2002 Junior Championship

Harman Eliminates Competition with Final-Round 66 at Georgia Junior Championship

DALTON, GA. - Brian Harman of Savannah fired a six-under 66 to run away with the 37th Annual Georgia Junior Championship by seven strokes over Austin Haynes of Dalton, finishing at nine-under 207. Haynes, the first round leader, started the day tied with Harmon but fell to six back by the turn and finished with a 73 for a 214 total.

Chris Smith of Alpharetta's Centennial High School finished tied for third at 218, moving up from sixteenth with a final-round 68. Also at 218 was Josh Tompkins of Acworth, who closed with a 70 and recently finished second in the state AAAAA championship playing for Harrison High School. Fifth went to Michael Gordy of Clarkesville (219), and sixth place went to Timothy Freund of Greensboro (220).

Haynes, who will be a senior at The McCallie School in Chattanooga and was playing on his home course, Dalton Golf and Country Club, built a two-stroke lead by the third hole, but quickly lost ground as Harman birdied four and five to Haynes' par and bogey. Haynes struggled with three more bogeys (six, eight and nine), while Harman broke away with birdies on seven and eight, where he rolled in putts of 15 and 25 feet.

Harman, a rising sophomore at Savannah Christian, picked up two more birdies on the two par-fives, the 516-yard 10th and 552-yard 13th. His only miscue of the day was on the par-three 220-yard 16th, where his three iron went through the green and he failed to get up and down. Harman punctuated his impressive win with a birdie on the 395-yard, par-4 18th, where he drilled a 115-yard wedge to less than a foot.

The 15-year-old Harman, who finished fourth in the 2001 event by five strokes, credited his win to the fact he was hitting the ball well all week, even during his opening round 74. In the final round, Harmon hit 15 of 18 greens. Gordy, who was paired with Harmon and Haynes, summed up Harmon's final round saying he "didn't see him hit a bad shot all day" and he "was surprised when one of his putts didn't go in; so many were falling."

The top eight finishers earned spots on the 27th Annual Georgia-South Carolina Junior Challenge Match team, which will be played in July at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta. After a playoff for two spots among three of the seventh place finishers, the team was determined and will include Harman, Haynes, Smith, Tompkins, Gordy, Freund, Jordan Carpenter of Peachtree City and Chase McFarland of Savannah. Justin Cowart of Ellabell will be the first alternate. The other seventh place finishers, defending Junior champion Taylor Hall of LaGrange and two-time runner-up Brent Witcher of Duluth, are competing in the national PGA Junior Championship that same weekend.

The championship was open to male amateur golfers between the ages of 14-17, who are Georgia residents and GSGA members or dependants of GSGA members. The starting field of 137 was reduced to the low 70 players and ties, with the cut falling at 160. The par-72 course is playing to 6,690 yards.

 

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 Brian Harman, Savannah 74 67 66 207
2 Austin Haynes, Dalton 68 73 73 214
3 Chris Smith, Alpharetta 77 73 68 218
3 Josh Tompkins, Acworth 74 74 70 218
5 Michael Gordy, Clarksville 70 74 75 219
6 Timothy Freund, Greensboro 73 78 69 220
7 Jordan Carpenter, Peachtree City 75 73 73 221
7 Chase MacFarland, Savannah 76 72 73 221
7 Brent Witcher, Duluth 69 76 76 221
7 Justin Cowart, Ellabell 73 74 74 221
7 Taylor Hall, Lagrange 72 75 74 221
12 Mark Silvers, Savannah 71 74 77 222
13 Jay Moseley, Bainbridge 79 75 70 224
13 Hogan Kaney, Newnan 77 74 73 224
13 Joe Shirley, Marietta 75 76 73 224
13 Sam Rauschenberg, Dalton 74 75 75 224
13 Major Manning, Clarkesvillie 72 75 77 224
18 Mitch Baxley, Hortense 75 78 72 225
18 Macgregor Thompson, Waynesboro 75 78 72 225
18 Benjamin Kishigian, Warner Robins 75 78 72 225
18 William Garren III, Augusta 78 77 70 225
18 Jamie Bowen, Dawsonville 74 76 75 225
18 Matt Dale, Gillsville 73 76 76 225
18 Brandon Anthony, Albany 75 73 77 225
25 Ben Judd, Macon 78 75 73 226
25 Wallace Palmer, Augusta 74 76 76 226
25 Zac Tilton, Evans 73 78 75 226
28 Mark Perry, Atlanta 74 77 76 227
29 Nathaniel Balanis, Valdosta 72 82 74 228
29 Ben Lee, Milledgeville 76 75 77 228
29 Taylor Thomas, Columbus 72 78 78 228
32 Jerel Lake, Lawrenceville 77 76 76 229
32 Thomas Thompson, Carrollton 80 72 77 229
34 Ben Spickard, Roswell 78 79 73 230
34 Ryan Zebeau, Cedartown 77 72 81 230
36 Chris Cranford, Stone Mountain 78 75 78 231
36 Wesley Hodges, St Simons Island 77 78 76 231
38 Justin Smith, Savannah 80 72 80 232
38 Patrick McShane, Rome 80 71 81 232
38 Benjamin Mathis, Cedartown 79 79 74 232
41 Ryan Hall, Warner Robins 80 73 80 233
41 Kyle Collins, Milledgeville 73 80 80 233
41 Payne Kassinger, Evans 78 78 77 233
41 JP Hayes, Newnan 77 79 77 233
41 John Workman, Hartwell 79 78 76 233
41 Brad Sill, Alpharetta 78 80 75 233
41 Lee Blitch, Augusta 81 78 74 233
41 Seth Brandon, Dalton 78 82 73 233
49 Taylor Virgil, Marietta 77 77 80 234
49 Matt Hughes, Dalton 77 76 81 234
49 Troy Bartkowicz, Sharpsburg 79 77 78 234
49 Silas Sutton, Cartersville 77 79 78 234
53 Ryan Ruggiere, Athens 79 78 78 235
53 Carter Newman, Evans 81 76 78 235
53 Michael Deariso, Sylvester 83 77 75 235
56 Tal Everett, Sea Island 81 73 82 236
57 Michael Hodges, St Simons Island 76 83 78 237
57 Jason DeJiacomo, Jasper 80 79 78 237
57 Keith Guest, Athens 82 78 77 237
57 Ryan Steelman, Milledgeville 84 76 77 237
61 Jamie Howell, Savannah 80 75 83 238
61 Brian Ellington, Dublin 77 80 81 238
61 David Hoyt, Rome 82 76 80 238
64 Brian Norman, Elberton 76 74 89 239
64 Jarod Trammell, Jasper 78 79 82 239
64 Kyle Howell, Fitzgerald 82 77 80 239
64 Bryan Miller, Rocky Face 83 77 79 239
68 Matthew Hammock, Hinesville 77 78 85 240
68 Matthew Clark, Dawsonville 84 75 81 240
68 Will Mitchell, Atlanta 84 75 81 240
71 David Baker, Alpharetta 77 78 86 241
71 Michael Saari, Lilburn 83 77 81 241
71 Brendan Wales, Roswell 81 79 81 241
74 Nathan Gravlee, Dalton 80 74 88 242
75 Blake Stark, Canton 82 78 83 243
75 Ryan Rogers, Richmond Hill 86 74 83 243
77 Ryan Sturma, Conyers 76 82 86 244