may 2015 fore georgia magazine

Currahee, and has nur-tured the project backinto good health, withthe combination of asignificant infusion ofcapital, and manyoutside the boxapproaches to its for-ward thinkingdirection.Spearheading the

rebirth of Curraheeis President andManaging PartnerAndrew Ward, whopreviously helpedCuscowilla on LakeOconee achieverespected, nationalstatus during his 13 year tenure there. “We’ve gone from being an unknown

treasure, to the best kept secret,” Wardsays. “But we don’t want to be secret forlong. We have already become a goodnews story for golf.” When Ward got his first look at

Currahee, he quickly realized it was“something extraordinarily special,” but

also knew that “the old concepts aboutgolf were not going to work anymore.”With the continued support of Arendale,the recruitment of superstar employees,and installation of new day golf ideas,Currahee quickly moved in a positivedirection. “We inherited this spectacular Jim

CrosswordPuzzlePage 30

Fazio golfcourse and anamazing club-house,” Wardsays. “Neitherrequired muchin the way ofenhancements.”Ward praisesArendale for thesupport they havegiven to theproject, as mil-lions wereinvested to ensurethere are otheramenities formembers andproperty owners toenjoy, other than

just great golf. “We needed to create a lifestyle. We

completed our five-acre sports campuswith all the amenities you expect to findat a club (floodlit tennis courts, zeroentry pool, fitness center) and several

n its current state, the golfindustry needs some success sto-ries. Currahee Club in Toccoa iscertainly one of those.

The club initially opened in 2003 asone of the most expensive real estategolf development projects ever createdin the state, with almost $100 millionspent on the sprawling 1,200 acreproperty located off I-85 along theshores of Lake Hartwell by theGeorgia-South Carolina border in the foothills of the AppalachianMountains. Currahee attracted favorable early

attention for the quality of its golfcourse, clubhouse and real estate offer-ings, but as the economy sank, theproject struggled financially, and even-tually went into bankruptcy in 2008. The bank that took over the facility

maintained the course and shutteredthe 48,000 square foot clubhouse,searching for a buyer. In 2011,Arendale Holdings, a real estateinvestment and development companybased in Jacksonville, Fla., acquired [ See Currahee, page 6 ]

IAward-winning property captures essence of Club lifestyle

Currahee, a major success story for golf

.com

JUNIOR GOLF in Georgia GEORGIAPGA.COM FOREGEORGIA.COM MAY 2015

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2 F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M M A Y 2 0 1 5

2 0 1 5 M A Y 3F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M

Getting Kids Startedon Journey of Golf

of the program so the program should befun but not all fun and games. Do yourresearch and find out the structure for the day: how much instructional time, howmuch time to work on the skills learnedand how much time is spent playinggames.

You will also want to find out the qualifi-cations of the people teaching theprogram. A PGA professional will ensurethat the instructor has the knowledge nec-essary to teach your child golf. Also checkto see if the instructors will be taking thekids out on a golf course. Remember, thereason for golf skills is so they can go playand enjoy the game.

If your child already has the skills to playgolf and is looking for somewhere to play,many public courses will offer junior cardswhich you purchase for your child, allowinghim or her to play on the course. RiverPines,where I teach, offers these cards for juniors.

4 F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M

RiverPines also offers a certification pro-gram for juniors to ensure they learn therules of golf and know how to behave onthe course as well as keep themselves safe.

If your junior goes through a certifica-tion program, it can result in savingstoward playing or hitting balls. A certifica-tion program or any similar program will bea good indication that your junior golferwill be welcome at that course. Par threecourses are also a great way for your childto practice his/her golf skills. On a par threecourse young golfers can have the oppor-tunity to succeed even when they are justbeginners.

Atlanta is home to Atlanta Junior Golf(atlantajuniorgolf.org), which offers oppor-tunities for golfers of all skills in every agegroup to play tournaments on area courses.It is a wonderful way to get your golferplaying on a different course every week.

U.S. Kids Golf also makes its home inAtlanta and makes golf clubs for juniors ofall ages. These clubs are weighted anddesigned specifically for the young golfers,which means no more hitting Dad’s old cut-off clubs. US Kids Golf (uskidsgolf.com.),also offers tournaments for young golfers.These two organizations specialize in juniorgolf and are available to everyone inter-ested in the game of golf.

Hopefully this article will give you someinsight into helping you research golf foryour child. Atlanta truly is one of thegreatest golf towns in the world with allkinds of opportunities for your juniorgolfer.

Mike Perpich is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and a U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Teacher; www.mikeperpich.com.

3021 Kalah Place, Marietta, GA 30067770-933-04GA / 770-953-6638 fax

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GEORGIA SECT ION, PGA OF AMERICA OFF ICERS

PresidentMark Mongell, PGA / [email protected]

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SecretaryJohn Godwin, PGA / [email protected]

Honorary PresidentBrian Stubbs, PGA / [email protected]

CHAPTER PRES IDENTS

Central Chapter PresidentWinston Trively, PGA / [email protected]

East Chapter PresidentBrandon Youmans / [email protected]

North Chapter PresidentShawn Koch, PGA / [email protected]

AT-LARGE DIRECTORS

Billy Jack, PGA / [email protected]

Chad O’Dell, PGA / [email protected]

Brandon Stooksbury, PGA / [email protected]

Mark Lammi, PGA / [email protected]

Brian Conley, PGA / [email protected]

Matthew Evans, PGA / [email protected]

Todd Ormsby, PGA / [email protected]

SENIOR DIV IS ION

PresidentMike Schlueter, PGA / [email protected]

ASS ISTANTS’ D IV IS IONPresident

Will Bartram, PGA / [email protected]

SECT ION STAFF

Executive DirectorMike PaullAssistant Executive Director/

Junior Golf Director Scott GordonTournament Director Pat Day, PGAOperations Manager Eric WagnerSection Assistant Carrie Ann Byrne

FOREGeorgia is produced by Golf Media, Inc.Copyright ©2014 with all rights reserved.Reproduction or use, without permission,

of editorial or graphic content is prohibited.Georgia PGA website: www.georgiapga.com.FORE Georgia website: www.foregeorgia.com

Instruction Fore You

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Forecast

FEATURES:

By Mike PerpichPGA Director of InstructionRiverPines Golf

Georgia is a great place forgolf and a wonderful placefor you to get your kidsinvolved in a sport that willlast them a lifetime. There isno better time than thesummer months to beginyour kids’ journey into thegame of golf. You don’t haveto be a member of a privatecountry club in order for yourkids to learn and enjoy thegame, as there are many different kinds ofgolf programs in Atlanta and around thestate.

Golf programs for kids are abundantthese days and can be found at most publiccourses, driving ranges, colleges, recre-ational departments and even day camps.It will be up to you the parent to determinehow interested your child is in learning thegame of golf and the amount of instructionwhich will be appropriate for your child.

In looking for a golf program for yourchild you have to make sure it is going to befun, especially if your golfer is a beginner oris very young. You have to make their firstexperiences of golf fun so they will want tocontinue playing and pursuing the game.

Any good program will include instruc-tion on the skills of golf like putting, chipping, pitching and sandbunker play, as well as the full swing. Yourchild should see improvement by the end

Mason wins Senior Open. . . . . . . . . 8

Rivermont preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Gwinnett Champions wrap-up . . . 14

Masters report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Andrade, Nelson win in team event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Georgians on PGA Tour update . . 20

Junior Tours in Georgia . . . . . . . . 22

New leader for Atlanta Junior . . . 24

Junior Camp listings . . . . . . . . 26-27

PRESENTED BY

Mike Perpich works with JohnsCreek HS golfer Matthew Anderson

SPECIAL JUNIOR SECTION:

DEPARTMENTS:College round-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Golf FORE Juniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chip Shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

For tournamentupdates, visit

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things you don’t, like year round veg-etable gardens, bocce ball courts, andeven a grand lawn where families cangather to participate in non-traditionalactivities.“It didn’t take long to realize that our

upfront challenge was to grow the mem-bership and create the lifestyle, and thisneeded to be done before we launchedour real estate offerings. We’ve utilizedall sorts of different creative options, andhave taken our membership from just afew dozen on takeover, to over 265today.” The Club created social lifestyle mem-

berships that have been very popularwith non-golfing business residents inthe Toccoa area. Modern day genera-tional memberships that extend to sonsor daughters who have reached adult-hood, or in the opposite direction for aparent or grandparent, have also provenpopular, avoiding initiation fees and tag-ging nominal additional dues onto themain members’ account. “We had to plant seeds, water them,

and watch them grow,” Ward says. “Ourmembers have brought us their friends,and we created a new market with

“Buddy Pass” memberships for golfingenthusiasts that clearly were not givingup their primary Club membership, butwere extremely enthusiastic, after vis-iting Currahee to get involved with us. “We’re operating a fabulous club and

development, and we’ve been able tomarry the two together to establish anew home and lifestyle for our currentand future property owners and mem-bers.” Now Currahee’s residential commu-

nity can take off supported by a vibrantClub life. Their Deer Run Village withSouthern Inspired homes will clearly bepopular with permanent living down-sizers and second homers, as well as thecustom home and full time living seeker. The club has won many awards since

Ward took the helm, including SouthernLiving Magazine selecting the project intheir 2014 launch of the SouthernLiving Inspired Communities program –with Currahee being their only develop-ment with a golf course. Additionally,Aurora architectural awards for homes,the sports campus and clubhouse haveset this development apart, as well asoverall honors for best golf communityin the Southeast. Currahee won the most recent Georgia

chapter of the National Golf CourseOwners Associations award as the #1Best Golf Club in the state, and Final 4USA in 2015 after acknowledging thecriteria included so much more than just

the quality of the golf course. Currahee’s golf course, which was

designed by Jim Fazio, offers some of themost spectacular views you will everencounter during a round of golf, withFazio deftly utilizing the natural eleva-tion changes to create a memorablegolfing experience for those who visit.There are vistas on the back nine of thecourse where you can literally see overthree of the southern states, and backacross to the clubhouse atop the highestpeak. Clark Spratlin, Currahee’s Director of

Golf, first got a look at Currahee when ithosted a regional qualifying tournamentfor the PGA club professional nationalchampionship in 2004. At the time, hesaid it was “the ultimate modern golfcourse,” measuring over 7,500 yardsfrom the back tees, with many of theholes offering breathtaking views fromelevated tees. Currahee quickly developed a reputa-

tion among the relatively few who hadexperienced it as a beautiful, superblyconditioned and well-designed course,but one that was also long anddemanding with some of the highestCourse Rating/Slope numbers of anycourse in the state. The challenge of the layout discour-

aged players of modest or limited ability,with the primary intent of the club’snew ownership to make it more playablefor golfers of all skill levels.“With Jim Fazio’s help, we went

through the scorecard to see where wecould make this more member-friendly,”Spratlin said. The member tees are nowa more manageable 6,319 yards, withCurrahee playing a little shorter than thelisted yardage because of the elevatedtees, which offset some sharply uphillapproach shots.The quality of Fazio’sdesign was unquestioned, but there wasa need to reduce the length of some ofthe holes from the member’s tees, whichoriginally measured 6,665 yards. The back tees, which exist solely for

use in a professional event, have effec-tively been taken out of play, with theCurrahee tees playing between 7,000and 7,200 yards and providing a very

healthy challenge for players accustomedto shooting par or better. Those tees arerated at 75.2/148, with the member teessporting a reasonable rating (71.4) but astill hefty slope (136). The senior tees are listed at 6,047

yards (70.1/134) with the forward tees5,325 (72.3/135). The other change tothe course is the addition of what theclub calls its Hartwell tees, which servethe same general purpose as U.S. KidsGolf-inspired Family Tees, which wereintroduced to make the game friendlierfor junior or novice golfers. TheHartwell tees are 3,080 yards, with thedramatically downhill first and 10thholes still playing as par 5s, the other par5s playing as short par 4s, and the rest ofthe par 4s having tees to make them playas par 3s. The addition of the Hartwell tees,

coupled with the reduction of length inthe member tees have helped alleviateCurrahee’s reputation for difficulty.“Some people had heard we were reallyhard,” Spratlin said. “Now when theycome, we get them on the right set oftees and they really love it. They enjoythe member tees more at 6,300 yardsthan they did at 6,700.” Besides reducing the effective length

of the holes and offering gorgeous views,Spratlin points out that the significantlyelevated tees allow players “to really getto watch their tee balls fly, and peoplereally enjoy that.” The breathtakingviews begin on the first tee, with manymore to follow. “You’ll never play a golf course with

these kinds of views,” Spratlin exudes.“Even though we’re in the foothills ofthe Appalachian Mountains, you reallyfeel like you’re at Highlands,” referringto the well-regarded courses in that areaof North Carolina. Spratlin said some ofthe native grass areas off the fairwayshave been trimmed or reduced to evenfurther enhance Currahee’s playability. Superintendent Josh Cooper heads up

the staff that keeps Currahee’s course intop condition year round, and is part ofa team that Ward says has helped theclub “to capture and now offer the veryessence of golf living.”

