 36 holes, opening with scores of 67-66, and finished 3rd at 5-under 279 after shooting 74-72 the final two days. Floyd shot a second round 68 and wound up on the qualifying number at 1-over 285 after closing with a 73. He tied for 16th (the top 18 and ties advanced) with the help of some final round struggles by players ahead of him. Fayetteville’s Wade Binfield shot 75 the final day and missed by three shots at 288. Mitch Krywulycz, Floyd’s teammate at Augusta State, missed by four at 289. Also failing to advance were recent UGA golfers T.J. Mitchell of Albany and Michael Cromie, and former Georgia Southern golfer Spence Fulford. Four Georgians played in a qualifier in California, but none advanced. Two-time Georgia Open champion Jay McLuen of Forsyth came closest, missing by two shots at 290. McLuen was tied for 14th after two rounds (the top 18 and ties advanced) but fell back after a third round 75. He was on the number with three holes to play the final day, but bogeyed 16 and 17. Luke List, who won the 2012 South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, shot 78 the first day and was unable to recover, tying for 29th at 292 to miss by four. List, who grew up in north Georgia, was 119th on the money list this season. Also failing to advance was Atlanta’s Charlie Harrison, a recent Wake Forest golfer, and former Georgia Tech player J.T. Griffin, now living on St. Simons Island. Griffin shot a tournament best 64 in the second round, but his lowest score the other three days was a 79. FA L L 2 0 1 4

Georgia PGA takes Peters Cup [ Continued from page 18 ]

GEORGIA PGA

Jeff Frasier

halved, only one other singles match went to the 18th hole, with Chicopee Woods Director of Instruction Jeff Frasier winning 1-up over Doug Stiles. Frasier was one of only two Georgia PGA competitors not to be part of a winning team the first day, losing twice to Noll and Waters, the only GSGA duo to go 2-0. “We were just outgunned a little bit,” Frazier said, teaming with Patrick Richardson in best ball and Seth McCain in alternate shot. “We played some good golf but came up just short.” Frasier said he only knew two of the GSGA players (Waters and Stiles) prior to the matches, and drew both as opponents. “To me personally, I didn’t want to lose three matches and I put everything I had into it,” Frasier said of his singles victory. Frasier won two of the first three holes to jump out to an early lead and was 3up after seven before Stiles won the ninth. Frasier maintained his lead on the back nine and was 3-up with three to play. Stiles birdied the 16th and won the

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17th when Frasier three-putted for the only time in the match. After reaching a greenside bunker in two on the par-5 finishing hole, Stiles had about a 6-footer for birdie, while Frasier was outside 20 feet. When Frasier hit his birdie putt, he felt it was going to come up just short, but the ball barely got to the hole and just fell over the lip of the cup as Frasier began walking toward it. It was the first Peters Cup appearance for Frasier, who was among the players added to the Georgia PGA squad to replace those unable to participate. Players winning two points were Matthew Evans, Todd Ormsby, Craig Stevens , Davis and McCain for the Georgia PGA, and Travis Steed, Doug Hanzel, Don Marsh, Carter Collins, Dodd, Noll and Waters for the GSGA. Match results: Best ball: Stephen Keppler-Matthew Evans (GPGA) def. Billy Mitchell-Bob Royak 4&3; Shawn Koch-Tim Weinhart (GPGA) def. Stan Gann-Travis Steed 3&2; James Kiely-Doug Stiles (GSGA) def. Charlie King-Todd Ormsby 1-up; Rodger Hogan-Craig Stevens (GPGA) def. Jack Hall-Doug Hanzel 2-up; James Mason-Danny Elkins (GPGA) def. Chris Hall-Don Marsh 1-up; Chad BrantonCres Dodd (GSGA)def. Tommy Brannen-Russ Davis 4&2; Greg Lee-Seth McCain (GPGA) def. Carter CollinsMatt Russell 3&2; David Noll-Chris Waters (GSGA) def. Jeff Frasier-Patrick Richardson 3&2. GPGA 5, GSGA 3. Alternate shot: Gann-Steed (GSGA) def. Keppler-Evans 5&4; Brannen-Davis (GPGA) def. Mitchell-Royak 4&2; Koch-Weinhart (GPGA) def. KielyStiles 5&4; J. Hall-Hanzel (GSGA) def. Hogan-Stevens 4&2; C. Hall-Marsh (GSGA) def. Mason-Elkins 3&2; King-

Ormsby (GPGA) def. Branton-Dodd 2up; Noll-Waters (GSGA) def. McCain-Frasier 3&1; Collins-Russell (GSGA) def. Lee-Richardson (2&1). GSGA 5, GPGA 3. MATCH SCORE 8-8. Singles: Mitchell (GSGA) def. Keppler 3&2; Weinhart (GPGA) def. Waters 4&3; Evans (GPGA) def. Gann 2&1; Collins (GSGA) def. Richardson 4&3; McCain (GPGA) def. Royak 3&2; Frasier (GPGA) def. Stiles 1-up; Stevens

