2007 Mid-Amateur Championship

David Noll, Jr. Wins Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship by a Stroke
Second-round leader gets down early,retakes lead on 53rd hole

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COLUMBUS, Ga. – Second-round leader David Noll Jr. of Dalton fell behind early, retook the lead on the 53rd hole, then parred the final hole to win the Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship by one stroke over Adam Thomas of Baxley and defending champion Mark Strickland of Woodstock with a 4-under-par 209. The 36th annual championship took place at Country Club of Columbus, May 18-20.

Reigning Georgia Amateur champion Bill Brown of Dublin tied for fourth at 1-over-par 214 with Augusta's Jeff Knox. The 2004 Mid-Amateur champion, Doug Hanzel of Savannah, tied for sixth with William Mitchell of Roswell at 215. Steve Davis of Rome finished alone in eighth place at 216. Local Charlie Whittington, who shared the first-round lead with Noll, finished at 5-over 218 to tie with Kennesaw's Chris Hall for ninth place.

Thomas, along with Brown, trailed Noll by two strokes going into the final 18. Thomas carded three birdies over the first four holes to overtake Noll, who bogeyed No. 2. Thomas then ran into trouble of his own, bogeying holes 6 and 7, but at 4-under, still held a one-stroke lead at the turn over both Brown and Noll.

"I kept telling myself to just be patient, to keep hanging on, and there would be an opening," said Noll. His first opening came at the par-3, 155-yard 16th.

 

Thomas' eight-foot par putt just missed and he had to settle for bogey. Noll's birdie putt lipped around, but he was able to pull even with Thomas at 3-under for the tournament with the tap-in for par. Brown, meanwhile, had fallen out of contention by going +5 during a four-hole stretch from 13 through 16.

Noll's second opening came on the par-5, 476-yard 17th hole. He stuck his second shot just short of the green, then chipped to four feet for the birdie putt.

 

Thomas was unable to convert on a 15-footer for birdie, so Noll, for the first time since the second hole, regained the lead with one to play. Strickland, playing one group ahead, chipped in for birdie from the back side of the green on 18 to finish with a final-round 68 and pull even with Thomas at 3-under for the tournament. Strickland's 68 was the low score of the day, matched by Macon's Jack Hall, who tied for 16th.

Noll's tee shot landed in the middle of the fairway at 18 while Thomas' shot went left into the adjacent driving range. Noll's approach found the green, about 16 feet from the hole, while Thomas' second shot was short. He chipped past the hole but was able to convert the par putt. Noll played his uphill putt conservatively, coming to rest just short of the hole. He then tapped it in for the title.

Noll has won two other GSGA men's individual titles – the 2003 Georgia Amateur and 2005 Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championships. Since regaining his amateur status in 2002, he has collected 42 amateur tournament titles. This is his first victory at the Country Club of Columbus since winning the Southeastern Junior title in 1984, but he has posted several top five finishes Southeastern Amateur, held here every summer.

"I really wanted this title," Noll said. "I wanted this one so bad, and I'm really blessed to be holding this trophy. It could have just as easily been Adam (Thomas) going home with it."

The Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship was open to male amateur golfers who are GSGA members, Georgia residents and age 25 and older as of the start of the championship. Non-exempt players had to qualify into the championship through one of six 18-hole qualifiers held across the state.

The field of 144 players was cut to the low 70 and ties following the second round, with the cut line falling at 14-over 156 and 76 players advancing to the final round. Country Club of Columbus, which will host the Georgia Amateur Championship in 2009, played to 6,515 yards and a par of 71.