FORE Georgia 0808B web

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GE ORGIA PGA .COM GOLFFORE GEORGIA .COM A UGUST 2008

design on Lake Oconee that is part of theReynolds Plantation family of courses.

In addition to being one of the statesmost scenic courses, Arrowhead Pointe isalso perhaps the strongest of the State Parklayouts, but is by no means overly

demanding. The course measures 6,861yards from the gold tees and 6,458from the blues, with the white and red

tees having a little length at 5,95,220 respectively.

Course designer Bob Walker wsented with some gently rolling teproximity to the lake, and makes use of the water as a backdrop whiting its impact on play. There

and Augusta, as well as the Anderson, S.C.,area.

With almost the entire back nineskirting along the edges of Lake Russell,the course shares some similarities withGreat Waters, the standout Jack Nicklaus

B y M i k e B l u m

or Georgia golfers looking forboth quality and value in a dailyfee setting, its hard to do much

better than the courses that comeunder the State Park umbrella.

There are eight State Park courseslocated around the state, with most ofthem a bit removed from Georgias largercities, where there are more than enoughoptions for the states golfers.

The State Park courses consist of fivethat cover a large expanse of south andsouth central Georgia and three within arelatively small area in the northeast por-tion of the state.

The three in northeast Georgia includethe newest of the State Park courses, theone closest to the Atlanta metro area andone of the more unique layouts youll

come across in a state with some of thebest-known courses in the country.The new kid on the block is Arrowhead

Pointe at Lake Richard B. Russell, whichopened in 2004 to rave reviews. LikeMeadow Links at George T. Bagby in FortGaines, the second newest State Parkcourse, Arrowhead Pointe is an exceptionallayout in a wonderful (albeit slightlyremote) setting, located along Lake Russellon the Georgia/South Carolina border.

Arrowhead Pointe is just east of Elbertonand within easy driving distance of Athens

G e o r g i a G o l f B u s i n e

Georgia

Golf Course

Owners

Association

w w w . g g c o a . c o

770-235-0735MargaretShirley wins

GeorgiaWomens Open

Bryant Odom claims

Georgia Open victory

Stewart Cinknear top

of FedExCup standings

INSIDE

THIS

ISSUE

10 14 16

State Park trio in north Georgia all worth the trip

[ SeeState Park courses,page 6 ]

LAKE-FINLAY

3 quality courses with affordable fee

F

Arrowhead Pointe


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2 G O L F F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M

321.Theres nothing in this world quite like the PGA TOUR Supeservices usually limited to the worlds best players. That ought to get you

Buckhead 404-364-6900 Roswell 770-640-0933 Kennesaw 770-422-4949 Duluth 770-495-

A U G U S


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

olfers of every level now have access to the technology, equipment, and

the right direction. Isnt it time you felt like a pro? pgatoursuperstore.com

2 0 0 8 A U G U S T


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

By Jason Coffin

PGA Professional

TheOaksCourse

On a golfers approach shot, he has left the

ball just short ofthe green.He hasan uphill

chip shot of about 30 feet with plenty of

green in between him and the

hole. The only trouble is behind

the green in the form of a pond.

He pulls an 8 iron out of his bag

to hit a low running chip shot

that he has seen the pros on TV

hit a million times. The next

thing he knows the ball is

zooming over the back of the

green and he watches it roll intothe pond because he thinned it.

The next hole he is faced with the same

situation, and he is determined not to

make the same mistake. So instead of the

ball zooming over the green when he

attempts the chip, it advances forward

only a foot because the golfer has inserted

the club head deep into the turf directly

behind the ball.

If the previous scenario sounds familiar

then reading this will help.

A way to avoid predicaments like the

above story is to weaken your grip when

you hit a chip shot. A grip that is consid-

ered weak, for a right handed golfer, is one

in which the hands are rotated to the left

while holding the club. This means that

the grip of the club is located more in

the palm of the left hand, and more in

the f ingers of the r ight hand.

This would obviously be the opposite

for a lefty.

The reason this grip helps you

when chipping,is that itmakesit very

hard for the clubface to close and

encourages a flat left wrist at impact.

(Right handed golfers) The main cause of a

thinned or flubbed chip is from scooping.

This is when the wrists break down or

uncock before impact and the club head

passes the hands, resulting in the butt end

of the grip pointing at your belly button.

If you can consistently make contact

with the ball with a flat left wrist, your

chips will come off the club with a "click"

and feel very crisp. Your wrists

should feel firm through the

chip and the butt end of the

grip should not point towards

your body after the shot. At

impact the hands should be

slightly ahead of the ball.

If you decide to use this

method when chipping there

are a few things to remember.Because you are gripping the

club with a weak grip it makes the club

face open through impact. To make sure

that the ball goes towards the target you

can aim a little left of the intended line or

you can close the clubface before you grip

the club.

If you choose to close the face, make

sure that after you take your grip and look

down at the club head, the face is left of

the target line. This will feel a little weird at

first, so make sure you get the feel for this

technique on the practice green before

taking it to the course. A second thing to

remember is not to let the wrists break

downwhile chipping.If thishappenswhen

you are using a weak grip the ball will go

right very quickly.

Using a weak grip while chipping has

been a secret the pros have used for years.

Corey Pavin is one of the best chippersever to play the game and this is exactly

the method he used to get there. With

some practice and experimentation you

can make it work for you, too.

A U G U S

3021 Kalah Place, Marietta, GA 30

770-933-04GA (Office)

770-953-6638 (Fax)

golfforegeorgia.com

[email protected]

PUBLISHER

Golf Media, Inc.

John Barrett

EDITOR Mike Blum

CONTRIBUTORS

Jason Coffin

Jackie Cannizzo, Womens Golf Ed

Lake-Finlay Image Group

Joseph Field

Steve Dinberg

Georgia Golf Course Owners Assoc

Cindy Acree, Executive Directo

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

Eric Atkins, Sales Representativ

J.R. Ross, Sales Representative

Rick Holt, Corporate Sales

ART DIRECTOR

Lori Montgomery

[email protected]

GEORGIA SECTION, PGA OF AMER

PRESIDENT

Jim Arendt, ChicopeeWoods Golf C

VICE-PRESIDENT

Patrick Richardson, Wilmington Islan

SECRETARY

Brian Stubbs, Country Club of Colu

HONORARY PRESIDENT

Danny Elkins, Georgia Golf Cen

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bud Robison, Callaway Garden

Marten Olsson,The Club at River F

Steve Godley, Jekyll Island Golf C

Bob Elmore, Bacon Park GC

Shawn McKinnon, Berkeley Hills

Richard Hatcher, Ansley GC

Jeff Dunovant, FirstTee of East L

Scott Mahr, Barnsley Gardens Re

Clark Spratlin, Blue Ridge Golf & Riv

Dan Mullins, Classic Golf Manage

Josh Williams, Savannah Golf C

Rodger Hogan, Royal Lakes Golf &

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mike Pa

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Pat D JUNIOR GOLF DIRECTOR Scott Go

OPERATIONS MANAGER Jeff Ash

SECTION ASSISTANT Traci Wate

FOREGeorgia is produced by Golf Me

Copyright 2008 with all rights res

Reproduction or use, without perm

of editorial or graphic content is pro

Georgia PGA web site: www.georgia

Forecast

INSIDE

THIS

ISSU

E

Instruction Fore You

FedExCup preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Georgians on PGA Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0

Georgia PGA Championship.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Georgia Women's Open wrap-up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Odom wins Georgia Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Hull takes new PGA event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chip shots: State Am wrap-up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

AGATour still going strong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

G o l f F O R E W o m e n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4

Golf FORE Juniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6

Georgia Golf Business: GGCOA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Course reviews:Whte Columns, Oaks. . . . . . . . . . . 30

Use a weak grip for strong chipping

New Ga. license plateto benefit junior golfThe Georgia Junior Golf Foundation (GJGF) is promoting Georgia as a great place to

Tee It Up with the creation and sale of a specially designed license plate. Proceeds

from the sale of the new license plate will benefit the GJGF and support its servicesand resources provided to the states junior golfers.

Among those servicesare the GJGFs

annual magazine, a junior golf clearing

house,clinics and workshops, itspartner-

ship with the national FirstTee program

and itsweb site (www.gjgf.org). The state

requires 1,000 commitments beforethe tag

can be produced and distributed. For an

application, visit the website of the Georgia

PGA, GSGA orthe GJGF.


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Award-Winning Golf Packagesin South Georgia

Meadow Links at George T. Bagby Little Ocmulgee Golf Course

Little Ocmulgee Lodge RoomGeorge T. Bagby Lodge

60-Room Lodges Cottages Full Service Restaurants

18-Hole Award-Winning Golf Courses

2008 South GA Lodge Golf Packages Winter & Summer Spr ing & F all

Meadow Links & George T. Bagby Lodge $59 $66

Little Ocmulgee Lodge & Golf Course $75 $89

Rates are per person,per night, based on double occupancy in lodge room and include a full hot break-

fast each morning and golf each day (18 holes with cart at Meadow Links and 36 holes with cart at

Little Ocmulgee). Rates do not include taxes or gratuities. Call for cottage golf package rates.