(GPGA) def. J. Hall 2&1; Hanzel (GSGA) def.) Hogan 3&2; Marsh (GSGA) def. Elkins 5&3; Mason vs. C. Hall, halved; King vs. Kiely, halved; Davis (GPGA) def. Branton 2&1; Dodd (GSGA) def. Brannen 9&8; Ormsby (GPGA) def. Russell 2&1; Steed (GSGA) def. Lee 4&3; Koch (GPGA) def. Noll 2&1. GPGA 9, GSGA 7. FINAL SCORE: GPGA 17, GSGA 15.

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Standard Club, Callaway Gardens first stage hosts SAM MORGAN/GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS

By Mike Blum

wo Georgia courses hosted first stage qualifiers for the 2015 Web.com Tour in October, and nine players with ties to the state advanced to second stage at both sites. Richy Werenski, who completed his college career at Georgia Tech earlier this year, placed 2nd in the qualifier at the Standard Club in Johns Creek, finishing at 19-under 269 with scores of 65-6868-68. He ended up two shots behind the medalist. Werenski was medalist in a pre-qualifier at Brunswick Country Club at 11-under 199 for 54 holes. Tying for 6th at 274 were Taylor Floyd of Forsyth and Blake Palmer of Dawsonville. Floyd, who played on Augusta State’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2010 and ‘11, shot 67-69-70-66, while Palmer’s week was highlighted by a third round 64, which matched the low score for the 72hole event. Duluth’s Brent Witcher, a Web.com Tour member in 2012 and ‘14, was 9th at 276, closing with scores of 68-67-68 after an opening 73. Suwanee’s Seth Reeves, Werenski’s Georgia Tech teammate and also a 2014 graduate, tied for 13th at 278, shooting 67-70-68 before a final round 73 dropped him out of the top 10. Fellow first-year pro Joey Garber, who competed against Reeves and Werenski during his time on the Georgia golf team, tied for 16th at 279 with scores of 71-71-67-70. Atlanta’s Charlie Harrison, who played his college golf at Wake Forest, closed with scores of 67 and 66 to tie for 22nd at 281. The top 31 finishers advanced, and Harrison was well outside that spot after a second round 76. He was 41st going to the final round. Also tying for 22nd was Atlanta resident Sam Del Val, the 2010 Georgia Open champion. Del Val, who plays on the LatinoAmerica Tour, posted scores of 69-73-68-71. Del Val is a native of Spain and played his college golf at Berry in Rome. Advancing on the number at 283 was former Atlanta resident Reid Edstrom, who has spent several seasons on the Web.com Tour. Edstrom shot 68-69-7472 to tie for 30th. 24

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GEORGIA PGA

18 Georgians advance from 2 Web.com qualifiers

James White

A number of Georgians came close to advancing at the Standard Club. Jeff Karlsson of Canton missed by one shot at 4-under 282, shooting 73 the final round to fall from a tie for 24th after 54 holes. Missing by two at 285 was Alpharetta’s Franco Castro, who recently completed his college career at Charlotte, and Duluth’s Jin Chung. Castro shot a 69 the final day, while Chung closed with scores of 68-71. Alpharetta’s Kevin Durkin, a former Web.com Tour player, missed by three at 286 after an opening 69. Duluth’s Billy Shida missed by four at 287 after a final round 74. Canton’s Blake Stark and Augusta’s Wesley Graham also failed to advance. At Callaway Gardens, nine of the 12 Georgians in the field advanced to the second stage. Tying for 5th at 15-under 273 were veteran mini-tour players Jay McLuen of Forsyth and Wade Binfield of Fayetteville. McLuen, the 2011 and ‘14 Georgia Open champion, shot 68-67-7068, while Binfield closed with a pair of 70s after scores of 67-66 the first two rounds. Placing 10th at 275 was former UGA golfer Adam Mitchell of Atlanta, who moved up with a final round 66. Atlanta’s Brett Lange tied for 13th at

