2003 Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship

Scott Pitts Captures Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Scott Pitts of Cornelia defeated DeWitt Weaver III of Suwanee 4 and 3 to capture the 81st Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship at Rivermont Golf and Country Club. Pitts, who won with a bogey on the 15th hole, built a 5-up lead by the turn with steady even-par play, while Weaver struggled with his swing.

Weaver, 37, won his first hole on the par-5 10th, where he made a two-putt birdie. Pitts, 28, quickly responded by draining a clutch eight-foot par putt to go back to 5 up as Weaver failed to get up and down. Pitts, who recalled that he was thinking the match "needed to get over as soon as possible...because of [his] nerves," slipped on the par-5 12th, where he left his chip in the fringe and bogeyed to lose the hole. Pitts then missed the chance to go dormie on 13, when his uphill birdie putt stopped just short and Weaver rolled in a testy five-footer for par. Pitts' putter failed to produce the same magic that got him to the finals on 14 as well, where he missed a six-foot par putt while Weaver converted from five to drop his deficit to three.

Weaver's comeback effort ended on the par-4 15th, where he was unable to take advantage of Pitts' third bogey. Weaver, who was missing left throughout the match, pulled his approach shot and then flew his uphill chip 15 feet past the hole. Pitts, who had also missed the green and chipped to 12 feet above the hole, made a solid four-foot uphill putt to get in with bogey. Weaver needed a four-foot, comeback putt to halve the hole and extend the match, but his ball broke just off the left edge, giving Pitts the hole and the win.

Pitts, who "never imagined he'd win a GSGA Championship," got to the final round on the strength of his putting. "I played the best competitive golf of my life" Pitts stated, referring to his second and third matches, where he shot around five under in each and earned 1-up victories over 2002 Georgia Amateur champion Jonathan Shiflet of Hartwell and two-time Atlanta Amateur champion Jack Hall of Macon. Hall, who also played in five under, couldn't stop Pitts, who birdied nine, 10 and 11 to square the match before rolling in another birdie at 18 for the win. In all Pitts had six birdies in the final 10 holes and just 12 putts on the back nine. Pitts then won his semifinal match against Fred Rescigno of Lawrenceville, who never trailed until 18 where he pushed his drive in the hazard and lost 1 up. Pitts hung in the match with birdies at 10, 11 and 12.

Weaver's trip to the finals involved several tough battles and late heroics. Weaver started the event by eliminating defending champion Jeff Belk of Marietta with birdies at 17 and 18 to win 1 up. He also needed a birdie at 18 to beat his next opponent, former Georgia Tech standout Wes Latimer of Roswell. After a 2 and 1 victory over Todd Eaker of Lilburn, Weaver had to make a 12-footer for par on 18 to extend his semifinal match against two-time champion Rocky Costa of Alpharetta. He then eagled the first playoff hole to get into the finals. "Maybe I was spent," Weaver said of his disappointing final performance. "I just didn't show up today," the former mini-tour player said. "I was hitting it solid, just left," he added. "I felt I had the experience and a few things going for me, but he (Pitts) hung in there, and you're not going to win with bogeys."

Pitts, a 28-year-old co-owner of a real-estate appraisal business, played for Anderson College in Anderson, S.C., and won the National Junior College Association's Region 10 title in 1993 as the team's number five player. Since then, Pitts' best performance in amateur competition was a tie for third at the 2003 Georgia Four-Ball Championship with partner Brian Davidson. His best individual performance was finishing tied for 57th at the 2002 Georgia Amateur.