G O L F F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M2 0 0 8 A U G U S T


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intimidating forced carries over water, witha few of the tees placed just behind a fingerof the lake and not much water in playaround the greens.

Several slightly elevated tees offerappealing views but do not make the courseplay appreciably shorter, with the firm fairways reducing the listed yardage a bit.Arrowhead Pointe is reasonably tight, withtree-lined fairways more of a factor thanthe water.

Much of the challenge at ArrowheadPointe comes from its greens complexes, which require a considerable amount ofskill to solve whether chipping or putting.

The putting surfaces have a decent amountof size and slope, with many featuring smallknobs that can be quite perplexing to figureout depending on the hole location.

The par-3 third introduces you toWalkers use of humps and bumps on theputting surfaces. But even though the par3s have some of the testiest greens com-plexes on the course, their absence oflength makes them a friendly group.

Length is not a serious concern on thepar 5s, but the two on the back nine areamong the more dangerous holes on thecourse. A creek that winds along andthrough the 10th fairway is a serious con-cern, as is a wetlands area on the 16th thatincludes some tall reeds that are pleasant tolook at but no bargain to deal with if youhave to clear them.

Walker provides a fairly gentle openinggroup of holes before the lake makes it firstappearance at the long and demanding par-4 sixth. The sixth is one of several par 4sthat comprise the heart of ArrowheadPointes challenge, but is just one of twothat tops 400 yards from the blue tees.

The back nine includes several par 4sthat are standouts both from an aestheticand design standpoint, with Walker

keeping the difficulty of them in check while still requiring some solid shot-making to produce a par.

Conditions are excellent, with the courseliving up to its billing by Golf Digest as oneof the countrys top new, affordable coursesin its 2005 rankings.

Located perhaps an hour away outsideRoyston, known at Ty Cobbs birthplace,Highland Walk at Victoria Bryant is alsonot far from Athens and within easy reachfor golfers throughout northeast Georgia.

Noted Atlanta area-based golf coursearchitect Denis Griffiths renovated theoriginal nine in 2002 and added ninenew holes, and the result is an interestingdesign with a tremendous variety of holes,many of which feature considerable eleva-tion changes.

Highland Walk measures only 6,503yards from the blue tees and 6,045 fromthe whites, but dont be deceived. Whilethere are a number of downhill holes thatplay shorter than the listed yardage, theinviting opening pair of par 4s among

them, the uphill holes are most definitelyuphill.

Because of the rolling nature of the ter-rain, you can expect a larger than usualnumber of shots from uneven lies. Yourability to deal with that will largely deter-mine whether you can take advantage ofthe layouts overall absence of seriouslength and minimal amount of hazards inplay.

After the two short, downhill par 4s thatmake for such a comfortable start, the true

nature of Highland Walk kicks in on thethird hole, a dogleg left par 4 with a sharplyuphill tee shot that will likely result in ablind, lengthy second.

While the majority of the par 4s atHighland Walk are on the short andfriendly side, there are a few that arenot nearly as accommodating, with off-target tee shots and miss-hit approacheslikely to lead to unpleasant numbers on thescorecard, even without the presenceof hazards.

You wont find many courses with agreater disparity in the design and chal-lenge of their par 5s, beginning with thefourth, which offers two separate corridorsto the green, similar to a hole at theGriffiths designed Chestatee. The long andwinding 15th is a whole lot of hole at 584from the whites, and the last 150 yards onthe 18th are about as uphill as it gets.

Water makes its first serious appearanceon the scenic par-3 16th, but is most inplay on the par-4 17th, which requires anextremely demanding carry from the teeover a ravine, depending on where the teemarkers are placed. A truly scary hole forshort hitters unless the tees are up, whichthey usually are, thankfully.

The excellent greens complexes are tameas a group with an exception or two, but with the challenge coming before youreach for your putter, the course doesntneed putting surfaces with an excess ofundulation.

Both the quality of the conditions andthe unencumbered nature of the layout

exceed the modest greens fees,layout one of the more entertainplay, although it will occasionalyou because of the terrain.

The Creek at Hard Labor is cits 40th birthday this year, and thas long been a favorite of golfercentral Georgia. The course, located just a few miles off I-2Atlanta, features one of the morelocations for the State Park couprovides one of the most enjo

experiences youll find.One warning: You may not finhole (or the long 16th) all that friethe other 16 holes more than cofor the difficulties of those tw At 6,612 yards from the blue6,166 from the whites, the Creekplayable from a distance standpothe gold (5,348) and red (4,very accommodating to seniorsand youngsters.

With some exceptions, the Hard Labor is a relatively tighcourse, with the challenge off the ning with the first hole, a fairldownhill, dogleg right par-4 withshot over water, likely off a hangi

Fortunately, other than the opthe 16th, which has no water buttrees and yards, the par 4s aregentle group, with four under 3from the back tees. The key is keball in the fairway, not the easiebut one made less challengingseveral holes are best played wiiron or fairway metal off the tee.

Because of the overall absence there are plenty of potential scorand with the greens lacking amount of slope, you should opportunity to hole a putt or tshort par 4s (2, 4, 7 and 10)inviting if you avoid trouble off th

several of the par 3s and par 5s offpromising scoring opportunities.

Water is in play on three of t just one seriously, with the p14th featuring a 90-year-old wathat provides the clubs logo. Abehind the green adds to the hoappeal, with the natural settincourse among its strongest assets.

After a relatively tame stretch ostart the back nine, the Creek otesty finishing stretch beginnin16th, with the 18th one of two mnarrow and lengthy par 5s that a with two shorter, more rollingprovide a nice balance.

The front nine also closes withstouter holes, with the trick at ninth being to work your secaround the large tree looming wright side of the fairway.

Like all the State Park courses,in the northern half of the very accommodating to junior plathe modest greens fees even youngsters.

For information on the Stcourses, visit www.georgiagolf.co

State Park courses[ Continuedfrom thecover ]

G O L F F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M A U G U S6

Creek at Hard Labor

Highland Walk


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G O L F F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M2 0 0 8 A U G U S T2 0 0 8 A U G U S T


8/32

FedExCup Playoffs begin without Wood

B y M i k e B l u m

he first year of the FedExCup

produced plenty of excitementin the inaugural playoffs series oftournaments. But then Tiger

Woods took over, as he frequently does, anddrained all the drama from the PGA Toursmuch hyped re-working of its late-seasonschedule.

There will be no Woods this year, whichmeans there will not be nearly as muchattention paid to the second year of theFedExCup Playoffs as there would havebeen. But there will almost certainly be a lotmore uncertainty as to who will emerge asthe recipient of the $10 million reward forfinishing as the leader in the slightly re-tooled points standings.

It also means no one is likely to win theTour Championship at East Lake by eightstrokes, but thats a topic for the next issue.

With Woods sidelined until some time in2009 after undergoing recent knee surgery,the 2008 FedExCup Playoffs begin thismonth with no clear favorite and a realisticopportunity for someone not within a fewspots of first place going into the playoffs tovault past the current leaders.

Going into the World Golf Championships event at Firestone, Woodsstill held the lead in the points standingsdespite having played only six PGA Tourevents in 08. Kenny Perry, the only playerwith a realistic chance of surpassing Woodspoint total, has made 20 starts and wonthree of them, but still needed a strongshowing in either the WGC event or thePGA Championship to catch Woods, whosesix starts included four wins, one runner-upfinish and a tie for fifth, just two strokesbehind the winner in that tournament.

The points will be reset after the final reg-ular season event in Greensboro, withPerry the likely No. 1 seed in Woodsabsence. Phil Mickelson held an outsidechance of catching Perry, but given his

undistinguished play since his victory atColonial in May, his chances appeared slim.

Duluths Stewart Cinkwas fourth on the

points list going to Firestone, and also had achance to overtake Perry. Cink is nicely posi-tioned to make a run at the $10 millionbonus for winning the FedExCup, but otherthan former University of Georgia golferRyuji Imada, is the only member of thePGA Tours Georgia contingent who haslocked up a spot in the field at East Lake fornext months Tour Championship.

Imada, whowon the alreadydefunct PGATour event at TPC Sugarloaf earlier thisyear, wasseventhon the points list at the endof July, with a pair of runner-up finishesearly in the season, has been among thepoints leaders all year.

As many as 10 other PGA Tour players

with Georgia ties will be in the field for thestart of the FedExCup Playoffs, but anumber of them will not last long unlessthey play well in the first two events (Seestory, page 10).

In order to create more week-to-weekvolatility in the standings, the PGA Tour hastweaked the number of points each playerbegins the playoffs with, and has alsoincreased the points allocation for all fourplayoff events.

The field in the first of the three playoffseve nts le ad ing up to the To urChampionship will consist of 144 players,and it is now possible for the player ranked144th to move all the way into first placewith a victory in the Barclays, which hasbeen moved from Westchester CC in theNew York suburbs across the New Jerseystate line to Ridgewood CC.

