2003 Amateur Championship

David Noll Captures the Georgia Amateur Championship

KENNESAW, Ga. - David Noll of Dalton held off the field with a closing one-under 71 to capture the 82nd Georgia Amateur Championship by one stroke over Thomas Hagler of Ringgold. Noll finished at five-under 283. David Robinson of Sandersville was three back, shooting 286 at Pinetree Country Club.

After a bogey-birdie start, Noll, 31, never trailed and had his lead to three strokes through 13 holes, beforehe dropped one with a bogey on the next hole (number five) and Hagler picked up a birdie at number six with a holed-out bunker shot. Noll had stuck his approach to less than five feet but followed Hagler's dramatic birdie with a lip-out and settled for par. "That made me more determined," Noll said of his missed opportunity. "I was just cruising along until then."

Both players narrowly missed birdie tries on seven before Hagler, a 19-year-old member of the Augusta State golf team, gave Noll some breathing room on their 17th hole, the par-3 eighth, when he missed a four-footer and bogeyed to fall to three under and two back. Hagler, who was just short of the green in two on the final hole, a 495-yard, dogleg-right par five, needed to chip in, but settled for a birdie and second place.

Finishing fourth at 287 was Jeff Knox of Augusta. Chase Jones of Cartersville shot four-straight rounds of 72 to finish at 288, one stroke ahead of Cumming's Doug Green and Adam Grodhaus of Duluth. Woodstock's Mark Strickland, also at even par for the day, moved into a tie for eighth at 289 with Wright Waddell of Columbus. Waddell started the day one off the leaders, but fell back with a final-round 77.

Noll said the 13th hole, the difficult 210-yard, par-3 fourth, was the turning point. He made a critical up and down as Hagler missed a short putt from above the hole. Hagler, although disappointed, said he "couldn't complain" about his day. "Par is a good score on this course," he said of Pinetree's 6,835-yard layout that is known for its difficult sloping greens. Hagler was plagued by the par threes throughout the championship, playing them at a combined six over.

Noll, who regained his amateur status in 2001 after several years of trying "about every mini-tour out there," called this his biggest win. "This is forever...to be the Georgia Amateur champion...you go down in history." Noll finished as the runner-up at his first GSGA event, the 2002 Mid-Amateur Championship, and recently at the 2003 Southeastern Amateur.

Hagler, who was the medalist at his qualifier for the second year in a row, was trying to become the third Augusta State champion in as many years. The 2002 champion, Jonathan Shiflet of Hartwell, is an Augusta State alumnus, and 2001 champion Michael Webb of Elberton won as a rising senior.

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. There were 134 qualifiers that joined 22 exempt players to make up the field. Five-hundred fifty golfers entered the qualifying process, competing at 10 sites for the available places.

 

Final Results

1 David Noll, Dalton 69 71 72 71 283
2 Thomas Hagler, Ringgold 71 68 73 72 284
3 David Robinson, Sandersville 72 71 71 72 286
4 Jeff Knox, Augusta 71 70 73 73 287
5 Chase Jones, Cartersville 72 72 72 72 288
6 Doug Green, Cumming 75 71 70 73 289
6 Adam Grodhaus, Duluth 70 71 73 75 289
8 Mark Strickland, Woodstock 73 72 73 72 290
8 Wright Waddell, Columbus 70 70 73 77 290
10 Jayce Stepp, Cartersville 75 72 74 71 292
10 Chuck Pinkard, Cumming 72 74 72 74 292
12 Brent Sizemore, Calhoun 78 73 70 73 294
12 Keith Guest, Athens 74 71 74 75 294
14 Jason Coolik, Atlanta 73 76 74 72 295
14 Michael Standard, McDonough 73 75 73 74 295
14 Stuart Moore, Gainesville 73 72 75 75 295
14 Scott Campbell, Altanta 71 76 73 75 295
14 John Tillery, Madison 77 73 69 76 295
14 Brent Dorner, Albany 74 74 71 76 295
20 Scott Madley, Smyrna 75 70 75 76 296
21 Trent Erb, Athens 74 74 76 73 297
22 Jonathan Shiflet, Hartwell 77 75 71 75 298
22 Jack Larkin, Atlanta 76 73 73 76 298
22 Danny Whigham, Atlanta 78 73 71 76 298
25 Bill Brown, Dublin 70 78 75 76 299
25 Stan Rawl, Suwanee 75 75 73 76 299
25 Carter Mize, Columbus 75 71 76 77 299
25 Stephen Davis, Rome 76 70 75 78 299
25 Bill Henderson, Bishop 73 76 76 74 299
25 Mark Nickerson, Roswell 79 74 72 74 299
25 Luke Stephen, Kennesaw 73 76 73 77 299
25 Rod Reed, Alpharetta 72 76 74 77 299
25 Bill Hodges, Atlanta 74 72 74 79 299
34 Chris Hall, Marietta 75 77 70 78 300
34 William Hoffman, Alpharetta 75 76 74 75 300
34 Jonathan Fricke, Grayson 71 82 72 75 300
34 Rob Langley, Norcross 72 74 74 80 300
38 Danny Nelson, Savannah 76 76 76 73 301
38 Dalton Harpe, Savannah 75 75 70 81 301
40 Johan Kok, Peachtree City 76 74 75 77 302
40 Stephen Welsh, Macon 73 72 77 80 302
40 Matt Hooper, Cumming 76 76 77 73 302
43 Brandon Nelson, Roswell 71 77 75 80 303
43 Michael Funk, Statesboro 79 73 77 74 303
43 Rocky Costa, Alpharetta 77 76 77 73 303
43 Bill Faith, Dalton 76 77 77 73 303
47 Rick Cloninger, Dacula 75 73 75 81 304
47 Jeff Belk, Marietta 73 74 75 82 304
47 Kris Shepherd, Evans 72 74 83 75 304
50 Ben Pate, Dalton 71 79 74 81 305
50 Matthew Dale, Gillsville 71 79 75 80 305
50 Jay Pyne, Duluth 75 71 79 80 305
50 Mark Phillips, Peachtree City 72 80 74 79 305
50 Alex Mackey, Kennesaw 78 74 77 76 305
50 Bill Ploeger, Columbus 74 79 77 75 305
50 Lee Rogers, Gainesville 77 76 77 75 305
57 Joe Fagundes, LaGrange 75 74 80 77 306
57 Stan Copelan, Columbus 78 75 77 76 306
59 Chris Chuck, Marietta 76 75 77 79 307
59 Bobby Thomas, Columbus 74 78 76 79 307
59 Tevis Upton, Douglasville 73 77 77 80 307
62 Ben Nixon, Kennesaw 75 77 79 77 308
62 Marty Ellison, Rome 74 74 84 76 308
64 Ron Godwin, Kennesaw 74 77 78 80 309
64 Mason McKnight, Augusta 75 76 74 84 309
64 Craig Ketelsen, Newnan 77 76 76 80 309
64 Madden Hatcher, Columbus 77 75 81 76 309
68 Austin Haynes, Dalton 72 78 74 86 310
69 Mark Blanton, Greensboro 72 80 80 79 311
69 Allen Peake, Macon 75 76 82 78 311
71 Morgan Nix, Gainesville 80 73 79 81 313
72 Scott Cunningham, Duluth 77 74 87 88 326