With final-round charge, Maples wins Chattanooga Choo Choo

The summer of Georgia Southern continues. With a final-round 67 at Council Fire Golf Course, rising senior Jake Maples won the Chattanooga Choo Choo Invitational by three shots.

Maples had some work to do entering the final round on Wednesday. He trailed second-round leader Jacob Arnett, who recently finished his eligibility at Oglethorpe, by three shots.

In overtaking Arnett, Maples wasn’t totally flawless on Wednesday, but he was close to it. He was 3 under by the time he reached No. 11 tee, where he made an eagle 3. He followed with two more birdies plus two bogeys in his closing seven holes.

Maples becomes the second Georgia Southern player to win a major amateur title this summer, following Ben Carr’s Southeastern Amateur win at the start of June.

Behind Maples at Council Fire, University of Alabama Birmingham’s Ethan Hagood had a final-round 71 to finish at 7 under, three shots back but solo second. Hagood eagled his final hole of the day to go from 1 over to 1 under for the round. That also helped him leapfrog the three men tied for third at 5 under: teammate Sam Goldasich, Kyle Vance of Kansas State and Arnett.