Some of the PGA Tour players were lessthan enchanted with the somewhat quirkylayout at Westchester, and after 40 yearsthere, the tournament had become almostan afterthought in the crowded New Yorksports scene, generating next to no localbuzz and surprisingly sparse attendancenumbers.

Woods made a handful of appearances inthe tournament when it was sponsored byBuick, but made his disdain for the course

clear when he elected to skip the playoffsopener last year.

Moving to the highly-regarded A.W.Tillinghast design in the garden spot ofParamus, N.J., is expected to elevate thestatus of the event. The 7,300-yard, par-71tournament course is a combination of thethree nines at the club, which has hosted aU.S. Amateur, a U.S. Senior Open andSenior PGA Championship, but never atournament for golfs top professionals.

Ridgewood is one of two new sites amongthe three courses that will host the playoffsevents preceding East Lake. The BMWChampionship is moving this year only toBellerive in St. Louis, as Cog Hill is being

renovated, leaving Chicago without a tourevent for the first time since the WesternOpen settled there permanently in 1962.

Although the inaugural FedExCup seasonwas notable mostly for some clever commer-cials and the lack of interest paid to it byeveryone not employed by the GolfChannel, it produced plenty of fireworksonce the playoffs began.

Steve Stricker outdueled K.J.Choi downthe stretch at Westchester, finishing birdie-birdie-birdie to win by one after Choidropped a couple of 50-foot bombs on himearlier on the final nine.

Mickelson scored a memorable victory inBostons Deutsche Bank Championship,shooting 66 in the final round to take down Woods, who closed with a 67, by twostrokes. Mickelson took a pass the next weekon Cog Hill, where he had never played well, leaving Woods to provide the finalround drama with a 63 to rally past Strickerand Aaron Baddeley.

With most of the points leaders domi-nating the playoffs, there was virtually nochange in the standings from week to week,and by the time the playoffs came to EastLake for their conclusion, there was next tono suspense as to who would walk awaywith the $10 million bonus.

Without Woods and with the new re-setpoints list, things should be significantly dif-ferent this time around.

As the games No. 2 ranked player,Mickelson inherits the absent Woods statusas the games most prominent name, andwill be at or near the top going into the play-offs. His win last year at TPC Boston andpast victory at East Lake should give himsome confidence coming into the playoffs,but unless he repairs his formerly chummyrelationship with his putter, someone elsewill benefit the most from the Tiger-lessproceedings.

With three wins since his playoff loss toImada at Sugarloaf, Perry has been the tours

hottest player, but he is more of a courses player and the playoff venot suit his game as comfoColonial, Muirfield Village andHills, layouts where he has multi

Perry also tends to perform benot in the spotlight at a high pro

and the streaky nature of his playhis game in a less productive diany time.

Anthony Kim will be a populpublic prognosticators, and record this year wins at Quail HC ha rl ot te a nd C on gr ess ioWashington, D.C., and a runnerin the Heritage speaks well focurrent form and potential inevents on classic courses.

Almost all the PGA Tours to(other than the wounded Tiger)the field when the FedExCupbegin August 21 with the However, there are some

prominent names that may not the 144 who tee it up in the stfamous by Bruce SpringstTony Soprano.

Davis Love was right on the lion the points list coming Canadian Open, and will be ounumber when he plays his final tbefore the playoffs field is set.

Others outside the top 144 inMaggert, Chris DiMarco, RicFred Funk, J.J. Henry,Maruyama and Shaun Mich joins the l ikes of WoodOberholser and 07 Deutscrunner-up Brett Wetterich oninjury list.

The field of 144 at Ridgewoobe trimmed to 120 for the Deuts with major champions Tom David Toms and Angel Cabrerside the top 120.The field will beagain to 70 for the event at Bellethe top 30 on the points list quaEast Lake.

Unlike 2007, when the playheld over four straight weeks, thea break in the schedule this yearto accommodate NBCs Notre Dball broadcast schedule, tChampionship has been bumpeSept. 25-28, the week after the Ry

There will be an off week in be

BMW Championship and the Renabling the top players to astraight weeks of golf. Woods, MErnie Els, Scott Verplank andBritish Open championHarrington all skipped at least ofirst three playoffs events last yea

The Ryder Cup players face five starts in six weeks, so it woua surprise to see one or more of ta tournament off, although tpoints standings will make it morto shrug off an idle week.

8 A U G U S

T

Will no Tiger equal more drama this year?

Phil Mickelson

STEVEDINBERG


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10/32

Cink leads Georgiansinto FedExCup Playoffs

B y M i k e B l u m

hen the PGATour concludesits FedExCup playoffs withtheTourChampionship nextmonth, the 30-player field at

East Lake may not have more than twogolfers with Georgia ties.

Both Stewart Cink andformer Georgia BulldogRyuji Imada have beenfixtures in the top 10 onthe points list for much of

the season. But other than Heath Slocumand ex-Bulldog Bubba Watson, who werein the low 40s on the points list with three weeks left in the regular season, noGeorgian was among the top 70.

The top 144 players on the points listafter this months tournament inGreensboro qualify for the playoffs, andthere were a few prominent Georgians whowill have to play well the final few weeks just to get into the field in the playoffsopener in New Jersey.

Cink, a Duluth resident who enjoyed anoutstanding college career at Georgia Tech,is enjoying perhaps his finest season in his12th year on the PGA Tour. Cink wasfourth on both the points and money listscoming into August, and is in excellent posi-tion to move up to No. 1 and earn the $10million bonus for winning the FedExCup.

C omin g into the Wor ld Go lf Championships event, Cink had posted fivetop-3 finishes this season, including hissecond career win in Hartford, runner-upshowings in the Match Play Championshipand in Tampa, and ties for third in SanDiego and the Masters. He was fifth inscoring and first in the all-around category, with his only negative stats being drivingaccuracy, a fact of life for Cink, and his finalround scoring average, which has not been aserious concern of late.

Imadais also having his best season in his

fifth year on tour, highlighted by his firstwin in Atlanta. After three early-season top-5 finishes, his win is his only top 10, but hedid manage his third top-20 showing in theU.S. Open in the past four years.

Slocum qualified for East Lake for thefirst time in his sixth PGA Tour season in2007, and is positioned to return this year.Slocum, an Alpharetta resident, has playedsolidly this season with five top 10s, amongthem a tie for fifth in Charlotte, for eighthin Atlanta, a fast-finishing T9 in the U.S.

Open and a fourth in Hartford, where hewas one of Cinks primary challengers. Asusual, Slocums strength this year has beenhis accuracy (ninth in fairways hit), andwas key in solid showings he enjoyed lastyear at Westchester and East Lake

Watson, who likeSlocum grew up in north-west Florida, ranks first inthe tour in driving distance(314 yards) but is in the

bottom five percent in fair-

ways hit. His biggest problem this seasonhas been his putting, which has negated histop-10 ranking in greens in regulation.Watson posted recent back-to-back top 10sin Hartford and the Buick Open, tying forsecond in the latter, just one shot behindKenny Perry.

Augusta native Charles Howell and SeaIsland resident Jonathan Byrdboth quali-fied for East Lake year, but were outside thetop 70 on the points list entering August.

After a tie for eighth in the season-opening Mercedes Championship,Howells only top 10 since is a T8 in Atlanta, and his recent results includemissed cuts in the first three majors of 08.Howell ranks well down the list in bothdriving accuracy and putting, but he hasmanaged a number of other respectableshowings despite his statistical struggles.

Byrd has putted well and made a lot ofbirdies as a result, but is suffering througha mostly unproductive season largely due tosome indifferent play on the weekends.Byrd has yet to break 70 in the final roundof a tournament, and has turned severalstrong starts into so-so finishes, with hisbest showing a fourth place finish in Atlanta, where he led after 36 holes. Heshared the lead in the BMW Championship after 36 holes last yearbefore finishing T10, narrowly making thefield for East Lake.

Ex-Georgia Tech star and Atlanta resi-dent Matt Kuchar is having his best seasonsince his rookie year in 2002, with four top10s, among them three of the mostrespected courses on the PGA Tour SeaPines, Colonial and Muirfield Village.Kuchar, one of the tours shorter drivers,ranks well down the list in birdies, but hissteady play has him in the top 40 in scoringaverage. However, following back-to-backtop 10s in the Colonial and Memorial,Kuchar has missed four straight cuts.

Acworth resident Jason Bohn continuesto be plagued by injuries, and has beensidelined since the U.S. Open with a badback. Bohn began the 2008 season on amedical extension after suffering a ribinjury last year, regaining his exempt status with a sixth place finish at Hilton Headand a strong third in Charlotte. Bohn ranksamong the tour leaders in the ball strikingcategories, but his putting has kept hisseason from being even better.

Troy Matteson has not had the bestseason of his young career either on or offthe course. Matteson, a recent GeorgiaTech standout and Atlanta area resident,had three strong showings early this year,but went more than four months beforeanother decent finish before posting a top10 in Milwaukee. Mattesons difficultiesinclude a DUI this spring that made it intoprint in a few suburban Atlanta weeklies,although they did not know whoMatteson was.

