2007 Amateur Championship

Thomasville's Harris English Wins Georgia Amateur by a Stroke
Five-stroke deficit in final round erased asseventeen-year-old captures title

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ROSWELL, Ga. – Seventeen-year-old Harris English of Thomasville shot 72 in the final round and held on as the leaders fell back from a five-stroke advantage to win the 86th annual Georgia Amateur Championship at Ansley Golf Club-Settindown Creek in Roswell. English's even-par 288 for the tournament edged Mark Strickland of Woodstock by one stroke, as Strickland's 12-foot par putt on 18, which would have forced a playoff, just lipped around the hole.

 

Augusta's Jeff Knox and Atlanta's Robert Sheats, two of four first-round co-leaders, tied Strickland (also a first-round co-leader) for runner-up honors. It was Knox's second-straight runner-up finish in the Georgia Amateur. Third-round leader Jeff Belk of Marietta turned in a final-round 77 and finished tied for fifth with 2003 Georgia Amateur Champion David Noll Jr. of Dalton at 290. Savannah's Doug Hanzel carded 74 for the second-straight day to take sole possession of seventh place at 291.

 

Defending champion Bill Brown of Dublin finished tied for eighth at 4-over 292 with Blake Stark of Canton and John Clendenin of Acworth.

English is the first Georgia Amateur Champion to come from Thomasville and is the youngest champion since Atlanta golf legend Charlie Yates (born Sept. 9, 1913) won the 1931 Amateur. Fourteen-year-old Bobby Jones won the inaugural event in 1916. English, who turns 18 on July 23, will join the University of Georgia golf team this fall. Last month he finished fifth at the Georgia Junior Championship, played at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens.

Belk entered the day at 3-under-par with a one-stroke lead over Strickland and a three-stroke advantage over English, Stark and Benjamin Kishigian of Warner Robins. He moved to 5-under with birdies on his first two holes, but by the turn had fallen back to 3-under. Strickland, meanwhile, carded three birdies on the front nine to take a two-stroke lead at the turn. English, playing one group ahead of the final pairing of Belk, Kishigian and Strickland, took a triple bogey on No. 5 but made the turn at 1-over. He then birdied the 10th to trail Strickland by five strokes when the final group turned.

Both Strickland and Belk found plenty of problem spots on the back nine. They became knotted at 4-under after Belk birdied and Strickland bogeyed the 11th hole. But Belk then posted four bogeys in a five-hole stretch from 12 through 16, followed by a double-bogey on the par-3 17th where he took two shots to get out of the bunker. Strickland ended his round with five straight bogeys, which included a ball in the water on 16 and a missed putt on 17 after blasting out of the bunker to three feet.

English, meanwhile, was hanging on at 1-under with a birdie on the 11th and six straight pars. After landing on the back of green at 18 (which had a front left hole location) in two, he three-putted for bogey after his par opportunity just lipped around. But he signed his scorecard as the clubhouse leader at even-par 288.
Forcing a playoff if he carded par on 18, Strickland put his approach shot in the fringe above the hole. The downhill putt slid about 12 feet past. His par putt appeared to be right on target, but just lipped around as well, sealing the victory for English.

"It hasn't hit me yet," English said after the round. "I was disappointed in the outcome at the Junior, but this just means so much more."

Play was suspended for 37 minutes, from 2:19 to 2:56, due to a heavy rainstorm in the area.

The Georgia Amateur Championship is conducted by the Georgia State Golf Association and brings together 156 of the state's best male amateur golfers for the prestigious state title first won by Bobby Jones in 1916.

The Championship format is 72 holes of stroke play over four days. The par-72 layout at Ansley Golf Club-Settindown Creek is playing to approximately 7,119 yards. The field was cut to the low 70 and ties after the second round, with the cut line falling at 12-over 156 and 77 players advancing to the weekend.