VALDOSTA, Ga. (March 28, 2010)--Jack Benson of Roswell and Pete Malcolm of Duluth posted a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to capture the title at the 22nd annual Georgia Four-Ball Tournament, which took place at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club and Valdosta Country Club, March 26-28. Malcolm, who sunk the title-clinching birdie putt, teamed with Benson to fire a six-under 66 in the final round to force a playoff with Newnan’s Clay Gardner and John Miles Jr. of Fayetteville. This was the second-straight win for the duo at this event making them the first repeat winners since Howard Foster of Newnan and Gene Henderson of Peachtree City captured three-consecutive wins from 1996-98.
Benson and Malcolm fought their way up the leader board by carding eight birdies on the day, including one on the final hole of regulation. Five of their birdies came on the front nine, where the tandem made the turn at a four-under clip. Heading to the inward nine, Benson and Malcolm posted two pars before connecting on another birdie at the 349-yard 12th hole. After a follow-up bogey at 13, the pair settled down and tallied birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 to finish with a round of 66 – the lowest carded round of the event.
Dave Oster and Ryan Pearcy, both of Lawrenceville moved up the board to finish alone in third position at five-under. Tied for the fourth spot, at four-under-par 212, was Jon Ladson of Moultrie and Phil Rouse of Albany and George McCanless of Forsyth and Wade Turner of Roberta. Atlanta’s David Dukes and Valdosta’s John Lastinger finished tied for sixth place overall with Alex Patterson and Travis Pate, both of Valdosta. Three teams finished tied for eighth position at one-under 215. They were Greg Brock of Rocky Face and Howell Kerr of Dalton, Kennesaw’s Jason Myers and Acworth’s Michael Raines and Ed Rock of Bogart and Lee Dennis of Comer.
The championship through third flights were eligible for overall tournament honors. The field of 96 teams was divided into eight flights based on team handicap index. The field, which was determined by lottery, alternated between the two host clubs, with the top four flights playing their first and third rounds at Valdosta Country Club.
Other flight winners were fourth – (tie) Jeff Thorne of Sylvester and Jim Langdale of Valdosta and Fred Sheats III of Atlanta and Kevin Linsey of Newnan (218); fifth – Dan Connell of Woodstock and Guy Watkins of Marietta (223); sixth – Brian Stanga of Stockbridge and Don McGinnis of McDonough (222); seventh – Ed Mathis of Rome and Virgil Waters of Calhoun (234).
Entries were open to two-man teams of male amateur golfers who are members of a GSGA member club and residents of Georgia and whose combined handicap index is 4.0 or higher.
Founded in 1916, the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) received its official charter on June 24, 1924. Since that date, the GSGA has grown to one of the largest state amateur golf associations in the country, with over 350 member clubs and 85,000 individual members. With a mission to promote and preserve amateur golf in the state of Georgia, GSGA offers a computerized handicapping service, course rating and measuring, and annually conducts a full schedule of statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups. Other services include a summer-long junior sectional program, award-winning Golf Georgia magazine, membership recognition and rewards programs and a charitable foundation administering two college scholarship programs.
Georgia State Golf Association
22nd Annual Georgia Four-Ball Tournament
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club &
