2000 Mid-Amateur Championship

Kennedy Birdies First Playoff Hole to Win Mid-Amateur Championship

Greg Kennedy of Duluth narrowly missed a birdie on the 18th hole, but made a birdie 15 minutes later on the same hole to win in a playoff over Joseph Davis of Acworth at the 19th Annual Mid-Amateur Championship being held at Lanier Golf Club May 19-21, 2000. Kennedy's birdie attempt on his final hole of the last round would have given him the outright lead, but the 8 foot try from the fringe just lipped out giving him a final round two-under par 70 for a 214 total. Davis finished the day with a one-under par 71.

In the playoff, both golfers reached the green in two. Kennedy had a 20 foot putt which he sank for birdie. Davis then missed his chance to tie from 12 feet giving Kennedy his first state championship. Kennedy started the day two shots behind Bob Royak of Alpharetta, while Davis was just one shot back. Kennedy's round didn't start the way he had planned. He bogeyed the first hole, but quickly got back to even par with a birdie on the third hole. He birded the sixth hole to finish the front side at one-under par. Kennedy played steady golf on the back side adding a birdie on the short par 5 16th hole to take a share of the lead.

His game plan before the round was to play conservatively and let the leaders come back to him, which they did. Royak lost his lead early to Jay Childs of Kennesaw and finished with a 74 for a three-day total of 215, one shot back. Childs wasn't able to maintain his lead on the back side and also finished with a 74 tied for 5th at 216.

Kennedy was a four-year letterman at the University of Georgia. He played on the 1988 squad that won the SEC title. He made match play at the 1989 US Amateur and has qualified two other times. "My game plan was to just shoot for the middle of the green," Said Kennedy. "These greens are unbelievable. They are as fast as any I've seen at national championships. I tried to lag my putts, but they'd end up way past the hole. I made a lot of three to five footers for par."
The Georgia State Golf Association is an organization devoted to promoting and preserving the game of golf in Georgia. The Association comprises approximately 360 Member Clubs, which among them have more than 85,000 individual members. The GSGA conducts 22 statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups, four interstate matches, two Atlanta area competitions and 16 USGA qualifying events each year.

Other services provided by the Association for its clubs and individual members 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 Kennedy, Greg - Duluth 73-71-70=214* (Won in Playoff)
Davis, Joseph - Acworth 72-71-71=214*
3 Royak, Bob - Alpharetta 72-69-74=215
Belk, Jeff - Marietta 72-71-72=215
5 Childs, Jay - Kennesaw 71-71-74=216
Brown, Bill - Albany 72-72-72=216
Pinkard, Chuck - Cumming 74-71-71=216
8 Cloninger, Rick - Dacula 73-71-73=217
Roberts, Bill - Pine Mountain 72-74-71=217
10 Welsh, Stephen - Macon 73-74-71=218
Green, Doug - Alpharetta 73-76-69=218
12 Major, Randall - Buford 75-74-70=219
13 Knox, Jeff - Augusta 73-67-78=220
14 Rawl, Stan - Suwanee 70-76-74=220
Branton, Chad - Cartersville 75-75-70=220
16 Larkin, Jack - Atlanta 77-70-74=221
Sappington, Spencer -Alpharetta 77-72-72=221
18 Six, Bobby - Cumming 74-72-77=223
Sorel, Paul - Alpharetta 75-71-77=223
Garde, Greg - Peachtree City 76-76-71=223
21 Young, Bob - Dunwoody 76-72-76=224
Hollingsworth, Rick - Dallas 71-80-73=224
Norton, Ladell - Rome 77-74-73=224
Standard, Michael - McDonough 78-73-73=224
Davis, John - Alpharetta 78-74-72=224 26
Everett, Al - Cumming 72-76-77=225
Donahoo, Randy - Woodstock 73-75-77=225
Henderson, Bill - Cumming 72-77-76=225
29 Holmes, Keith - Macon 78-67-81=226
Sexton, Dave - Suwanee 72-74-80=226
McMichael, Gay - Macon 74-76-76=226
Barnett, Lynn - Cumming 78-73-75=226
Hobbs, Jay - Cumming 75-77-74=226
Veach, Bob - Alpharetta 77-76-73=226
Smith, Michael - Cumming 80-75-71=226
36 Brewer, Greg - Atlanta 72-75-80=227
Stuart, Jim - Macon 75-73-79=227
Sizemore, Brent - Calhoun 78-70-79=227
Jordan, Kevin - Kennesaw 73-76-78=227
Pyne, Jay - Duluth 75-74-78=227
Dew, Robbie - Marietta 78-72-77=227
Kearney, Jack - Peachtree City 77-74-76=227
McDonnell, Bob - Suwanee 75-77-75=227
Foote, Jim - Gainesville 76-76-75=227
Riley, Michael - Marietta 77-75-75=227
Pass, Mike - Peachtree City 75-78-74=227
Holmes, Randy - Suwanee 77-76-74=227
Phillips, Donnie - Duluth 77-76-74=227
Strawn, Rusty - McDonough 80-73-74=227
50 Martin, Erik - Alpharetta 74-76-78=228
Haddon, Rob - Marietta 75-77-76=228
Simpson, Paul - Carrollton 75-78-75=228
Chuck, Chris - Marietta 76-77-75=228
Register, Eddie - Snellville 77-77-74=228
Cochran, John - Duluth 79-75-74=228
Nelson, Danny - Savannah 81-74-73=228
57 Ives, Danny - Cumming 75-76-78=229
Hill, Bart - Tunnel Hill 74-79-76=229
Medenhall, Mel - Marietta 77-76-76=229
Nell, David - Shaprsburg 79-74-76=229
Ferrell, Scott - Savannah 78-77-74=229
Saft, Gary - Cumming 79-76-74=229
63 Potochnak, Michael - Suwanee 74-77-79=230
Burgess, Sandy - Macon 77-74-79=230
Clary, Damon - Dacula 75-79-76=230
Sheats, Robert - Atlanta 78-76-76=230
Travis, Jody - Fayetteville 80-75-75=230
68 Combes, Francisco - Columbus 80-74-78=232
Shelton, Ken - Marietta 76-79-77=232
Montgomery, Mark - Gainesville 78-77-77=232
Bowman, Randy - Summerville 79-76-77=232
Matre, Rob - Atlanta 76-79-78=233
Warren, Tom - Newnan 78-77-78=233
74 Sperr, Charles - Duluth 79-75-82=236
75 Yarnell, Bobby - Roswell 80-73-84=237
Smith, Ben - Norcross 78-76-83=237
Calkins, John - Woodstock 79-76= WD