Currahee Club a success story [ Continued from the cover ]

For information on Currahee, call 706-827-1000, contact Ward at [email protected] or

visit curraheeclub.com

Currahee Club Recent Awards#1 Club Georgia, Top 4 Nationally • NGCOA 2015

Best for Club Life • LINKS Magazine 2015 Top 50 Regional Waterfront Communities • CL Registry Top 100 Residential Golf Courses 2015 (#40) • Golfweek Top 10 Course to play before you die • Golf Digest 2013

B y M i k e B l um

here is winning a golf tourna-ment and then there isWINNING A GOLFTOURNAMENT.

James Mason won the recent YamahaGeorgia Senior Open in the all capsmanner, finishing the tournament with athree-hole stretch that may never havebeen achieved in the history of theUniversity of Georgia course, followed bya dramatic birdie on the first hole of aplayoff for the victory. Mason, who first won the Georgia

Senior Open in 2001 and has been amember of the Champions Tour since2002, seemingly shot himself out of con-tention when he made double bogey onthe par-3 16th to fall three shots off thelead with only two holes to play. But Mason responded by chipping in

for eagle on the par-5 17th and closingwith a birdie on the difficult par-4 18thto get into a playoff at 3-under 139 withMark Anderson and Stephen Keppler.The three players returned to the 18th forthe playoff, and Mason quickly ended itwith another superb approach shot thatproduced the winning birdie. Mason felt he had let his chance for

victory get away when he took a doublebogey on 16 after his tee shot came upshort in the pond guarding the green.“That was a pukey shot,” Mason said of

his short iron tee shot on the 16th. “Idon’t know where that came from.” When asked if he thought his chance

for victory was gone after the doublebogey, he replied “without a doubt.” At the same time, Mason stayed true to

the old adage that “you never give up. IfI finish 3-3 I could get back in it.” As unlikely a scenario as that was, it

was still a possibility, and Mason went tothe 17th tee with that thought. “You’ve still got to perform and I did.

I was over the green in two 17 andchipped in. It went in dead center. Thenon 18, I hit it to three feet and did itagain on the playoff hole. It’s a finish youdream of and I did it. It’s unfathomable.” The win put a cap on what was a mem-

orable first two days of the week forMason. The previous day, it wasannounced that Mason will be part of the2016 class for the Georgia Golf Hall ofFame. “That was a surprise,” he said. “I’m

very thankful. I never thought theywould put me up with the people in theHall of Fame. It’s a wonderful feeling tobe recognized for what I accomplished.” Mason is one of a relatively small

number of career club professionals toenjoy a second career after the age of 50on the Champions Tour. He won a tour-nament in New Jersey in 2002 aftermaking it into the event in a Mondayqualifier, and stayed on the tour for morethan a decade. The past few years, Mason has had very

little status on the tour, and has madefewer and fewer tournament appearances,having to rely on Monday qualifiers. Atthe age of 64, Mason is finding it harderto shoot the kind of scores needed to getone of about five spots set aside eachtournament for Monday qualifiers, buthas at least one more Champions Tourevent on his schedule. Mason will play in the Senior PGA

Championship in Indiana this month,qualifying for one of the tour’s two pre-mier events by tying for second in lastyear’s PGA Senior Professional NationalChampionship, the top event for thecountry’s senior club professionals. “I’d like to keep playing out there, but

I’m not going to chase it every week,”Mason said. He still plays in the occa-

sional Monday qualifiers, but his besthopes of playing are in the Senior PGAand Senior U.S. Open, where the quali-fying fields are not quite as strong asthose prior to Champions Tour events. Before turning 50 and joining the

Champions Tour, Mason enjoyed astretch of outstanding play in theGeorgia PGA Section in his late 40s. Hewas Player of the Year three times in fouryears between 1997 and 2000, winningthe Section Championship three times,the Atlanta Open and two other GeorgiaPGA events. Mason’s likely unprecedented 5-3-3

finish at the highly regarded UGAlayout, followed by his playoff birdie,provided some late drama in a finalround that had very few fireworks untilMason’s late explosion. Craig Stevens, who had won the tour-

nament three of the last four years andwas a close second the year he didn’t win,led after an opening round of 4-under 67.Amateur Mark Nickerson of Roswellwas second at 68, followed at 69 bySonny Skinner, the only player otherthan Stevens to win the Georgia SeniorOpen the last four years. Glen Herrell of Doublegate in

Albany and Marietta amateur MelMendenhall also shot 69, with Keppler,

Anderson, Mason and Clark Spratlintied at 70. Stevens bogeyed the opening hole and

Nickerson started his round doublebogey-bogey. The lead stayed at 3-underthe rest of the day for all but two briefmoments. Keppler, the Director of Golf at

Marietta County Club, was the firstplayer to catch Stevens after birdies at 2and 4. Anderson, an instructor atBrunswick Country Club, pulled evenwith his second birdie of the day at thepar-5 seventh, and Mason made it a four-way tie with birdies at 8 and 9. A birdie at the 11th gave Keppler the

lead at 4-under, but he quickly fell backinto a tie when he missed a short par puttat the par-5 12th, his only mistake of theday. Anderson holed what he described asa “30-foot double breaker” on 14 to takethe lead, but three-putted the 16th forbogey after leaving himself a slick down-hill birdie attempt he could not stop. Neither Anderson nor Keppler could

birdie the 17th, but Mason made eagleand Stevens made birdie on the hole afterboth hit their second shots over thegreen. Mason said favorable wind condi-tions made both 17 and 18 play shorterthan usual, and he took advantage. Heneeded only an 8-iron second shot into18, which played 437 yards for the tour-nament. Anderson and Keppler both had to

work hard for pars on the 18th to get intothe playoff, but Stevens bogeyed the holeto fall out of a tie for first. A bogey at 16dropped him out of a share of the lead,but he got it back with his birdie at 17.Stevens, an instructor at Brookstone

G&CC, missed the green on 18 after histee shot went left into the tree outline.He had a difficult third shot from thebunker in between the adjoining ninthand 18th greens and left it well short,but almost holed his lengthy putt for par.He finished fourth at 140 after a finalround 73. Mason, Anderson and Keppler all shot

69 the final round, the only three playersin the field under 70. Charlie King, thehead pro at Griffin City Golf Course,shot 70 and was fifth at 141, followed bySkinner and Mystery Valley Director ofGolf John Crumbley at 142. Crumbleymatched par of 71 in both rounds as he

[ See Mason, page 10 ]

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Mason takes Senior Open with late burstWins in playoff by going eagle-birdie-birdie

James Mason

GEO

RGIA

PGA

B y M i k e B l um

he Rivermont Championshipreturns to the Georgia PGAschedule for a second year,but will have a slightly later

date than its inaugural event in 2014. This year’s Rivermont Championship

will be played May 18-19 and will be thefirst points event on the Georgia PGAschedule. Last year’s tournament wasplayed March 30-April 1, but has takenthe dates of a tournament hosted byChicopee Woods, which ended its seven-year run in 2014. The later dates should ensure that

Rivermont’s Joe Lee-designed layout willbe in better condition, with the fairwayshaving more than six extra weeks to growin and green up. The Rivermont Championship is one

of seven points events that determine theGeorgia PGA Player of the year. The firstevent of the season is the Match PlayChampionship, but that tournament willnot conclude until August with thesemifinals and finals after opening roundmatches were played in March and April. The Yamaha Atlanta Open will be

played in mid-June, followed by theChampionship at Berkeley Hills in July,the Georgia Open in early August, theSection Championship the week beforeLabor Day and the Section’s qualifier forthe PGA Professional NationalChampionship in late September. The first Rivermont Championship

produced a closely-contested competitionlast year, with Chris Nicol of theGeorgia Golf Center winning in a playoffover Travis Nance of Rome’s CoosaCountry Club. Nicol won on the firstextra hole after both players missed outon chances to win the tournament in reg-ulation. Nicol, who also won the inaugural

Championship at Berkeley Hills in 2010,was the first round leader at Rivermontlast year with a 5-under 66 and followedwith a 70 for a 6-under total of 136.Nance shot back-to-back 68s, with thetwo finishing one ahead of two of theSection’s top players – Sonny Skinnerand Tim Weinhart. Veteran Champions Tour member

James Mason, now playing primarily inGeorgia PGA events, shot a tournamentbest 65 in the second round and finishedfifth at 138. Peter Jones of Cherokee

Town & Country Club was sixth at139. Like the Atlanta Open, Georgia

Open and Championship atBerkeley Hills, the RivermontChampionship is open to amateurs,with the big news from last year’sopening round made by one of theamateur players in the field. Brian Katrek, a broadcaster for

PGA Tour Radio and the host of anAtlanta-based golf talk show, shot67 the first day highlighted by a 29on the back nine, his first nine of theround. Playing in the final group thenext day, Katrek fell back a bit witha 74, but still captured low amateurhonors and tied for seventh overall at1-under 141. Nicol carded six birdies in a 5-under

66 to take the opening round lead, butmanaged just three birdies the next day. Nance took the lead with his second

eagle in two days on the short, par-4 11thhole, but missed short birdie putts at 16and 17 before three-putting the 18th forbogey. Nance hit the flagstick with histee shot on the downhill par-3 17th, butmissed his birdie putt from close rangefor the second straight hole. Nicol pulled even thanks to an out-

standing approach to the par-4 15th thatproduced a birdie, but bogeyed the 18thhole after missing the green with hissecond shot. Nicol also bogeyed the 18thin the playoff, but that was good enoughas Nance hit his tee shot into the treesleft of the fairway and had to take a lostball penalty. Weinhart, an instructor at the Standard

Club and a 7-time Georgia PGA Player ofthe Year, had the lead at the turn the finalday after an opening 67 and a 2-under 34on the front nine the next day. But hefailed to make a birdie on the back nineand shot 70 for a 137 total. Skinner, the 2014 Georgia PGA Player

of the Year, shot a bogey-free 67 the finalday, but after carding three birdies on thefirst five holes on the back nine, closedout his round with four straight pars tomiss the playoff by one shot. Mason shot a final round 65 with seven

birdies, none of which came on any ofRivermont’s par 5s. The course played toa par of 71 for the tournament, with thepar-5 12th hole converted to a par 4.Georgia PGA Tournament Director PatDay said the course will likely play as a

par 72 this year. Katrek shot 29 on his first nine in the

opening round after failing to birdieeither the par-5 10th or the 11th, two ofthe most vulnerable holes on the course.He holed out for eagle on the par-4 13th,hit it close for birdie on the par-3 14thand almost holed out again from thefairway on the 15th, leaving himself atap-in birdie. Two more birdies at 17 and18 gave him a 29 for the nine, and heshot 2-over on the front for an openingscore of 67. A birdie on the first hole in the final

round briefly moved Katrek into a tie forthe lead, but he followed with consecu-tive bogeys at holes 3, 4 and 5. Katrekparred his next 12 holes before taking abogey on the 18th. Katrek was one of just nine players to

break par for the tournament, withWinston Trively of Crooked Oakand Mark Anderson of BrunswickCountry Club sharing seventh placewith him at 141, Clark Spratlin,Craig Stevens and Kevin Romanall finished at even par 142, withRivermont head pro MatthewEvans placing 13th at 143. Evans said the tournament

went “really, really well” for afirst-year event, with more than70 players competing in thechampionship and 90 to 100 inthe pro-am. Ste. Michelle WineEstates will again serve as pre-senting sponsor for thetournament, and will continuein that capacity until at least

2017. Despite being played in late March

with still dormant fairways, Evans said thegreens “were in fantastic condition.” Heexpects overall conditions to improve withthe later dates, with the course likely tohave lusher fairways and firmer greens. Evans believes the key to handling

Rivermont’s layout, which was exten-sively renovated by Atlanta-basedarchitect Mike Riley in 2006, is “accu-racy with your irons. The greens have alot of different segments and it’s hard toget from one area to another.“If you get on the wrong side of the

green, it’s tough to two-putt, and if youmiss the green in the wrong spot, it’s atough up and down.” Rivermont is not especially tight off

the tee, but there are several holes whereerrant tee shots will be penalized.

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New dates for Rivermont Championship

GEO

RGIA

PGA

2014 Champion Chris Nicol

Mason [ Continued from page 8 ]

enjoyed his best showing in a GeorgiaPGA event. Spratlin, the Director of Golf at

Currahee Club, and Herrell tied foreighth at 143 with Roswell’s BillyMitchell, who closed with a 70 to takelow amateur honors over Marietta’s JeffBelk, who was next at 144. Alpharetta’sBob Royak, who shot a first round 65last year at the UGA course in the firstround of the tournament, andMendenhall tied for third among theamateurs at 145.

Nickerson shot 78, the same score asRoyak in last year’s final round, to finishfourth among the amateurs at 146,beginning and ending his day withdouble bogeys. Mason, who lives at Sky Valley and

teaches at the Orchard, earned $2,200 forhis victory. His Georgia Senior Open vic-tory 14 years ago came at the Orchard ina playoff over Doublegate head pro EdEverett, the state’s top senior club pro atthe time. “This is one of the better ones,”

Mason said of his more recent victory inthe event. “You dream of that kind offinish.”

