2008 Four-Ball Championship

Brown, Strickland Win Georgia Four-Ball Championship in a Playoff
Strickland birdies 18 to tie; then birdies second playoff hole for win

 

Louis Brown of Newnan and Mark Strickland of Woodstock carded key birdies on the final hole of regulation and the second playoff hole to defeat Jeff Knox of Augusta and Jack Larkin of Atlanta and win the 37th annual Georgia Four-Ball Championship at The Brickyard at Riverside, April 25-27. The two teams tied at 19-under 197 for 54 holes after Knox/Larkin posted a final round 64 and Brown/Strickland came in at 66.

Brown and Knox both birdied the par-5 18th, the first playoff hole. Brown was in a valley just off the green, while Knox found his ball in a greenside bunker. Both stuck their third shots to within two feet for short birdie putts. That sent the playoff to the par-4 17th, where Strickland stuck his approach to 15 feet and sunk the birdie putt for the win.

Strickland also posted a birdie in the final hole of regulation. His second shot just missed the green, but his chip shot landed within eight feet and he made the putt.

Knox and Larkin, who entered the final round in a tie for third, posted the low score of the day at 8-under 64. The duo combined for four birdies over the last four holes, while Knox also posted an eagle on the seventh.

Past champions Doug Hanzel of Savannah and Bob Royak of Alpharetta finished third at 17-under 199, two shots back of the leaders. Second-round leaders Doug Green of Cumming and David Noll Jr. of Dalton carded 73 in the final round to drop into a tie for fourth, along with defending champions Brian Davidson of Baldwin and Scott Pitts of Cornelia, at 14-under 202. Jeff Belk of Marietta and Erik Martin of Alpharetta, who shared the first-round lead with Brown and Strickland, finished in sole possession of sixth place at 203. Martin recorded seven birdies on the back nine en route to a final-round score of 67 for the team.

Another team of past champions, Jack Hall of Sea Island and Danny Nelson of Savannah, placed seventh at 204 with a final-round 66. Coleman Tidwell and John Walker of Macon were the highest local finishers, placing eighth at 205. Four teams tied for ninth at 206 – Taylor Floyd of Macon and Brendan Gillins of Savannah, Eric Blaylock of Rome and Adam Thomas of Baxley, Cason Hammock of Columbus and Bill Roberts of Pine Mountain and Doug Stiles of Athens and Garrick Stiles of Watkinsville.

Although this is the first Four-Ball title for either one, both Brown and Strickland have won previous statewide amateur championships. Brown won the 1985 Georgia Amateur Championship before embarking on a professional career. Strickland won the Georgia Mid-Amateur and Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championships in 2006 and received the 2007 Tommy Barnes Award as GSGA's overall player of the year.

This marked the third straight year the Georgia Four-Ball Championship had been decided in a playoff.

Rain showers, some heavy, pelted the competitors from about 10:00 till 12:30 p.m. Play was suspended for 27 minutes during a particularly heavy shower from 12:21 p.m. to 12:48, to allow for water accumulation in a few areas of the course to recede.

The Brickyard at Riverside played to 7,128 yards and a par 72.

The field of 80 teams was cut to the low 40 and ties after the second round, with the cut line falling at 1-under-par 143 and 46 teams advancing.

Entries were open to two-man teams of male amateur golfers who are GSGA members and who have a maximum handicap differential of no more than six strokes.

