The semifinals of the Georgia PGA Match Play Championship will pit a pair of former champions against two players who are competing in the event for just the second time. Sonny Skinner and David Potts are both past champions of the event, although neither has won during the current format. Both won the tournament when it was played over three days at one site, with Skinner … [Read more...]
Top 3 Seeds Ousted in GPGA Match Play; 4 Ex-Champs Still In
The 2018 Georgia PGA Match Play Championship has reached the quarterfinal round, with the top three seeds all knocked out of the tournament while the number 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 seeds all remain. Shawn Koch and David Potts, both instructors at Country Club of the South and former Match Play champions, defeated the tournament’s top two seeds in the third round, while the No. 3 … [Read more...]
Stachler Survives Shaky Start to Take Berkeley Hills Event in Playoff Over Dixon
University of South Carolina golfer Ryan Stachler began the final round Tuesday in the Championship at Berkeley Hills with back-to-back bogeys, and his day ended after consecutive bogeys on his final two holes. But some bogeys are better than others, and the first and last bogeys Stachler scored in the final round of the Georgia PGA tournament helped produce his first … [Read more...]
Claxton Wins Georgia PGA Senior in Playoff Over Mason at Settindown Creek
The 2018 Georgia PGA Senior Championship provided a fair representation of the age range and varying experience at the national level of the Section's top senior club professionals. Paul Claxton, who turned 50 earlier this year, tied for first with James Mason, who shot his age of 67 in the final round at Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek to match his much younger opponent … [Read more...]
7 Georgia PGA Members to Compete in National Club Professional Championship
Seven Georgia PGA members will be in the field for the 2018 PGA Professional Championship, the national championship for the country’s club professionals, with the tournament set for June 17-20 at the Bayonet and Black Horse courses in Seaside, Calif. Eight members of the Georgia PGA Section qualified for the championship, but Woodmont instructor Craig Stevens, who has … [Read more...]
Mercer Golfer Ball Answers Cherokee’s Challenge to Capture Yamaha Atlanta Open Title
Spencer Ball, a rising junior at Mercer, became the third college golfer to win the Yamaha Atlanta Open in the past six years, holding onto the lead throughout almost the entire final round with a display of quality golf under challenging conditions at Cherokee Town & Country Club. Cherokee, one of the top private clubs in metro Atlanta, was in prime condition for the … [Read more...]
Castro Earns U.S. Open Spot with Birdie on First Playoff Hole
U.S. Open sectional qualifying is always an adventure for former Georgia Tech standout Roberto Castro, and this week’s qualifier at Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Creek was no different. Castro, a member at Settindown Creek, will be making his fifth U.S. Open appearance in the last seven years next week at Shinnecock Hills, but for the third time in that span, barely survived … [Read more...]
Tour Roundups: Charles Howell Earns Spot in U.S. Open; 4 Georgia PGA pros in PGA Senior
Updates on Georgia golfers from the four primary tours in the U.S.: PGA TOUR: Howell in U.S. Open; Mitchell on hot streak Augusta’s Charles Howell earned a spot in the upcoming U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, tying for ninth in last week’s Byron Nelson Classic to move up from 59th to 56th in the World Golf Rankings. Howell has not played in the U.S. Open since 2012 and … [Read more...]
Bob Royak Takes Playoff from Chris Hall in Yamaha Georgia Senior Open
Over two days and 39 holes, Bob Royak carded 13 birdies on an already demanding Pinetree layout sporting tour-speed greens that gave the field of the Yamaha Georgia Senior Open fits. Royak needed all 13 to win a playoff against Pinetree member Chris Hall, two of them coming in a 3-hole playoff. The two amateurs tied at 2-under 142. After parring the par-5 ninth – the first … [Read more...]