Georgia PGA tournament moves to May


B y M i k e B l um

eorgia Tech won the ACCChampionship for theeighth time in the last 10years, defeating Clemson in

a two-hole playoff at New London, N.C.Tech’s Anders Albertson, a senior fromWoodstock, shared medalist honors withan 11-under 205 total. The tournament was a four-team battle

from the first round, which ended withClemson shooting 281 to lead FloridaState by one shot, Virginia by two andGeorgia Tech by three. The YellowJackets shot a tournament best 279 thesecond day to lead Clemson, FSU andVirginia by just one stroke heading to thefinal round. Clemson closed with a 281 total to tie

Tech for first at 19-under 845, with FSUthird at 846. Virginia fell back the finalday, ending up eight shots out of theplayoff.

Both Georgia Tech and Clemsonplayed the first playoff hole in 1-under,but the Jackets had four birdies on thesecond playoff hole to one for the Tigersto take the title. Albertson shot 67-69-69 to claim a

share of his second ACC individual title,with fellow senior Ollie Schniederjansof Powder Springs 4th at 207 after scoresof 71-67-69. Chris Petefish postedscores of 73-71-72 to tie for 23rd at 216,with freshman James Clark ofColumbus contributing a 73 in the firstround and 72 the final day, and VinceWhaley shooting 72 in the secondround. Georgia finished a disappointing 7th

in the SEC Championship at Sea IslandGolf Club’s Seaside course, tying withFlorida at 15 shots behind tournamentchampion LSU. The Tigers won with a 13-under 827

total followed by South Carolina andVanderbilt at 830, Alabama and Auburnat 833, Arkansas at 834, and Georgia andFlorida at 842. The Bulldogs were led by Zach

Healy, a freshman from PeachtreeCorners who was one of five Georgia res-idents in the Bulldogs’ lineup. Healy tied

for 11th at 2-under 208 with scores of67-70-71. Lee McCoy, a junior from Clarkesville

and the team’s No. 1 player, tied for 17that 209 with scores of 73-66-70. GreysonSigg, a sophomore from Augusta, shot70-70-71 and tied for 23rd at 211.Duluth senior Mookie DeMoss con-tributed scores of 72 and 71 the first twodays, and Valdosta junior Sepp Strakashot a final round 71. The Bulldogs broke par just one day as

a team, posting a 3-under 277 total inthe second round. South Carolina’sMatthew NeSmith was the tournamentmedalist at 14-under 196, winning bysix shots. Alpharetta’s Zach Jaworskihelped lead Vanderbilt to its tie forsecond, tying for 9th at 207. Georgia Southern easily won the Sun

Belt Conference championship, played atSandestin Resort’s Raven course. The

Eagles led by 20 shots after36 holes and wound upwinning by 16 with a 3-

under score of 849.

Kim Koivu and St. Simons Islandsenior Scott Wolfes finished 1-2 for theEagles, with Koivu posting scores of 69-67-71 for a 6-under 207 total. Wolfeswas 2nd at 68-69-72—209. Andrew Klasing shot 69-70 the first

two rounds before struggling the final

day. He tied for 12th at 217 in his firststart of the season in the Eagles’ lineup.Freshman Archer Price tied for 21st at219 and senior Matt Mierzejewski ofCumming contributed a 69 in the secondround when the Eagles pulled away fromthe field. Georgia Southern was only two shots

ahead after shooting 279 the first day,but shot 9-under 275 with four scores of70 or better the second day to expand itslead to 20 shots. With no player breakingpar the final day, the Eagles shot 295 butonly lost four off shots off their lead. It was the second straight conference

championship for the Eagles, who wonthe Southern Conference tournament lastyear before leaving for the Sun Belt. Augusta State, playing for the first

time in the Mid-Eastern Conference tour-nament, shot 19-under 557 to win the36-hole tournament by 36 strokes. TheJaguars’ Robin Petersson was medalistat 8-under 136, with teammateMaverick Antcliff 2nd at 140 andAugusta’s three other golfers placingamong the top seven. Georgia State placed 4th in the Sun

Belt Championship, two shots out ofsecond place with an 867 total. DamonStephenson and AlexanderHerrmann led the Panthers, tying for12th at 217. Max Herrmann was T17at 218. Davin White, a senior fromGriffin, shot 69 in the first round and J.J.Grey contributed a second round 72. Kennesaw State placed second in the

Atlantic Sun Championship, played atthe Legends at Chateau Elan. The Owlsfinished with an 8-under 856 total, seven

shots behind North Florida. The Owlsled North Florida by eight shots after 36holes, but UNF shot 277 the final day tomake up 15 strokes on Kennesaw. Jimmy Beck, a senior from

Columbus, led Kennesaw, tying for 2ndwith scores of 71-69-68—208, one shotbehind the medalist. Fredrik Nilehnshot 67 the second day and finished 6that 213, with senior Austin Vick fromEvans shooting 68 in the second roundand tying for 9th at 215. Kelby Burton,also a senior from Evans, shot 73 thesecond day to contribute to the teamscore of 277. The Owls shot 287 to leadby one after the first round. Mercer placed 7th out of eight teams

in the Southern Conference tournamentplayed at Pinehurst No. 9, with theBears’ Trey Rule 4th individually. Rule,a senior from Eatonton, matched the lowscore of the tournament with a secondround 66, and finished with a 214 total.Emmanuel Kountakis, a sophomorefrom Augusta, tied for 21st at 226. In regular season tournaments played

earlier in April: Georgia Tech finished second and

first in its final two tournaments prior tothe ACC Championship. The Yellow Jackets were 2nd in the

Mason Rudolph Championship inNashville. Tech shot 5-over 857 to finish11 strokes behind host Vanderbilt, tyingfor 2nd with Alabama. Tech opened witha 1-under 283, but that was the onlyround the Jackets broke par. Schniederjans and Albertson both

[ See College Roundup, page 18 ]

G

Southern, Augusta also win conference titlesAlbertson leads Tech to ACC championship

COLLEGE Roundup

Anders Albertson

GEO

RGIA

TECH

Lee McCoy

ROBMATRE

B y M i k e B l um

o matter when and wherethe Champions Tour playsin the north Atlanta suburbs, bad weather will

find it. The Greater Gwinnett Championship

became the fourth weather-shortenedsenior event played in Atlanta goingback to the 1980s, with the recent tour-nament reduced to 36 holes by therainy stretch of weather that hit themetro area in mid-April. Olin Browne, who had not won a

tour event since the 2011 U.S. SeniorOpen, came away with the victoryafter shooting a tournament record 64in the second (and what proved to be thefinal) round. After the first round was cut short by

afternoon rain, tournament officials werefortunate that the field was able to com-plete the opening round Saturdaymorning and continue play withoutdelay , providing a full day of quality golfunder decent weather conditions. Atlanta area Champions Tour events

were plagued by bad weather in the earlyyears of the tour, with two of the threetournaments hosted by Horseshoe Bendin Roswell in the late 1980s reduced to36 holes. The second of four tour events at

nearby Country Club of the South wasalso limited to 36 holes in 1992. GolfClub of Georgia in Alpharetta managedto make it through a full 54 holes duringits six years as tournament host but notwithout some delays, and the first twoGreater Gwinnett Championships atTPC Sugarloaf in 2013 and ‘14 hadweather issues during the first round butcompleted 54 holes on Sunday. The final round this year was cancelled

early Sunday morning after overnightrains left the course unplayable. Brownewas declared champion after finishing 36holes in 12-under 132, one shot ahead of2013 tournament champion BernhardLanger, who also finished second lastyear behind Miguel Angel Jimenez. “It was a really trying week for every-

body here,” Browne said after his victorybecame official Sunday morning. “I thinkthe staff here – the volunteers, thegrounds crew – did an incredible job get-ting the course prepped and ready forplay. It’s such a downer to have the

weather kind of throw this wet blanketon things. “I really feel badly for the tournament,

but I think in all honesty, we all kind ofknew this was coming and I think it’smiraculous we got in 36 holes.” The tournament was played under lift,

clean and place conditions from theopening round, with the sogginess of thecourse a problem off the tee but a benefiton approach shots because of the softnessof the usually firm greens. “If you could keep your ball in play,

the conditions allowed us all to attackthe hole locations, and the scores wouldindicate that was the case,” Browneobserved. Browne would have been paired in the

final group Sunday with Langer, who hasbeen the Champions Tour’s top playersince he turned 50 in 2007. Langermatched Browne’s course record of 64less than 15 minutes after Browne set themark, but his eagle at the 18th left himone shot behind Browne at the end of 36holes. “I was really going to enjoy going out

there and playing with Bernhard, Ialways do,” Browne said. “And no matterwhat the outcome today, I would havecome away better for it. “Having said that, I don’t mind

coming away with that big sugar jar sit-ting with my name on it.” Browne took home $270,000 from the

purse of $1.8 million, moving to first onthe money list after placing 11th orbetter in four of his first five starts thisseason prior to his victory. The last time a Champions Tour event

was reduced to 36 holes was in Houston

in 2011, and Browne was one of theplayers in position for a come frombehind victory. “I was on the other side of it and I

was hot about that,” he said. “Theysay things even out, maybe it evenedout my way this time.” Browne began the tournament with

four birdies on his first five holes afterteeing off on the 10th hole Friday. Hewas still 4-under after 12 holes whenplay was halted, ending the day tiedfor the lead with Joey Sindelar,Tommy Armour III, Gary Hallbergand Ian Woosnam. Eight otherplayers were one shot back, includingTom Byrum, one of just three playersto conclude his opening round. Armour wound up with the first

round lead at 5-under 67, with Browneone of six players at 68. He was joined bySindelar, Champions Tour rookie JesperParnevik, Woosnam, Mark O’Mearaand Rocco Mediate. The pairings remained the same for the

second round, with almost all the leadersother than Armour beginning theirsecond rounds off the first tee, makingthings convenient for both the fans inattendance and the Golf Channel broad-cast team. Browne concluded his first round

Saturday morning with a birdie at thepar-4 seventh and a par save at the diffi-cult ninth, getting up and down from thegreenside bunker. A pair of early birdies from close range

at holes 2 and 3 kept Browne in the huntfrom the outset in what turned out to bethe final round. Armour carded birdies at13 and 14, his fourth and fifth holes, toget to 7-under, but did not manage abirdie the rest of the day and finishedtied for 8th at 6-under. Mediate went to the front with four

straight birdies beginning at the thirdand took the lead outright when hebirdied the par-5 10th. But an indecisiveswing on the par-3 11th sent his tee shotplunging into the water well short of thegreen, handing the lead to Browne, whowas playing several groups ahead. Browne turned in 3-under to stay

within a shot of Mediate, and holed a 12-foot birdie putt at the 12th to tie the leadjust before Mediate birdied the 10th toregain the top spot. A deft chip and ashort birdie putt on the drivable par-413th put Browne two in front, and

another birdie from inside 10 feet at the15th kept him in front of Mediate andLanger, who scored his fifth birdie of theday at 13 to get to 8-under. Leading by two, Browne rolled in a

birdie putt of just over 20 feet at the17th, and closed out his round with a 6-footer for birdie at 18, giving him fivebirdies over his last seven holes. Thosetwo putts proved to be critical, as Langer,playing in the group behind Browne, fin-ished birdie-eagle for his 64. Mediate took 3rd at 9-under 135 after

a 67, with O’Meara, Parnevik, StephenAmes and Tom Pernice tying for 4th at7-under 137. Rod Spittle tied Armourfor 8th at 138 with a final round 66. Larry Mize was low among the 5-

player Georgia contingent in the field,tying for 25th at 2-under 142 afterclosing with a 70. Billy Andrade, ScottDunlap and Gene Sauers were next at143, with Larry Nelson at 150 afterconsecutive scores of 75. Browne won three times on the PGA

Tour, his first in Hartford in 1998 at theage of 39. He won again the next year atColonial and enjoyed the best season ofhis career in 2005 at the age of 46,scoring his last victory in Boston. Since joining the Champions Tour in

2009, Browne has been a consistent con-tender, with his lone victory coming in2011 at the U.S. Senior Open atInverness in Toledo. He tied for 4th laterthat year in Houston when the finalround was rained out. TPC Sugarloaf hosted the PGA Tour

from 1997-2008 and the ChampionsTour since 2013, and has seen its share ofinclement weather. The first seriousweather-related problem came in 2000when the final round was washed out andPhil Mickelson won in a playoff againstGary Nicklaus, who enjoyed the onehighlight of a soon-to-be-over profes-sional career. This year marked the 10th anniversary

of the memorable 2005 tournament atSugarloaf, which was also won byMickelson in a 5-way playoff on Monday. The tournament did not begin until

Saturday after torrential rain washed outthe first two rounds, and Saturday’s playwas halted for more than 90 minutes dueto sleet. The cut was not made untilMonday morning and the 54-hole tour-nament did not conclude until late thatafternoon.

Browne edges Langer for victory in Gwinnett

N


Olin Browne

Champions Tour event shortened by weather


.