Final Results

 
T1 Jeff Knox, Augusta 67 66 64 197 -19
Jack Larkin, Atlanta
T1 Louis Brown, Newnan 64 67 66 197 -19
Mark Strickland, Woodstock
3 Doug Hanzel, Savannah 67 66 66 199 -17
Bob Royak, Alpharetta
T4 Doug Green, Cumming 67 62 73 202 -14
David Noll Jr., Dalton
T4 Brian Davidson, Baldwin 70 64 68 202 -14
Scott Pitts, Cornelia
6 Jeff Belk, Marietta 64 72 67 203 -13
Erik Martin, Alpharetta
7 Jack Hall, Sea Island 69 69 66 204 -12
Danny Nelson, Savannah
8 Coleman Tidwell, Macon 69 69 67 205 -11
John Walker, Macon
T9 Taylor Floyd, Macon 71 66 69 206 -10
Brendan Gillins, Savannah
T9 Eric Blaylock, Rome 65 71 70 206 -10
Adam Thomas, Baxley
T9 Cason Hammock, Columbus 71 68 67 206 -10
Bill Roberts, Pine Mountain
T9 Doug Stiles, Athens 68 67 71 206 -10
Garrick Stiles, Watkinsville
T13 Carter Collins, Statesboro 70 67 70 207 -9
Steve Collins, Claxton
T13 Lee Dennis, Comer 70 68 69 207 -9
Greg Kennedy, Duluth
T13 Nathan DeVictor, Cumming 69 67 71 207 -9
Ken Fahey, Atlanta
T16 Bill Brown, Dublin 70 70 68 208 -8
Kyle Harper, Hartwell
T16 John Belicka, Atlanta 69 66 73 208 -8
Nick Brown, Canton
T16 Keith Holmes, Macon 68 71 69 208 -8
Rusty Strawn, McDonough
T19 Michael Bugden, Newnan 68 71 70 209 -7
Dan McManus, Newnan
T19 John Cochran, Duluth 72 69 68 209 -7
Mel Mendenhall, Marietta
T21 Benjamin Kishigian, Warner Robins 67 72 71 210 -6
Chris Wolfe, Warner Robins
T21 Scott Davenport, Marietta 69 69 72 210 -6
Jayce Stepp, Cartersville
T23 Randy Donahoo, Kennesaw 72 71 68 211 -5
Robert Sheats, Atlanta
T23 Chad Griffith, LaGrange 71 65 75 211 -5
William Hamilton, Calhoun
T23 Danny Daniels, Kingsland 72 68 71 211 -5
Corey Murrell, Kingsland
T26 Jonathan Finck, Commerce 70 71 71 212 -4
William Mitchell, Roswell
T26 Michael Standard, McDonough 69 70 73 212 -4
Dave Womack, McDonough
T26 Chris Hall, Kennesaw 74 69 69 212 -4
Donny Phillips, Suwanee
T26 Hubert Darsey, Warner Robins 70 72 70 212 -4
Edwin Wolfe, Warner Robins
30 Gay McMichael, Macon 68 71 75 214 -2
Jim Stuart, Macon
T31 Lee Gerdes, Macon 70 70 75 215 -1
Taylor Jernigan, Macon
T31 Jim Adams, Decatur 68 71 76 215 -1
Michael Walton, Lawrenceville
T31 Madden Hatcher, Columbus 72 70 73 215 -1
Seth Knight III, Columbus
T34 Matt Oxford, Rocky Face 72 68 76 216 Even
Tony Patterson, Dalton
T34 Charles Wilson, Cartersville 68 69 79 216 Even
Rick Wilson, Cartersville
T34 Shaw Blackmon, Warner Robins 71 72 73 216 Even
Sandy Burgess, Macon
T37 Mike Brown, Atlanta 70 72 75 217 1
Peter Persons, Macon
T37 Stacy Anderson, Blackshear 72 71 74 217 1
David Bennett, Waycross
T37 Mat Mize, Columbus 69 74 74 217 1
Alfred Sams, Macon
T37 Phil Hardin, Macon 72 71 74 217 1
Hal Johnson, Macon
41 Walter Altman, Valdosta 75 68 75 218 2
Larry Taylor, Valdosta
42 Matt Street, Carrollton 68 75 76 219 3
Shane Sullivan, Carrollton
T43 Tim Crawford, Waycross 72 71 77 220 4
Robbie Williams, Blackshear
T43 Deron Hornbach, Atlanta 74 66 80 220 4
Mitch Kim, Norcross
T43 Hap Fleming, Kennesaw 68 72 80 220 4
Jason Myers, Kennesaw
46 Paul Kocsis, Fayetteville 71 70 80 221 5
Jody Travis, Peachtree City