2001 Senior Championship

Tom Reid Comes from Four Back to Win Georgia Senior Championship

AUGUSTA, GA - Tom Reid of Macon came from four strokes back to take the Georgia Senior Championship held at West Lake Country Club by one stroke over Spencer Sappington of Alpharetta and Bill Ploeger of Columbus, finishing with a one-under 71 for a three-day total of two-under 214. Sappington, who was even with Reid going into 18, found water in front of the par-5 18th and lost with a bogey. Ploeger, who was runner- up in 2000 and in last week's USGA Senior Amateur, led the first two rounds but had trouble getting his putts to fall Friday and ended with a disappointing 76.

Reid, 58, had erased Ploeger's lead by the 11th hole and survived a late charge by Sappington, who made up three stokes with birdies on 16 and 17 to Reid's bogey and par. On the par-five 18, Sappington, also 58, was a reachable 225 yards out, but he miss-hit his three wood and fell short into the water. Although he put his fourth shot to within 12 feet, his par putt unexpectedly broke left at the hole and narrowly missed, leaving Reid with two putts from less than 15 feet to win. The 61-year-old Ploeger, who had bogeyed 15 and 16 to fall to two-off the pace, tied for second when he sunk his birdie putt on 18.

Sappington appeared to be out of contention after bogeying 12 and 13 to fall three behind, but made a valiant charge with his play on the final three holes. Ploeger stayed with Reid until 15 and 16 where he was unable to convert out of a fairway and greenside bunker respectively.

This is Reid's first state championship, although he won the Middle Georgia Senior Amateur a few weeks ago and the 2001 Dixie Amateur. Reid is a retired comptroller who continues to do accounting work and serves as a high school football referee. Reid played third base for the University of Georgia baseball team in the early 1960s.

Al Everett of Cumming took fourth, finishing seven strokes back, and Curtis Wagner of Peachtree City was fifth at 222. Other flight winners were: First Flight, Robert Legg of Greensboro; Second Flight, Cliff Cleveland of Atlanta; Third Flight, Stan Gann of Kathleen and Bill Flinn of Norcross; Fourth Flight, Russ Holland of Savannah; Fifth Flight, Joe Felton of Augusta; Sixth Flight, John Darnall of Duluth; and Seventh Flight, Dave Benton of Conyers. The Second through Seventh Flights played a weather-shortened 45-hole tournament due to a 90-minute fog delay Friday morning.

Entries were open to male amateur golfers who are at least 55 years old, members of a GSGA Member Club and residents of Georgia. Entrants with the lowest 60 handicap indexes comprise the Championship flight. The remainder of the field, 84 players, was accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and was divided into six flights based on handicap index. Players in the Championship through Sixth flights are playing from the same tees (6,475 yards) and are eligible for the overall title.

GSGA conducts 16 statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups, four interstate matches, two Atlanta area competitions 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

Championship Flight
1 Tom Reid, Macon 71 72 71 214
2 Spencer Sappington, Alpharetta 71 70 74 215
2 Bill Ploeger, Columbus 69 70 76 215
4 Al Everett, Cumming 74 71 76 221
5 Curtis Wagner, Peachtree City 73 74 75 222
6 Peter Donald Jr., Dacula 78 67 78 223
7 Richard Tatum, Atlanta 77 78 70 225
7 Dick Van Leuvan, Roswell 72 81 72 225
7 Ken Benson, Alpharetta 76 73 76 225
7 Bob Coleman, Greensboro 74 72 79 225
11 Joseph Estes, Atlanta 74 80 72 226
11 Larry Eglen, Marietta 80 73 73 226
11 Boyd Johnson, Statesboro 76 77 73 226
11 John Adams, Savannah 73 78 75 226
11 Bill Myers, Marietta 73 74 79 226
16 Julian Saul, Dalton 76 77 74 227
17 Ed Payne, Augusta 74 76 79 229
18 Bob Nance, Calhoun 71 80 79 230
19 Mike Steed, Eatonton 78 80 73 231
19 Amos Jones, Atlanta 73 79 79 231
21 Charles Pinkard Sr., Rockmart 73 76 83 232
22 Walter Fugate, Macon 78 79 76 233
22 Ronald Lowery, Dalton 84 73 76 233
22 Bob Smith, Swainsboro 77 76 80 233
22 Paul Cobb Jr., Norcross 77 74 82 233
26 Tom Grace, Stone Mountain 81 78 75 234
26 Sergio Silva, Woodstock 79 79 76 234
26 Bill Evans, Columbus 82 77 75 234
29 Brendan Hayes, Roswell 77 81 77 235
29 Tim McFall, Atlanta 77 78 80 235
31 Fred Atterberry, Cumming 83 79 76 238
31 Douglas Busz, Duluth 80 83 75 238
31 Ellsworth Hall III, Macon 78 83 77 238
31 Jim Montgomery, Alpharetta 80 79 79 238
35 William Rhuland, Sumner 77 76 86 239
35 Gerald Carmichael, Dunwoody 76 84 79 239
37 John Chesnut Jr., Covington 80 78 82 240
38 Jim Robinson, Fayetteville 80 78 83 241
38 Ron Savastano, Roswell 81 81 79 241
40 Frank Otten, Bogart 82 82 78 242
41 Stan Thorn, Alpharetta 80 84 80 244
42 Jim Duncan, Newnan 79 85 81 245
43 Arthur Gunter, Roswell 82 83 82 247
43 Danny Williams, Augusta 79 87 81 247
45 Roy Johnson, Alpharetta 82 87 79 248
46 Bill Wetzel, Dunwoody 83 84 82 249
47 Buddy Hudson, Sandersville 89 83 79 251
48 Mike Keeble, Atlanta 82 87 83 252
49 George Tasioudis, Atlanta 82 89 85 256
50 Bill Arnold, Dalton 83 86 88 257
51 Billy Howell, Bainbridge 83 98 78 259
51 Wendell Couch, Conyers 87 81 91 259
53 Frank Costanzo, Savannah 79 78 WD WD
53 Gary Lee Barnes, Carrollton 96 WD WD WD
53 J. David Patterson, Rocky Face 87 WD WD WD
53 Don Marsh, Alpharetta WD WD WD WD
53 Peter Chanin, Cumming WD WD WD WD
53 Dale Bentley, Calhoun 83 WD WD WD
53 Jerry Greenbaum, Atlanta WD WD WD WD
53 William Lepley, Alpharetta 78 81 WD WD