B y M i k e B l um

f the 2015 Masters is any indica-tion, men’s professional golf is infor a lengthy and intriguing battlefor the No. 1 spot in the world

rankings between Jordan Spieth andRory McIlroy. Since Tiger Woods’ reign as the

game’s dominant player ended after the2013 season, McIlroy has emerged as hisheir. But given his play over the past twoyears, particularly since the end of 2014,Spieth seems poised to make a run atMcIlroy’s No. 1 ranking. Like Woods and McIlroy, Spieth made

his mark almost immediately as a profes-sional. Spieth led the Texas golf team toan NCAA title as a freshman in 2012before turning pro midway through hissophomore season. After failing to reach the finals of PGA

Tour qualifying later that year, Spiethbegan 2013 with no status on either theWeb.com or PGA Tour, but did not takelong to rectify that situation. A four-week stretch early in 2013

established Spieth as a player to watchwith his 20th birthday still severalmonths away. He finished 7th and 4th inconsecutive events on the Web.com Tourin Panama and Colombia, and tied for2nd the next week in the PGA Tour’ssecond tier tournament in Puerto Rico toearn a spot in the field in Tampa, wherehe tied for 7th. Spieth recorded top 10s later in the

year at highly regarded layouts likeHarbour Town, Colonial andCongressional to play his way into PGATour membership. He cemented hisstatus with a playoff victory in the JohnDeere Classic, holing a bunker shot onthe 72nd hole to get into a playoff withlocal favorite Zach Johnson, winningon the fifth extra hole. A little over a month later, Spieth

almost added a second win, losing in aplayoff in Greensboro to fellow rookiePatrick Reed, matching the final round65 he shot in the John Deere. Spieth closed out a memorable first

season as a pro with four straight top-20finishes in the four FedExCup Playoffsevents, including a tie for 4th in Bostonwith a final round 62 and a tie for 2nd atEast Lake in the Tour Championship,where he closed with a 64. Although he did not win a tournament

during the 2013-14 PGA Tour season,Spieth increased his earnings for the yearto $4.35 million from $3.9 million in2013. He displayed exceptional consis-tency, posting 18 top-25 finishes in 27starts, with a tie for 2nd in his firstMasters the highlight of his season andone of eight top-10 showings. Spieth ended the year with back-to-

back victories in the Australian Openand World Challenge. He shot 63 thefinal day in Australia to break away fromthe pack and win by six, and closed withscores of 63 and 66 the last two rounds atIsleworth to shoot 26-under 262 and winby 10. After three top-10 finishes in four

starts on the West Coast to begin 2015,Spieth went on a spectacular four-tourna-ment run starting with a victory inTampa and ending with his historic tri-umph in the Masters. Spieth avenged his 2013 playoff loss to

Reed in Tampa, and followed that effortwith back-to-back runner-up efforts inhis native Texas. He was 2nd behindlocal resident Jimmy Walker in SanAntonio and lost in a playoff the fol-lowing week in Houston to J.B.Holmes. A Dallas native and resident, Spieth

made his PGA Tour debut as a highschool junior in 2010 in his hometown,tying for 16th in the Byron NelsonChampionship. He continued the long-standing Texas tradition of success in the

recent Masters, following on the heels ofhis 2nd place finish the previous year inhis first trip to Augusta. Spieth owned the 2015 Masters almost

as soon as he teed off in the first roundThursday afternoon. It took him only 10holes to record five birdies and pull intoa tie with Charley Hoffman, who shot67 playing in the first group thatmorning. Birdies at 12, 13 and 14 gave Spieth

six in a seven-hole stretch that beganwith consecutive birdies at 8, 9 and 10.That got him to 8-under on the roundwith a shot at the course record of 63, buta surprising bogey at the par-5 15thresulting from a poor pitch from behindthe green dashed his hopes of a record-setting score. Spieth ended the round with a birdie

at 18 for a 64 and a 3-stroke lead, andfollowed with a bogey-free 66 Friday fora 36-hole record of 14-under 130 and a5-stroke lead over Hoffman. He birdiedall four par 5s, giving him seven par-5birdies the first two days. Seven more birdies in the third round

kept Spieth comfortably in front, but healso carded three bogeys and a sloppydouble bogey on the 17th to keep hislead from reaching insurmountable pro-portions. A 70 gave Spieth the 54-hole scoring

record at 16-under 200, with JustinRose and Phil Mickelson bothshooting 67 to move into 2nd and 3rdrespectively at 204 and 205. Other than a birdie-birdie start Sunday

by Rose, which was matched by Spiethbirdies at 1 and 3, no one made a run atSpieth the final day, with his lead neverfalling below three strokes on the frontnine or four on the back. Spieth shot another 70 on Sunday,

missing a short par putt on the 18th thatwould have given him the 72-holescoring record outright at 19-under 269.Spieth finished at 270, matching Woods’mark set in 1997, with Mickelson andRose both four shots back in 2nd at 274. One record Spieth claimed outright

was most birdies in 72 holes (28). Spiethdid that on the strength of his putting(3rd for the tournament in total putts)and greens in regulation (54, tying for2nd with Rose behind Ian Poulter at59).Spieth averaged 282.5 yards per drive

on the measured holes, finishing ahead of

just 11 players who made the cut, and wasin the middle of the pack in fairways hit. During his first three seasons as a pro,

Spieth has established himself as a playerwith no apparent holes in his game. Hestruggled a bit with accuracy in 2014,both off the tee and with his iron game,but has put up respectable numbers inthose categories this year, relying prima-rily on his putting (2nd in strokesgained) to rank 2nd on the tour in birdiesand 1st in scoring average. Spieth finished 3rd in the all-around

category as a rookie and is 5th this year,and looked in control at AugustaNational for the entire tournamentdespite the pressure of leading from wireto wire. Unlike most of the game’s elite

players, Spieth is not a bomber, but islong enough to reach most par 5s in two.He has an occasional tendency to missshots to the right, and has been known tohit the occasional pitch shot a little heavyand miss a short putt or two. But theoverall quality of his short game and theability to withstand pressure, somethingmore than a few of his fellow competitorsstruggle with, has enabled him to reachthe No. 2 spot in the world rankingswith No. 1 McIlroy in his sights. Spieth has taken a commanding lead

over Walker in the FedExCup standings,and will return to East Lake for the 2015Tour Championship. Although the 2015 Masters belonged

to Spieth from start to finish, severalother prominent players left Augustafeeling better about their games thanwhen they arrived. At the top of that list was Woods,

who shot 69-68 the middle two roundsand wound up tied for 17th at 283,exhibiting none of the short game prob-lems he displayed in his most recenttournament appearances. At times, how-ever, Woods fought a losing battle withhis driver, hitting just two of 14 fairwaysthe final round. Woods’ game is not nearly the wreck it

has been of late, but it appears increas-ingly unlikely that he will be able tore-capture the magic he displayed asrecently as two years ago. With his tie for 2nd, Mickelson com-

pleted a career Grand Slam for runner-upfinishes in majors, and comes into the

[ See Masters, page 23 ]

I


Spieth emerges as challenger to McIlroyMasters victory lifts him to No.2 ranking

Jordan Spieth

STEVEDINBERG

he Champions Tour’s Legendsof Golf may have left Georgia,but trophies from the recenttournament in Missouri are

now back in the Peach State. Atlanta area residents Billy Andrade

and Larry Nelson were part of the twowinning teams, with Andrade teamingwith Joe Durant in the ChampionsDivision and Nelson pairing with BruceFleisher in the Legends Division forplayers 65 and older. Both teams won their divisions by

three shots. Andrade and Durant shot afinal round 9-under 45 on the Top of theRock par-3 course after trailing by threeshots after 36 holes. They shot 7-under63 the first day on the par-70 BuffaloRidge course and were three behind theteam of Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyleafter a second round 51 on Top of theRock. The highlight of the final round for

the winning duo was a hole-in-one byDurant on the 12th hole. That put them7-under par for the day after a 4-under23 on the front nine in an alternate shotformat and a birdie on the 10th byAndrade that put him and Durant in thelead for good. It was the first Champions Tour win

for both players. Both turned 50 last yearand qualified for the season-endingCharles Schwab Cup in their firstattempt by finishing in the top 30 on the

money list. Andrade and Durantcollected $ 230,000 each for thevictory, with Durant winning forthe first time since his fourth PGATour victory in 2006. Andradewon his fourth and final PGATour title in 2000. “We ham and egged it very,

very nicely and Joe hit some beau-tiful shots today,” Andrade said.“I can’t be more excited to be in asituation to win out here. To do itlike this and do it with Joe hasbeen such a treat for me.” The two had planned to play

last year, but Durant elected toplay the PGA Tour event inMemphis that week. Durantelected to stick to theChampions Tour this time, andwas richly rewarded. He andAndrade both moved into thetop 10 on the money list, withAndrade 8th after the victory. Nelson and Fleisher played together in

the Legends Division last year and placedsecond behind Jim Thorpe and JimColbert. Nelson and Fleisher went wireto wire this time, shooting 7-under 47the first day on Top of the Rock to leadby four and retaining that margin with a

66 on Buffalo Ridge. The Legends Division played only nine

holes the final day on Top of the Rock,and no one made a move on Nelson andFleisher, who shot 1-under 26 and wonby three with a 12-under 139 total. JackNicklaus and Gary Player were second

at 9-under, followed by theteams of Thorpe-Colbert andButch Baird-Al Geibergerat 8-under . Nelson and Fleisher com-

bined for 38 Champions Tourwins from 1998-2004, butneither has won since otherthan three Father-Son titlesfor Nelson. The two notchedsix straight birdies during theopening round and surviveddifficult weather conditionsthe second day. It was an emotional week for

Nelson, as the tournamenthonored Vietnam War veteransearlier in the week. “I lost some friends over

there, so it’s a fitting tribute tosome guys that was certainlyoverdue for the last 45 years,”said Nelson, who served inVietnam during the war.

The tournament, which started theChampions Tour, was played at SavannahHarbor from 2003 to 2013. WhenLiberty Mutual Insurance, the long-timesponsor of the tournament, ended its titlesponsorship, the event moved to Branson,Mo., with a new title sponsor.

T


College Roundup [ Continued from page 12 ]

scored top-10 finishes.Schniederjans shot 70-72-71—213and tied for 6th at 213, withAlbertson tying for 8th at 70-73-71—214. Whaley was 11th at 215with sophomore Michael Hines ofAcworth T21 at 221. Kennesaw State was 4th at 868

after also opening with a 1-under283. Terremoana Beaucousin ledthe Owls, tying for 12th at 216.Burton led after a first round 67 andtied for 14th at 217, with Vick tyingfor 21st at 221 and Beck closing witha 71 to shoot 222. Georgia Southern was 9th at 886

after an opening score of 285. Wolfesshot 68 the first day, but struggled inthe second round and tied for 21st at221. Mercer was 12th in the 14-teamfield at 913, with Rule the team’s low

man at 224. Georgia Tech closed out its regular

season schedule by winning an eventhosted by Ohio State. The Yellow Jacketsshot 4-under 848 to finish 16 ahead ofrunner-up SMU, with Tech golfers 1-2-3in the individual standings. Albertson and Whaley shared medalist

honors, with both players carding scoresof 71-67-70 for 5-under 208 totals.Schniederjans led after scores of 68 and69, but shot 73 the third round and tiedfor 3rd at 210. Tech played the first two rounds with

four players after Petefish withdrew afterbeing hit in the neck by a stray golf ballfrom an adjacent course. Petefish playedthe final day and shot 73. Kennesaw State was 3rd in its final

regular season tournament, finishingthree shots behind South Florida in theIrish Creek Collegiate in Kannapolis,N.C. The Owls shot 4-over 856 aftersharing the opening round lead at 277.Nilehn shared medalist honors at 208,

leading outright after scores of 66-68 thefirst two rounds. Georgia State tied for 7th at 869, with

Grey placing 8th individually, closingwith a 69 for a 212 score. Georgia took 3rd in the 3M Augusta

Invitational, hosted by Augusta State atForest Hills the weekend before theMasters. The Bulldogs posted a 22-under842 total, four shots behind New Mexicoand one in back of runner-up Illinois.After shooting 1-under 287 in the firstround, Georgia closed with scores of 277and 278, but fell just short of a victory. McCoy earned medalist honors by four

shots, closing with a 64 after back-to-back 68s the first day for a 16-under 200total. DeMoss shot 68 in the secondround and tied for 13th at 212 with Sigg,who played as an individual. The host Jaguars were 6th at 848 with

scores of 278-283-287. Viktor Edin tiedfor 6th at 208, with Antcliff T13 at 212.Cody Shafer, a junior from Evans, shoteven par 216.

Larry Nelson

Andrade, Nelson share titles in Legends

STEVEDINBERG

Billy Andrade

B y M i k e B l um

fter combining for 13 victo-ries during the 2013-14season, Georgia’s contingentof PGA Tour players had won

just twice as the 2014-15 season reachedits midway point last month. No player with ties to the state has

won since Patrick Reed captured theTournament of Champions, the 2015opener in Hawaii. The other win came inthe 2014 portion of the schedule whenBubba Watson scored a dramatic victoryin the WGC event in China.