Augustas Vaughn Taylor finished in thetop 40 on the money list on both 2005 and06, but is well outside the top 100 andmay need a strong finish to retain hisexempt status for the 09 season. After a tie

for eighth in the Bob Hope Classic in hissecond start of the year, Taylor had beenMIA from tour leader boards until arespectable recent showing in the JohnDeere Classic. Other than greens in regula-tion, Taylors stats are not that bad, but hisresults have not been very good.

With two starts left before the playoffs,Sea Islands Davis Love was outside the top144 on the points list, but is coming off hisbest showing of 08, a top 20 finish in theBritish Open. Love, whose sub-par 2007

season was ended by an ankle innot lost any of his power off the terest of his stats are awful. The quto be asked: at the age of 44, hdoes he have left as a player?

Roswells Justin Bolli attracattention with his tie for fifth inbut thats been it for the formewalk-on this year, and he has droof the top 144 and is unlikely to field for the first playoffs evranks near the bottom of th

scoring average, as his only respe greens in regulation has been moffset by the other less successfulof his game.

Atlanta resident Billy Andradeas a non-exempt player this year fotime in his 20 years on tour, and gotten plenty of starts with thsponsor exemptions, his resulbeen encouraging. A tie for 14thHead is his only quality finish inand his stats are simply horrendhis once-vaunted putting. A job casting may be in Andrades near

The Champions Tour is in thdiate future for Larry Mize, who

next month. The Augusta nColumbus resident has not been aplayer since the 2001 season, anear the bottom of the stats in bodistance and putting. Mize is still more accurate drivers on tour anshare of greens, but will be mcomfortable on Champions TouHe did manage a top-10 finishNationwide Tour caliber field iRico, but cant get to the Champfast enough.

Paul Claxton is playing his fouon the PGA Tour, and appears han 11th year on the Nationwid2009. The Vidalia native and Sresident has made just 6 cuts in h

starts, with a tie for 34th in the JoClassic his best showing. Claxtoished right around 180th on the min each of his three PGA Tour seawill have to go some to finish thayear, ranking outside the top 20into August. After 27 holes in the Open, Claxton was in second planext 27 holes did not go very w was a victim of the tours newcut rule.

10 G O L F F O R E G E O R G I A . C O M A U G U S

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11/32

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12/32

Section Championship back at Seasid

B y M i k e B l u m

fter a two-year absence, theE-Z-GO Georgia PGA Championship returns to theSeaside Course at Sea Island

Golf Club, which will come as welcomenews to several of the states top playersamong the club professional ranks.

The Georgia PGA Championship hasbeen anchored on St. Simons Island formore than two decades, with Seaside thehost throughout most of the 1980s and90s other than when it was being reno-vated by Tom Fazio in the late 1990s.

Since 2003, the tournament has rotatedamong the three Sea Island GC courses, with Retreat hosting in 2004 and 06and Plantation the site of last years

championship.Seaside has hosted just once since 2003,

with Tim Weinhart scoring a dominatingvictory in 05 during his four-year run asthe Georgia PGAs Player of the Year. Weinhart lost in a playoff at Seaside in2002 to Chan Reeves, who defended histitle the next year, edging Craig Stevens bytwo strokes.

Reeves victory in 02 turned the tables onStevens, who won by one stroke over hisfellow Atlanta instructor in 2001, pre-venting Reeves from beginning what couldhave been a three-year stretch of titles in thetop event for Georgias PGA professionals.

Weinhart, Stevens and Reeves will be

among the players to beat in this monthschampionship, which will be playedAugust 25-27. The tournament is part of abusy stretch of Georgia PGA tournamentsthrough August, September and October,which began with the recent Georgia Openand concludes with the Sections qualifierin late October for the 2009 PGAProfessional National Championship.

There are five significant Section eventsduring that span, including the Match PlayChampionship in late September and theGriffin Classic in early October.

Going into the Georgia Open, threeGeorgia PGA members who all live in Athens have been hording the Sectionstournament titles for the past three years,

with all three claiming Georgia PGAChampionship victories since 2004 on SeaIsland GC courses other than Seaside.

Jeff Hull won by two strokes in 04 atRetreat over Greg Lee, who won at Retreattwo years later. Matt Peterson was the 2007Section champion, winning with a strongfinal round showing at Plantation, the onlytime that course has hosted the event.

Peterson, a former tour player withextensive experience on the NationwideTour, went on to win two of the next three

Georgia PGA events he entered, taking thePNC qualifier and the 2008 YamahaAtlanta Open, with a runner-up finish toLee in the Match Play Championship hisonly non-victory in a four-tournamentspan.

Also relatively new to the Georgia PGAtournament schedule after years as a tourplayer is Sonny Skinner, who joined Weinhart as a participant in this monthsPGA Championship at Oakland Hills out-side Detroit.

Skinner finished third at Retreat in2006, his first full season playing inGeorgia PGA events, and claimed Player ofthe Year honors with the aid of a victory inthe Match Play Championship.

A back injury kept him out of last yearsSection Championship, but he has enjoyed

a strong 2008 season so far. Skinner fin-ished second to Peterson in the AtlantaOp en , t ook se con d i n t he PG A Professional National Championship atReynolds Plantation, and notched a top-20finish in the Athens Nationwide Tourevent, allowing him to play in a number ofother Nationwide events this year.

Peterson, the head professional at theUniversity course in Athens, trailed bythree strokes entering the final round of lastyears tournament, but turned his deficitinto a four-stroke victory with a 66. He fin-ished with a 10-under 206 total, fourstrokes ahead of veteran Georgia PGAmembers and former Section

Championship winners Tommy Brannenand Stephen Keppler.It was the third straight time Keppler has

finished second in the championship,including in 05 at Seaside. Keppler, theDirector of Golf at Marietta Country Club,has reduced his tournament play the pastyear or two, but has been a consistent topfinisher in the Section Championship since winning the event three times between1990 and 96, before the Seaside Coursewas renovated.

Brannen, the head professional atAugusta Country Club, won the GeorgiaPGA Championship in 1993 and eventhough he has reached the age of 50,remains one of the most competitive

players in the Section. He also has a solidtrack record on the Seaside layout, losing aplayoff to Reeves in 2002 and placing sixththe next year.

Since it was renovated, Seaside hasyielded some relatively low winning scores,ranging from 7-to-10-under par on thepar-70 layout, to 1-under in 2002. With itslocation along the ocean at St. Simons, thecourse is exposed to the elements, withwind and rain both potential major factorsany time it hosts a tournament.

Seaside, which is widely considered to beamong the countrys finest layouts, can playas long as 7,000 yards from the tips, but allthe back tees are unlikely to be used on thesame day, especially if the wind is likely toplay a significant role.

Although Seaside has only three par 4slonger than 425 yards from the back tees, itis not a short course. Only one par 4 meas-ures under 400 yards, the par 3s averageright at 200 yards and the two par 5s canplay as long as 565 and 582.

While most of Seasides fairways have rel-atively ample width, the presence ofmarshes, native sand dunes and water haz-ards will not treat errant tee shots verykindly, with some stiff ocean breezesheightening the necessity for accuracy offthe tee.

Most of the greens are average size orlarger, although the fall-offs around edgesmake many of them play smaller than theiractual size. The Bermuda putting surfaceshave ample amounts of slope, with many ofthem featuring Pinehurst-style chippingareas that provide several options for shortgame shots.

The last time Seaside hosted the event, Weinhart shot 66 and 67 the first two

rounds to build a five-stroke lead, andcoasted to a seven-shot win with a finalround 70. Weinhart, an instructor at St.Marlo and a four-time Georgia PGA Playerof the Year from 2002-05, was the onlyplayer under par after 54 holes, withKeppler the lone player closer than ninestrokes to Weinharts winning score.

Weinhart, who played part time on the2007 Nationwide Tour, did not play in lastyears Section Championship. He finishedfourth or better four straight times between

2002 and 05, making up for misses with his impressive win in

Reeves, the Director of InstAtlanta Athletic Club, has finisheseventh and 12th in each of theyears in the Section Championshhoping a return to Seaside will reto the list of contenders.

Since his win in 01, Stevens hano lower than sixth every year,Fox Creek instructor the Secticonsistent tournament contende

past decade.Other than his win at RetreatHull does not have an especially record in the Section Championshcomes into the tournament off a wrecent Georgia PGA event at Woods. Hull, an instructor at the course in Athens, also won thOpen and Griffin Classic last yeasixth in the Atlanta Open, whereSkinner and Weinhart finished 1-2

Lee, an assistant at Chicopee Wdone well the last two times theonship was played at RetreaKeppler by one stroke in 2006 ishing second to Hull in 04. Hfourth with Weinhart at Seaside i

Sea Island GC will be well reprthe tournament, with at least oclubs professionals posting a topin each of the last five years. Wtied for eighth last year, with 19pion Mike Cook in the top 102005 and 06. Victor deSola wthird at Retreat in 04 and was in tthe previous year at Seaside.

