2008 Junior Championship

Chase Parker Comes From Behind to Take Georgia Junior Title
Local player posts a final-round 70 to shave two-shot deficit and then win by two

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta native Chase Parker carded a final-round 70 to overtake first-round leader Lee Knox, also of Augusta, and run away with the title at the 43rd annual Georgia Junior Championship, which took place at the Augusta Country Club, June 16-18. Knox, who held a two-shot advantage over Parker to start the day, fell behind after a bogey on the 11th hole and could not land a birdie putt during his inward nine to catch the eventual winner.

"This course was as tough over the past three days as I have ever seen it," Parker said of Augusta Country Club's 6,892-yard layout. "I knew that par would be a good score so I just tried to position myself to make pars and then maybe I would be able to get a birdie putt to fall."

Parker, a rising senior at Westside High School in Augusta, began the final day of play trailing by two strokes. Matching Knox, Parker opened with four consecutive pars and a birdie at five. However, Parker then connected on birdie putts at the par-three sixth and the 599-yard eighth (the longest hole of the course). Those two birdies at 6 and 8, where Knox made par, locked the duo at eight-under for the championship.

Each opened the back nine with pars but Knox pushed his drive on eleven to the right and into the woods. Punching out, he would have to settle for bogey (his first on a par-five during the event). Parker's par at the eleventh gave him the outright lead. Knox, who will join the University of Alabama's golf squad this coming fall, again found trouble at 13 and failed to get up and down for par, falling two shots off the pace of Parker. The duo exchanged pars on each of the next four holes and Parker took to 18 with a two-shot advantage.

"I was still a little nervous walking up to 18 tee," Parker explained. "I guess I wouldn't be human if I wasn't. I just knew that with Lee [Knox] being the type of player that he is, anything could still happen out there."

Parker pushed his drive on 18 far to the right and the ball came to rest on the fairway of the first hole. His approach landed short of the green. Knox, who hit the fairway with his tee shot, landed his approach on the left side of the green giving him a lengthy look at birdie. Neither could make their attempts at par and each would settle for bogey. Despite his bogey at 18, his only one of the round, Parker fired a two-under 70 in the final round and won by two shots.

Blake Soni of Bogart and Valdosta's Trey McQuaig finished in a tie for third place at one-under-par 215. Acworth's Cameron Simmons and two players from Augusta, Clark Palmer and Dykes Harbin, tied for sixth place at even-par 216 for the championship. Gainesville's Grant Cagle took sole procession of the eighth position after posting a final-round 70. Benjamin Greene of Duluth and McDonough's Will Evans, who each carded 71 on the final day of competition, round out the top ten at 218.

The top eight finishers in the Georgia Junior Championship go on to represent the Peach State in the 33rd annual Georgia-South Carolina Junior Challenge Match, which takes place at Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ball Ground, July 18-19.

The field of 144 was cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes, with the cut line falling at 10-over 154 and 72 players advancing to Wednesday's final round. The par-72 layout at Augusta Country Club played to 7,053 yards.

Entries were open to male amateur golfers between the ages of 14-17 as of June 16, who are Georgia residents and GSGA members or dependants of GSGA members.