Georgia nearly added a third win lastmonth from a slightly unexpectedsource. Kevin Kisner, a member of the2005 NCAA champion GeorgiaBulldogs golf team, lost a playoff in theHeritage Classic on Hilton Head Islandto Jim Furyk after shooting 64 in thefinal round capped by a birdie on the18th. Kisner again birdied the 18th, the first

extra hole, to extend the playoff, but lostwhen Furyk made his 11th birdie of theday at 17, the second extra hole. The playoff loss was the first moment

on the national stage for Kisner, now inhis fourth season on the PGA Tour. Aftera successful rookie year on the Web.comTour in 2010, Kisner struggled his firsttwo seasons on the PGA Tour in 2011and ‘12, but made it back in 2014 afteranother strong showing as a Web.commember in 2013.Kisner enjoyed a sold 2013-14 season,

making his first run at a victory inCharlotte. He opened 2014-15 with a tiefor fourth in the McGladrey Classic atSea Island Golf Club, but it wasn’t until

last month’s tournament atHarbour Town that Kisner madea serious bid for his first PGATour victory. Had Kisner won, he would

have been the first SouthCarolinian to win that state’s lonePGA Tour event. Kisner is anative of Aiken, S.C., just acrossthe Savannah River from Augusta,and was a key member of UGA’s2005 national championship team,although he played in the shadowof fellow PGA Tour members ChrisKirk and Brendon Todd.

Kisner was an HonorableMention All-America all fouryears he played in Athens andwas all-SEC his first two sea-sons. But he never won atournament in college, playingbehind Kirk and Todd onGeorgia’s championship teamin 2005. It took Kisner several years to

advance from the mini-tours tothe Web.com Tour in 2010, buthe enjoyed a stellar rookie season,placing 11th on the money listincluding a win in Pittsburgh. Heenjoyed a similar season in 2013,winning an early-season event in

Chile and finishing 13th on the moneylist to return to the PGA Tour. With finishes of fourth and second

already this season, Kisner was 37th onthe FedExCup points at the midwaypoint of the schedule, and is ahead ofTodd and Kirk, who both qualified forthe Tour Championship at East Lake forthe first time last year. At the midway point of the 2014-15

schedule, Reed and Watson were amongthe top 5 in the FedExCup standings,with two others in the top 30, eight inthe top 50, 16 in the top 100 and 19 inthe top 125. Reed nearly added a second win this

season, and his fifth since August of2013, when he lost in a playoff to JordanSpieth in Tampa, reversing Reed’splayoff victory over Spieth in Greensborofor his first PGA Tour title. Watson played only six times in the

first 22 weeks of the 2014-15 PGA Tourschedule, making side appearances inthree other events, including a EuropeanTour stop in China the week after hisunsuccessful attempt to win the Masters

for a third time in four years.Watson has played extremely welldespite the limited schedule, tying forsecond in Phoenix, one shot behind thewinner, and placing third in the WGCtournament at Doral, two shots out of aplayoff. Matt Kuchar was 17th with three

top-5 finishes, including a near miss inPalm Springs, but went MIA for almostthree months before a recent fifth placeshowing at Hilton Head. Also in the top 30 was Harris

English, who was 25th after narrowlyfailing to qualify for the TourChampionship last year. English lost in aplayoff to Jason Day in San Diego,costing him a spot in last month’sMasters, and wasted a strong first tworounds at Bay Hill with a disappointingweekend. Joining Kisner inside the top 40 was

fellow ex-Bulldog Russell Henley, whowas 37th with three finishes of fourth orbetter at Sea Island, the Tournament ofChampions and Houston, ending up oneor two shots behind the winner in allthree. Todd, also a contender at Hilton

Head, was 44th with two other top 10s,just ahead of Charles Howell at 47th.Howell finished one shot out of a playoffin San Diego and was three shots back infifth in Houston, but remains stuck ontwo career wins in his 16th season ontour, the last in 2007.

Jason Bohn contended in con-secutive events last Fall, finishingtwo shots back in a tie for secondin Mississippi and letting a chancefor victory in Mexico slip awayafter a poor final round. He was54th, with Kirk 57th after aclose call last Fall in theMcGladrey Classic but not muchsince. Former Georgia Tech golfer

Cameron Tringale was 63rdlargely on the strength of a tiefor fifth in Houston, but madea sizeable jump to 24th afterplacing 2nd in New Orleansthe following week. ZachJohnson was 67th with fourtop 10s, including a season-best seventh in theTournament of Championsand a tie for ninth in the

Masters. Hudson Swafford, back on the PGA

Tour after playing on the Web.com Tourlast year, began his season with finishes of8th, 18th and 12th in his first threestarts, but other than a T11 at Bay Hill,had not been in the top 35 since until atie for 12th in New Orleans. The formerBulldog was 69th, three spots behindformer Yellow Jacket Chesson Hadley,who has followed up his 2014 win inPuerto Rico as a rookie with a respectablesophomore season. Fellow ex-Georgia Tech golfers Bryce

Molder and Nicholas Thompson are88th and 94th, with Brian Harman108th coming off his first victory lastyear in the John Deere Classic. Harmanhas three top-20 finishes, but no top 10sand seven missed cuts in 14 starts. Alsoin the top 125 is Scott Brown (115), anAugusta native now living in nearbyAiken, S.C., where he attended college.Stewart Cink, who hasn’t won since

the 2009 British Open and doesn’t havea top 10 since 2013, is outside the top125 at 131, making nine of 12 cuts butwith no finishes better than 30th. ErikCompton made a run at his first PGATour victory in Palm Springs, but missedhis next five cuts and was 136th before atie for 12th in New Orleans moved himup to 112th. Former Clayton State golfer Will

Wilcox, a non-exempt player, has a top-

[ See PGA Tour, page 29 ]

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Watson, Reed only winners with Georgia ties

Kevin Kisner

ALKO

OISTR

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Hudson Swafford

Ex-Bulldog Kisner loses playoff at Hilton Head

ALKO

OISTR

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B y M i k e B l um

or junior golfers throughout thestate, there are a multitude ofcompetitive options rangingfrom local organizations that

offer introductory playing opportunitiesto events involving top juniors from allover the country and around the world. Beyond the local level, there are three

statewide junior organizations offeringtournament schedules, two regional toursthat include a number of stops in Georgiaand the country’s most prominentnational operation, which is based inGeorgia and annually holds tournamentsin various parts of the state. The three state organizations are the

Georgia PGA Junior Tour, the GeorgiaState Parks Junior Tour and the GeorgiaState Golf Association’s junior program,which conducts several regionally-ori-ented events.

Georgia PGA Junior Tour The Georgia PGA initiated a statewide

junior tour in 2002, providing a quality,affordable bridge for the state’s top juniorplayers between local organizations andregional and national tours. Almost all the state’s top juniors have

competed in Georgia PGA Junior Tourevents on their way up the tournamentladder, with the tour visiting many of thestate’s top courses and featuring stops inalmost every geographic section of thePeach State. This year’s Georgia PGA Junior Tour

began in March at Country Club ofColumbus and included a high schoolteam event at Chateau Elan and indi-vidual tour event at Oak Mountain inCarrollton in April. A total of 14 tourna-ments remain on the 2015 schedule,including the Georgia PGA JuniorChampionship, which is separate fromthe tour. Two of the remaining tournaments are

one day events that are part of the tour’sSummer Series – TPC Sugarloaf on July16 and East Lake on July 28. Other tournament hosts for Georgian

PGA Junior Tour events this year includeLegacy on Lanier, Cateechee, Stone

Mountain GC, the UGA course,Doublegate in Albany, CallawayGardens, Sea Island GC, the new GeorgiaSouthern course, Chattahoochee inGainesville, Coosa CC in Rome and aseason-ending Tour Championship in themetro Atlanta area. Tournaments are divided into five age

groups (boys 11-13, 14-15 and 16-18;girls 11-14 and 15-18), with winners ineach division as well as overall boys andgirls champions in each tournament. Thetop players in each division qualify forthe season-ending Tour Championship. In addition to its tour events, the

Georgia PGA also conducts its JuniorChampionship, which does not requireJunior Tour Membership to enter. Thisyear’s Georgia PGA JuniorChampionship will be played June 8-9 atPinetree Country Club. Membership is $75 per year and pro-

vides entry into all tour events with theexception of the Tour Championship.Membership benefits include a tour cap,towel and bag tag, a USGA Rules of Golfbook and various other items. Georgia PGA Junior Tour alumni

include players currently competing onthe PGA and LPGA Tours, along withmembers of the UGA and Georgia Techgolf teams. Scott Gordon is the Georgia PGA’s

Junior Golf Director.

GSGA SectionalProgramIn addition to its two Junior

Championships, the GSGA conducts aseries of events in each of seven desig-nated sections of the state. The metro

Atlanta area is spread out among fourdifferent sections, with each of the sevensections conducting four or five tourna-ments in June and July. The GSGA divides its junior fields

into seven divisions, including four forthe boys (11-under, 12-13, 14-15, 16-18) and three for the girls (11-under,12-13, 14-18). The top finishers in thevarious age groups are eligible for theSectional Challenge, which pits teamsfrom all seven areas. That event will beplayed July 20-21 at Eagle’s Landing, theformer host course for an LPGA Tourevent. The GSGA Sectional Program is open

to all juniors, with pre-registration feefor each event $20. Both Junior Championships will be

played June 22-24, with the boys playingat West Lake in Augusta and the girls at Coosa CC in Rome. The GSGA alsoconducts qualifiers for the U.S. JuniorChampionships, with the boys playingJune 29 at the UGA course and the girlsqualifier June 15 at Cartersville CC.

Georgia State ParksJunior Tour This is the eighth year of operation for

the Georgia Junior Tour, which plays itstournaments at State Parks courses. The 2015 season began with tourna-

ments in March and April at the Lakes atLaura Walker and Brazell’s Creek, andwill include at least one event eachmonth from May through October, withtwo in August. Other tournaments this year are:

Country Club of South Georgia, the lonenon-State Parks course to host a tourna-

ment (May 9); Georgia Vets (June 6-7);Jekyll Island GC (July 11-12);Arrowhead Pointe (August 1-2); LittleOcmulgee (Aug. 29-30); Highland Walk(Sept. 12); and Creek at Hard Labor (Oct.24). Memberships are $10.99, with entry

fees $45-$55 for one day events and$100-$120 for two day events. All eventsare played on weekends, with five agegroups for boys and girls starting withages 7-9. Karl Gross, a long-time head pro at

State Parks courses, operates the GeorgiaJunior Tour and can be reached via e-mailat: kgrosspga@gmail,com, Informationis available at gastateparks.org.

Southeastern Junior TourThe tour, which is based in Auburn,

Ala., was founded for former GeorgiaPGA Tournament Director ToddThompson, and has been a popular choicefor top Georgia juniors since it began inthe mid 1990s. Almost half of the 36 tournaments on

the SJGT’s 2015 tour schedule are playedin Georgia, with most of the rest held inAlabama, many of them on courses thatare part of the Robert Trent Jones GolfTrail. The age range for the tour is 12-19,

with three boys divisions and two girlsdivisions. The tour’s schedule mirrors theschool year, beginning in mid-Augustand concluding with its TourChampionship early the followingAugust. Four of the 17 Georgia tournaments on

the 2015 schedule have already beenplayed with 13 remaining this year. Other Georgia stops before the end of

the season include: Chattahoochee GC(May 9-10); UGA GC (May 23-24);Orchard Hills (May 27-28); GeorgiaClub (June 1-2); Idle Hour (June 15-16);Harbor Club (July 20-21); Druid Hills(July 27-28); Atlanta Athletic Club(Aug. 3-4, Tour Championship);Doublegate (Aug. 14-15); CC ofColumbus (Sept. 12-13); Glen Arven(Sept. 26-27); UGA GC (Oct. 10-11);Callaway Gardens (Nov. 7-8).

F

Plenty of options for state’s junior golfers 6 tours based in or visit Georgia courses

JUNIOR GOLF in Georgia

Earlier events were at played at SeaIsland GC, Forest Hills, Brunswick CCand Kinderlou Forest.Georgia juniors have traditionally

done very well on the tour, frequentlysweeping all five divisions in tourna-ments.

Hurricane JuniorGolf TourThe Jacksonville-based tour began

play in 2008 and quickly expanded itsreach beyond Florida with events inGeorgia and the Carolinas. This year’sschedule includes tournaments in NewJersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio, withthe tour playing as many as four andfive events each week in different states. The tour plays several events each

month in Georgia, with CallawayGardens, Brickyard at Riverside,Kinderlou Forest, Mirror Lake, ChateauElan, Jekyll Island GC and Traditions ofBraselton hosting tournaments earlierthis year. The Mirror Lake and Traditionsevents are part of the tour’s Canongateseries of tournaments in the state. Remaining tournaments this year on

the HJGT include: Bartram Trail (May9-10); Canongate I (May 23-25); WhiteOak (June 6-7); Chateau Elan (June 20-22); Royal Lakes (June 27-28); Pinetree(July 6-7), UGA GC (July 18-19); ForestHills (August 1-2); Heron Bay (Aug. 8-9); Flat Creek (Aug. 22-23); Canongate IRoquemore (Sept. 5-6); White Oak Old(Sept. 19-20); Jekyll Island GC (Oct. 3-4); Bentwater (Oct. 17-18); UGA GC(Oct. 31-Nov. 1); Jones Creek (Nov. 7-8);Bear’s Best (Nov. 21-22); Sea IslandRetreat (Nov. 28-29)). With the number of tournaments in the

state, the tour has added more Georgiansto its roster, giving the state’s top juniorsyet another option for competition.