Tim O’Neal

277, closing with scores of 69-69-68. Former Georgia Tech golfers James White of Acworth and Kyle Scott of Decatur both opened with scores of 67 and shot under par in all four rounds to tie for 15th at 278. Tying for 18th at 279 were Chris Wolfe of Pooler and Chip Deason of Evans. Wolfe was well outside the top 31 after 36 holes, but rebounded with scores of 64 and 67. Deason shot 69-67 the final two rounds. Advancing on the number at 282 was Covington’s Jonathan Fricke, who competed on the Web.com Tour this year, finishing just outside the top 100 on the money list. Fricke opened with a 67 and was 1-under over the final 54 holes. Suwanee’s David Skinns was 101st on the Web.com money list (the top100 earn at least partially exempt status for 2015), but shot 285 at Callaway Gardens and missed advancing by three shots. Also failing to advance was recent UGA golfer Keith Mitchell, who missed by five shots at 287 after closing with scores of 73-74, and Augusta’s Dykes Harbin, who shot a final round 76 to finish at 289. In other first stage qualifiers: Recent Auburn golfer Michael Hebert of Powder Springs was medalist in Gautier, Ms., opening with a 66 and

following with three straight 68s for an 18-under 270 total. J.T. Griffin, who played at Georgia Tech and is living on St Simons Island, had rounds of 66 and 64 and placed 4th at 275. Also advancing was Mitch Krywulycz, a member of Augusta State’s two national championship teams. Krywulycz bounced back from a third round 76 to close with a 67 and tied for 19th at 282. Missing by one shot at 285 were Matt Nagy of Buena Vista, Joe Young of Cochran and Brad Arrington of St. Simons. All three tied for 28th, with the top 27 players advancing. Nagy bogeyed the 72nd hole and Young finished birdiebirdie after making a pair of bogeys on his final nine. Recent UGA golfer T.J. Mitchell of Albany tied for 7th in a qualifier in Nebraska. Mitchell was 2nd after 54 holes with scores of 70-67-72, but fell back the final day with a 75. Also advancing was Shun Yat Hak, who played one season at Georgia Tech. Hak tied for 18th at 289 after moving up 20 spots with a final round 69. The top 31 advanced, with former Alpharetta resident and Augusta State golfer Derek Chang falling to 32nd after a final round 74. Wills Smith of Savannah was also tied for 18th after 54 holes, but shot 79 the last day and missed by five. Advancing from a qualifier in West Palm Beach, Fl., was Web.com Tour veteran Tim O’Neal of Savannah and former Georgia Southern golfer Spence Fulford. O’Neal tied for 12th at 4-under 284, with Fulford closing with a 69 to move up from 36th after 54 holes and finish T24 at 288. Dalton’s Matt Hughes and Atlanta’s Jordan Mitchell both failed to advance in Lantana, Tex. Advancing from the final week of first stage qualifiers were Savannah’s Drew Aimone and recent UGA graduate Michael Cromie. Aimone tied for 20th in St. Augustine at 284, with Cromie tying for 25th in Pinehurst, N.C., shooting 70 in the final round. Savannah’s Kent Bulle missed by one shot at 293 after a final round 73, while Dunwoody’s Dan Woltman closed with a 75 to fall two shots short.

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Owls win at Pinetree; Tech romps in Fall finale Schniederjans, McCoy end Fall ranked 2nd, 3rd GEORGIA TECH

By Mike Blum

hree Georgia college golf teams hosted Fall tournaments, with Kennesaw State the only one of the three to win their home event. The Owls won the Pinetree Intercollegiate at Pinetree Country Club by a whopping 30-stroke margin after leading by 36 after 36 holes. Neither Georgia State nor Georgia Tech fared nearly as well in their roles as host. The Panthers placed 7th in the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic at Berkeley Hills, 13 shots behind UNCGreensboro. The event was reduced to 36 holes when the final round was rained out. The Yellow Jackets got off to a rocky start and tied for 7th in the U.S. Collegiate Championship at Golf Club of Georgia, 19 shots behind tournament winner Texas. It was a record-setting win for Kennesaw State at Pinetree, with the Owls setting several team scoring records and freshman Fredrik Niehn breaking individual marks for 18 and 54 holes. Niehn opened the tournament with a 64, the lowest score in team history. The previous record was a 65 by Jimmy Beck of Columbus, set two years ago in the inaugural Pinetree Intercollegiate. Niehn closed with scores of 70 and 68 for a 14-under 202 total, bettering the old record of 13-under 203 set in 2011 by Matt Nagy. Niehn led a 1-2-3 individual showing by the Owls, with Beck 2nd at 208 (69-69-70) and Evans’ Austin Vick 3rd at 209 (69-68-72). Only two other players in the field broke par for 54 holes. The Owls opened with a 12-under 276 to lead by 18 shots after the first round, and followed with a 281 total later that day to lead by 36. Kennesaw shot even par 288 the final round, with Liberty reducing the Owls’ margin of victory to 30. Kennesaw’s 19-under 845 total matched the low 54-hole score in relation to par in team history. Kennesaw placed 3rd in its previous tournament in New Haven, Conn., with the event reduced to 36 holes by inclement weather. The Owls shot a tournament low 280 in the final round to finish at 575, six behind host Yale’s winning total. 26

