Woodstock Resident Finishes 3rd in Amateur Golf Tournament

David Noll Jr., of Dalton fired a final-round, 4-under-par 66, holding off a late charge from Billy Mitchell of Roswell to win the 90th annual Georgia Amateur Championship.

Noll won by a score of 6-under 274 at Cherokee Town and Country Club in Sandy Springs' Huntcliff community. It was the second Georgia Amateur title for Noll (2003). Mitchell was one of two players to card a tournament-low 65 in the final round, finishing four strokes back at 278.

Current Georgia Tech golfer Anders Albertson of Woodstock, who trailed Noll by one stroke going into the final round, shot a 1-over 71 to finish third at even-par 280. Franco Castro of Alpharetta placed fourth at 283. Another Georgia Tech golfer, Seth Reeves of Duluth, tied with Ridge Purcell of LaGrange for fifth place with 284. Reeves carded 67 in the final round to move up into that position.

Second-round leader Bill Jones III of Albany and Cameron Simmons of Acworth tied for seventh at 285. Four players tied for ninth at 286, including defending champion Lee Knox of Augusta, Kris Mikkelsen of Atlanta, Mark Strickland of Woodstock and Doug Hanzel of Savannah.

Noll owned a one-shot lead over Albertson going into the final 18 and began the day steady with five straight pars. Albertson tied him briefly with a birdie on No. 1, but it didn’t last as he posted bogey on the 188-yard second. Noll still owned a one-shot lead at No. 6, and made a 25-foot uphill putt for birdie while Albertson three-putted from about eight feet to expand the lead to three shots. Albertson then went on to double-bogey No. 7. Both players bogeyed No. 8 (Noll missing a one-footer), which he described as “the best thing that happened to me today.”

“Both players (Albertson and Lee Knox) had just had bogeys or double bogey, and I had been steady-eddy. I was standing in the fairway thinking, ‘Well, here we go.’ I was almost thinking about my acceptance speech. So as embarrassing as it was, it really helped bring me back down to reality.  In hindsight, it helped me out because it helped me refocus a little bit.” 

But meanwhile, Mitchell, the reigning Georgia Public Links Champion, was making a charge. Playing two groups ahead of the final pairing, Mitchell posted two birdies on the front nine (holes 3 and 9) to turn at 2-under and move into second place, three shots back of Noll.

On the back nine, Mitchell posted a birdie on 12, then had three in a row on holes 14, 15 and 16.  He cut Noll’s lead to one shot, but Noll was starting a birdie barrage of his own, gaining ground on 13, 15 and 16. On 16, he hit his approach from the rough to within seven feet, a shot which he described as his turning point of the day.

“That ball could have run 40 yards off the green,” Noll said. “(From where it landed), that ball was inches from bogey, definitely par at best. Making that (birdie) putt at that particular moment was crucial.”

That birdie moved him to 5-under for the Championship. After a par on 17, Mitchell couldn’t keep the pace on 18, posting his only bogey of the day but finishing with a tournament-best round of 65.  Cherokee club champion Dan Whigham Jr. matched him with a 65 of his own to move up to 16th place.

So Noll owned a three-shot lead on 18, but finished the Championship with an exclamation point, sinking a breaking 15-footer for birdie while he said he had tears in his eyes.

“You have to have good fortune come your way in a golf tournament, and I just feel very, very fortunate,” he said.

Noll captured the 2003 Georgia Amateur at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw and, with this win, has finished sixth place or better in the Georgia Amateur in each of the last seven years, including two runner-up finishes (2005, 2009). Noll has won GSGA Men’s Player of the Year honors six times since 2003, including the last four years (2007-10).  

Noll becomes the 15th golfer in the 90-year history of the Georgia Amateur Championship to win at least two titles. Allen Doyle owns the record with six, followed by Arnold Blum (five), Jim Gabrielsen and Danny Yates (three each). Others with two titles include Watts Gunn, Eugene Cook, Charles Yates, Billy McWilliams, Frank Mulherin Jr., Jack Key Jr., William Goodloe, Tommy Aaron, Carter Mize and Russell Henley.

The Georgia Amateur Championship is conducted by the Georgia State Golf Association and brings together 144 of the state's best male amateur golfers for the prestigious state title first won by Bobby Jones in 1916.

The Championship format is 72 holes of stroke play over four days. After 36 holes, the field was cut to the low 70 players and ties and anyone within 10 strokes of the leader. The cutline fell at 10-over 150 with 73 players advancing.

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. 