American JuniorGolf AssociationThe AJGA represents the ultimate

goal for the elite junior golfers across thecountry and outside the U.S., with theorganization based in Georgia since itwas founded in the late 1970s. Horseshoe Bend in Roswell was the

AJGA’s original home, with the organi-zation moving to more spaciousaccommodations at Chateau Elan morethan a decade ago. The AJGA conducts events all over the

country, including six in Georgia this

year. Thetour has already visited Country Club ofthe South, as well as playing the first oftwo tournaments on its 2015 calendar atChateau Elan. Other sites for AJGA events this year

include a second tournament at ChateauElan, this one for players yet to play in anAJGA event (May 23-25); WindStoneGC in Ringgold (June 2-4); Jones Creekin Augusta (July 14-16); and Sea IslandGolf Club’s Plantation course (July 21-23). PGA Tour players Vaughn Taylorand Davis Love have leant their names tothe tournaments in Augusta and St.Simons Island. The AJGA’s Georgia tournaments

include open events, invitationals, JuniorAll-Star events for players age 12-15 and aPre-Season tournament for juniors lookingto earn a coveted spot in an AJGA openevent. Most of the top American players on

the PGA and LPGA Tours competed onthe AJGA Tour, and Georgia juniors havea long history of success on the tour,including national Players of the YearCharles Howell, Brian Harman andVicki Goetze. Georgia currently has seven juniors

ranked among the top 100 in the Pologolf rankings, led by Buford’s S.M. Lee,who won the recent tournament atCountry Club of the South to move up to17th in the rankings. Lee also won theVaughn Taylor Junior last year at JonesCreek and was second in the Jones CupJunior on St. Simons Island late in 2014. Atlanta’s Will Chandler, who won last

year’s Davis Love Junior at Sea Island GolfClub, is 24th, followed by Duluth’sCharles Huntzinger, a Penn Statesignee, at 66th. Georgia Tech signee TylerJoiner of Leesburg is tied for 67th alongwith Jake Milanowski of Peachtree City,

a runner-up in the tournament at CountryClub of the South and a third place fin-isher at Jones Creek last year. Also in the top 100 are Alpharetta’s

Chandler Eaton (79), the 2014 SouthernJunior champion, and Atlanta’sAlexander DeRosa (88), who won theBubba Conlee Junior in Tennessee lastyear. The top-ranked Georgians in the girls

ranking are Rinko Mitsunaga (8) of Roswell and Bailey Tardy (18) of

Norcross, both UGA signees with histo-ries of success in AJGA tournaments. Milton’s Rachel Dai, who is headed to

Ivy League school Penn, won the Big Ijunior event last year and is 20th.Atlanta’s Amanda Doherty (82),Alpharetta’s Sabrina Long (91) andJohns Creek’s Janet Mao (97) are alsoinside the top 100, with Suwanee’sKayley Marschke, who won an AJGAtournament last year in Alabama, justoutside at 102.


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Masters [ Continued from page 16 ]

2015 U.S. Open with consecutive ties for2nd in majors, finishing behind thegame’s top two players in the 2014 PGA(McIlroy) and 2015 Masters (Spieth).Mickelson played well tee to green,looked confident with the putter andshowed all the signs that he still has achance every time he tees it up in one ofgolf’s four biggest tournaments. McIlroy was in danger of missing the

cut midway through the second round,

but shot 15-under the last 45 holes andplaced 4th at 12-under 276. DustinJohnson, who has had problems solvingAugusta National in recent years, tied for6th at 279, highlighted by three eaglesin the second round. St. Simons resident Zach Johnson

enjoyed his best Masters since he won in2007, tying for 9th at 280 with a pair of68s on the weekend. Macon native andex-Georgia Bulldog Russell Henley was21st at 285 despite one triple bogey andtwo doubles, opening with a 68 andnotching five birdies and an eagle in afinal round 71.

AJG

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B y M i k e B l um

ince 1974 Atlanta Junior Golfhas served as the competitiveentry point for thousands ofyoungsters in the metro area and

beyond, with some going on to successfulcollege and professional careers andothers just getting a welcoming intro-duction to the game of golf. Atlanta Junior Golf’s summer schedule

begins late this month, with the organi-zation featuring a new ExecutiveDirector but the same mission it has fol-lowed since it was created – to introducegolf to as many youngsters as possible inand around metro Atlanta and to offerquality competitive opportunities to jun-iors on some of the best courses in theAtlanta area. Margaret Shirley, the state’s top female

amateur golfer, has taken over as AJG’sExecutive Director after serving the pastfew years as the Manager of Rules andCompetition. Shirley, an Atlanta native who played

her college golf at Auburn and worked asan assistant coach at both Georgia andAuburn before joining the AJG staff, saysshe has “a little more responsibility” withher new job. “I could focus on one thing with Rules

and Competition. There is a lot of thesame stuff I’ve done before, but also somestuff I haven’t done before.”Both Shirley and Michael Rakowski,

the Assistant Executive Director, haveexperience with Atlanta Junior Golf, butwith the permanent staff reduced fromthree persons to two, there is more forthem to do than in the past. Shirley says things have gotten a little

hectic during the run up to the start ofthe summer schedule, but they will havetwo interns this summer instead of justone to get through the two months ofconstant tournaments that begin in lateMay and end in late July. Atlanta Junior Golf will offer more

than 80 tournaments this summer,ranging from Cohutta, Adairsville,Jasper and Cleveland in north Georgia toAthens and Rutledge to the east, VillaRica and Carrollton to the west andLocust Grove to the south. There are multiple age groups and

divisions based on the skill level of thejuniors, with both 9 and 18-hole sched-ules available. Players initially sign upfor five tournaments, but once the entryprocess is completed for all the partici-pants, players may add as manytournaments to their schedule as theywish, providing the fields in their divi-sions have not reached capacity. Shirley, who won the USGA Women’s

Mid-Amateur Championship last yearand is a three-time Georgia Women’sOpen champion, got her start in thebeginner division at the age of 10,playing par-3 courses. She played withAtlanta Junior Golf for five years andsays, “I would not be where I am withoutjunior golf. “The Atlanta Junior gave me an

avenue to learn tournament golf. It wasmy first stepping stone. To come backhere and work for this organization isdefinitely special.” Although most of her predecessors also

came up through the Atlanta Junior Golfranks as players, Shirley is the first tomake a name for herself as a competitor.She believes that will give her some cred-ibility in her role as an advocate forjunior golf. “Juniors now are starting out very

much like I did, and I can tell themwhere I came from.” Shirley also can serve as an example for

girls, particularly those who may be alittle intimidated by the sport. Shirleybecame a top junior, college and amateurgolfer despite her modest height,standing just a few inches over five feet.

“Girls golf is near and dear to me, but Ijust want kids to play the game,” she says. Shirley recognizes the importance of

both the competitive and social aspects ofthe game, the latter aspect being a key togetting girls more involved in the sport. “You get to play with kids your own

age and skill level,” Shirley points out. “Imet some of my best friends throughjunior golf. Atlanta Junior Golf gave mea place to learn the game and work myway up to the Southeastern Junior Tourand then the American Junior. “ One of the challenges for the Atlanta

Junior is to retain its more competitiveplayers who are capable of playing at thelevel of the Georgia PGA Junior Tour,the GSGA Sectional events or the otherregional junior tours that visit the state. “Atlanta Junior Golf is really good at

what it does, which is running one-daytournaments,” Shirley says. “It’s whatwe’ve been doing for years, and we hopeto continue to grow the game.” The tour also offers a handful of two-

day events for its best players, with mostof the championship events for the toppoints earners in each of the many divi-sions also played for at least two days.Most of this summer’s championshipevents will be played at Chateau Elan,with one of the 9-hole events at AnsleyGolf Club and the beginners concludingtheir season at Hawk’s Ridge. The AJG schedule is split among

public and private courses throughoutthe Atlanta area and north Georgia.Among the public courses that will hostevents this summer are Barnsley

Gardens, Bridgemill, Chattahoochee,Cherokee Run, Cobblestone, DurhamLakes, Eagle’s Brook, Echelon, Heritage,Orchard Hills, St. Marlo, Summer Groveand the UGA course.Top private clubs on the schedule

include Bent Tree, Brookstone, CC ofRoswell, Druid Hills, Eagle’s Landing,Governors Towne Club, Horseshoe Bend,Indian Hills, Laurel Springs, MariettaCC and Newnan CC. While Shirley is heading up the

Atlanta Junior Golf operations during thebusy summer, she will also set a little timeaside for her own competitive efforts. “They think it’s great that I play,”

Shirley said of AJG’s Board of Directors,which also includes some top amateurplayers. “I don’t let it get in the way ofmy work here, but I’ll compete three,four or five weeks.” Some of the national events are played

after the AJG season winds down, butthere will be a week or two when Shirleyis competing while the AJG schedule isin full swing. Shirley says she will keepher schedule as local as possible, “so I canplay in the morning and be back in theoffice in the afternoon.”

S


Shirley takes over where she started in golfAtlanta Junior Golf has new Executive Director

Margaret Shirley

USG

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JUNIOR GOLF in Georgia

Drive, Chip & PuttThe entry deadline is approaching

for the Drive, Chip & Putt

competition for 2016, with the

finals again set for Augusta

National Golf Club the Sunday

before the Masters. Ten local

qualifiers will be held in Georgia

in June and July, with entry

deadline five days before the

qualifier. The first one is set for

June 4 at Chateau Elan, with

the final qualifier July 27 at

Cuscowilla. There are four age

groups for both boys and girls,

ranging from 7 to 15. For

information, visit the Georgia

PGA web site (georgiapga.com)

or www.drivechipandputt.com.

2 0 1 5 M A Y 25G O L F F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M

Heidi Mitchell Golf CampStone Mountain • 678-637-2802 www.heidimitchellgolf.comKiddie Kamps: (Ages 5-8)June 2-4 • June 30-July 2 • July 21-23 • 9 a.m-11 a.m.Junior Camps: (Ages 8-15)June 8-12 • June 22-26 • July 13-17 • July 27-31 • 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Cherokee Golf CenterWoodstock • 770-899-4497http://www.cherokeegolfcenter.com/junior-golf-camps/Pee Wee Mini Camp: (Ages 5-7)June 29-July 1 • 8:30-11:30 a.m.Beginner Camps: (Ages 6-12)June 1-3 • June 22-24 • 8:30-11:30 a.m.Beginner/Intermediate Camps: June 9-11 (Ages 8-15) • June 15-17 (Ages 6-12) • June 15-17 (Ages 9-15) • July 6-8 (Ages 7-15) • July 13-15 (Ages 6-10) • July 20-24 (Ages 7-15) • July 27-31 (Ages 7-15) • 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Collins Hill Golf ClubLawrenceville • 770-822-5400http://www.collinshillgolf.comJunior Golf Academy: (Ages 8-14)June 15-18 • June 29-July 2 • July 20-23 • 9-11:30 a.m.

Fox Creek Golf ClubSmyrna • 678-588-7623http://www.legacyfoxcreek.comJunior Camps: (Ages 4-6)May 27-29 • June 15-17 • June 29-July 1 •12:30-2 p.m.Junior Camps: (Ages 7-10)May 27-29 • June 15-17 • June 29-July 1 •July 20-22 • 9 a.m.-12 p.m.Junior Camps: (Ages 11-15)June 8-11 • July 7-10 • 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Alpharetta Athletic ClubAlpharetta • 770-475-2300 ext. 112 (Tom Joyce Jr.)http://www.alpharettaac.com/juniorgolfJunior Camps: (Ages 6-13) Lunch includedMay 27-29 • June 17-19 • July 8-10 • 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.On Course Camps: June 3-5, June 24-26,July 22-24

Canton Golf ClubCanton • 404-285-7557 • 770-479-2772(Pro Shop)

http://www.cantongolfclub.comJunior Camp: (Ages 7-15)June 8, 9, 10 (8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.)

Jaguar Golf CampAugusta • 706-737-1626http://jaguarsroar.com/sports/mgolf/2014-15/releases/20150414paul7lJunior Camps: (Ages 6-18) June 15-18

Godwin Creek Golf CourseColumbus • 706-315-8444http://www.forekidscolumbus.comFore Kids Summer Camps: (Ages 6-15)June 22-26 • July 13-17 • 8:30 a.m-12 p.m.

