Reigning USGA Senior Amateur champ claims second Georgia Senior title
ALBANY, Ga. – Doug Hanzel of Savannah wins the Georgia Senior Championship with a 3-under-par 213 (71-67-75) final score. Finishing two strokes back in the runner-up position was the defending champion, Jack Hall of Sea Island, at 1-under-par 215 (72-72-71). The 28th annual senior competition took place at Doublegate Country Club, August 26-28.
Hanzel began the final round with a two-stroke advantage over Chris Hall of Kennesaw, and over the course of the final 18 holes, never let the lead get out of reach. Hanzel’s final-round scorecard included a birdie on hole five and bogeys on four, eight, 10 and 18. Hall ended up tying for third, and he won the Georgia Senior Match Play Championship earlier this year.
Jack Hall’s runner-up finish came just short of a successful title defense. After making bogey on his first hole of the day, Hall made birdie on six and 15, posting his 1-under-par 71 for the final round. Hall won this event a year ago at The Landings Club-Deer Creek in Savannah – Hanzel’s home course.
This marks Hanzel’s second Georgia Senior Championship victory, after claiming his first in 2012 at Reynolds Plantation-Great Waters in Eatonton, which was his first year eligible for senior competitions on the GSGA circuit. Last year, Hanzel won his first national championship – the 2013 USGA Senior Amateur Championship – at Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, N.C. He is set to defend his national title in a few weeks at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif., September 13-18.
Bill Leonard of Dallas (72-72-72), who won the Georgia Super Senior Championship earlier this year, and Chris Hall (74-66-76) tied for third at even-par 216. Don Marsh of Johns Creek finished fifth at 2-over-par 218 (75-72-71), and Gay McMichael of Macon came in sixth at 4-over-par 220 (79-70-71). Two players tied for seventh at 5-over-par 221, including Walter Hope of Gainesville (73-73-75) and Jack Kearney of Peachtree City (72-73-76). John Landis of Peachtree City (73-75-74), Lee Dennis of Comer (74-72-76), Paul Ryan of Norcross (73-73-76) and Frank Perry of Fayetteville (72-72-78) tied for ninth at 6-over-par 222.
An online leaderboard with complete scorecards for each player is available at the following link:
http://www.ghintpp.com/gsga/TPPOnlineScoring/
Doublegate Country Club played to 6,679 yards and a par 72 for the Championship. Entries were open to male amateur golfers at least 55 years old as of August 26, 2014, who belong to a GSGA Member Club.