Wins on third playoff hole against 2 college golfers
Sonny Skinner played the par-5 18th hole at St. Ives Country Club four times during the weather-delayed final round of the Yamaha Atlanta Open.
He drove it into a fairway bunker twice. He hit his second shot into a greenside bunker once. The one time he avoided the sand, he sliced his second shot off a downhill line off a tree short and right of the green.
No matter whether he layed up with his second shot from the fairway bunker or went for the green in two, Skinner wound up with a birdie putt in the 8-to-10-foot range every time. He made birdie twice in four attempts, once to extend a playoff and the second time to win it against a pair of college players who reached the 18th in two for two-putt birdies in regulation to join Skinner in a three-way playoff.
Skinner, Jason Mendel and Adam Morris all had opportunities to win the tournament in regulation, with the three finishing with scores of 7-under 137 on the excellent Tom Fazio layout that proved to be a worthy tournament host.
The experienced Skinner, who played four years on the PGA Tour in the 1990s and a dozen years on the Web.com Tour, has played in 30 Champions Tour events since turning 50 in 2010. He put his years as a tour player to good use, managing to get himself into birdie position on the 18th hole every time he played it the final day despite the occasional wayward shot on the hole.
The victory was the second straight for Skinner in one of the Georgia PGA’s premier events, as he became the first back-to-back winner in the Yamaha Atlanta Open since Matt Russell won titles in 1996-97. He has also won the Georgia PGA Championship twice, the Match Play Championship and each of the Section’s two biggest senior events, as well as earning Player of the Year honors twice, most recently in 2014.
Skinner is the head professional at Spring Hill CC in Tifton and has been part of the Georgia PGA Section since he left his career as a full time tour player in 2006.
Prior to Skinner’s victory at St. Ives, 19 different players had won the Atlanta Open title the last 19 years, but Skinner ended that streak largely due to some exceptional play late in the afternoon during the partial second round. Lightning in the area delayed the tournament for some four hours the second day, with Skinner’s group not teeing off until almost 6 p.m.
Skinner’s group managed to get in 13 holes before darkness halted play and he birdied six of them, including six of the eight par 4s he played that day. Skinner drove the ball well and hit a succession of superb approach shots, holing a pair of putts in the 12-foot range for birdies, two more of around eight feet and the last two in the fading daylight from only three feet.
“I really played well yesterday,” Skinner said after his playoff victory. “I hit it close and made a couple of 12-footers.
“I was really pleased with my putting. I made two of three putts in the playoff and luckily that was enough. Winning this tournament means tons for me.”
Skinner shot 2-under 70 the first round and began play the next day in a tie for sixth, five behind Mendel, a rising redshirt junior at South Alabama. Mendel was part of a state high school championship team at Norcross, but had little experience at St. Ives despite being a member at the Standard Club, one of several prominent country clubs within close proximity of the Atlanta Open host.
Mendel carded seven birdies and no bogeys the first day for his 65 to take a 2-stroke lead over Gus Wagoner, an assistant at Cherokee Town & CC, who won the 2013 Georgia PGA event at Berkeley Hills as an amateur. He described the 65 as “my best competitive round. I hit the ball really well and made some putts. I hit 16 greens and made no mistakes.”
After waiting out the long weather delay, Mendel began his second round with seven straight solid pars before holing a pair of birdie putts of some length at holes 8 and 9. But he lipped out a short par putt at the 10th and ended his day with another three-putt bogey at the 11th, winding up with an extremely difficult first putt from long range on the demanding par-3.
Mendel was one shot behind Skinner when play resumed the next morning, but pulled into a tie for the lead with three straight pars, as Skinner missed a short par putt of his own at the 15th, one of two long, over-water par 3s on the back nine at St. Ives. Mendel also bogeyed the 15th, but came right back with a birdie at the lengthy par-4 16th before another short miss at 17 cost him a bogey and a share of the lead.
Needing birdie to get into the playoff, Mendel reached the par-5 18th in two and rolled his eagle attempt from the back of the green within a few feet for a 72 and a spot in the playoff.
Mendel had a chance to win on the first playoff hole, playing the slope with his second shot to the 18th to about 15 feet and narrowly missing his eagle attempt. He drew an awkward lie between two bunkers left of the 18th green on the second extra hole, but stayed alive when Skinner missed his birdie try.
After a slightly errant drive to the right on the third playoff hole, Mendel was forced to lay up and his third shot checked up some 15 short of the pin, with his birdie attempt failing to reach the hole.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed not winning the playoff,” Mendel said. “But there were a lot of positives this week. I missed two two-footers, but I came back and made birdies on the next hole or the one after.”
Morris, a rising sophomore at Dalton State, shot 68 the first day to get into the final pairing of the second round with Mendel and Wagoner. After an eagle at the par-5 seventh, his 16th hole of the day, Morris was 6-under, but ended his round with consecutive bogeys at 17 and 18. He was only one shot off the lead when play was halted in the second round, playing his 11 holes in 3-under.
After five straight pars to start the continuation of his second round, Morris lost his share of the lead when he left his third shot in a greenside bunker at the 17th and made bogey. He followed with a spectacular second shot that settled about six feet behind the pin on the 18th, but he missed the ticklish downhill attempt for eagle which would have given him a dramatic victory.
Morris, who plays out of Marietta CC, shot 69 to make it a three-way playoff, but missed his short birdie putt on the first extra hole after flying his second shot on the 18th to the back of the green.
Skinner, about 35 years older than his two playoff opponents, said he was “proud to hang in there and hang with the young guys. I’m still able to be in contention with them.”
Skinner shot 67 in the second round, missing his birdie attempt at the 18th that would gfiven him the victory without a playoff, He took home $4,000 for his victory.
In addition to the challenge from the two collegians as well as Wagoner, who tied for fourth at 138, Skinner had to hold off a big final round comeback from amateur Bob Royak, who has also joined the senior ranks.
Royak won the Atlanta Open at nearby Standard Club in 2007, and was playing on his home course at St. Ives. He was 3-over on his first nine in the opening round including a 4-putt double bogey on the fifth, but shot 3-under coming in for a 72. Trailing Mendel by seven going to the final round, Royak carded eight birdies in a 66, concluding his round shortly before darkness ended it. He came back out the next morning in case he made it into a playoff, but came up one shot short.
Also missing the playoff by a shot was Wagoner, who was looking to join his father Phil Wagoner, the head pro at River Pines, as an Atlanta Open champion. Wagoner shot 67 the first day with eight birdies in an 11-hole stretch, but bogeyed two of his last three holes after getting to 7-under.
Wagoner closed within a shot of Mendel’s lead after two birdies on his first six holes in the second round, but hit his tee shot OB right on the reachable par-5 seventh and took double bogey. He came back with three birdies in his seven holes the next morning, carding a 71 for a 138 total.
Tim Weinhart, the Director of Instruction at sister courses Heritage Golf Links and Woodmont, was sixth at 139 after scores of 68-71. Weinhart made a move late in the day of the delayed second round with three birdies on his last six holes and also saved bogey after hitting his tee shot in the water on the par-3 11th. But a double bogey the next morning at the 16th ended his hopes of a second Atlanta Open title.
Currahee Director of Golf Clark Spratlin was seventh at 140 with scores of 68-7 2, with recent Georgia College golfer David Sullivan of Woodstock eighth at 141 (70-71).
The tournament was sponsored by Yamaha Golf Car Company and presented by Bushnell, Bolle, Chase 54 and Camelbak.