Experience helps junior golfer in win
St. Simons Island native Scott Wolfes used some local knowledge to cruise to a four-shot victory at the 44th Annual Georgia Junior Golf Championships.
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The event was held at the Retreat Course at Sea Island Golf Club. While that is not Wolfes' home course, the 16-year-old said playing in the area gave him a great feel for the speed of the greens. He carded rounds of 68-66-67 to finish 15-under par.
To illustrate just how impressive his three-day total was, only nine other golfers managed to better par.
There were 14 Columbia County players in the field, with Greenbrier High School standout Cody Shafer posting the best finish. Shafer fired rounds of 73-71-74 to finish 2-over and tied for 12th place.
Lakeside's Jack Gibbs was next among the local players. Gibbs posted rounds of 74-71-76 for a 5-over total, which was good for a tie for 22nd. Six other Columbia County players made the cut in the event. Here are their scores:
Evan Usry T34 76-73-75 8
Austin Vick T34 79-74-71 8
David Gibbs T55 73-78-79 14
Robert Roberson T55 79-75-76 14
Brant Patton T55 76-78-76 14
Alex Dye T68 75-79-80 18
The following players failed to make the cut:
Tyler Duke
Kyle Hope
Will Mobley
Michael Lyons
John Hardy
Brent Roberson
Shafer in field for Charles Howell tournament
Shafer is one of six area residents in the field for next month's Charles Howell III Junior Championship. The event will be held at West Lake Country Club on July 6-9 and features the top junior players in the nation. In all, 18 states and two foreign countries -- Mexico and South Africa -- will be represented.
Joining Shafer in the field are Tyler Duke, Austin Vick, Kelby Burton and Taylor and Ashlyn Ramsey. The sisters are ranked among the top 85 junior players in the nation. Taylor was an All-State performer for the Lions a year ago as a freshman. Ashlyn will be a freshman this year.
There will be a Junior-Am fundraiser July 6, which allows fans to play with the junior standouts. The Junior-Am will have a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start and is open to the public. Proceeds from the event will benefit The First Tee of Augusta and the AJGA Foundation. For those who would like to participate, call Kirk Kice at (706) 863-4642.