Chris Hall wins second Georgia Senior with Late Birdie Run
9/7/2018 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: View results for Georgia Senior, Pinetree Country Club
AGC sixth-ranked senior Doug Hanzel rallied late only to finish one back
KENNESAW, GA (September 7, 2018) - With five holes remaining 2016 Georgia Senior Championship winner Chris Hall and three-time champion Doug Hanzel were tied at 1-over and set for a dual to the finish.
Hall began the final day at Pinetree Country Club ahead of Hanzel by two-strokes and led by as many as four at the turn but after a couple of bogeys from the leader and birdies from Hanzel everything was even.
Playing together the two started their round on the 10th and neither played overly well on the first nine. Hall did birdie the 11th and 16th holes only to suffer bogeys on three others to turn in 1-over 37. The struggles didn't get much better for Hall early on the second nine with two more bogeys happening on the 1st and 4th holes.
Hanzel, despite having a window of opportunity, didn't make his move until the latter portions of the round. The sixth-ranked senior in the AGC Rankings, Hanzel double-bogeyed the 11th and bogeyed twice more while just birdieing once to make the turn in 3-under 39 and at 3-over for the tournament he was four back of the 1-under Hall.
However, things began to turn on the back nine. As Hall was bogeying twice to fall to 1-over, Hanzel was busy birdieing the 2nd and 3rd holes to pull level with five holes remaining.
With the tournament now a sprint to the finish, both players birdied the short par-4 5th to get to even-par and remain tied with just four holes remaining.
For Hall the birdie on the 5th, his 14th hole of the day, seemed to spark a fire that wouldn't be doused until he reached the clubhouse. Now locked in, Hall birdied the next two holes to quickly restore the lead to a pair of strokes with two holes remaining.
Hanzel tried to make one last push with a birdie on the 9th, the 18th of the round for the group, but a par-par finish was enough for Hall to finish 2-under and secure his second tournament title.
Between the two they played the final five holes in 5-under with Hall birdieing three-times and Hanzel twice.
Hanzel, 1-under for the tournament, carded a 4-under 32 on the inward nine.
Wright Waddell, first round leader Alan Thielemann, Mark Nickerson and Rick Cloninger all shared third at 2-over. Defending champion Bob Royak was 3-over in a share of seventh.
Hall began the final day at Pinetree Country Club ahead of Hanzel by two-strokes and led by as many as four at the turn but after a couple of bogeys from the leader and birdies from Hanzel everything was even.
Playing together the two started their round on the 10th and neither played overly well on the first nine. Hall did birdie the 11th and 16th holes only to suffer bogeys on three others to turn in 1-over 37. The struggles didn't get much better for Hall early on the second nine with two more bogeys happening on the 1st and 4th holes.
Hanzel, despite having a window of opportunity, didn't make his move until the latter portions of the round. The sixth-ranked senior in the AGC Rankings, Hanzel double-bogeyed the 11th and bogeyed twice more while just birdieing once to make the turn in 3-under 39 and at 3-over for the tournament he was four back of the 1-under Hall.
However, things began to turn on the back nine. As Hall was bogeying twice to fall to 1-over, Hanzel was busy birdieing the 2nd and 3rd holes to pull level with five holes remaining.
With the tournament now a sprint to the finish, both players birdied the short par-4 5th to get to even-par and remain tied with just four holes remaining.
Hanzel tried to make one last push with a birdie on the 9th, the 18th of the round for the group, but a par-par finish was enough for Hall to finish 2-under and secure his second tournament title.
Between the two they played the final five holes in 5-under with Hall birdieing three-times and Hanzel twice.
Hanzel, 1-under for the tournament, carded a 4-under 32 on the inward nine.
Wright Waddell, first round leader Alan Thielemann, Mark Nickerson and Rick Cloninger all shared third at 2-over. Defending champion Bob Royak was 3-over in a share of seventh.
About the Georgia Senior
Entries: Open to male amateur golfers age 55 or older as of the first day of the tournament. Field: 144 players with the lowest USGA Handicap indexes Format: 54 holes of stroke play; field cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.