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Ollie Schniederjans

Niehn tied for 10th at 142 after a final round 69, with Wyatt Larkin of Morganton T11 at 143. The Owls played the tournament without Beck, the team’s top player. Georgia State got strong showings at Berkeley Hills from freshman brothers Alexander and Max Hermann, but both players were competing as individuals. Alexander shot back-to-back 70s for a 4-under 140 total to tie for 4th, with Max closing with a 67 to tie for 11th at 142. The Panthers shot 292-283 for a 1under 575 total. Of the five Georgia State players in the team’s lineup, Lexington’s Nathan Mallonee was low man, tying for 19th at 144. J.J. Grey was next at 145, followed by Damon Stephenson at 146. Griffin’s Davin White recovered from an opening 82 to shoot 66 in the afternoon round for a 148 total, matching teammate Gus Wagoner of Duluth. UNC-Greensboro’s Carter Jenkins shot 69-67—136 to earn medalist honors by two, with Acworth’s Michael Garretson , who plays for South Alabama, tying for 4th at 140. The Panthers tied for 10th in the Jerry Pate Invitational in Birmingham after a first round in which none of the team’s five players broke 75. No Georgia State golfer cracked the top 25, with Grey and Mallonee carding 68s in the second and third rounds respectively. The Panthers closed out their Fall schedule with another 10th place finish in an event hosted by UNC-Greensboro. Georgia Tech also competed in the Jerry Pate Invitational and finished 6th, 23 shots behind defending national champion Alabama. After shooting 2under 278 the second round to move into a tie for 2nd the Yellow Jackets closed

with a 293 to fall back in the standings. Ollie Schniederjans was the only Tech player in the top 25, tying for 2nd at 8-under 202 with scores of 67-67-68, four behind the medalist. Anders Albertson shot 70-71 the first two rounds before struggling the final day and Drew Czuchry of Auburn and freshman James Clark of Columbus both contributed second round 70s. Dru Love of St. Simons Island helped Alabama to the victory, finishing 5th at 207 highlighted by an opening 65. No Georgia Tech golfer broke par in the first round of the USCC, as the Jackets shot 296 to fall out of contention. They came back with scores of 285 and 281 to move up to a tie for 7th. Schniederjans, a senior from Powder Springs making his final college appearance in his home state, shot 68 and 69 the final two days to tie for 6th at 210. Freshmen Jacob Joiner of Leesburg and Chris Petefish both tied for 25th at 217, with Petefish shooting 68 in the final round. Woodstock’s Albertson had a tough tournament in his last Georgia start. Competing as individuals, Acworth’s Michael Hines tied for 19th at 215 and Clark was T25 at 217. Texas shot 21-under 843 to win by one over Virginia, which had the top two individual finishers. Derek Bard shot 66-71-64 to finish as medalist at 15under 201. Teammate Denny McCarthy was 2nd at 207 with scores of 63-72-72.

Tech 1st, UGA 3rd in Hawaii events The Yellow Jackets closed out their Fall schedule in Hawaii and scored a big win in the Princeville Invitational. Tech finished with a 55-under 809 total, falling one shot short of team records set on another course in Hawaii in 2005. Schniederjans tied for 2nd at 17-under 199 with scores of 66-65-68. He finished three shots behind Pepperdine’s Frederick Wedel, a semifinalist in the 2014 U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club. Schniederjans finished the Fall as the No. 2-ranked player in the country, and was No. 1 in scoring average. Albertson had his best tournament of the Fall, tying for 4th at 200 with scores of 68-67-65. Hines shot 68-72-66—206

