Georgia golfers captured 11 of 14 spots in U.S. Open local qualifiers played at Marietta Country Club and the Legends at Chateau Elan. Seven spots in sectional qualifying were available from each of the local qualifiers, with five advancing from Marietta Country Club and six from the Legends.
Maurice Jeffries, a pro from Peachtree City, shared medalist honors at Marietta CC with a 6-under 64, tying NGA (formerly Hooters) Tour player Dominic Bozzelli. Earlier this year, Bozzelli won three straight NGA tournaments.
Mini-tour player Gator Todd of St. Simons Island was next at 65, followed by Hopkins Golf Peach State tour regular Wade Binfield of Fayetteville and former Georgia Tech golfer Kyle Scott of Tallapoosa at 66, along with UGA golf team member Mookie DeMoss of Duluth.
Web.com Tour player Andres Echevarria got the final spot with a 67, winning an 8-man playoff. Echevarria needed four playoff holes to advance, with Georgia Tech golf team member Bo Andrews the first alternate and 2013 GSGA Mid-Amateur champion Cameron Hooper of Atlanta the second alternate.
Also shooting 67 but failing to advance from the playoff was Georgia Tech golfer Seth Reeves of Duluth, Marietta amateur Adam Wright, and pros Patton Kizzire of St. Simons and Taylor Gove of Evans.
Other players to break par in the qualifier were Georgia State golfer Davin White of Locust Grove and Atlanta area mini-tour players Kalen Jensen, Jeff Ely and Billy Shida.
Acworth’s James White, a recent Georgia Tech golfer who has enjoyed some success at the mini-tour level, was the medalist at the Legends with a 5-under 67. White eagled the par-5 10th and shot 32 on his final nine.
Tying for second at 70 were Duluth’s Scott Dunlap, a member of both the Champions and Web.com Tours, and fellow Web.com Tour members Adam Mitchell and Michael Hebert, both of Atlanta. Mitchell played his college golf at Georgia, with Hebert a recent Auburn golfer.
Four players tied for fifth at 71, with three advancing to sectionals. Amateur Gus Wagoner of Duluth, who won the 2013 Georgia PGA tournament at Berkeley Hills, eagled his final hole to get into the playoff and advanced along with pro Blake Stark of Cumming and Tennessee amateur Ben Wolcott.
Georgia College golfer Bryan Fox of Roswell shot 72 and won a playoff for second alternate. Also shooting 72 were Gainesville junior Spencer Ralston and Roswell pro Tom Rasmussen.
In other U.S. Open local qualifiers, Web.com Tour veteran Paul Claxton of St. Simons Island shot 68 in Fernandina Beach, Fla., shot 68 and advanced in a 3-player-for-2-spots playoff.
In Lake Mary, Fla., Mercer golfer Hans Reimers shot 70 and won a 2-man playoff for the final spot, with teammate Trey Rule of Eatonton the second alternate.
In San Antonio, Veteran Web.com Tour player John Kimbell from Lafayette shot 71 and won a 3-for-1 playoff.
In St. Augustine, Statesboro’s Carter Collins was medalist with a 68. Blaine Bunch of Savannah shot 71 and advanced from a 3-for-2 playoff, with Georgia Southern golfer Will Evans of McDonough also shooting 71 but failing to qualify.
In Irving, Tex., former UGA golfer Christo Greyling, now living in Evans, shot 69 to share medalist honors. Jay McLuen of Forsyth is first alternate after shooting a 72 but losing in a playoff.
One of the sectional qualifiers will be played June 2 at Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Creek.