Lake Spivey Golf ClubJonesboro • 770-471-4653http://www.lakespivey.net/ Junior Camps: June 1, 3, 5 • July 13, 15, 17 • 8-10 a.m.Tuesday Night Junior Clinics:Tuesdays, May-August • 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Creek at Hard Labor State ParkRutledge • 706-557-3006http://www.georgiagolf.comJunior Half Day Camps: (Ages 6-16)June 15-19Junior Full Day Camps: (Ages 6-16)June 15-19

Reunion Country ClubHoschton • 770-967-8300http://www.reuniongolfclub.com/-junior-golf-summer-campJunior Camps: (Ages 6-15)June 8-11 • July 13-16 • July 27-30 • 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Club at Savannah HarborSavannah • 912-201-2240http://www.theclubatsavannahharbor.comJunior Summer Camps: (Ages 5-12)June 22-26 • July 6-10 • July 20-24 (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)Advanced Junior: July 15-17 (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Woodmont Country ClubCanton • 770-345-9260http://www.woodmontgolfclub.com/-golf-summer-campsMcIlroy and Hogan Junior Camps:(Ages 5+) (Introductory and Intermediate players)June 1-3 • June 15-17 • June 29-July 1 • July 13-15 • July 27-29 • 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Nicklaus and Palmer Junior Camps:(Ages 11-18) June 8-10 • June 22-24 • July 6-8 • July 20-22 • 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

City Club Marietta Marietta • 770-528-4653 http://www.cityclubmarietta.com/ Junior Camps: (Ages 7-16)June 9-11 • June 23-25 • July 7-9 • July 21-23 • July 28-30 (all 9 a.m.-12 p.m.)

U.S. Kids Golf Foundation706-587-4653 http://www.uskidsgolf.com2015 Atlanta Summer Tour: (Ages 5-14)Chicopee Woods Golf Course Gainesville • 770-534-7322 • June 4

Bridgemill Athletic ClubCanton • 770-345-5500 • June 8

Fairways of Canton Golf ClubCanton • 770-720-1808 • June 17

TPC at Sugarloaf Golf CourseDuluth • 770-418-1113 • June 23

White Columns Country ClubMilton • 770-343-9025 • June 29

The Standard ClubJohns Creek • 770-497-0055 • July 6

Horseshoe Bend Country ClubRoswell • 678-578-5120 • July 13

Country Club of Roswell (Tour Championship) Roswell • 770-475-7800 • July 20

Idle Hour Country ClubMacon • 478-477-8777www.ihgolf.com Junior Camp: (Ages 4-13)June 16-19 • July 21-24 (9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Kids Golf AcademyAtlanta • 404-812-6808http://www.golfacademyforkids.com/GolfPrograms/GolfSummerCamp.aspxJunior Summer Camps: (Ages 4-17)May 26-29 • June 1-5 • June 8-12 • June 15-19 • June 22-26 • June 29-July 3 •July 6-10 • July 13-17 • July 20-24 • July 27-31 • August 3-7 • August 10-14 •August 17-21 • (Half Day: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. or 1-4 p.m.) (Full Day: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Crosswinds Golf ClubSavannah • 912-966-1909http://www.crosswindsgolfclub.comJunior Camps: Ages 6-17

June 1-4 (Beginner) • June 15-18(Advanced) • July 6-9 (Beginner) • July 20-23 (Advanced) • 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Henderson Golf ClubSavannah • 912-920-4653http://www.hendersongolfclub.comJunior Camps: Ages 6-17June 8-11 • July 13-16 • 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Georgia Golf Ministry706-354-0986http://www.gagolfministry.com/ 2015 Jekyll Island Junior Camp: (Ages 11-17) • Jekyll Island • May 29-31

2015 Reynolds Plantation Junior Golf Camp: (Ages 10-18)Greensboro • July 12-16

2015 Reynolds Plantation ELITE Jr.Junior Golf Camp: (Ages 13-17)Greensboro • July 16-19

2015 Yellow Jacket Golf Camp (Ages 9-18) • Alpharetta • 404-840-3451http://www.yellowjacketgolfcamp.comJune 8-11 (1-5 p.m.)

Wendell Coffee Golf Center Tyrone • 770-969-4469http://www.coffeegolfcenter.com/jrgolf.htm Junior Camps: (Ages 6-15)June 1-4 • June 8-11 • June 15-18 • June 22-25 • July 6-9 • July 13-16 • July 20-23 • July 27-30 • August 3-6 • 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

ClubCorp Golf Academy Junior Summer Camps(Ages 7-14)http://www.canongate360.comWindermere Golf Club Cumming • 678-513-1000 • June 8-11 •June 22-25 • July 13-16 • July 20-23

Traditions of Braselton Golf ClubJefferson • 706-363-9963June 2-5 • June 9-12 • June 16-19 • June 23-26 • July 7-10 • July14-17 • July 21-24 • July 28-31

Flat Creek Golf ClubPeachtree City • 770-487-8140June 1-4 (Advanced Camp) • July 6-9

Braelinn Golf ClubPeachtree City • 770-631-3100May 26-28 • June 8-11 • June 22-25 • July 13-16 • July 27-30

JUNIOR GOLFDirectory


White Oak Golf Club Newnan • 770-251-6700May 26-28 • June 22-25 • July 20-23

Canongate 1 Golf ClubSharpsburg • 770-463-3342June 8-11 • June 15-18 • June 29-July 2 •July 20-23

Bentwater Golf ClubAcworth • 770-529-9554 x2June 8-11 • June 15-18 • June 22-25 • July 13-16 • July 20-23

Chapel Hills Douglasville • 770-949-0030June 16-19 • July 21-25

Mirror Lake Golf Club Villa Rica • 770-459-5599June 8-11 • June 22-25

Eagle Watch Woodstock • 770-591-1000June 1-4 • June 8-14 • July 13-16 •July 27-30

Chris Haack Golf Camps(Boys 9-18): Athens • 706-369-6066http://www.chrishaackgolfcamp.com/June 7-10 • June 11-14

Josh Brewer Golf Camp(Girls 10-18): Athens • 706-369-6110http://www.joshbrewergolfcamp.com/June 3-6

NIKE Golf1-800-NIKE-CAMPBerry College Camp: (Ages 10-18)Mount Berry http://www.ussportscamps.com/golf/nike/nike-golf-camp-berry-college/ July 12-16 • Extended Day: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. •Overnight available

Heritage Links Camp: (Ages 7-16)Tucker http://www.ussportscamps.com/golf/nike/nike-golf-camps-at-heritage-golf-links/July 13-17 • 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Legacy Links Camp: (Ages 9-17)Smyrna http://www.ussportscamps.com/golf/nike/nike-golf-camp-legacy-golf-links/June 1-5 • June 22-26 • July 13-17 • July 20-23 • July 27-31 • Half day 9 a.m.-12 p.m. • Full day 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sea Island Golf Learning Center St. Simons Island • 912-638-5119http://www.seaislandglc.com/junior-golf/

2015 Summer Elite Junior Golf School:(Ages 12-18 with handicap of 10 or less)June 23-27 • July 21-25 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

2015 Summer Junior Players Golf Camp: (Ages 11-17 with a handicapof 15 or less) July 13-17 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

2015 Summer Junior Golf Camp:(Ages 11-17 with playing experience)June 15-19 • July 6-10 • July 27-31 • 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

2015 Four Day Summer Junior Golf Camp: (Ages 11-17 with playing experience) June 29-July 2 • August 3-6 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

2015 Summer Mini Junior Golf Camp:(Ages 10-14 with some golfing experience) June 7-9 • June 21-23 • July 5-7 • July 26-28• August 9-11 • 1-5 p.m.

2015 Summer Girls Golf Camp: (Girls 10-14 with some golf experience)June 14-16 • July 19-21 • 1-5 p.m.

Newtown RecreationJohns Creek • 678-297-2662http://www.newtownrec.com/Junior Camps: (Ages 7-17)May 26-29 • June 2-5 • June 9-12 • June 23-26 • July 7-10 • July 14-17 • July 28-31 • 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Summer Grove Golf ClubNewnan • 678-850-6476http://www.summergrovegolf.comJunior Camps: (Ages 6-16)June 1-4 • June 15-18 • June 29-July 2 • July 13-16 • July 27-30 • 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

RiverPines GolfJohns Creek • 770-442-5960http://www.riverpinesgolf.com/product/junior-summer-camps/Junior Summer Camps: (Ages 6-14)June 8-11 • June 29-July 2 • July 13-16 •July 20-23 • August 3-6 • 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Chicopee WoodsGainesville • 770-534-7322http://frasiergolf.com/JuniorGolf/SummerCamp.aspxJunior Camps: (Ages 7-15)June 16-18 • July 14-16 • 9-11 a.m. (8:45 a.m. check-in)

Cherokee Run Golf Club- Jr. Golf AcademyConyers • 770-785-7904Junior Camps: (All camps ages 6-12)

June 1-4 • July 20-23 (both 9 a.m.-12 p.m.)Cost: $125 (lunch included)

Windy Hill Golf AcademySmyrna • 770-990-7970 (PGA Professional Dan Rozek)www.atlgolflessons.comAges 4-6: May 27-29 • June 15-17 • June 29-July 1 (all classes 12:30-2 p.m.) •$69Ages 7-9: May 27-29 • June 15-17 • June 29-July 1 • July 20-22 (all classes 9 a.m.-12 p.m.) • $125Ages 10-15: June 8-11 • July 7-10 (all classes 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) • $199

Eagles Landing Country ClubStockbridge • 770-389-9898Ages 5-12: June 9-12 • June 23-26 • July 7-10 • July 21-24 (10:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m.)

West Pines Golf ClubDouglasville • 678-391-1600www.westpinesgc.comAges 7-15: June 9-12 • July 14-17 (9 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Marietta Golf CenterMarietta • 770-977-1997 • 404-386-5581Ages 5-7 (S.N.A.G.): 5 weeks, Saturdays,May 30 • June 6, 13, 20, 27 • July 11, 18, 25• August 1, 8 (9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m.)Age groups 8-12 and 13-17: June 2-5 •June 9-12 • June 16-19 • June 23-26 • July 7-10 • July 14-17 • July 21-24 • July 28-31 (Tuesday-Thursday 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,Friday 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., course play)

Cateechee Golf ClubHartwell • 706-856-3323 (Jeff Gotham)www.Chateeche.comAges 6-9 and 10-13: June 8-10 • June 23-25 • July 14-15

Sapelo Hammock Golf ClubTownsend • 912-832-4653www.sapelohammockgolfclub.comAges 5-16: June 8-11 • July 27-30 (9 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Double Oaks Golf ClubCommerce • 706-286-6879 (Jeff Chleboun)www.doubleoaksgolfclub.netAges 5-10: (Fridays) June 5, 12, 19, 26 • July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (7:30-9 a.m.)Ages 11-18: (Wednesdays) June 3, 10, 17,24 • July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (7:30-9 a.m.)Champions Group: (Must be member ofa high school or middle school golf team)(Wednesdays) June 3, 10, 17, 24 • July 1, 8,15, 22, 29 (3-5 p.m.)

Lost Plantation Golf ClubRincon • 912-826-2092Juniorgolfguy.comAges 5-12: May 26-29 • June 8-11 • June 15-18 (all classes 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Wilmington Island ClubSavannah • 912-897-1615http://www.thewilmingtonislandclub.com/Golf.htmlAges 5-18: June 9-11 • June 16-18 • July 7-9 • July 14-16 (all 9 a.m.-12 p.m.)

St. Ives Country ClubJohns Creek • 770-497-9432www.stivescountryclub.orgJunior Golf Camp: (Ages 5-7 and 8-13)June 23-25 • July 7-9 • July 28-30 (Ages 5-7: 9-11 a.m.) (Ages 8-13: 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.)

Landings Golf ClubWarner Robins • 478-923-5222www.landingsgolfclub.comThree Day Clinics: (June 1-3 • June 22-24)Ages 7-9: 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m.Ages 10+: 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.Half Day Golf Camps:(June 8-12 • July 13-17) Ages: 7-16: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Golf Club at Cuscowilla Cuscowilla Junior Golf CampEatonton • 706-485-0094www.cuscowilla.com Ages 5-18: June 8-11 • June 29-July 2 • July (9 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Cobblestone Golf CourseAcworth • 770-917-5151http://www.cobblestonegolf.com/golf-academy/junior-golf-programsJunior Camp Ages 5-7 and 8-13: June 1-4 • June 8-10 • June 15-18 • June 22-25 • July 6-9 • July 20-23 • July 27-30 (8:30-10:30 a.m.)Junior Camp Ages 13-16: Dates TBD

Brookfield Golf AcademyRoswell • 770-992-9230www.mbpgolf.comJunior Camp (Ages 5+): June 2-4 • June 16-18 • June 23-25 • July 7-9 • July 21-23 • July 28-30 • 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Applewood Golf CourseKeysville • 410-282-0886Junior Summer Golf Camps: Session 1:June 9, 10, 11, 20 • Session 2: June 22, 23,24 • Session 3: July 13, 14, 15 • Session 4:July 27, 28, 29 • Session 5: August 3, 4, 5


Rich, Riano winat Oak MountainLeo Rich of Johns Creek and AndreaRiano of Rome were the boys and girlswinners in a Georgia PGA Junior Tourevent last month at Oak Mountain inCarrollton.