to tie for 10th and Joiner closed with a 65 to tie for 17th at 209. Tech’s daily scores were 272-273-264, with Schniederjans’ 68 the high counting score of the third round. Georgia also played its final Fall tournament in Hawaii the following week, placing 3rd in the Ka’anapali Classic. The Bulldogs shot 275-291-282 for a 4under 848 total, 29 shots behind Oregon, which shot 30-under 254 the first day and finished 33-under for the tournament. Oregon’s five players the first day shot 62, 63, 64, 65 and 66, with the 66 not counting. The Bulldogs were led by Clarkesville’s Lee McCoy, who missed the two previous tournaments with an injury. McCoy shot 66-74-68—208 to tie for 5th, and finished the Fall ranked 3rd in the country. Nicholas Reach tied for 8th at 210 with scores of 69-72-69,and Augusta’s Greyson Sigg shot 68-72-71—211 to tie for 11th. October was not a good month for the Bulldogs, who were 10th out of 12 teams in the Nike Collegiate at Colonial CC in Ft. Worth and 14th out of 15 in the Tavistock Invitational in Orlando. The Bulldogs played with four players at Colonial, as McCoy withdrew with an injury in the first round. Sigg tied for 11th at that 217 and Valdosta’s Sepp Straka was T19 at 219. Straka led Georgia in the Tavistock Invitational, tying for 22nd at 214. Both Straka and Peachtree Corners’ Zach Healy shot 69 in the first round for the Bulldogs, who again played without McCoy. Mercer placed 3rd in the David Toms Intercollegiate in Baton Rouge, shooting a tournament low 286 in the final round. Augusta’s Emmanuel Kountakis led the third round effort with a 66 to finish 2nd at 217, three behind the medalist. Eatonton’s Trey Rule shot a final round 71 to tie for 12th. The Bears also competed in the rainshortened AutoTrader.com Invitational at Berkeley Hills, placing 6th at 572 after shooting 286 in both rounds. Kountakis shot 68 in the second round to tie for 4th at 140, with Sean Smothers tying for 9th at 141 and Rule T26 at 145. [ See College Roundup, page 27 ] FA L L 2 0 1 4

Lady Jaguars finish Fall schedule in top 25

wood

GEORGIA PG A

Jessica Haig

Haigwood, Yi lead team to win, runner-up finish

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

The Augusta State Lady Jaguars finished their Fall schedule ranked among the top 25 teams in NCAA Division 1, scoring a win and a runner-up finish in their four starts. Augusta’s Fall win came in the Lady Pirate Invitational hosted by East Carolina, finishing 19 shots ahead of Kennesaw State. The Lady Jaguars shot 876 for 54 holes, led by Roswell sophomore Jessica Haigwood, who placed 2nd individually at even par 216, two behind the winner. The Lady Jaguars had four players in the top 10, with Josefine Nyqvist 3rd at 217, Teresa Caballer Hernani T5 at 221 and Evans’ Eunice Yi closing with a 71 to tie for 8th at 222.

Scott Wolfes

College Roundup [ Continued from page 26 ]

Mercer closed out its Fall schedule with a 5th place finish in Greensboro, N.C., shooting 878 to finish 29 behind North Carolina’s winning total. Rule and Kountakis both tied for 10th at 216. 2 0 1 4 FA L L

Augusta placed 2nd in its final Fall tournament at Kiawah Island, 12 shots behind Coastal Carolina with an 878 total. Yi, who ended the Fall ranked 55th individually in Division 1, opened with a 68 and placed 3rd at 215, with Haigwood 8th at 219. Emee Herbert of Johns Creek helped lead Coastal Carolina to the victory, tying for 4th at 216. The Lady Jaguars tied for 4th in their first two Fall starts in Minneapolis and Nashville. Nyqvist tied for 11th at 225 in Minnesota, with Haigwood T19 at 227 and Yi T21 at 228. Yi shot a pair of under-par rounds in Tennessee and placed 6th at 216, with Haigwood shooting 2under 70 in the second round. Georgia opened its Fall schedule with a 2nd place finish in a tournament hosted by Louisville, but the Lady Bulldogs were 10th, 7th and 14th in their final three starts. Alpharetta’s Amira Alexander tied for 6th in the 36-hole event at 152, with freshman Isabella Skinner of Cumming T16 at 157. Skinner led the team in the Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C., with a 221 total, tying for 38th. Alexander was next at 222. Georgia shot 885 and

Southern’s Wolfes takes 4th career title Georgia Southern tied for 4th in the

Wolfpack Intercollegiate, hosted by North Carolina State. The Eagles closed with a 282 total to finish at 868. Scott Wolfes, a senior from St. Simons, tied for 6th at 212 with scores of 70-69-73. Alpharetta’s Matt Mierzejewski closed with a 69 to tie for 15th at 216. Wolfes shared medalist honors in the team’s final Fall tournament at South Carolina’s Kiawah Island, shooting a course record 63 at Turtle Point to tie a school record. Wolfes finished at 6-under 210 for the fourth individual title of his career. The Eagles finished second at 4-over 868, four shots behind Winthrop. They bounced back from an opening 301 to shoot 289 and 278 the next two rounds. Freshman Archer Price tied for 5th at 213, with Mierzejewski contributing a final round 69.

finished 10th. Harang Lee closed with scores of 70-

69 and placed 4th in the Windy City Collegiate, with Georgia finishing 7th at 895. Alexander was T31 at 216 as Georgia was 14th with an 882 total in a tournament hosted by Stanford. Georgia signed two of the state’s top junior players for the 2015-16 season, with both Rinko Mitsunaga of Roswell and Bailey Tardy of Norcross expected to move into the lineup as freshmen.