This months tournament wilsented by Ashworth, Callaway GoPGA Tour.


A

Matt Peterson

Peterson looks to defend 07 title


13/32



14/32

B y M i k e B l u m

argaret Shirley won the

Yamaha Georgia WomensOpen for the second timein three years, but there

wasnt much similarity in her two victories.Two years ago, Shirley set a tournament

and course record at Canongate-on-WhiteOak in the opening round, but had to sur-vive a playoff to win, finishing with a9-under 135 total.

Last month, Shirley trailed by threestrokes at SummerGrove after a first roundscore of 72, and was still three off the leadheading to the final nine.

In 2006, Shirley had to fend off a deter-mined comeback from Kyu Ri Ban, whoplayed her first 11 holes the final day in 8-

under to erase a 5-stroke deficit.This time, Shirley got to play the chaserrole, and performed it just as well as shedid in the front runners position in 06.

With four birdies in a 6-hole stretch,including the last three in succession,Shirley went from three strokes behind totwo ahead. A final hole bogey did not pre-vent her from adding a second GeorgiaWomens Open title, but she did get a bit ofa scare before becoming the fourth multiplewinner in the tournaments 14-year history.

Shirley posted scores of 72 and 71 for a143 total, eight strokes higher than her win-ning total at White Oak, which is locatedjust across the street from SummerGrove.She finished one stroke ahead of 2004 tour-

nament winner Laura Coble, who held thelead after an opening 69, the only sub-70score in the 36-hole event.

Also tying for second at even par 144 wasChristy Cheek, who claimed low prohonors by four strokes with the aid of back-to-backbirdies the final dayon holes 16 and17. Kendall Wrightwas fourth at 147, fol-lowed by Jackie Beers Syzmoniak at 148and two-time champion Krissie Register at149 along with amateur Anna Rogers.

Like the other eight players who beganthe final round at 73 or better, Shirleyplodded through a thoroughly uneventfulopening nine, recording seven pars and apair of bogeys on holes she was hitting a

short iron approach into.A pair of deft up and downs for par at theeighth and ninth holes kept Shirley in thehunt, and she continued in scramble modewhen she chipped in for par at the 10th.

After that, I started hitting the ball prettysolid, said Shirley, who began her backninecharge with a birdie at the par-5 11th. Shemade it four putts in five holes when she gotup and down for par at the 12th.

Shirleys adept short game produced a

short birdie putt at the par-5 14th, and sherolled in consecutive birdie putts from justinside 10 feet on both 15 and 16 to wrestthe lead from Coble, who simply could notbuy a putt and went the entire round

without a birdie.Coming to the final hole, Shirley held a

two-stroke lead, but made bogey from thefront bunker, leaving some hope for bothCoble and Cheek.

Coble, the states top female amateur forthe past decade, hit a beautiful second shotinto birdie range on the tough par-4 18th,but in a repeat of the first 17 holes, her puttwould not fall.

I had 33 putts today. Thats too many,said Coble, an Augusta resident who wonthe Georgia Womens Open the first time itwas played at SummerGrove in 2004.

Coble finished with a 139 total that year,two strokes ahead of Diana Ramage, who

won the Georgia Womens Open in 2005and 07. Ramage, a Fayetteville native, isnow living full time in Auburn, where sheplayed on the womens golf team, and wasineligible to defend her title.

I hit the ball well enough to win, saidCoble, who had to settle for a second round75 mainly due to her struggles on thegreens.

I did OK with it yesterday, she said ofher putter. But I just could not get the ball

in the hole today. At least I gave myself achance.

Cheek, who turned pro earlier this year,has played in several mini-tour events witha little success, but said, This is the first

time everything came together.After an opening 72, Cheek was in the

final threesome with Coble and Szymoniak,who shot 71 the first day. After six straightpars to start her second round, Cheek madedouble-bogey on the par-3 seventh and abogey at the eighth dropped her fourstrokes off Cobles lead at the turn.

Cheek, an Eastman resident, birdied the10th to close within three of Coble, butwas passed by Shirleys string of birdies.Cheek holed a pair of putts in the 10-footrange on 16 and 17 to have a chance to tieShirley on the final hole, but her secondshot to the 18th found the back bunker.She almost hit the pin with her sand shot

and wound up with a par to tie Coble aftera second straight 72.I played two solid rounds of golf,

Cheek said. I would have loved to win,but its great to take home the first placepaycheck from our pros.

Cheek collected $2,600 for finishing aslow pro, with Szymoniak earning $1,950and Register $1,300. A pair of early bogeysand a double-bogey on the treacherouspar-4 ninth knocked Szymoniak out of

contention. She had tied for third 2005 and 06, earning low pro hoher first professional start two years

Szymoniak, who played on the wgolf team at Georgia, married Caninstructor Scott Szymoniak earlier tand is living in Newnan. She playsFutures Tour.

Register, who won the tournam1997 and 99 and was either first orfour straight times between 97 an was headed for her best finish sinbefore closing with back-to-back bogeys to take third among thRegister, a Roswell resident and Futures Tour member, is a very inftournament participant, with her mnection to golf at present some instwork she does at Brookfield Countr

Wright, one of the states topplayers, briefly held a share of the leashe birdied the par-5 eighth. The tplayers after the first round managedof just three birdies on the front nfinal day and Wright had two of thher stay at the top didnt last long.

Like Szymoniak, Wright took a bogey on the ninth, and despite twbirdies on the back nine, shot 74 tfourth outright at 147. Wright, a resident, has scored a number of vict junior events this summer, includGeorgia PGA Junior Championship

Shirley has been a significant factoGeorgia Womens Open since shejunior golfer. She placed ninth in th

nament in 2001, and has six straighfinishes in the tournament since 20

Like Ramage, Shirley played womens golf team at Auburn, graduMay. Her summer tournament schmostly complete, with her next biqualifying for the LPGA Tour.

Im not ready for a real job quishe said after her victory. Im plango to qualifying school as an amatgo from there.

A few weeks before the Georgia WOpen, Shirley competed in the W Western Amateur at SummerGroestablished a pattern she followedsecond tournament at the Canongate

After a double-bogey at the nintfirst round, Shirley turned in 3-obut came back with three birdiesincoming nine for a 33, the same scshot in the first round of stroke plaifying in the Womens Western.

Ive struggled with my game a llately, she said. Ive been doing work this summer to get back to was. This is really nice to come bwin it again.


Shirley claims second Womens Open titlRallies past Coble on final 9 at SummerGrove

M

Margaret Shirley


15/32



16/32

Former Dawg Star Odomroars to Georgia Open win

Pulls away in final round for 5-stroke victoryB y M i k e B l u m

hings did not start especially well for Bryant Odom in therecent Your CommunityPhoneBook Georgia Open.

Odom took a double bogey on the rela-tively tame par-4 second hole at BarnsleyGardens Resort, and after just three holesof the tournament was 3-over par.

Nine holes later, however, Odom hadmade five birdies and was 2-under for hisround. Two late bogeys left him with an

even par round of 72, which took two daysto complete because of an afternoon stormthat twice delayed play.

From that point, however, Odom didlittle wrong on Barnsley Gardens highlyrespected layout, playing his final 54 holesin 14-under par. The Cartersville nativeand former U. of Georgia All-Americanclosed with rounds of 66-67-69 for a 14-under 274 total and a 5-stroke margin overrecent Georgia Tech standout RobertoCastro, earning him the winners checkof $10,500.

It was Odoms first victory since he madethe decision to take a second shot as a tourplayer. In his first two seasons as a tour pro,Odom won a tournament on the Hooters

Tour in 2003 and finished just one strokeout of a playoff in a 2004 Nationwide Tourevent in Greenville, S.C., with formerteammate and 2008 AT&T Classic cham-pion Ryuji Imadawinning the playoff.

But after a rough 2005 on the course,Odom left life on tour to take a job as anassistant at Ocean Forest on Sea Island,and remained there for two years beforedeciding to return to the tour.

Odom, who has settled on St. SimonsIsland, won the 2007 Georgia PGA Assistants Championship shortly beforeleaving Ocean Forest, and has divided histournament time this year between theHooters and Tar Heel Tours.

A tie for seventh in a Tar Heel event washis best showing so far in 08, with amodest four top-25 finishes in a combined12 starts. Perhaps Odoms best effort of theyear came in a U.S. Open sectional quali-fier at Ansley Golf Clubs SettindownCreek, where he recorded a pair of 68s totie for fifth.

Unfortunately for Odom, there wereonly three spots available from the quali-fier, and they went to three PGA Tour

winners who all shot at least 10-under par.Odom did not have to contend with the

likes ofJason Bohn, Matt Kuchar or D.J.Trahan in the Georgia Open, but gotplenty of competition from fellowHooters/Tar Heel Tour players Castro and

Jay McLuen for most of the tournament.Castro, who recently scored his second

win on the Tar Heel Tour since turning projust over a year ago, held the first roundlead after an opening 67. He followed witha 70 the next day to lead Odom andMcLuen by one stroke after 36 holes.

