Roswell, GA — Craig Stevens, PGA teaching professional from Brookstone Country Club in Acworth, claimed his second straight and fourth overall Georgia PGA Player of the Year (POY) title presented by PGA National Resort and Spa and the highly coveted Billy Weir Trophy after a long stretch of outstanding play in 2013. Stevens previously won the Georgia PGA Player of the Year title in 1999, 2001 and 2012.
Stevens’ steady year began in April with his first round match in the revamped Georgia PGA Match Play. With one match being played each month, Stevens was able to win four matches throughout the summer and reach the final four at East Lake Golf Club in August, finishing Runner-up to Donn Perno of Peachtree Golf Club.
In May, the fifty two-year old from Dallas tied for seventh at the rain shortened Chicopee Woods Players’ Championship. His solid play continued throughout the summer where he never finished outside of the top-20 in a POY point event.
In June, Stevens finished in a tie for 10th at the Yamaha Atlanta Open presented by Bolle/Bushnell at Polo Golf & Country Club in Cumming. This was another rain-shortened event.
In July, Stevens was unable to play in The Championship at Berkeley Hills Country Club presented by Pennywisely for a very good reason. He qualified for the U.S. Senior Open in Omaha, Nebraska held the same week. He shot rounds of 71-77 to miss the cut by three.
In August, Stevens finished in a tie for 16th at the Tilted Kilt Georgia Open at The Legends at Chateau Elan in Braselton. Later in the month, Stevens claimed his only victory in a POY point event at the E-Z-GO/ExecGolf Georgia PGA Championship presented by TaylorMade/adidas, Golf/Ashworth and the PGA Tour at Sea Island Golf Club’s Retreat Course. Starting the final round four shots behind Dano Korytoski of Orchard Hills Golf Club, Stevens shot a perfect round of 67 to finish at 8-under par 208 and a one shot victory over Tim Weinhart of Nuclear Golf at The Standard Club. The win was his third Georgia PGA Championship.
Stevens affectionately known by his peers as “Lumpy” finished the 2013 season at the Georgia Professional Championship in early October at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans with a tie for 11th to secure the POY title.
With his fourth POY title, he joins an elite group of four others to have won at least four titles; Hugh Royer Jr. with four in the late 1970’s; Gregg Wolff winning seven of eight from 1984-1991; Stephen Keppler’s four straight in the mid 1990’s; and Tim Weinhart’s seven out of 10 from 2002-2011. Stevens span of 15 years from his first POY to his most recent is the longest such time of any multiple POY champion, giving credit to his tremendous play the last two decades.