Mistake leads to a lesson in golf history

As I've said in past columns, there's more sports history packed into this county than any sports writer could ever fully know.

We've witnessed history this year through the Evans Middle football field and the 50th anniversaries of the Harlem marching band and the Evans mascot.

Last week, I discovered a more of Columbia County's history.

I learned it the hard way.

The lead from my Dec. 4 story, titled "Home-schooler signs to tee up with Augusta State," said that the home-schooler, Evans resident Carter Newman, was the first local golfer to sign with the Jaguars since Vaughn Taylor reigned over the college course eight years ago.

It was wrong.

In fact, three other local golfers, one from Columbia County, have teed up for Augusta State since Taylor's days. My source at Augusta State University, the school's Web site and I got it wrong. I apologize.

I'll be the first to admit I didn't know much about the Augusta State men's golf program before I covered this story.

A few alert readers brought the error to my attention. After some digging, I found an ever better story.

The three local golfers who have also played at Augusta State University found plenty of success in their collegiate careers. Jeff Keck and Jamie Felder were Jaguars in the late 1990s, and Brendan Fischer played during the 2001-03 seasons.

Felder, a graduate of Hephzibah High School, grew up alongside Taylor through high school and college. As a Jaguar, Felder was part of the team's run to the NCAA Championships in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. He's since settled in Grovetown after traveling the Southeast, first professionally then on staff at three golf clubs.

Fischer, also a local golfer, signed with Ole Miss out of high school, then transferred to Augusta State.

As a Jaguar, Fischer recorded a top-10 finish and a top-25 finish during his two-year career. After college, Fischer worked out of Jones Creek Golf Club at International Golf Academy.

He helped golfers analyze and correct their swings using the MAT-T system, which uses motion analysis technology.

Then there was that part of Columbia County history.

Keck graduated from Evans High School in 1994. After earning MVP honors three times as a Knight, Keck signed with Georgia State University but transferred to Augusta State during his sophomore year. After being limited by a hand injury, Keck returned for his junior year and finished the second round of the NCAA East Regional with a 4-under 68.

The score helped in propelling the Jaguars into the NCAA Championships for the first time in three years.

Keck and company repeated the feat one year later in dramatic fashion. Needing a big comeback in the 1999 NCAA regional tournament, Keck didn't help the team with a 3-over 75 in the final round.

The team completed the round tied for 10th place and was forced into a five-hole playoff where Keck's birdie made the difference and sent Augusta State to the NCAA Championships for the second time in as many years.

Now almost seven years later, Keck is making a difference in another way.

At his job as a computer literacy teacher at Hephzibah Middle School, Keck has started a middle school golf program. Keck's efforts came full circle last year with an area middle-school championship.

He's still a teacher at Hephzibah Middle. The school, Vaughn Taylor's old stomping grounds, has its own place in Augusta golf history.

Thanks to Keck, more middle-schoolers have a chance to follow in Taylor's footsteps.

It's something I almost missed. I'm grateful to the readers who brought this to my attention.

Now if someone could just help me with my golf swing.