Mercer’s Harris scores Fall win Sophomore Katy Harris of St. Simons Island turned in a strong Fall showing for Mercer, notching a win, a 3rd and top 15-finishes in all four Fall starts. Harris shot 215 to win by two in a tournament in Greensboro, N.C., with scores of 70-72-73. The team finished 9th.

Scores of 68-75—143 in Mercer’s season opener in Waynesville, N.C., gave Harris a tie for 3rd, with the team nine shots behind host Western Carolina with a 584 total. Freshman Hannah Mae Deems of Taylorsville was 6th at 145, with Moultrie’s Marin Hanna 10th at 147. Harris tied for 14th at 229 as Mercer placed 8th in the Xavier Invitational, played at LPGA International in Daytona. Harris tied for 11th at Old Waverly in Mississippi, with Newnan’s Ji Eun Baik also tying for 11th to help lead host Mississippi State to the title. Baik, a sophomore, is ranked 62nd nationally, third among golfers from Georgia. The top-ranked Georgian is Stanford senior Mariah Stackhouse of Jonesboro, who is 17th after a consistent Fall season. Stackhouse holed on a 30foot birdie putt on the final hole of an event hosted by Stanford to give her tram a share of the tournament title.

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Golf FORE Juniors Haigwood wins duel with Rich at Coosa Roswell’s Spencer Haigwood and Johns Creek’s Leo Rich engaged in a final round duel in a recent Georgia PGA Junior Tour event at Coosa Country Club in Rome, with both players shooting 6under 66 in the final round. Haigwood came away with a 1-stroke victory, finishing with a 36-hole total of 138 to take the boys title. Davis Kirk of Dalton was the 14-15 age group winner at 145 (75-70), one shot ahead of Kennesaw’s Brock Nixon. Cumming’s Connor Pullman was 3rd at 150. Bailey Smith of Madison was the 11-13 winner with scores of 75-71—146. Rome’s Lindsey Cordell shot a second round 69 and was 2nd at 149, with Peyton Balent of Cumming 3rd at 150. Alejandra Ayala of Alpharetta was the girls’ 15-18 winner at 159, three strokes ahead of Suwanee’s Christine McDonnell. Tori Owens of Chatsworth shot 157 to win the 11-14 age group by three over Kelly Strickland of Alpharetta. A Georgia PGA Junior Tour event at Chattahoochee Golf Club was reduced to 18 holes due to rain. Alpharetta’s Srikar Komenduri and Joseph Kim of Martinez tied for 1st in the boys division at 71, one shot ahead of Lawrenceville’s Austin Mancilla. Ander Crenshaw of Suwanee was 4th at 73. Preston Topper of Suwanee shot 72 to take 1st in the 14-15 age group, with Brendan Patton of Alpharetta 2nd at 73 and Daniel Nam of Milton tying for 3rd at 74 with Kirk. Andy Mao of Johns Creek shot 74 to win the 11-13 division, one ahead of Pollman. Strickland was the girls overall winner with a 76, five shots ahead of 11-14 runner-up Ayanna Habeel of Decatur and 15-18 winner Rylie Marchman of Waynesboro. The Georgia PGA Junior Tour schedule concludes Dec. 13-14 with its Junior Tour Championship at Sea Island Golf Club’s Plantation course.

Sabol takes titles at Callaway, UGA Megan Sabol of Martinez won backto-back tournaments on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, winning the girls divi-

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sion at Callaway Gardens and the UGA course. Sabol shot 78-72—150 at UGA to finish eight ahead of runner-up Anna Buchanan of Athens. Sabol won by one at Callaway Gardens, with Bonaire’s Megan Reddick 3rd at 160. Kevin Burns of Canton shot 74-70— 144 in Athens and placed 2nd in boys 16-19, one behind the winner. Mark David Johnson of St. Simons opened with a 68 and placed 3rd at 145. Brendan Patton was the 14-15 winner at 148 by two shots with Milton’s Andrew Lafferty 3rd at 151. Alpharetta’s Nicolas Cassidy easily won the 12-13 division with scores of 7469—143. At Callaway Gardens, Dougan Annan of Avondale Estates was 2nd in the 16-19 division at 147, two behind the winner. Steve Fisk of Stockbridge was 4th at 149. Sangsu Kim of Duluth shot 153 to win the 14-15 age group by four over Daniel Fienemann of Peachtree City. Preston Topper shot 73-69—142 to take the 12-13 division by three over Tyler Lipscomb of Carrollton and Liam Shinn of Norcross.

