2002 Amateur Championship

Jonathan Shiflet Takes the Georgia Amateur Championship in a Playoff

ALBANY, GA - Jonathan Shiflet of Hartwell captured the 81st Annual Georgia Amateur Championship Sunday in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff over Bill Brown of Dublin at Doublegate Country Club. Both players finished the regulation 72 holes at three-under-par 285. Shiflet, a 29-year-old insurance agent, claimed the state title with a two-putt par from 25 feet after Brown's approach shot on the par-four, 397-yard 18th went through the green and he failed to get up and down.

Brown, who won the 2001 Doublegate Club Championship before relocating to Dublin where he is a pharmaceutical sales representative, took a six iron from 175 yards and hit what he thought was a perfect approach shot into the green, only to see it land past the hole and bounce into the rough about 20 feet behind the flag. Shiflet, who used a driver to Brown's three wood off the tee, had 125 yards and eased a wedge to about 25 feet. Brown's downhill chip nearly caught the hole, but sailed 10 feet past. Shiflet was able to lag his putt and put it to less than three feet. After Brown's putt slipped by, Shiflet calmly converted his par putt for the win.

Jay Mundy of Augusta, and Jayce Stepp of Cartersville, who went from even to three under on the front nine, missed the playoff by one, and shared third place at 286. Finishing alone in fifth at one under was Jonathan Fricke of Grayson, who held the lead since his opening round 67, but faltered down the stretch with bogeys on four of the last five holes, 14, 15, 16 and 18. Mundy, who was also playing in the last group, stayed within one of Fricke's lead all day, but his bogeys on 14 and 15, where he four-putted, dropped him to two under and one back of the new leader, Brown.

Brown, playing in the third to last group and just in front of Shiflet, inherited the lead from Fricke by the 18th tee. Shiflet, who had birdied the par-three 16th to go to two under, forced the playoff with Brown by draining a 15-foot, uphill birdie putt on 18. Brown started the day at one under and went to three under with birdies on 10 and 15. Several clutch par saves on the back nine kept him in position.

Four players finished tied for sixth at 288. They were Andy Blanton of Moultrie, Jack Hall of Macon, T.J. Washburn of McDonough and Stan Rawl of Suwannee. David Noll, Jr. of Dalton finished 10th at 289, David Robinson of Sandersville was 11th at 290. 1999 Champion Rick Cloninger of Dacula carded his third straight under par round after an opening 80 to finish at 291 and tied for 12th with three others. They are Jack Larkin of Atlanta, Brendan Fisher of Augusta and Jason Henley of Duluth. 1980 Champion Griff Moody of Cumming, who shot 69 in the third round to get within one of Fricke, never recovered from a triple bogey on the par-five fourth hole, where he hit his second shot in the water and took an unplayable lie after his fourth. Moody finished in 31st at 296.

Shiflet finished 11th in the 2001 championship after falling from second position in the third round. Shiflet played college golf for two years at Anderson State Junior College (S.C.) and two years at Augusta State University, the same school as the 2001 champion, Michael Webb of Elberton, who just graduated. Stepp, 23, is also an Augusta State alumnus. Brown, 33, won the 1991 Southern Amateur before playing professional golf from 1993-1996. Mundy and Fricke both play college golf, with Mundy a rising senior at Auburn and Fricke starting with Georgia State next season after two years at Wallace State Junior College in Alabama.

This was the third time Doublegate hosted the Georgia Amateur and the third timeit ended in a playoff. Bo Trotter of Columbus won in 1971 and Allen Doyle won in 1987. The Georgia Amateur brings together 156 of the state's best male amateur golfers for the prestigious state title first won by Bobby Jones in 1916. The field of 156 was reduced to 73 competitors for the final two rounds, with the cut falling at 154. The field included 131 qualifiers and 27 exempt players. 572 golfers entered the qualifying process, competing at 11 sites for the available places. The course played to 7,000 yards. Real-time scoring broadcast on an electronic leaderboard and on the Internet was provided by The Golf Experience Company. Hole-by-hole scores and player statistics can be found online through gsga.org.