Odom shot a 67 in the third round tomove two strokes ahead of Castro andthree in front of Thomas Baker ofCanton, who plays on the Gateway Tourin Texas. McLuen was four back after 54holes. Baker surged into contention with atournament best 65 that included 10birdies, but struggled to a 76 the final dayto fall into a tie for seventh at 284.

By the time the final threesome madethe turn, Odoms lead was six strokes, andhis margin reached nine after he made hisfourth straight birdie of the round on thepar-5 12th. Three bogeys by Odom and apair of late birdies by Castro reduced thefinal margin to five.

You just look at the names of theplayers who have won this tournament; itsa whos who of Georgia professionals,Odom said after his victory. Youve got

major champions and PGA Tour winners.To add my name to the list is a feather inmy hat.

Among the more notable names on thelist of Georgia Open winners are majorchampions Tommy Aaron, Larry Nelson

and Bob Tway, and PGA Tour winnersHugh Royer, Jr., DeWitt Weaver, Jr.,Tim Simpson and Gene Sauers.

Hopefully, I can move on and followtheir path, said Odom, who will belooking for a successful session at Q-schoollater this year.

Odom won the Georgia Open largelythrough his dominance of BarnsleyGardens vulnerable quartet of par 5s.Over the four rounds, Odom notched 13birdies and three pars on the par 5s,scoring four of his six birdies in the finalround on them.

I knew when I made the turn, my plan was to birdie the par 5s and just play

smart. The par 3s on the back nine are dif-ficult. I bogeyed them both. After five holes of the final round,

Odom led Baker and Castro by three shotseach. Baker bogeyed the next three holesto fall out of the picture, while Castromissed a short par putt at the eighth andhit his second shot in the water at the par-5 ninth, missing another short putt for adouble-bogey to dash his slim hopes.

Odom, meanwhile, birdied 9, 10 and 12

after putting for eagle on all threand rolled in a birdie putt on th With a 9-stroke lead, he could afew slips, and three bogeys comdid nothing other than reduwinning margin.

Because he did not complete hround Thursday, Odom had littlbefore beginning his second roundbegan on the back nine. He birdiepar 5s to start 2-under after threeand began his second nine witbirdies on the first five holes. A bthe ninth gave him a 66 and gwithin a shot of Castro, who hadand-down round after opening no-bogey 67.

McLuen, who also dominated 5s, was one back of Castro after 36but Odom moved ahead of both wgot off to a fast start in the third roubirdied the first three holes and chifor birdie at the seventh.

After an errant tee shot on theighth led to his lone bogey of tOdom birdied 11 and 12 and wo with a 67 and an 11-under 20

Castro shot 70 and was second at 2lowed by Baker at 208 after his McLuen at 209 with a 71.

McLuen, an Athens resident, lplayoff to Jared Garrity at RLanding two years ago, and wastender until late in the final round lat Champions Retreat. He notcbirdies the final day, but they werby six bogeys.

Castro, who had a strong finishyears tournament, could not repeaBarnsley Gardens.

I just hit it really poorly on thnine, he said. I did not hit one irremotely close to where I was l

When I hit it in the lake at ninpretty much was the end of the stoCastro came into the tourname

strong stretch of play that includstroke victory in a Tar Heel event afor 12th on the Hooters Tour highby a final round 62.

I feel good about my gam Alpharetta resident said. This wfourth week in a row, and I strugstay focused.

Earning low amateur honoAlpharettas Derek Chang, w hfourth overall at 282. Chang, wbegin his college career this Minnesota, has also played well tying for second in the South

Amateur in Columbus and postingfinishes in the Dogwood InvitatioRolex Tournament of Champions, event in junior golf.

Chang was in second place alonethe final round after playing anstretch in 6-under par. An eagle on t4 16th, which played just under 30the final day, got him to 5-under


T

[ SeeGeorgia Open, page 18 ]

Bryant Odom


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18/32

Hull takes new Georgia PGA event in playo

B y M i k e B l u m

he Georgia PGA unveiled its

newest tournament recentlywith a slightly different format,but the result produced a

familiar winner.Jeff Hull, the 2007 Georgia PGA Player

of the Year, captured the inauguralTaylorMade-adidas Golf Chicopee WoodsPlayers Championship, winning on thefirst playoff hole against Russ Davis.

The tournament, which was presentedby Club Car, was played over two days, butconsisted of 54 holes, as all three nines at

Chicopee Woods were used both days.That produced some odd looking scores,as Hull shot 99 the first day (the only

player to break 100) and came back with a104 for a 13-under 203 total.

Davis was tied for second at 101 goingto the final round and his 102 score thesecond day pulled him even after 54 holes.

Hull, who won the Georgia Open andGriffin Classic last year and was low pro inthe Atlanta Open, had a chance to win thetournament on the final hole of regulation.He and Davis were tied going to the par-5ninth hole on the School nine, the 27thhole of the day.

Both players layed up short of the pondfronting the 566-yard hole, with Hullssecond shot trickling over a hill at the end

of the favored landing area and rollingwithin a few yards of the water.

After Davis barely got his third shot overthe water, leaving it on the bank betweenthe green and the pond, Hulls stuckhis short third within about four feet ofthe hole.

Davis saved par with a nice pitch and aputt from just outside where Hull was inthree, and Hull missed his birdie attemptthat would have ended the tournamentin regulation.

The two players returned to the Schoolsninth hole for the playoff, which essen-tially ended when Davis dumped his thirdshot into the pond. Hull played safely to

the back of the green for a two-putt parand the tournament title.

Except for one 20-footer on the Millnine, I did not putt very well today, saidHull, who managed just one birdie each onhis first and last nines of the day. I missedsix or seven putts inside six feet, and I hadabout a 3-footer at the last hole to win andjust missed it.

Hull, an instructor at the University ofGeorgia course in Athens, continued thestring of victories by Athens residents inGeorgia PGA events. Of the seven eventsbetween last years Griffin Classic and theChicopee Woods tournament, Hull andMatt Peterson, the head professional atthe University course, won three each, andGreg Lee, an assistant at Chicopee Woodswho lives in Athens, won the other.

We all live within five miles of eachother, said Hull, who will need to over-take Peterson if he hopes to win Player ofthe Year honors for the second straighttime.

Hull took the first day lead with a near-flawless 27 holes, suffering only oneslip-up, with that coming on one of theeasiest holes on the entire course. Hull shot4-under 32 on the Village nine with nobogeys, had one eagle and eight pars on theSchool nine, and recorded five birdies onthe Mill nine.

But a double bogey on Mills short,

par-4 seventh spoiled an otherwise mis-take-free day of golf, leaving him at9-under 99, two strokes in front of Davisand Kyle Owen.

Hull matched par of 36 on the Villagenine to start the final round, but reclaimedcontrol of the tournament with a 33 onMill, notching four birdies, included oneon the pesky seventh, where he holed hismost substantial putt of the day.

Going to the final nine, Hull led playingpartner Davis by two strokes, with former

Players of the Year Sonny Skinner andTim Weinhart both making moves in thetwo groups immediately ahead of Hull.

Skinner, the head professional at RiverPointe in Albany and a current member ofthe Nationwide Tour, got to 11-under parwhen he birdied his 19th hole of the day,but parred in from there. Skinner, the2006 Georgia PGA Player of the Year,played his final 27 holes with five birdiesand no bogeys, and had just two bogeys forthe tournament, but was unable to convertmany of his birdie opportunities. Hefinished fourth at 205 after totals of 102and 103.

Weinhart, an instructor at St. Marlo anda 2007 Nationwide Tour member, was 5-under the first day with 11 birdies, andtrailed Hull by four with 27 holes to play.

He shot 66 on his first 18 the final day toclose within one stroke of the lead, but wasnever able to pull even with Hull. He wasthird at 204, with his 101 score the lowestthe second day.

Davis, the Director of Instruction atCherokee Country Club, has come close toa Georgia PGA win on several occasions,but is still looking for his first Section title.He had 10 birdies the first day and fin-ished at 7-under for 27 holes, and madehis move on Hull the final day with fivebirdies in a 7-hole stretch spanning theMill and School nines.

That pulled Davis within one stroke ofthe lead with six to play, and he let achance to tie Hull elude him when hemissed a short birdie putt on the Schoolspar-5 fifth while Hull saved par with a deftbunker shot.

Davis pulled even with two holes to play when he birdied the par-4 seventh onSchool from clo se r ange whil eHull missed, with Hull missing again atthe ninth to send the tournament to a55th hole.

I played really well today, Hull said.My only two bogeys were three-putts.

Going to the playoff, I felt Russ had theadvantage, because he got a pretty goodbreak at nine when his ball didnt go in the water. As for me, youve got to make athree-footer to win. Im like, I ca nt believe

Im in a playoff.Tying for fifth at 207 were Jennings Mill

assistant Seth McCain and Atlanta areainstructor Bill Spannuth, one of the statestop senior players.

