Two-time NCAA-winning coach Chris Haack headlines the group of five inductees selected for the 2016 Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
Others to be enshrined are: Stewart Maiden, an instructor and club maker at East Lake Golf Club from whom Bobby Jones learned the golf swing; Nanci Bowen, an LPGA winner who is now an instructor; James Mason, a three-time Georgia PGA player of the year and winner on the Champions Tour; and Layne Williams, the longtime director of rules and competitions for the Georgia State Golf Association.
Haack grew up in Newnan and played golf at West Georgia. He became head coach at Georgia in 1996 after spending 16 years with the American Junior Golf Association and led the program to NCAA championships in 1999 and 2006 as well as runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2011.
Haack has developed 54 All-America players, including at least one in 16 of the last 17 seasons. His former players include two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and PGA Tour winners Chris Kirk, Harris English, Russell Henley, Brian Harman and Brendon Todd.
“It’s a huge honor for me, one I didn’t expect,” said Haack, who last year was elected to the Golf Coaches Association of America’s Hall of Fame. “Having grown up in Georgia and knowing a lot of people in the Hall of Fame, it’s a very humbling feeling.”
Andrade gets first Champions Tour win: Georgians were all over the winner's circle at the Legends of Golf event on the Champions Tour in Ridgedale, Mo., last week. Brookhaven's Billy Andrade teamed up with Joe Durant to win the Champions Division and Marietta's Larry Nelson paired with Larry Fleisher to win the Legends Division (65 and older).
Durant and Andrade, playing as a team for the first time, shot a 19-under 159, which included a hole-in-one by Durant.
Nelson and Fleisher finished 12 under and beat Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player by three shots.
Albertson records historic win: Georgia Tech's Anders Albertson has joined some exclusive company with his most recent victory. The senior won the ACC Championship for the second straight year, a feat last accomplished by Clemson's Charles Warren in 1997-98. Others who have won two ACC titles are Georgia Tech's David Duval and Wake Forest's Ronnie Thomas and Scott Hoch.
Fober, Hammock win Four-Ball: Jason Fober and Cason Hammock won the Georgia Four-Ball Championship at the Standard Club. Fober and Hammock also won the title at Green Island Country Club in Columbus in 2011. The Columbus duo shot a 20-under 196 and won by two over Adam Cooper of Midland and Bubba Gallops of Columbus.
PGA HOPE wraps up program: The final session of the PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) program in Atlanta will be Monday at Bentwater Golf Club in Acworth. The program supports rehabilitation for military veterans with disabilities by keeping them mentally and physically fit. It is designed to help veterans assimilate back into the community.
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