Former Evans golfer awarded top freshman honor

Former Evans High School golfer Jacob Tilton has been named the Peach Belt Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year during an award ceremony in Pine Mountain, Ga.

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Tilton played 23 rounds (more than any other freshman in the PBAC) for Armstrong Atlantic State in Savannah. His scoring average of 74.4 was second on the team for the Pirates.

Last year, as a senior for Evans, Tilton took home medalist honors at the Region 3-AAAA Tournament at Jones Creek Golf Club. He shot an amazing 6-under 30 on the front nine and finished with 5-under 67. That was good for a six shot win in perhaps the toughest region in the state.

Westside went on to claim the region's fourth consecutive state title and won the state title a few weeks later, with Richmond Academy finishing as runner-up. Lakeside captured the state AAAA title in 2006 and 2007, and ARC won the state crown in 2008.

The fact that Tilton could blitz the field in a region so loaded with talent was astonishing.

Tilton chose to play at Armstrong Atlantic and the choice proved to be a good one. He posted six top 20 finishes and cracked the top 10 on two occasions for the Pirates this season. He had a season-best 69, first at the Southeastern Collegiate on March 15, then two weeks later in the final round of the Lander Bearcat Invitational. His performance helped lead the Pirates to a second-place finish in the 16-team field.

Jacob's brother Zac was also a terrific golfer. After a stellar high school career, he played college golf for four years at Kennesaw State University.

He graduated from Kennesaw in 2007 and now works as a club professional at Brookstone Golf and Country Club just outside of Marietta in Acworth, Ga.