Eight golfers with ties to Georgia advanced to the finals of Web.com Tour qualifying for 2018, and will join other tour pros from the state in the finals early next month in Arizona.
Five of the six Georgians competing in at Dothan, Al., advanced to the finals, with the only player from the state who did not move on falling short by just one shot.
Augusta’s Chase Parker, who was 96th on the Web.com money list this season, tied for fourth at 11-under 277 on the Robert Trent Jones Trail Highland Oaks course, closing with four birdies on his last seven holes for a 68. Parker played his college golf at Kentucky.
Former Auburn golfer Michael Hebert, an Atlanta resident, shot 282 to tie for 10th. Hebert has played on the Web.com Tour the past three years, finishing 84, 94 and 100 on the money list.
Tying for 14th at 284 were Jimmy Beck of Columbus and J.T. Griffin of Alpharetta. Beck starred at Kennesaw State and is a former Georgia Amateur champion and repeat contender in recent years in the Georgia Open, and has enjoyed success on the LatinoAmerica Tour. His best score of the tournament was a third round 68 that included seven birdies.
Griffin, who played at Georgia Tech, also shot 68 in the third round and carded a pair of birdies late in the final round for a 71, finishing two shots inside the number needed to advance.
Mini-tour player Blake Palmer of Dawsonville made it with one shot to spare, closing with scores of 68-71 for a 284 total. He birdied all four par 5s in the final round, including the 18th hole, to advance.
Wade Binfield of Fayetteville missed by a shot at 286 after an opening 75 that included a 9 on a par 4. Binfield was 5-under over the final 54 holes.
Things did not go as well for the Georgia contingent the next week, with two Georgia residents and a former Georgia Bulldog advancing, one each from the three qualifiers.
Former UGA golfer Joey Garber shared medalist honors in Plantation, Fla., finishing with a 13-under 271 total. Garber posted scores of 70-68-67-66, making just one bogey over his final 54 holes, none the last two rounds.
Bo Andrews, who played his college golf at Georgia Tech, missed by a shot at 278 despite scores of 69-66-69 the last three rounds after an opening 74. He tied for 23rd, with the top 20 and ties advancing.
Augustans Greyson Sigg and Dykes Harbin both missed by two shots at 279. Sigg, a recent UGA golfer, shot 68-74-67-70—279 to tie for 28th with Dykes, who shot 74-66-71-68. Harbin, who played at South Carolina, was 4-under after six holes the final round, but was 1-over the rest of the way without a birdie.
Luke Hopkins of Marietta opened with a 66, but was 1-over the next 54 holes and missed by three shots at 280.
Also failing to advance was former Oglethorpe golfer Anthony Maccaglia, an Alpharetta resident, and ex-Georgia Southern golfer Scott Wolfes of St. Simons Island.
Woodstock’s Riley Davenport was the only one of eight Georgians to advance in Brooksville, Fla., tying for 14th at 5-under 279. The top 20 and ties advanced, with 280 the score required.
Davenport, who played in college at North Carolina, shot 72-67-70-70, carding six birdies the final day, three of them on the last six holes along with three bogeys.
Dru Love of St. Simons Island missed by a shot at 281 with scores of 70-68-71-72. Love was inside the number to advance after playing his first 13 holes the final day in 2-under, but made double bogey on the par-4 14th.
Savannah’s Mark Silvers, who has played on the Web.com Tour in recent years, missed by two at 282 after a final round 76. Silvers was tied for sixth after 54 holes with scores of 69-72-65—206, but shot 40 on the front nine the final day before parring all nine holes on the back. Silvers’ 65 the day before included 10 birdies along with a double bogey.
Recent UGA golfer Nicholas Reach, an Athens resident, was 3-under after 12 holes the final day and inside the top 20, but played his final six holes in 5-over to miss by four at 284. Reach posted scores of 69-73-68-74.
Also failing to advance were former UGA golfer Brendon Todd of Watkinsville, who has played on both the Web.com and PGA Tours, recent Georgia Tech golfer Drew Czuchry of Alpharetta, and St. Simons residents Bobby Wyatt and Cory Whitsett.
Former Georgia Tech golfer James White of Acworth was the lone Georgian to advance from McKinney, Texas, tying for fifth at 12-under 276, White has scores of 68-70-65-73.
Atlanta resident Drew Weaver, who played on the Web. com Tour this past season, missed by two shots at 3-under 285, tying for 23rd. Weaver, who posted scores of 71-69-72-73, was on the number to advance with six holes to play, but made two bogeys coming in.
Recent Georgia Tech golfer Vincent Whaley of Fayetteville missed by four at 287, largely due to a second round 77 that included four birdies against nine bogeys, Whaley was 6-under for the other three rounds.