Lee, Yang winners in HJGT UGA event Buford’s S.M. Lee and Alissa Yang of Norcross were the boys and girls winner of a Hurricane Junior Golf Tour event played recently at the UGA course in Athens. Lee shot a second round 68 for a 144 total to finish five ahead of Alpharetta’s Chandler Eaton in the 15-18 age group. Luka Karaulic of Lawrenceville finished three shots ahead of Duluth’s James Walton in the 11-14 division with a 156 total. Yang shot 155 and was the girls’ winner by five over Jordyn Sims of Berkeley Lake. Tess Davenport of Buford shot 168 and won girls 11-14 by five. The lone Georgia winner in a Hurricane event at Jekyll Island’s Indian Mounds course was Sloan Lanier of Blackshear, who was 1st in girls 11-14 at 174. Layne-Marie Carter of Lyons shot 155 and was 3rd in the 15-18 division. Austin Daniel of St. Simons tied for 3rd in boys 15-18 at 146, with Jackson Quarles of Chatsworth tying for 2nd in 11-14 at 158.

Spencer Haigwood

Tori Owens

Results of Georgia juniors in recent HJGT events outside the state: In Greenville, S.C., Hunter Fry of Dacula tied for 2nd in boys 15-18 at 150, one shot behind the winner. Walton was 2nd in boys 11-14 at 157, also one back. Cameron Daniel of Sharpsburg was the girls 11-14 winner in Montgomery by 13 shots with scores of 78-74—152. Jordan Daniel, Cameron’s older sister, was 2nd in the 15-18 age group at 157. Jackson Lawlor of Peachtree City tied for 2nd in boys 15-18 at 150, one behind the winner, and Carson Whitten of Newnan was runner-up in 11-14 at 149. Thomas Bird of Canton won boys 11-14 in Crossville, Tenn., in a playoff over Jake Allstun of Cohutta after both shot 168. Melanie Talbott of Woodstock was the girls 15-18 winner at 161, two ahead of Canton’s Meghan Nay, who was the girls winner in Huntsville, Ala., by nine shots with a 149 total. Salil Ghamandi of Evans lost a playoff in boys 15-18 in Statesville, N.C., after posting a 146 total. Karaulic was one behind the winner in boys 11-14 at 150, with Whitten 3rd at 151. At Amelia Island, Fla., Stephanie Liu of St. Simons was 2nd in girls 15-18 at 159, with Faith Scott of Columbus and

Keagan Dunn of Buford tying for 2nd in the 11-14 division. Kevin Burns was

2nd in boys 15-18 at 146, one back of the winner. Carter Pendley of Dalton shot 151 and won the boys 11-14 division in Chattanooga. Gavin Noble of Ringgold was 2nd at 157. Ben Rebne of Ringgold lost a playoff in the 15-18 age group at 148, with Spencer Haigwood 3rd at 150. Annika Blanton of Dacula was 2nd in girls 15-18 at 168.

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Chip Shots Nicol ties for 7th in Assistant event Chris Nicol of Georgia Golf Center

tied for 7th in the National Car Rental PGA Assistant Championship, played earlier this Fall at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Nicol, who won the Georgia PGA tournament at Rivermont CC to start the 2014 season, posted scores of 70-70-7474 for an even par 288 total. Zac Caldwell of Achasta tied for 32nd at 296, with Druid Hillsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Karen Paolozzi among the first round leaders with a 68 before falling back. It was the third appearance this year for Paolozzi in a national club professional event. She recorded the highest finish ever by a female in the PGA Professional National Championship earlier this year, and placed second in the LPGA T&CP Championship at Chateau Elan, shooting 216 for 54 holes to finish two strokes behind former LPGA Tour player Jean Bartholomew, who won the event for a third straight year. Micheal Simcox of Ocean Forest and Peter Jones of Cherokee T&CC also competed in the Assistant Championship, but missed the cut. North Chapter Championship: Currahee Club Director of Golf Clark Spratlin won the Georgia PGA North Chapter Championship at Athens CC with a 36-hole total of 141. Eric Reaves of Capital City Club and Brookstone instructor Craig Stevens tied for 2nd at 144, with Ted Meier 4th at 145 and Bill Hassell 5th at 146.

Mason takes title in Senior Division James Mason won the Georgia PGA Senior Division Championship at the Legends at Chateau Elan, posting backto-back scores of 70 for a 4-under 140 total. Cherokee T&CC Director of Instruction Russ Davis was 2nd at 142 and Bent Tree head professional Russell Smith placed 3rd at 143. Chattahoochee GC head pro Rodger Hogan was 4th at 145, followed by Hooch Director of Instruction Brian Puterbaugh at 146 and amateur Walter Hope at 148. Red Dobbins Memorial: Craig Stevens shot 5-under 67 at Mystery

Tour Red Dobbins Memorial at Mystery Valley. The second round of the scheduled 36-hole event was rained out. Collins Hill GC head pro Scott Hare was 2nd at 70, with Russell Smith tying for 3rd at 71 with amateur John Foster. Amateur Dave Nichols was 5th with a 72, with Legacy Golf Links instructor Bill Spannuth and amateur Larry Vaughn tying for 6th at 73.