Valdosta Country Club
Valdosta, Georgia
March 26-28, 2010
Final Results
Top Ten Overall
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
T1 Jack Benson, Roswell 70 73 66 209 -7
Pete Malcolm, Duluth
T1 Clay Gardner, Newnan 67 71 71 209 -7
John Miles Jr., Fayetteville
3 Dave Oster, Lawrenceville 72 71 68 211 -5
Ryan Pearcy, Lawrenceville
T4 Jon Ladson, Moultrie 71 71 70 212 -4
Phil Rouse, Albany
T4 George McCanless, Forsyth 69 69 74 212 -4
Wade Turner, Roberta
T6 David Dukes, Atlanta 73 70 71 214 -2
John Lastinger, Valdosta
T6 Alex Patterson, Valdosta 71 70 73 214 -2
Travis Pate, Valdosta
T8 Greg Brock, Rocky Face 74 69 72 215 -1
Howell Kerr, Dalton
T8 Jason Myers, Kennesaw 73 71 71 215 -1
Michael Raines, Acworth
T8 Ed Rock, Bogart 71 73 71 215 -1
Lee Dennis, Comer
Flight: Championship
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
1 Jack Benson, Roswell 70 73 66 209 -7
Pete Malcolm, Duluth
2 Dave Oster, Lawrenceville 72 71 68 211 -5
Ryan Pearcy, Lawrenceville
T3 Greg Brock, Rocky Face 74 69 72 215 -1
Howell Kerr, Dalton
T3 Jason Myers, Kennesaw 73 71 71 215 -1
Michael Raines, Acworth
5 Dick Donegan, Kennesaw 68 74 74 216 Even
Thomas Donegan, Kennsaw
6 David Maddox, McDonough 70 76 73 219 3
Scot Ward, McDonough
7 Bryan Keaveny, Newnan 72 71 77 220 4
Mike Keaveny, Cumming
T8 Jeff Wainright, St. Simons Island 79 69 73 221 5
Reid Zeh, Brunswick
T8 Spencer Davis, Albany 74 74 73 221 5
Tim Carter, Leesburg
10 Randy Holbert, Monroe 74 74 74 222 6
Scott Hood, Statham
11 Brian Bossman, Newnan 72 79 74 225 9
David Nell, Sharpsburg
12 Ladell Norton, Rome 76 80 WD WD WD
Ronnie Cargle, Summerville
Flight: 1
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
T1 David Dukes, Atlanta 73 70 71 214 -2
John Lastinger, Valdosta
T1 Alex Patterson, Valdosta 71 70 73 214 -2
Travis Pate, Valdosta
3 Ed Rock, Bogart 71 73 71 215 -1
Lee Dennis, Comer
T4 Don Paige, Lawrenceville 72 73 71 216 Even
Ed Cordell, Norcross
T4 Brian Weaver, Sugar Hill 73 73 70 216 Even
Christopher Wilson, Suwanee
T4 Mabry Smith, Valdosta 72 72 72 216 Even
Nic Daugharty, Valdosta
7 Blake Daniel, McDonough 72 73 72 217 1
Rick Dubois, McDonough
8 Mike Harman, Peachtree City 70 74 74 218 2
Neil Monroe, Sharpsburg
9 George Faircloth, Cordele 71 75 74 220 4
John Hughes, Alma
T10 Charles Hobbs, Blakely 75 75 73 223 7
Joe Peters, Watkinsville
T10 Barry Whatley, Peachtree City 74 74 75 223 7
Gene Henderson, Peachtree City
T10 Emmitte Griggs, Macon 76 74 73 223 7
Joe Brogdon, Macon
Flight: 2
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
1 Clay Gardner, Newnan 67 71 71 209 -7
John Miles Jr., Fayetteville
2 Jon Ladson, Moultrie 71 71 70 212 -4
Phil Rouse, Albany
T3 Bob Nance, Calhoun 71 76 74 221 5
Mike Nance, Calhoun
T3 Rob Wiggins, Kennesaw 77 76 68 221 5
Ryan Evans, Acworth
5 Benny Clark, Lawrenceville 73 76 73 222 6
Kevin Creasman, Duluth
T6 Charles Anderson, Alpharetta 75 75 73 223 7
Mark Benefield, Duluth
T6 Alex Mackey, Kennesaw 69 78 76 223 7
Brian Panosian, Smyrna
8 David Baker, Conyers 75 76 73 224 8
Tom Lindley, Conyers
9 George Akins, Moultrie 77 73 75 225 9
Ricky Tucker, Tifton
10 Bill Drohan, Kennesaw 77 78 73 228 12
Chris Filkins, Kennesaw
11 Bill Sheats, Atlanta 79 75 77 231 15
Butch Woodyard, Sandy Springs
Flight: 3
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
1 George McCanless, Forsyth 69 69 74 212 -4
Wade Turner, Roberta
2 Bob Cecil, Acworth 77 68 73 218 2
Ken Farrar, Kennesaw
3 Chris Quay, Canton 73 74 72 219 3
Todd Marovich, Canton
4 Brad Folsom, Valdosta 75 72 74 221 5
Jeff Moxley, Valdosta
5 Carl Wade, Kingsland 75 73 74 222 6
Mike Wooten, St. Mary's
T6 Cal Crawford, Blakely 74 76 74 224 8
Philip Clinkscales III, Atlanta
T6 Ed Cortez, Suwanee 78 71 75 224 8
