Golf notebook: Georgia PGA hires new director

Scott Geary, the director of business development for the American Junior Golf Association, has been hired as the executive director of the Georgia PGA.

Geary, 33, is a graduate of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a degree in exercise and sports science, with an emphasis on sport management. He was with the AJGA for nine years, starting as an intern and rising through the ranks.

The Georgia PGA is one of 41 sections of the PGA of America and includes nearly 900 professionals at 260 golf courses, clubs and ranges throughout the state. Geary said his goals are to further develop the Georgia PGA Foundation and continue to grow the game with special attention given to youth and diversity.

“The section is in a strong position,” Geary said. “I look forward to building it into one of the best sections in the country.”

Geary replaces Mike Paull, who stepped down last fall to take a job outside the golf industry. Paull had been the executive director since 2004. Scott Gordon, Paull’s assistant, had been serving as the interim director and was a finalist for the job. Gordon and Pat Day, the section’s tournament director, have more than 20 years of experience with the association and have a great reputation within the golf community.

In other Georgia PGA news, Brandon Stooksbury, the association’s president, is leaving his position at the Idle Hour Club in Macon to take a job as head golf professional at Metairie Country Club outside New Orleans.

The section has not yet decided how to fill his vacancy, but a plan is expected to be placed forward as early as March. Brian Conley, the PGA director of golf at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, is the current vice president.

On the Tours

Patrick Reed won last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, but it may have been a bigger day for his former Augusta State teammate Henrik Norlander. He tied for second at Torrey Pines, his second career runner-up performance. Norlander was part of a five-man playoff for the 2017 RSM Classic that was won by Mackenzie Hughes. The T-2 finish earned Norlander $456,400 and pushed him all the way to 39th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Around the campuses

Georgia Tech finished tied for third in the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii. The Yellow Jackets, who led after the first round, recovered from a poor second round to shoot 9 under on the final day Thursday and finish 10 under. Connor Howe shot a 5-under 68, despite a double bogey, and finished tied for sixth at 6-under 210. Noah Norton shot 66 on the final day to finish at 5-under 211. ...

The Georgia women open the season Sunday at the LTWF Heroes Intercollegiate in Sarasota, Fla. The Bulldogs, No. 7 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, are led by Caterina Don, a sophomore who participated in the 2020 U.S. Open. … The Georgia State and Kennesaw State men are in the field for the Raines Company Intercollegiate at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C. Seniors Josh Edgar and Ashton Poole, the team’s two low scorers last season, both return for Georgia State. Kennesaw State opened the season with a second-place showing at the Any Given Tuesday Intercollegiate at Kiawah Islands. Connor Coffee and Takafumi Shimoji tied for second and Brady Keran and Brock Healy tied for seventh, giving the Owls four players in the top 10. Kennesaw State did not count an over-par round all week.

Qualifiers set for Georgia State Parks Cup

The first Georgia State Parks Golf Cup will begin at the eight courses scattered around the state. Each facility will host a four-person scramble, with the winners advancing to a two-day championship event at Arrowhead Pointe. The winning team will earn a golf trip to the Brasstown Valley Resort. Registration information can be found at www.GaStateParks.org/GolfCup.

Qualifying dates are Feb. 20 at Meadow Links in Fort Gaines and Wallace Adams in Helena, Feb. 27 for Lake Blackshear in Cordele, March 6 at Brazells Creek in Reidsville, March 13 at The Lakes at Laura Walker in Waycross, March 20 at The Creek at Hard Labor in Social Circle, March 27 at Highland Walk in Royston, and April 3 at Arrowhead Pointe in Elberton.