McCain, who was 5-under the first daywith a pair of eagles, shot 68 his first 18the next day, but played his final nine holesin even par to finish at 9-under. Spannuthclosed with a birdie on his final holeto match McCain with scores of 103and 104.

Owen, an assistant at Capital Cand former Hooters Tour player, final group with Hull and Davis

4-under for the day and 11-undtournament after 17 holes. But foon his next five holes knocked hcontention, and he finished s208.

David Potts, an assistant atClub of the South, was eighth at Peterson ninth at 210. Peterson lohe was poised to make a move wstraight birdies early in his final rmanaged just two more birdiesfinal 24 holes.

Playing on his home course,four off the lead after the first day5-under total including eight bian eagle. A double bogey on the

par-5 ninth damaged his causplayed his way back into contenthree straight birdies to start the Lee did not make another birdie the day and tied for 10th at Legacy instructor Brian Dixon.


T

Edges Davis on first extra hole at Chicopee Woods

round and 9-under for the tournahe made a triple-bogey on thfinish the day with a 70.

Pros D.J. Fiese of Smyrna Bartkowicz of Sharpsburg tied f283, with Fiese closing with a 6score of the final round. Bill Man assistant at Towne Lake Hillamong the Georgia PGA contingfor seventh at 284 with BMariettas Drew Nelson. Don WDouglasville was 10th at 285.

Other scores of noFormer Georgia Open champPeterson tied for 11th at 286 aformer Georgia Amateur champiNoll and young tour player StuaDefending champion Jeff Hul

15th at 285, as did amateStrickland. Champions Tour pConley, the 2005 Georgia Oppion, shot 69 the final day and w288.

The Georgia PGA has held sevents at Barnsley Gardens, but first time the northwest Georgiahosted the Georgia Open. The fvery well received by players anment officials, and is a strong conbe a future Georgia Open site.

Georgia Open(Continued from Page16)

Jeff Hull


19/32



20/32

15 years later, AGA Tour still going stron

B y M i k e B l u m

ince 1993, Atlanta area amateurgolfers of wide-ranging ability havehad the opportunity to compete in ayearly series of tournaments that

have provided them with sim-ilar conditions to those enjoyedby the states top players.

The Amateur GolfersAssociation (AGA) Tour madeits debut in Atlanta 1993 andhas been the only one of manyamateur tours in the metro areathat has stood the test of time. A sizeablenumber of competitors have come and gonein the 15-plus years since the AGA Tourplayed its first event, but the first tour of itstype is still the best, having smoothly transi-

tioned through a change in ownershipseveral years ago.

Tyler Refling took over the operation ofthe tour from Atlanta AGA Tour founderRick Bettis, and has maintained the stan-dards Bettis set during his tenure, whileupdating some aspects of the tour.

I think were better than ever, saysRefling, who assumed operation of the tourin 2004 and has led it through economictimes that have not exactly been conduciveto the golf industry.

The numbers of members and tourna-ment participants are downfrom their peaks in the late1990s, but those numbershave stabilized in recent years,despite the arrival of somehigh-profile competition inthe area.

Refling has added a fewmore trips outside the state each year,including ones to Robert Trent Jones Trailcourses in Alabama, as well as the highly-regarded Whistling Straits facility, and theAGA Tours top players can compete in a

national event involving tours from all overthe country.

But the emphasis remains on the toursannual schedule of tournaments in and justbeyond the metro area, which alwaysincludes a mix of the best private and dailyfee courses in the northern half of the state.

This years schedule is an apt example ofthe variety and quality of courses the AGATour visits annually.

Private clubs on the 2008 scheduleinclude Reynolds Landing and ReynoldsNational, the River Club, the StandardClub, Governors Towne Club, SettindownCreek, the Farm, White Columns, TPCSugarloaf, the Manor, St. Ives, LaurelSprings, the Georgia Tech Club, andWaterfall CC.

Daily fee courses on the schedule includeRoyal Lakes, Cobblestone, St. Marlo, theFrog, Heritage Club, Bears Best, BarnsleyGardens, Reunion, Achasta and StoneMountain.

Most of the tournaments at the daily feecourses are played on Saturdays, with thoseat the private clubs on Mondays or

Tuesdays.Golfers wishing to participate in AGA

Tour events pay an annual membership fee,and pay for each individual event they com-pete in.

The AGA Tours longevity in a business inwhich that attribute is rare, says a lot abouthow were doing it and why were doing it,Refling says. Were in it for the members.

Our goal is to work hard and diligentlyto provide top-level opportunities for ourmembers.

Refling says the AGA Tours membershipconsists primarily of two groups.

There are some who just want qualityevents with quality people. And we have

some who want to be able to play privateclubs they otherwise wouldnt be able toplay.

One thing Refling is considering for nextyear is adding a few lower cost events atdaily fee courses. In the past, Refling says thehigher cost tournaments at high profile pri-vate clubs have drawn larger fields than theSaturday events at daily fee facilities. Butthis year, the trend has been relatively equal.The economy has brought back the balance.People dont have the discretionary incomethey used to.

A number of the courses on this yearsschedule are regular stops on the AGA Tour,with Refling pointing out, We listen to what the players tell us about the courses

they want to play. We try to rotate and getnew courses in so we dont have too muchrepetition. We might change the time ofyear you play a course.

The AGA Tour consists of 23-25 events per year, with 22 local tour-naments and a pre-season trip to a warm-weather site. The season typicallybegins in early March and concludes inearly November, spanning about eightmonths. The AGA Tour events are pre-flighted by handicaps, with most events

having six flights. The top threein each flight earn merchandise a

The championship flight coplayers with handicap indexes obelow. The tour has a player or tplus handicap, but there is not a individual who wins on a regular

A few prominent Atlanta area most notably Billy Mitchell, have the AGA Tour in the recent Mitchell has moved up to state anevents, leaving the championship fsistently competitive.

In order to accommodate more

tion in the lowest flight, thoscompete with their handicaps, uother flights in which players of cability compete straight up.

The AGA Tour has a small nfemale members, most of whom epeting against the men. Howevesays other women have been intimthe prospect of playing against which has kept the tours femaleship from growing.

Refling is also looking to makmore appealing to seniors, whoplay from a shorter set of tees th which are used for players in thflights. Higher handicap seniorsfrom shorter tees in the net flight

iors with lower indexes still have toat longer distances against theicompetitors.

Golfers wishing to join for the rof the 2008 season can pay a redubership fee, with some outstandinremaining on the schedule.

For informa tion on thTour, cal l 770-935-6864 www.agatour.com.


S

Quality competition for Atlanta area amateurs

The Frog


21/32

Dates and Courses

Thursday, 9/11 - Woodmont Golf Club

Wednesday, 9/24 - Trophy Club of Atlanta

Thursday, 10/9 - The Frog at the Georgian

Wednesday, 10/22 - Stone Mountain Golf Club

Thursday 11/6 - Bridgemill Athletic Club

Monday, 11/12 - Eagles Brooke Country Club

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Friday, 12/5 - Chateau Elan

(courses subject to change)

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22/32

Henley latest Bulldogto win Ga. AmateurFor the third time in four years, a

member of the University of Georgia golfteam has taken home the trophy from the

Georgia Amateur.

Russell Henley joined teammates

HarrisEnglish and BrianHarman, taking

the 2008 GSGA Championship on his

home course Macons Idle Hour Club.

Henley edged English by one stroke, with

formerGeorgia Amateurchampion David

Noll of Dalton third, two strokes behind

the winner.

Henley, who along with English will be

a sophomore in Athens this Fall, finished

with a 10-under 270 total on the par-70

Idle Hour layout, posting four scores in

the 60s, including a final round 69.

English, who won last years GeorgiaAmateur at Ansley Golf Clubs Settindown

Creek, was second at 271, matching par in

the fourth round. Like Henley, Noll

recorded four scores in the 60s, also

shooting 69 the final day.

No other player finished better than 1-

under for the tournament, with Henley,

English and Noll playing together in the

final threesome. English, a Thomasville

resident, and Henley began the final

round at 9-under, with Noll in third at 7-

under.

English jumped out to a 3-stroke lead

onthe front nineand wasstillin control of

the tournament early on the back nine,

even after Henley drilled three birdie

putts in a span of four holes to close

within two of the lead.

Henley reduced his deficit to one when

English took bogey on the short par-4

13th after hitting histee shot just over thegreen.Englishs leadwas still onewhen he

hit his second shot out of bounds on the

long, par-5 15th. The horn suspending

play sounded just after English hit the

most decisive shot of the tournament,

and after play resumed, he made double

bogey to lose the lead to Henley, who

missed a short birdie putt that would

have put him two ahead.

With three holes to play, Henley led

English by one and Noll by two, and the

three players parred in from there.

AugustasJeff Knox, coming off a win in

the GSGA Mid-Amateur Championship,

took the first round lead with a 64, with

English tied for second at 66 and Henley

fifth at 67. Knox remained in the lead after

36 holes after a second round 70, with

Henley shooting68 and English69 to share

second at 135.