Erik Stang, Duluth
T8 Edsel Davis, Macon 73 75 77 225 9
Malcolm Burgess Jr., Macon
T8 Gary Bernson, Marietta 76 73 76 225 9
Michael Gemmell, Buford
T8 Ken Webb, Dunwoody 75 75 75 225 9
Kevin Macdonald, Suwanee
T11 Bob Fowler, Atlanta 78 79 77 234 18
Tom Toombs, Perry
T11 Charlie Busbee, McDonough 79 77 78 234 18
Paul Cobb Jr., Norcross
Flight: 4
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
T1 Jeff Thorne, Sylvester 73 76 69 218 2
Jim Langdale, Valdosta
T1 Fred Sheats III, Atlanta 71 75 72 218 2
Kevin Linsey, Newnan
T3 Ken Vanness, Conyers 77 72 71 220 4
Mike Hilleboe, Conyers
T3 Dannie Dingess, Flowery Branch 77 73 70 220 4
David Tewksbury, Flowery Branch
T3 Jeff Brown, Calhoun 72 74 74 220 4
Kevin Malone, Suwanee
T6 Greg Johnson, Peachtree City 78 75 70 223 7
Jay Johnson, Senoia
T6 Beau Brown, Fayetteville 73 73 77 223 7
Marty Evans, Peachtree City
8 Joey Phelan, Atlanta 75 75 75 225 9
Jon Simonton Jr., Atlanta
T9 Cliff England, Fayetteville 69 80 77 226 10
Joe Douglas, Newnan
T9 Bob Wilson, Lawrenceville 79 78 69 226 10
Clint Carter, Atlanta
11 Frank Clements, Rome 81 77 74 232 16
Terry Clements, Atlanta
12 Danny Russell, Kingsland 77 80 79 236 20
John Lewis, Kingsland
Flight: 5
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
1 Dan Connell, Woodstock 75 74 74 223 7
Guy Watkins, Marietta
2 Matt Gwinn, Atlanta 75 77 73 225 9
Randy Nelson, Gray
3 Joe Griffin, Valdosta 76 76 75 227 11
Russ Collett, Valdosta
4 Jamie Britt, Loganville 75 77 78 230 14
Jeff Butler, Loganville
T5 Hank Suessmith, McDonough 77 73 81 231 15
Sam Wishon, Athens
T5 Andy Barre, Dacula 77 82 72 231 15
Everett Jones, Athens
7 Jerry Furr, Johns Creek 73 84 76 233 17
Mitchell Morken, Norcross
T8 Allen Martin, Rex 80 79 76 235 19
Steve Kirkland, Hampton
T8 Branan Norsworthy, Jackson 79 81 75 235 19
Kenneth Norsworthy, Jackson
10 Brad Jones, Lawrenceville 80 82 76 238 22
Carter Yates, Atlanta
11 Floyd Weyenberg, Flowery Branch 80 82 79 241 25
Mike Stephens, Duluth
12 Donnie Fortune, Gainesville 81 81 83 245 29
Phillip Gailey, Gainesville
Flight: 6
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
1 Brian Stanga, Stockbridge 74 73 75 222 6
Don McGinnis, McDonough
2 John East, Villa Rica 73 80 72 225 9
Ray Fordham, Dallas
3 Frank Potter, Lawrenceville 73 78 78 229 13
Larry Grant, Buford
4 Bert Isenbletter, Marietta 76 79 76 231 15
Don Gardner, Kennesaw
5 Larry Askew, Greensboro 77 79 76 232 16
Sal Minicozzi, Braselton
T6 Gene Comfort, Fayetteville 76 82 76 234 18
George Laporte, Peachtree City
T6 Jeff Stanford, Gray 78 81 75 234 18
Keli Smith, Byron
8 John Sink, Juliette 80 78 77 235 19
Steve Gurley, Macon
9 Bryan Stansell, Atlanta 79 77 83 239 23
Randy Koster, Acworth
10 Roland Sorel, Dunwoody 86 82 80 248 32
Steve Mann, Duluth
11 Colby Chastain, Dawsonville 84 83 84 251 35
Michael Chastain, Jasper
12 David Fiacco, Alpharetta 84 86 84 254 38
Mark Hancock, Milton
Flight: 7
Rank Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total To Par
1 Ed Mathis, Rome 75 79 80 234 18
Virgil Waters, Calhoun
T2 Charles Boyle, Atlanta 80 80 78 238 22
John Calvert, Jonesboro
T2 Jay Bowden, Eatonton 78 81 79 238 22
Mitchell Waters, Atlanta
4 Danny Tarrant, Braselton 79 87 76 242 26
Tom Phillips, Monroe
5 Edward Allen, Kennesaw 83 79 81 243 27
George Whitman, Kennesaw
6 Alan Crowell, Norcross 84 80 82 246 30
Gene Graves, Norcross
7 Conrad Massey, Gray 86 80 82 248 32
Ed Hutcheson, Macon
8 Larry Crabtree, Snellville 82 86 81 249 33
Paul Smith, Atlanta
T9 Jim Brown, Evans 81 81 89 251 35
Samuel Smith, Macon
T9 Larry Hobgood, Duluth 86 82 83 251 35
Mike Stimak, Duluth
11 Jerry Chastain, Dawsonville 82 87 83 252 36
John Chastain, Jasper
12 Greg Hogle, Acworth 93 93 93 279 63
Terry Green, Marietta