Final Results

1 Chase Parker, Augusta 69 70 70 209 -7
2 Lee Knox, Augusta 67 70 74 211 -5
T3 Blake Soni, Bogart 73 70 72 215 -1
T3 Trey McQuaig, Valdosta 73 72 70 215 -1
T5 Cameron Simmons, Acworth 70 70 76 216 Even
T5 Clark Palmer, Augusta 71 72 73 216 Even
T5 Dykes Harbin, Augusta 66 76 74 216 Even
8 Grant Cagle, Gainesville 74 73 70 217 1
T9 Benjamin Greene, Duluth 76 71 71 218 2
T9 Will Evans, McDonough 73 74 71 218 2
T11 Collin Ho, Albany 69 70 80 219 3
T11 John Keller, Waynesboro 70 77 72 219 3
T11 Tyler Erickson, Bonaire 77 74 68 219 3
T14 Franco Castro, Alpharetta 74 69 77 220 4
T14 Justin Cho, Norcross 70 74 76 220 4
T16 Drew Czuchry, Auburn 76 73 72 221 5
T16 Jon Weiss, Villa Rica 74 76 71 221 5
T16 Patrick Garrett, Powder Springs 75 70 76 221 5
T19 Anders Albertson, Woodstock 73 76 73 222 6
T19 Chandler Machemehl, Duluth 75 75 72 222 6
T19 Jacob Tilton, Evans 77 72 73 222 6
T19 Randy White, Canton 74 72 76 222 6
T19 Ryan McBride, Marietta 71 75 76 222 6
T24 Jack Walsh, Lawrenceville 70 80 73 223 7
T24 Nick Edry, Augusta 73 77 73 223 7
T24 Paul Bruckner, Alpharetta 72 73 78 223 7
T24 Shawn Yim, Buford 75 76 72 223 7
T28 Chaz Fairbrother, Newnan 75 71 78 224 8
T28 Drew Aimone, Savannah 74 73 77 224 8
T28 Hamilton Harbin, Augusta 73 75 76 224 8
T28 Joel Sawyer, Elberton 77 73 74 224 8
T28 Ollie Schniederjans, Powder Springs 73 76 75 224 8
T28 Tyler Smith, Fayetteville 73 74 77 224 8
T28 Will Snipes, Rocky Face 76 74 74 224 8
T28 William Meason III, Alpharetta 76 73 75 224 8
T36 Charlie Harrison, Atlanta 75 78 72 225 9
T36 Jimmy Lloyd, Clermont 77 73 75 225 9
T36 Zach Estep, Lawrenceville 73 76 76 225 9
T39 Brian Carter, Evans 75 75 76 226 10
T39 Bryan Fox, Roswell 74 80 72 226 10
T39 Jordan Black, Dalton 78 75 73 226 10
T39 Mookie Demoss, Duluth 73 74 79 226 10
T39 Wilkes Murray, Augusta 73 77 76 226 10
T39 William Sigg, Augusta 72 76 78 226 10
T45 Austin Vick, Evans 76 74 77 227 11
T45 Jack Yancey, Rome 71 77 79 227 11
T47 Austin Barreras, Peachtree City 78 76 74 228 12
T47 Eric Quinn, Norcross 78 74 76 228 12
T47 John Fordham, Moultrie 76 75 77 228 12
T47 Will England, Gainesville 73 80 75 228 12
T47 Will Jones, Rome 75 77 76 228 12
T52 Jeremy Schmiedeberg, Marietta 74 72 83 229 13
T52 Martin Manning, Augusta 69 75 85 229 13
T54 John Skeadas III, Savannah 77 76 78 231 15
T54 Scott Wolfes, St. Simons Island 77 76 78 231 15
T54 Seth Knight IV, Columbus 80 72 79 231 15
T57 Landry Haynes, Gainesville 78 76 78 232 16
T57 Taylor Welborn, Lagrange 73 78 81 232 16
59 Michael Hines, Acworth 78 75 80 233 17
T60 Michael Motz, Milton 75 78 81 234 18
T60 Neal Quirk, Atlanta 77 77 80 234 18
T60 Walker Hill, Statesboro 73 76 85 234 18
T63 Anthony Amodeo, Marietta 79 75 81 235 19
T63 Justin Cochran, Gainesville 77 75 83 235 19
T63 Ryan Sather, Augusta 73 77 85 235 19
66 Zachary Bryant, Buckhead 78 76 82 236 20
67 Jonathan Christie, Kingsland 78 76 83 237 21
T68 Dylan Freeman, Athens 78 76 85 239 23
T68 Shiloh Snow, Blackshear 77 77 85 239 23
T68 Stephen Woodill, Ellerslie 74 77 88 239 23
T68 Tyler Crump, Kennesaw 79 75 85 239 23
72 Tyler Duke, Augusta 76 77 89 242 26