With seven birdies on his first 12 holes

Saturday, Henley built a 5-stroke lead over

English, but English responded with four

birdies over the final six holes, with both

players ending the day with a 66 to share

the lead going to the final round.

After his opening 64, Knox did not break

par the rest of the tournament and wound

up tied for fourth at 279 with Augusta

State golf coach Josh Gregory. Former

U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Dave

Womack of McDonough shot 65 the

second round to move into contention,but was 4-over on the weekend and tied

for sixth at 280 with Jay Moseley of

Bainbridge, who closed with a 65.

Henley, the 2006 GSGA Junior cham-

pion, became the first golfer to win the

Georgia Amateur on hishome course since

Randy Strozier, Jr., won at Augusta

Country Club in 1969.

Hammock, Kim godeep in USGA eventsCasey Hammock and Stacey Kim, bothof

Columbus, advanced deep into USGA

events this Summer, with Kim winning

matches in two championships.Hammock, a Columbus native on who

plays on the Columbus State golf team,

reached the semifinals of the U.S. Public

Links Championship in Aurora, Col.,

coming up one match short of having the

opportunity to play for a berth in the 2009

Masters.

Kim, also a Columbus resident, reached

the quarterfinals of the Womens Public

Links Championship in Wisconsin, and

advanced to the third round of the Girls

Junior in Hartford, Conn.

Hammock, who shared medalist honors

in a qualifier in Montgomery, tied for 26th

in stroke qualifying, shooting 74-69143.

He won his first four matches, including a2-up win in the quarterfinals, when he

trailed 1-down after 14 holes before

recording birdies on three of the last four.

In the semifinals, Hammock rallied from

a 4-down deficit after 12holes, winning his

next three holes before losing 16 and 17.

Jack Newman of Des Moines, Iowa, who

beat Hammock in the semis, won 5&3 in

the finals to earn an invitation to next

years Masters.

Lion An, who led Northview to the 2007

GHSA AAAAA state championship, also

reached match play, but lost in the

first round.

Kim wins 5 matchesin PubLinks, GirlsIn her first appearance in the U.S.

Womens Public Links Championship,

Stacey Kim advanced to the quarterfinals,

and came back the next month to reach

the third round in the Girls Junior.

Kim, 17, qualified for both the U.S.

Womens Open and Womens Amateur in

2006.She tied forninth in strokeplayqual-

ifying in the PubLinks, and won her first

three matches, two by decisive margins,

before losing 3&2 in the quarterfinals. She

was 5-down after 12 holes before winning

holes 13 and 14, but 3-down was as close

as she got.

Louisa Yang of Suwanee and Lauren

Darnell of Gainesville alsoqualified for the

PubLinks, but failed to reach match play.

In the Girls Junior, Kim won her first

match easily, but had to go 20 holes in the

second round. She rallied from a 2-down

deficit after 14 holes in the third round to

take the match to extra holes, but lost on

the 19th to Karen Chung of New Jersey,

who advanced to the finals.

Also reaching the third round was

Riverdales Mariah Stackhouse, who has

won multiple juniorand amateur eventsin

the state in recent months. After winning

her first two matches, Stackhouse was all

square after 12 holes in the third round,

but lost three of the next four holes anddropped a 3&2 decision. Stackhouse shot

69to wina sectionalqualifierat Braelinnin

Peachtree City.

Emilie Burger of Hoschton also quali-

fied for match play and won her opening

match 2&1 before losing 1-up in the

second round. AnnaKeith of Moultrie and

Amelia Hill of St. Simons also qualified for

the Girls Junior, but narrowly failed to

make the match play cut.

3 juniors fallin first roundIn the U.S.Junior Championshi

Creek in Birmingham, three Gqualified for match play but lost

round.

Seth Reeves of Duluth, Patric

Augusta and Blaine Woodruffo

were among 64 golfers to rea

play, but none made it past thei

match.

Reeves, who shot 68 in the first

stroke play qualifying, ended u

24th but lost his opening match

seeded opponent. Reed, who wo

tional qualifier at the University

Athens by four strokes over Ree

lost his first match decisively.

took his match to the 18th ho

losing 1-up.Brian Carter of Augusta, Fran

of Alpharetta and Benjamin G

Duluth all qualified for the cham

and missed the cut by small marg

Costa, Detmer scoSenior Division wiAmateur Rocky Costa and Orc

head professional Wyatt Detm

victories in recent Georgia PG

Division tournaments.

Costa, an Alpharetta resident

the 2007 Georgia Senior Open

Senior Players Championship a

Ridge with a 137 total. Che

instructor Russ Davis was seco

with Lonnie Reece of Spring

third at 140.

West Pines head professio

Schlueter was fourth at 141, fol

amateurs Phil Pavoni (142), Do

and Phil Hand (143) and

Sappington (144).

Detmer won the Senior

Championship at Jekyll Island,

138 to edge Reece by two str

Johnstone of Atlanta CC was thi

followed by Ted Brasile of South

142. Schlueter and Steve Ba

Arrowhead Pointe tied for fifth at

Craig Hartle of the Georgia T

seventh at 145.E ast Cha pt er Cha mp

Wilmington Island head pro

Patrick Richardson won the Geo

East Chapter Championship on

course, posting a 140 total to ed

Williams of Savannah GC by on

Will Hutter of Sea Island GC wa

142, with John Phillips of The

low among the seniors and four

at 143.


Chip Shots

Russell Henley

GSGA


23/32

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24/32

By Jackie Cannizzo

WomensEditorPGA Professional

CountryClubof Roswell

The LPGA wants to come

back, Eagles Landing wants

the LPGA back, the Atlanta

golfing community wants the

LPGA back in town and the

charities that received over

7.7 million dollars from the

tournament for sure want it back. So as of

this writingthere seemstobe a pushto find

a way to have the best players in the world

back on Georgia clay.

The LPGA Charity Championship,

formerly the Chick-Fil-A Charity champi-

onship,wasa part ofthe Georgiagolfscene

until it lost its title sponsorship after the

2005 season and then had one more year

being sponsored by Floridas Natural. There

hadbeen talk ofmoving the eventcloserto

town (Atlanta), but the community of

Stockbridge fought to keep it in their back

yard. Golfing legend Nancy Lopez was amajor part of the events suc-

cess andshebecamethe host of

the event in 2000.

Lopez is very committed to

helping find a sponsor to bring

the tournament back. According

to Eagles Landing member

and tournament committee

member Ron Lanio, We had a

meeting and put an action plan

together to find sponsorship for this event

with Nancy being fully involved. Lanio

knows that with the PGA Tour having

vacatedAtlantain theSpring with theexitof

the AT&T Classic, The LPGA is appealing as

its more affordable than the PGA. It has

been our goal since 2006 to find a title

sponsor.We love hosting these women

The Stockbridge community has been a

drivingforce behindthe events 15 year his-

tory. It wasa favorite stop on theLPGA Tour,

with most of the topplayers supporting the

event throughout its tenure, players that

include Annika Sorenstam, who won heretwice. One of the highlights for many

players was the warm welcome from the

Eagles Landing and Stockbridge commu-

nity. They hosted more LPGA players in

private housing than any other event,

opening up their homes to players.

Although the event is listed as being offi-

cially an Atlanta tour stop, it was really the

small town feeling that the community

offered the players.

Former LPGA tour player and now

Georgia State womens golf coach Cathy

Mant would love the tour back for several

reasons. Oneis to offer an exemption to the

winner of Georgia States home event to

the tournament. Mant believes that she

could create a spectacular college event if

she could offer that to a player and a team.

Before the event ended in 2006, Mant was

close to making that happen until the

eventmovedits datesandtherewas a con-

flict with NCAA regions.

The LPGA playing golf instate o

isa natural fit; thetouroffersinspall golfers, especially young fema

If we in the industry are to co

grow the game, we need to show

best players in the world in our p

world.If you have anyinterest or

Stockbridge Community Hoping for LPGA Retu


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26/32

Bruckner takes firstin GPGA Jr. eventPaul Bruckners first-round 68 was too

much for the rest of the field to overcome,as the Alpharetta residentwon the Georgia

PGAs Barnsley Gardens Junior Classic.

Bruckner finished with a 1-under 143 and

beat Jon Weiss ofVilla Rica by four strokes.

GusWagoner of Duluth placed third at 148.

In the girls division, Kimberly Graff of

Lilburn shot an 11-over 155 to win by 17

strokes.Other divisionwinnerswere:Wyatt

Larkin of Morganton (boys 12-13), Jon

Weiss (boys 14-15) and Taylor Blair of

Roswell (girls 12-14).

At the Georgia PGAsJuniorPineyWoods

played at Glen Arven in Thomasville,

Jessica Welch of Lavonia won the girls divi-

sion at 163, five shots ahead of Dona

Kioseff of Valdosta. Robbie Van Ripper of Tallahassee finished 4-under and won by

eight shots. Taylor Wynn of Rome was the

top Georgian in third.

Other division winners were: Joshua

Crews of Albany (boys 12-13), who had a

final-round 73, Brandon Collins of

Tallahassee (boys 14-15)

FORE Georgia 0808B web

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