Cartersville CC wins GSGA Team title Cartersville Country Club won the GSGA Team Championship at the Georgia Club, shooting 11-under 349 in the two-day tournament to win by seven shots over runner-up Dalton G&CC. Houston Lake was 3rd at 357, with St. Ives 4th at even par 360. Each team consisted of four players, with two best-ball scores accounting for the first dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total and the low three individual scores making up the second day total. Cartersville CC shot 135 in best ball, led by Jayce Stepp and Chad Branton, who shot 66. Chase Jones and Cres Dodd teamed up for a 69. In singles the next day, Branton shot 70, Dodd 71 and Stepp 73 for a 2-under 214 total, the low team score of the day. David Noll teamed with Tyler Mitchell for a 64 in best-ball, and followed with a 68 in singles to lead Dalton G&CC. Stan Gann and Shaw Blackmon shot 68 in best ball for Houston Lake, with Gann contributing a 71 in singles. Bob Royak and Scott Cunningham shot a best ball 69 for St. Ives, with Royak low in singles with a 68. Senior 4-Ball: Augustans Greg Scurlock and Charlie Wall won the GSGA Senior 4-Ball Championship, played at Wilmington Island Club and Savannah Quarters. Scurlock and Wall shot 67-67-65 for a 14-under 199 total. The championship flight played all three rounds at Wilmington Island. Phil Hardin and Gay McMichael of Macon, who led after the first two rounds with scores of 63-68, shot 72 the final day and finished 2nd at 203. Bill Leonard of Dallas and Don Marsh of Johns Creek were 3rd at 204, with John Landis and Jack Kearney of Peachtree City 4th at 205.

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Hopkins Peach State Tour in financial distress

he Georgia-based Hopkins Peach State Golf Tour ended its 2014 season with the largest fields in its history and some of the largest purses. But after a dispute between the tour’s owners and an Atlanta golf course owner who became financially involved with the tour, none of the players who finished in the money in the final three events of the 2014 season were paid, and the future of the tour is in doubt. The story was reported by Jason Sobel on the Golf Channel’s web site in early November, and is the latest piece of distressing news for mini-tour players in Georgia and outside the state. Hooters ended its long-time sponsorship of its mini-tour a few years ago, and that tour struggled to attract players last year before being sold to a former minitour player/entrepreneur, and is now known as the SwingThought.com Tour.

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The North Carolina-based eGolf Tour, which has emerged as the strongest of the regional mini-tours, merged with the top Western mini-tour (the Gateway Tour) and appears to be the only remaining reliable mini-tour. The Peach State Tour became a competitive mini-tour about five years ago, and was enjoying perhaps its best year in 2014 before it ran into financial problems. Tour founder Karl Diewock of Fayetteville and co-owner Greg Hendrix, both former mini-tour players, reportedly had problems paying players early in the 2014 season, and met with Ben Kenny, who made his money in the oil business and owns Horseshoe Bend and Golf Club of Georgia. Kenny’s stepson had competed on the Peach State Tour and Kenny agreed to help Diewock and Hendrix, who offered Kenny the opportunity to purchase a

one-third stake in the tour. Kenny paid all the players owned money by the tour, and according to Sobel’s story, took over sole ownership of the tour in early September. The agreement between Kenny and the two former owners reportedly fell apart almost immediately, and Diewock and Hendrix were unable to pay the players for the final three events of 2014, played at Stonebridge in Rome, Crystal Lake in Hampton and the Georgia Club outside Athens. According to Sobel’s article, Kenny sent Diewock and Hendrix a latter declaring his ownership agreement “null and void” and demanded a return of over $140,000 “or I will commence legal action for collection.” Efforts by Diewock, Hendrix, their legal representatives, other players and the Golf Channel to contact Kenny were unsuccessful, with his personal assistant

telling everyone Kenny was out of town and would deal with the situation when he returned. Veteran mini-tour player Jay McLuen of Forsyth is among the players owed money by the Hopkins Peach State Tour. McLuen won the Georgia Open in 2011 and ’14 and has limited experience on both the Web.com and PGA Tours, recording a top 20 finish in the PGA Tour event in Mexico in 2013 after playing his way into the tournament in a Monday qualifier. “It’s a completely different world for guys like us than guys on the PGA Tour,” McLuen told Sobel. “On the PGA Tour there’s no entry fee (for members). We have to pay between $700 and $1200 depending on the tournament. “Factor in travel expenses and it can be $1000-$1800 just to play, with no guarantee of making money. If you make a cut, you’re barely breaking even.”

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