Following Friday’s third round, Hunter Logan’s caddie turned in his bib and told his friend and Mississippi State teammate that he was headed home. Five minutes later, before he could even see the red brake lights near the Plaza Theatre on Ponce de Leon Avenue, he had changed his mind and phoned his buddy with the news.
Reunited with is caddie Saturday and able to slide into a comfort zone, Logan shot a quiet bogey-free 5-under 67 to finish at 20-under 268 and win the Dogwood Invitational at the Druid Hills Golf Club.
“I’d say it’s my biggest win,” said Logan, who finished 17th in his first Dogwood a year ago. “They’re never easy.”
Maxwell Ford of Peachtree Corners, who plays at the University of Georgia, and Neal Shipley, who plays at Ohio State, tied for second at 15 under, a misleading five shots behind Logan.
Logan also receives two invitations to compete in PGA Tour of Australasia events, which includes airfare for two and a stipend to compete. Players can turn professional or remain an amateur to take advantage. Logan said he was still trying to sort out his options, but was planning to return to Mississippi State for his final season in the fall.
Logan began the day with a three-shot lead over Shipley and a four-shot advantage over Ford. But Ford birdied the first four holes and pulled into a tie at 18 under when he birdied the par-5 14th hole. Logan was unaware of the situation and made three consecutive birdies – the last a 20-foot birdie on No. 15 – to go up by two strokes.
Knowing he needed to make something happen, Ford tried to drive the 16th hole and ended up in the hay at the back of the green. He made a nice shot to save par there, but took a triple bogey on the final hole to dash his fleeting hopes.
Logan never realized that Ford had a dramatic move. He never knew the match was tied. And he didn’t grasp the significance of his birdie at No. 15.
“I did not ask my caddie anything during the round until we got to No. 18,” Logan said. “I said, ‘Do I need to do anything here?’ He said, ‘No, you’re in a good spot.’ So that’s all it was. I never knew.”
Logan has been trending in the right direction this spring. He finished second at the Chris Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, tied for 13th at the SEC Championships, placed seventh in the NCAA Regional and was 55th at the NCAA Championships.
His season turned around when he changed clubs, going to the irons that his roommate was playing.
“Ever since then I’ve been playing well,” he said. “That, and I just handled things better. I kind of looked at my scorecard and see where I made a mishap and I’d let it affect me for too many holes. Today I didn’t make a bogey, but when I put myself in a bad spot, it was just understanding that it’s going to be fine.”
Alex Goff of the University of Kentucky, Jackson Chandler of Ohio State and Kye Meeks of Ole Miss tied for fourth at 13-under 275. William Love, the 2022 Georgia Amateur champion who plays at Duke, Kuangyu Chen, who plays at California, and Buck Brumlow, who plays at Georgia, tied for seventh at 11 under.
Defending champion Carson Bacha, who plays at Auburn, tied for 17th at 8 under.
Credit: Stan Awtrey for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Stan Awtrey for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