Georgia State Golf Association
90th Annual Georgia Amateur Championship
Cherokee Town and Country Club, Atlanta
July 7-10, 2011

Final Results
Par 70

Place    Name    Rd. 1    Rd. 2    Rd. 3    Rd. 4    Score    To Par
1    David Noll  Jr., Dalton    71    67    70    66    274    -6
2    William Mitchell, Roswell    72    69    72    65    278    -2
3    Anders Albertson, Woodstock    69    69    71    71    280    Even
4    Franco Castro, Alpharetta    71    69    72    71    283    3
T5    Ridge Purcell, LaGrange    68    74    72    70    284    4
T5    Seth Reeves, Duluth    72    72    73    67    284    4
T7    Cameron Simmons, Acworth    73    70    71    71    285    5
T7    Bill Jones III, Albany    69    68    75    73    285    5
T9    Doug Hanzel, Savannah    70    68    73    75    286    6
T9    Lee Knox, Augusta    67    75    69    75    286    6
T9    Mark Strickland, Woodstock    73    67    72    74    286    6
T9    Kris Mikkelsen, Atlanta    70    75    69    72    286    6
T13  Carter Collins, Statesboro    71    71    73    72    287    7
T13  Jeff Knox, Augusta    75    68    70    74    287    7
15    Chad Wilson, Calhoun    71    71    73    73    288    8
16    Dan Whigham Jr., Atlanta    74    76    74    65    289    9
T17  John Stembridge, Norcross    70    78    72    70    290    10
T17  Mark Sweeney, Monroe    71    73    74    72    290    10
T17  Patrick Garrett, Powder Springs    71    72    71    76    290    10
T17  Chris Waters, Athens    72    74    70    74    290    10
T17  Brent Whitehead, Marietta    75    73    70    72    290    10
T22  Chris Chuck, Roswell    72    74    68    77    291    11
T22  Zach Estep, Lawrenceville    72    73    71    75    291    11
T22  Patrick  Kenney, Acworth    71    79    69    72    291    11
T25  Brendan Gillins, Savannah    74    71    76    71    292    12
T25  Michael Garretson, Acworth    78    72    69    73    292    12
T25  Matt Russell, Dunwoody    69    74    75    74    292    12
T28  Patrick Grahek, Alpharetta    74    76    70    73    293    13
T28  Bob Royak, Alpharetta    76    73    75    69    293    13
T28  Michael Standard, McDonough    71    74    76    72    293    13
T28  Gus Wagoner, Duluth    69    72    75    77    293    13
T32  Cason Hammock, Columbus    74    74    72    74    294    14
T32  Nate Gahman, Leesburg    73    72    76    73    294    14
T32  Taylor Welborn, LaGrange    73    73    79    69    294    14
T35  Jack Hall, Sea Island    75    72    71    77    295    15
T35  Bryn Powers, Carrollton    73    71    79    72    295    15
T35  Harold Wyatt, Atlanta    75    67    73    80    295    15
T35  Grant Cagle, Gainesville    73    74    74    74    295    15
T35  Dylan Freeman, Athens    73    73    75    74    295    15
T35  Zachary Healy, Norcross    71    73    74    77    295    15
T41  Buster Bruton, Dallas    75    71    78    72    296    16
T41  Jay Degenhart, Savannah    71    70    78    77    296    16
T41  Jonathan Klotz, Columbus    74    74    74    74    296    16
T41  Mike Cromer, Peachtree Corners    75    73    75    73    296    16
T41  Alan Fowler, Gainesville    73    73    77    73    296    16
T41  Ryan Parnell, Atlanta    71    73    75    77    296    16
T47  Rich Grote, Kennesaw    72    76    72    77    297    17
T47  Michael Hinnant, Suwanee    73    76    71    77    297    17
T47  Greyson Sigg, Augusta    73    71    75    78    297    17
T50  Gavin Shane Harper, Twin City    77    73    74    74    298    18
T50  Zane Goldthorp, Tucker    78    72    75    73    298    18
T50  Ted Moon, Lilburn    75    74    75    74    298    18
T50  Mitch Greer, Perry    73    73    75    77    298    18
T54  David Yowell, Marietta    70    78    77    74    299    19
T54  Jeff Belk, Marietta    77    72    77    73    299    19
T54  Blaine Woodruff, Acworth    71    74    79    75    299    19
T54  Jeff Amershadian, Suwanee    74    70    78    77    299    19
T54  Rob Mcrae, Augusta    75    74    73    77    299    19
T59  Lee Dennis, Athens    75    71    75    79    300    20
T59  Zach Lindsey, Kennesaw    73    72    78    77    300    20
T59  Ray Perez III, Norcross    73    76    79    72    300    20
T59  David  Sullivan, Woodstock    75    74    73    78    300    20
63    Justin Cho, Norcross    71    74    78    78    301    21
T64  Taylor Smith, Covington    72    77    73    80    302    22
T64  William Anderson, Atlanta    72    76    76    78    302    22
T64  Coleman Tidwell Jr., Macon    73    74    77    78    302    22
T64  Brent Cooper, Atlanta    70    74    77    81    302    22
T64  John Quirk, Atlanta    79    68    77    78    302    22
T69  Scott Weeks, Savannah    76    72    81    74    303    23
T69  Joey Maziar, Atlanta    73    76    83    71    303    23
T71  Grant Leroux, Atlanta    73    76    81    75    305    25
T71  Don Marsh, Johns Creek    75    72    83    75    305    25
73    Richie Wiltfang, Brunswick    76    73    84    74    307    27