Weaver, 37, regained his amateur status in 1999 and works as a Certified Financial Planner at his own firm, WRH Capital Management. Weaver, whose father plays on the Champions Tour, won the 1988 Georgia Open as an amateur before trying the mini-tours from 1989-1995. He regained his amateur status in 1999. Weaver was a quarterfinalist in the 2001 Georgia Match Play Championship and recently qualified for next month's U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Entries for the championship were open to male amateur golfers who are Georgia residents and members of a GSGA Member Club. Former champions include Charlie Yates (1931), Tommy Barnes (1936), Dan Yates (1942), Gene Dahlbender (1946-47, 1957-59, 1962), Bobby Jones' son, Robert T. Jones, III (1948), Charles Harrison (1952-54, 1961, 1965, 1967-1969, 1973, 1977), Larry Mize (1979) and Danny Yates (1981-82).

The GSGA conducts 17 statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups, three interstate matches and 17 USGA qualifying events each year. Other services include computerized handicapping, course rating and measuring, a summer-long junior sectional competitions program, Golf Georgia magazine and two college scholarship programs.

Final Results

Championship Match
Scott Pitts, Cornelia (72) def. DeWitt Weaver, Suwanee (75), 4 and 3

Semifinal Results
DeWitt Weaver, Suwanee (75) def. Rocky Costa, Alpharetta (74), 19 holes
Scott Pitts, Cornelia (72) def. Fred Rescigno, Lawrenceville (74), 1 up

Quarterfinal Results
DeWitt Weaver, Suwanee (75) def. Todd Eaker, Lilburn (71), 2 and 1
Rocky Costa, Alpharetta (74) def. Doug Green, Cumming (72), 4 and 3
Fred Rescigno, Lawrenceville (74) def. Tevis Upton, Douglasville (70), 22 holes
Scott Pitts, Cornelia (72) def. Jack Hall, Macon (73), 1 up

Round of 16
DeWitt Weaver, Suwanee (75) def. Wes Latimer, Roswell (74), 1 up
Todd Eaker, Lilburn (71) def. Richard Purdy, Alpharetta (75), 1 up
Rocky Costa, Alpharetta (74) def. Erik Martin, Alpharetta (68), 2 up
Doug Green, Cumming (72) def. Mark Nickerson, Roswell (75), 4 and 3
Fred Rescigno, Lawrenceville (74) def. David Noll, Jr, Dalton (Exempt), 1 up
Tevis Upton, Douglasville (70) def. Doug Stiles, Athens (74), 4 and 3
Jack Hall, Macon (73) def. Corey Huss, Woodstock (66), 4 and 3
Scott Pitts, Cornelia (72) def. Jonathan Shiflet, Hartwell (69), 1 up

Round of 32
DeWitt Weaver, Suwanee (75) def. Jeff Belk, Marietta (Exempt), 1 up
Wes Latimer, Roswell (74) def. J. T. Hoffman, Alpharetta (73), 2 up
Richard Purdy, Alpharetta (75) def. Luke Stephan, Atlanta (71), 23 holes
Todd Eaker, Lilburn (71) def. Chad Branton, Cartersville (75), 1 up
Rocky Costa, Alpharetta (74) def. Allen Peake, Macon (73), 4 and 2
Erik Martin, Alpharetta (68) def. John Williams Jr., Atlanta (75), 19 holes
Doug Green, Cumming (72) def. Jay Pyne, Duluth (74), default
Mark Nickerson, Roswell (75) def. Don Marsh, Alpharetta (69), 2 up
David Noll, Jr, Dalton (Exempt) def. Greg Kennedy, Cumming (75), 4 and 3
Fred Rescigno, Lawrenceville (74) def. Jackson Moore, Marietta (73), 4 and 3
Doug Stiles, Athens (74) def. Chris Wickline, Alpharetta (72), 19 holes
Tevis Upton, Douglasville (70) def. Terry Rush, Duluth (75), 4 and 3
Jack Hall, Macon (73) def. Lee Rogers, Gainesville (74), 3 and 2
Corey Huss, Woodstock (66) def. Randy Donahoo, Woodstock (75), 4 and 3
Scott Pitts, Cornelia (72) def. Dan Barkley, Roswell (74), 5 and 4
Jonathan Shiflet, Hartwell (69) def. Jorge Cora, Atlanta (75), 5 and 4