Former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Dave Womack enjoyed a home course advantage in the recent Yamaha Atlanta Open, but for half the final round of the 36-hole event, that advantage wasn’t evident on his scorecard.
Womack shot a 4-under 67 in the first round at Canongate’s Georgia National GC, and was playing in the final group with Jeff Hull, the leader after an opening 66.
After nine consecutive pars to start the final round, Womack was still one shot behind Hull and Travis Nance, the third member of the final threesome off the tee. But all three had been overtaken by defending champion Tim Weinhart, who went out in 4-under 31 to take a one-stroke lead at the turn.
Womack preserved his par streak with a terrific save at the 9th, holing his first putt of note on the day after missing the green,
The par save propelled Womack to birdies on each of the next four holes to take a one-shot lead when play was suspended for the day by lightning in the area. When play resumed the next morning, Womack preserved his advantage with four pars and a birdie, edging out both Weinhart and Hull by one stroke.
Womack shot 66 in the second round for a 9-under 133 total. Weinhart and Hull were second at 134, with Weinhart closing with a 65, the lowest score of the tournament. The two players split first/second place points for Georgia PGA Player of the Year (Weinhart leads in his quest for a sixth title) as well as first/second place money, with both taking home $4,150.
Nance and Seth McCain tied for 4th at 137, with Michael Raines 6th overall and 2nd among the amateurs at 138.
“The up and down at nine did it,” Womack said. “When that putt went in, something clicked. I hit it close at 10 and that was huge. That birdie got me going. For the next few holes everything was clicking and I was really striking it good.”
The birdie at 10 pulled Womack even with Weinhart, who suffered his only bogey of the day when his second shot flew the green and he missed his par putt after a deft pitch. Weinhart, playing in the group in front of Womack, regained the lead with a birdie at the par-3 11th, but Womack matched him.
The two players also birdied the par-5 12th, with Weinhart again chipping it close while Womack hit a beautiful second shot to the back fringe of the small target. Weinhart again had a chance to move in front but missed from just inside 10 feet at the short par-4 13th, while Womack made it four in a row when he holed his birdie putt of similar length.
Play was suspended minutes later, and tournament officials were never able to get players back on the course that afternoon.
“I was a little concerned,” Womack said of his loss of momentum by the delay. “It was in the back of my mind because I was playing so good when we stopped.”
Womack played solidly after play resumed the next morning, just missing a birdie opportunity at 16 before moving two in front when he hit his tee shot to 10 feet on the par-3 17th and holed the birdie putt.
Weinhart had two excellent birdie chances at 16 and 17 but could not convert either one before closing out his round with a birdie at the par-5 18th. Hull, who was three off the lead when play was suspended, rolled in a 30-footer for birdie on 14 after play resumed and lipped out for birdie on both 15 and 16 before hitting his tee shot to 2 feet for another birdie at 17.
Trailing by two going to the final hole, he carded his third birdie of the morning to tie Weinhart, but Womack was never in danger of making more than par on the hole. He hit his second shot just in front of the green and chipped to about 6 feet, two-putting for a par and the victory.
“This means a lot to me,” Womack said. “I haven’t won since the USGA Mid-Am in 2006. I’ve gotten in a rut the past few years. I’ve been trying to get out of my own way and just start playing.”
Womack, a long time member at Georgia National, enjoyed the added satisfaction of winning the tournament on his home course, with a small gallery of fellow members cheering him on.
“It’s nice to do it on your home course in front of the home town guys. They really don’t get to see me compete.”
Womack won the GSGA Public Links title twice in three years on nearby courses (Cherokee Run and since-closed Southerness), and took advantage of the rare opportunity to win even closer to his home in McDonough.
“It’s pretty neat to play on your home course in a big event. It’s a huge advantage, but it can get a little overwhelming. I tried to play it like I usually do and that seemed to relax me.”
Womack got off to a strong start in the opening round with two birdies on his first four holes. He was even par at the turn before closing with a 4-under 32, scoring birdies on three of his last four holes to end the day just one in back of Hull in second place.