Rich shot 74-76—150 to win the boysdivision by one over Dario Ayala ofAlpharetta. Kevin Partridge of Hamiltonwon the 14-15 age group by 11 shots witha 153 total, and Lindsey Cordell of Romeshot 156 to take first in the 11-13 division.

Riano, competing in the 11-14 agegroup, was the girls winner with a 174 total.

Columbus capturesNorth Georgia event Columbus won the annual North GeorgiaHigh School Classic, played for the firsttime this year at Chateau Elan. The BlueDevils finished with a 6-over 574 total inthe36-hole event, with Gainesville 2nd at

587 and Etowah 3rd at 598. The top four Columbus players finished

8th or better individually, led by StantonSchorr, who shot 71-70—141 to tie for2nd. Nolan Miller tied for 4th at 71-72—143, with Ben Carr and Ben Womacktying for 8th with scores o 73-72—145.

Gainesville’s Spencer Ralston was thetournament medalist at 4-under 138 withscores of 68-70. Teammate NathanWilliams shot a final round 67 to tie for4th at 143. Etowah was led by Nick Budd,who tied for 2nd at 67-74—141.Teammate Jake Haggerty tied for 6th at144 with Roswell’s Zach Zwitter.

Lee’s 66 takes AJGA at CCoS Buford’s S.M. Lee shot a 66 and won theAmerican Junior Golf Association WellsFargo Junior at Country Club of the Southwhen the second round was rained out.Lee, who has signed with Minnesota, hadseven birdies and just one bogey in the

round to win by three strokes. Jake Milanowski of Peachtree City

tied for 2nd at 69, with Ben Shipp ofDuluth and Justin Kim of Rome tying for8th at 72. Shooting 73 to tie for 11th wereBrett Barron of Suwanee, Mark DavidJohnson of St. Simons Island and MarcusByrd of Dunwoody. Tying for 18th at 75were Chandler Eaton of Alpharetta andNicolas Cassidy of Johns Creek.

Roswell’s Rinko Mitsunaga, who hassigned with Georgia’s women’s team, shot71 and finished in a 4-way tie for first inthe girls division. There was no playoff.Atlanta’s Amanda Doherty shot 72 andtied for 5th. Kayley Marschke ofSuwanee tied for 8th at 73, with RachelDai of Milton T11 at 74.

The tournament was presented byMizuno. Bailey Tardy of Norcross, who will be

Mitsunaga’s teammate in Athens this fall,tied for 2nd in an AJGA tournament inFrisco, Tex., with a 145 total, three shotsbehind the winner.

Spivey, Habeel win at Kinderlou ForestWill Spivey of Douglas and AyannaHabeel of Decatur won their age groupsin a Southeastern Junior Tour event atKinderlou Forest in Valdosta.

Spivey shot 74-79—153 to win the boys12-13 division by six shots over SamBarrett of Thomasville. Habeel was thegirls 12-14 winner by three shots with a157 total.

Atlanta’s Braden Jones shot 154 andwas 2nd in boys 14-15, with Jake Maplesof McDonough 3rd in the 16-19 division at146, two shots behind the winner.

In a SJGT event in Huntsville, Ala.,Marietta’s Mack Alford shot 144 to tie forfirst place, but lost the playoff. Marietta’sAndrew Yowell was 4th at 146.

Perkins, Bae taketitles at Traditions Logan Perkins of Locust Grove andJenny Bae of Lawrenceville were theboys and girls winners of a HurricaneJunior Tour tournament last month at theTraditions of Braselton.

Perkins shot 72-75—147 to edge AlexRogers of Fayetteville by one in boys 15-18. Hunter Hester of Peachtree City andAustin Rains of Acworth tied for 3rd at149. Blake Parkman of Cumming shot72-75—147 to take first in boys 13-14, fiveahead of Myles Jones of Suwanee andGavin Noble of Ringgold.

Bae finished with a 156 total in girls 15-18 to win by two shots over SavannahSatterfield of Chatsworth, with Marietta’sLizzie Reedy 3rd at 158. Buford’s TessDavenportwas the 11-14 division winnerat 158, with Ayanna Habeel 2nd at 164.

In a HJGT event at Jekyll Island’s PineLake course, Ashley Shim of Newnanplaced 2nd in girls 11-14 at 155, two shotsbehind the winner. Julianna Collett of St.Simons Island was 3rd in the 15-18 divi-sion at 149, with Brett Ammons ofMcDonough and Aubrey Holloway ofFayetteville tying for 3rd in boys 15-18 at144.

Alpharetta junior wins Augusta eventAlpharetta’s Brad Peacock won the boys10-11 division of the national Drive, Chipand Putt Championship last month atAugusta National, finishing 2nd or 3rd inall three competitions.

Peacock was 2nd in both chipping andputting and 3rd in driving to finish with 26points, one ahead of the runner-up.Connery Meyer was the other Georgianto qualify for the national finals, placing7th in boys 7-9.


Golf FORE Juniors

Andrea Riano Leo Rich

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Smith knocked outin Match Playopening roundOnly one top seed was eliminated in thefirst round of the Georgia PGA Match PlayChampionship in April, with Chris Leakeof The Landings knocking off No. 6 seedHank Smith of Frederica Club 1-up.Smith won both the Yamaha Atlanta Openand Section Championship in 2014.

Two other seeded players also lost theiropening matches, including the other topseed in the East Chapter portion of thebracket. Michael Ferguson of OceanForest won 5&4 against John Wade ofSea Island GC, the No. 11 seed.

Ferguson will play Mark Anderson ofBrunswick CC in the second round, withAnderson one of just two winners out of32 to have to go more than 18 holes.Anderson defeated Drew Pittman on the19th hole and is the highest seed left inEast Chapter bracket at 22.

The other top 16 seed to lose in the firstround was No. 13 Rob French, who wasousted 3&2 by Chris Shircliff of theStandard Club. Shircliff plays No. 20 DavidPotts, the 2010 champion, in the secondround.

Other than Anderson, the only playerneeding extra holes was defending cham-pion Brian Dixon, seeded 7th, whostaved off an upset bid by Gregg Wolff,the tournament champion in 1984 and2003.

Among the second round matches areNo. 8 Clark Spratlin vs No. 25, ShawnKoch, both former champions, and No. 14Seth McCain against No. 19 BillMurchison. The Spratlin-Koch winnercould play another former champion – No.9 Greg Lee in the third round, with theMcCain-Murchison winner playing eitherNo. 3 Kyle Owen or Tim Robinson, whowon his opener handily against 2013champion Donn Perno.

The tournament will conclude August24 with the semifinals and finals atPeachtree Golf Club.

Stevens a winnerat Willow LakeCraig Stevenswon a Georgia PGA SeniorDivision tournament last month at WillowLake in Metter, posting scores of 69-69 fora 138 total and a 3-stroke margin of vic-tory over James Mason (70-71). Charlie

King was 3rd at 70-73—143. Savannah’s John Skeadas was low

amateur and 4th overall at 144, fol-lowed by Sonny Skinner andamateur Rusty Strawn at 145.Amateur Steve Collins was 7th at146, with host pro Gregg Wolfftying for 8th with Phil Wagoner andamateurs Jack Kearney and MelMendenhall.

Fober, Hammockscore second 4-Ball victoryThe Columbus duo of Jason Foberand Cason Hammock teamed upto win their second GSGA Four-BallChampionship, shooting 20-under196 last month at the StandardClub to finish two ahead of BubbaGallops of Columbus and AdamCooper of Midland.

Fober and Hammock shot 68-63-65, building a large enough lead tosurvive two bogeys on their last five holesin the final round. They first won the tour-nament in 2011. Gallops and Coopermade a run the final day with sevenbirdies in the first 13 holes, but parredtheir last five.Chad Branton and Greg Johnson of

Cartersville were 3rd at 201, with MikeCromer of Peachtree Corners and David

Poteet of Suwanee 4th at 202. Four-Ball Tournament: Kennesaw’s

Phillip Hughes and Matt Oxford ofRocky Face won the GSGA Four-BallTournament at Valdosta Country Clubwith a birdie on the 18th hole of the finalround.

Hughes and Oxford shot 65-70-71 for a10-under 206 total, with DavidMatthews and Douglas Rayford of

Valdosta 2nd with scores of 69-66-72—207. Hughes andOxford birdied the first sixholes in the first round, butshot 2-over on the front ninethe final day before reboundingwith three birdies on the back.

Michael Standardand Scot Ward of McDonoughshot a final round 67 to take 3rdat 208. The tournament wasplayed at both Valdosta CC andKinderlou Forest, with the higherflights playing at KinderlouForest.

Marsh takes title in GSGASuper Senior Don Marsh of Johns Creek wonhis second GSGA Super SeniorChampionship in three years, fin-ishing with a 5-over 149 total atIndian Hills Country Club to end up

five shots ahead of his closest pursuers. Marsh posted scores of 73 and 76, with

three players tying for 2nd at 154. Sharingsecond were Jim Kamis of Marietta, Bill Ploeger of Columbus and EdwardKrueger of Suwanee. Dick Doneganof Kennesaw, Gary Woodell ofDouglasville and Bill Evans of Columbustied for 5th at 156.


Craig Stevens

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10 finish and two top 20s in just sixstarts, and was 150th on the points list.Vaughn Taylor, who has limited statusas a past champion, has made just fourstarts, but has three top-25 finishesincluding a tie for 10th at Pebble Beachand was 160th. Jonathan Byrd has gotten 10 starts as

a non-exempt player, but has missed fivecuts and was 162nd, just ahead of DavisLove at 163. Love finished 8th last fall inMalaysia, but missed four of his next fivecuts, and is now sidelined for at leastanother month after foot surgery. ‘Blake Adams has returned to action

after being sidelined due to hip replace-ment, and had his best tournament insome time, tying for 11th at HiltonHead. Adams shot 64 in his first round of

the year in Palm Springs, but had madejust one cut in five starts before theHeritage Classic. He was 184th. Other than a tie for 21st in Malaysia,

this has been a rough season for HeathSlocum, who has missed eight of 11 cutsand was 190th. Roberto Castro, who isnon-exempt after qualifying for the 2013Tour Championship, has made four ofseven cuts, but has only one finish betterthan 58th and was 204th. Players have tobe in the top 200 to qualify for theWeb.com Finals and have Web.comstatus for the 2016 season. Castro hasmade just one Web.com start, but mayhave to play more on that tour the rest ofthe season. Spieth and Jimmy Walker, the only

two-time winners this season were 1-2 inthe FedExCup standings, with J.B.Holmes third as of late April. DustinJohnson, Charley Hoffman, RyanMoore and Jason Day were also in the

top 10, with Hideki Matsuyama thehighest ranked non-winner at 10th. Former FedExCup champions Brandt

Snedeker, Bill Haas and Furyk, all2014-15 winners, were in the top 20along with youngsters Robert Streb,Ben Martin, Brooks Koepka andJames Hahn, also winners this season. Many of top European players are well

down the list after playing limited sched-ules in the U.S. prior to the Match PlayChampionship. New Orleans winnerJustin Rose (18) and Henrik Stenson(30) were the only ones in the top 30, withSergio Garcia 46, Lee Westwood 87,Rory McIlroy 103 and Martin Kaymerwell back at 156. Adam Scott, who alsohas played sparingly in the U.S., was 119. Top American players outside the top

30 at the midway point included PhilMickelson (48), defending FedExCupchampion Billy Horschel (61) andRickie Fowler (71).

PGA Tour [ Continued from page 20 ]


Across1. Golf Hall of Famer who won 11 tournaments in a row (2 words)7. Legendary golfer (first name), born in the same year as 1 Across9. High ranking women’s golfer from New Zealand, first name10. Hazards (2 words)11. PGA ______12. Distance the ball carries15. Diamond pattern used in some golf jerseys18. Cry of mock horror19. It connects the shaft to the clubhead20. Golfer’s selections24. Left handed, abbr.26. 2011 Byron Nelson winner27.What a caddy acts as29. Initials of a Caribbean island and an Asian nation

30. Apple state31. 2014 Byron Nelson winner32. 2010 FedEx Cup champion(2 words)36. Low-running shot played around the green (3 words)38. Shot that flies slightly from right to left for right handed players40. Tech department41. Green’s material42. Great hole score43. Yang was the first Major winner from this continent44. ____ Richards of Texas

Down1. Ball covering2. Distance between the center of theswing arc and the hands on the grip3. Close to4. South African golfing great, Ernie

5. Sponsors of the 2015 PGA Tourevent in Hawaii, won by JimmyWalker6. Enthusiast7. US women’s golfer who won the Women’s British Open in 2013,first name8. Tournament that awards a greenjacket13. First name of the British golferwho held number 1 ranking in 201014. Shout16. Successfully hit a shot from a poorlocation17.Word describing the turning of the body during the backswing21. Setback22. Another word for a hazard23. Carrying a golf bag, suggestingclubs, for example25. One of two equal parts28.Hit a putt with a short, firm stroke

29. Intelligence, in slang33. Coffee container34.Well ranked LPGA Tour player,Jessica ____35. Shot that flies slightly from left to right37. “Day” in Spanish38. __ or die39. Go round in the least number of shots

Answers at: www.foregeorgia.com/puzzle

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