In eight short years the Dalton State golf team has gone from inception to a national championship. The Roadrunners claimed the NAIA men’s title in dramatic fashion, when senior All-American Ben Rebne made a birdie on the final hole.
That birdie proved to be the difference for Dalton State, which won by one stroke over defending national champion Texas Wesleyan at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. Dalton State finished at 35 over as a team.
“He knew what he had to do,” Dalton State coach Ben Rickett said. “He asked in the 18th fairway how it all stood. He said, ‘I want to know.’ So I told him, you got to make par here to put us in the playoff. I don’t think I ever mentioned birdie.”
Rebne had 165 yards into a stiff wind, but it was a good number because it allowed him to be aggressive. He nailed an 8-iron to within 25 feet, and with the rest of his teammates watching, he rolled in the birdie to win the title.
Rebne tied for second overall at even par, and freshman Steve Kibare, the 2020 Georgia PGA Junior champion, tied for 11th. Matthew Cleary tied for 28th, Trevor Bassett tied for 44th and Joshua Stern tied for 66th. Bassett had a dream finish in the second round, concluding with a hole-in-one and two birdies.
Point University, located in West Point, placed fourth at 41 over, as Ruan Pretorius tied for fifth and Eric Wowor tied for seventh. Coastal Georgia, the NAIA champs in 2014 and 2015, tied for seventh at 59 over, with Joe Tucker and Chip Thompson tied for 22nd.
Credit: Vicki Yi (Georgia PGA)
Credit: Vicki Yi (Georgia PGA)
Georgia Tech freshman captures Atlanta Open
Aiden Kramer, a freshman at Georgia Tech, prevailed in a three-way playoff to with the 104th Atlanta Open at Pinetree Country Club.
Kramer, a native of Oviedo, Fla., was unable to crack the Yellow Jackets’ stacked lineup this spring, but he was able to best a strong field of 156 professionals and top amateurs. He carded rounds of 69-69 to finish at 6 under and tied professionals Chad Thomas of West Pines Golf Club in Douglasville and Greg Edwards of East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Kramer won the playoff on the first hole with a birdie.
Jin Chung, a professional from the Chateau Elan Golf Club in Braselton, closed with a 64 and jumped into fourth place at 5-under 139. Amateur David Li, a junior at Georgia State, finished fifth at 4-under 140.
Royak wins Georgia Mid-Am in playoff
Bob Royak of Alpharetta shot a final-round 66 and survived a one-hole playoff with Taylor Smith of Brookhaven to win the Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship at the Country Club of Columbus.
Royak, the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, began the final round four strokes off the lead. Royak’s tee shot on 18 just missed the fairway to the left, which resulted in a bogey and forced a playoff, which he won on the first hole.
Credit: USGA Museum
Credit: USGA Museum
Ford a medalist at U.S. Four-Ball Championship
David Ford of Peachtree Corners and partner Kelly Chinn of Virginia were medalists at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Chambers Bay. Ford, who signed with North Carolina, and Chinn, who is headed to Duke, had rounds of 62-65 to earn the No. 1 seed.
Ford and Chinn reached the quarterfinals round before they were eliminated 3 and 1 by eventual champions Kiko Francisco Coelho and Leopoldo Herrera.
Georgia had other representatives reach the match-play portion. Losing in the first round were the sides of Chad Branton of Cartersville and Kyle Hosick of Calhoun, Carter Loflin of Duluth and Wells Williams of Mississippi, Maxwell Ford of Peachtree Corners and Bruce Murphy of Johns Creek,
Georgia Putting Championship to debut in October
The Georgia State Golf Association, Georgia Section PGA and Bobby Jones Golf Course recently announced the creation of the inaugural Georgia Putting Championship.
The Dan Yates Putting Course at Bobby Jones Golf Course will host the championship finals Oct. 31.
The championship will include professional, amateur, team and mixed-team divisions. Regional qualifying will take place across the state throughout the coming months.
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