Hull, an instructor at the UGA course in Athens, has now finished second three times in the Atlanta Golf Open, losing once in a playoff (to Greg Lee at Marietta CC in 2003) and twice being edged out by an amateur, taking second behind Bob Royak at the Standard Club in ’07.
“I’m pretty happy at the result,” said Hull, who came out to the course the morning after the delay with thoughts of making five birdies on five holes.
“I knew it was out there,” he said, and came pretty close to making it happen.
Leading by one after the opening day, Hull’s second round got off to a tough start when he lipped out for birdie on the par-5 first hole. He took a brief two-shot lead when he made a spectacular birdie from the trees on the difficult 4th, getting a nice break when his second shot wound up close to the cup after making contact with tree limbs.
“I got away with it on 4,” he said. “I turned what could have been a 6 or a 7 into a 3.”
Hull lost the lead when he bogeyed from a greenside bunker at the 5th and fell three behind Womack and Weinhart when his third shot to the par-5 12th flew the green and he took bogey. He hit it close at the inviting 13th for birdie before play was halted, and came back the next morning with three birdies in five holes and two near-misses.
Weinhart, who won last year’s Atlanta Open at Heron Bay, was three back of Hull after an opening 69, but surged into the lead when he began his second round with birdies on four of the first six holes. A chip-in at the 6th vaulted him into first place, and he remained on top thanks to two outstanding par saves from a buried lie in a bunker at 7 and after a wayward tee shot at the 9th.
After another excellent recovery failed to produce a par at 10, he birdied the next two holes to stay within one shot of the suddenly sizzling Womack. Weinhart,. an instructor at St. Marlo, had his opportunities after play resumed the next morning, but could not quite catch the leader.
“I gave myself some chances,” said Weinhart, who has come close in the tournament several times previously, including a pair of playoff losses and a close third place finish at Newnan CC in 2008.
“I made some really good par saves. If I made one or two more putts the first day, it might have been a different story. But I saw a lot of good stuff the last few days. I’ve got no room to complain.
“I’m really pleased with where my game is going to the club professional championship.”
Weinhart and Hull are among a group of Georgia PGA members who will compete in the PGA PNC in Indiana later this month.
Nance, a former tour player who is now working as an assistant at Coosa CC in Rome, made six birdies on his first 13 holes in the final round, including three in a row before play was suspended. He encountered some tree trouble at the 9th and made a double bogey, and was two behind Womack when play was halted, but a bogey at 15 the next morning ended his chances.
Tying Nance for third at 137 was Jennings Mill assistant Seth McCain, who had 10 birdies and an eagle over two rounds, but also had seven bogeys on his card. McCain went 4-under for four holes on the back nine, beginning with an eagle at the 12th, in the final round to move up the leader board.
Raines, a Marietta resident and a member of the South Carolina golf team, posted a pair of 69s to take 2nd behind Womack in the amateur competition and 6th overall.
Tying for 7th at 139 were Towne Lake Hills assistant Chris Nicol, Cherokee CC instructor Kevin Roman and Mike Pavao, the head professional at Bobby Jones GC. Nicol, who tied for third last year at Heron Bay, made a big splash in the final round, playing his first 11 holes in 7-under before settling for a 5-under 66.
Brookfield CC instructor Michael Parrott was 5-under after 11 in the final round, shooting a 68 to take 10th at 140.
Among those tying for 11th at 142 were Matt Peterson, head pro at the UGA course, and tour player/instructor Sonny Skinner, who finished 1-2 at Newnan CC two years ago. CC of the South Director of Instruction Shawn Koch also tied for 11th along with Rivermont CC head pro Matthew Evans, Achasta assistant Jordan Arnold and amateurs Cameron Simmons, Tyler Smith and Wade Binfield, who was runner-up last year to Weinhart.
Georgia National, a Denis Griffiths design, was in outstanding condition for the tournament, with the low scores a result of high temperatures that required the superintendent’s staff to water the greens, making them receptive to approach shots while retaining their speed that gave players an opportunity to hole some putts.