The GSGA conducts 18 statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups, three interstate matches, one Atlanta area competition 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

 

1 Jonathan Shiflet, Hartwell 71 70 73 71 285 *
2 Bill Brown, Dublin 74 70 71 70 285 *
3 Jayce Stepp, Cartersville 74 70 72 70 286
3 Jay Mundy, Augusta 73 69 71 73 286
5 Jonathan Fricke, Grayson 67 72 72 76 287
6 Andy Blanton, Moultrie 68 74 75 71 288
6 Jack Hall, Macon 70 72 74 72 288
6 T J Washburn, Mcdonough 75 67 73 73 288
6 Stan Rawl, Suwanee 69 72 72 75 288
10 David Noll Jr., Dalton 74 72 72 71 289
11 David Robinson, Sandersville 72 70 74 74 290
12 Rick Cloninger, Dacula 80 70 71 70 291
12 Jack Larkin, Atlanta 76 75 68 72 291
12 Brendan Fisher, Augusta 73 78 68 72 291
12 Jason Henley, Duluth 76 71 70 74 291
16 David Denham, Tifton 74 74 73 71 292
16 Scott Weeks, Savannah 75 72 73 72 292
16 Bob Young, Dunwoody 75 73 70 74 292
16 Alfred Bello III, Hahira 79 74 64 75 292
20 Greg Kennedy, Cumming 76 73 72 72 293
20 Greg Hubbard, Atlanta 75 72 73 73 293
20 Scott Davenport, Marietta 73 73 69 78 293
23 Jason Griffith, Gainesville 78 74 71 71 294
23 Wright Waddell, Columbus 75 73 75 71 294
23 Todd Hilton, Dawson 75 70 76 73 294
23 Brent Witcher, Duluth 73 71 72 78 294
23 Paul Sorel, Alpharetta 74 70 70 80 294
28 Bill Hodges, Atlanta 74 76 74 71 295
28 Jeff Belk, Marietta 73 75 75 72 295
28 Bill Ploeger, Columbus 77 75 73 70 295
31 Cortland Lowe, Augusta 77 74 72 73 296
31 Travis Mobley, Hinesville 77 70 73 76 296
31 Griff Moody, Cumming 71 72 69 84 296
34 Robert Sheats, Atlanta 73 76 74 74 297
34 Mickey Jones, Duluth 79 71 76 71 297
34 Wendell Akins, Statesboro 75 71 76 75 297
34 Mark Lyons, Powder Springs 75 77 75 70 297
38 Steven Meyer, McDonough 77 74 73 74 298
38 Dr Alan Hampton, Brunswick 78 71 75 74 298
38 Michael Riley, Marietta 74 78 74 72 298
41 Danny Nelson, Savannah 69 74 78 78 299
41 Brady Ward, Conyers 70 77 75 77 299
41 West Streib, Atlanta 76 78 72 73 299
44 Bob Vandergriff, Alpharetta 73 75 75 77 300
44 Mike Cooper, Albany 75 77 75 73 300
46 Tom Graziano, Woodstock 78 74 72 77 301
46 Brian Davidson, Baldwin 77 77 71 76 301
46 Brandon Stengel, Calhoun 75 77 74 75 301
46 Randy Donahoo, Woodstock 75 79 72 75 301
46 Jon David Kennedy, Perry 78 76 72 75 301
46 Michael Standard, McDonough 80 74 73 74 301
46 Hector Cora, Atlanta 77 77 76 71 301
53 Dan Barkley, Roswell 76 76 76 74 302
53 Andrew Saft, Cumming 77 77 74 74 302
55 Larry Clark, Kennesaw 78 76 72 77 303
55 Seth Knight III, Columbus 76 76 75 76 303
57 Cres Dodd, Adairsville 74 76 77 78 305
57 Iain McGarva, Robins AFB 76 76 75 78 305
57 Scott Pitts, Cornelia 78 75 76 76 305
57 Kevin Jordan, Smyrna 72 76 82 75 305
57 Robert Smith, Roswell 77 75 78 75 305
62 Kevin Belflower, Valdosta 79 71 76 80 306
62 Brian Hawver, Americus 77 74 76 79 306
64 Jonathan Mattox, Morrow 74 74 80 79 307
65 Rhett Bonner, Marietta 78 75 75 80 308
66 Jorge Cora, Atlanta 74 77 79 79 309
67 Bill Lenhardt, Peachtree City 78 74 81 78 311
67 Don Britt, Snellville 74 76 84 77 311
69 Brent Dorner, Albany 78 76 76 82 312
70 John Parks, Suwanee 77 77 79 80 313
71 Stephen Welsh, Macon 75 76 83 80 314
71 Rick Beasley, Alpharetta 74 80 81 79 314
71 John Martina, Alpharetta 79 75 85 75 314

* playoff