VALDOSTA —
John Gregory Joseph shot a 72 on Sunday, and won the 51st annual Valdosta Open at Valdosta Country Club.
Joseph was the first-round leader after shooting a 69 on Saturday. He finished with a two-round score of 141, and earned a two-stroke victory.
“(This is) a memory I’ll have forever,” Joseph said. “It feels great, playing at home, and having my family out there watching me, on the course I grew up on. It’s really something special to be able to play well in front of your home crowd (and) have the support of the community. It felt great.”
On Sunday, Joseph was paired with Hiland Sanders and Nic Daugharty, and that group ended up shooting the three lowest scores. Sanders finished second with a 143. Daugharty was third, shooting a 144.
“We had a great group today, with Nic Daugharty and Hiland Sanders, two guys I kind of grew up looking up to and playing with and (learning from),” Joseph said. “When he was playing here at VSU, (Hiland) would come by my house, pick me up and take me to go play with the guys on the team. That was something that was real special to me, to be able to play with him today, under some kind of pressure, on a golf course that was in great shape. ... When you play with two guys like I played with today, you can’t help but have fun. They’re cutting jokes the whole time, and at the same time, hitting good shots.
“All in all, it just made for a good atmosphere on the golf course, to have a great group and just have a lot of fun.”
Joseph has played in the Valdosta Open twice, and he has done well both times. Last year, he finished second.
Joseph just completed his junior year at Mercer University, where he is a member of the Bears’ golf team.
For winning the tournament, Joseph received a $750 gift certificate to the Valdosta Country Club’s pro shop. The top 10 finishers in the Open Division received gift certificates, ranging from $75 to $750.
Greg Blais finished fourth with a 145. Sam Hogan and Dawson Armstrong tied for fifth with scores of 146. Steven Seward and Chad Follett tied for seventh at 149. Follett shot a 68 on Sunday, and was the only player to shoot in the 60s in the final round (Joseph had shot a 69 on Saturday).
Bradley Bynum finished ninth with a 153, and David Hobby, the 2011 Valdosta Open winner, was 10th with a 154. Joseph, Bynum and Hobby used to be teammates on Valwood’s golf team.
While the golfers in the Open Division played a stroke play tournament, the rest of the golfers played a two-man scramble, with the lowest net score winning in each flight.
In the first flight, the team of Blake DeCesare and John Dennis Wetherington won with a net score of 124.8. Doug Rayford and Travis Pate finished second with a net score of 126. Luke Bailey and Larry Taylor were third with a 129.2.
In the second flight, Russ Collett and Joe Griffin won with a net score of 126. Bill Culbreth and Jamie Harris were second with a 126.4. Tommy Hobby and Eric Kolisz finished third with a 130.4.
In the third flight, Daniel Knight and John Alday took first with a 130.6. Gene and Eric Killgo were second with a 133.4. Tom Getman and Cliff Brown finished third with a 134.1.
Byron Courson and Royce Coleman won the fourth flight with a score of 133.5. Courson had a hole-in-one during the tournament, on the second hole of VCC’s Bottom course. Robert Baum and Walter Altman were second with a 134.4. Ben Hogan and Tom Warren took third with a 136.
The two-man scramble winners in each flight received a $350 gift certificate to the Valdosta Country Club’s pro shop. The second- and third-place finishers were also given gift certificates.
The other winner this weekend was the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta. The Valdosta Open is a big fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club.
“We love playing in the tournament, because we know we’re giving something back to the community and the Boys and Girls Club,” Joseph said. “I love what they do with our youth in town.”
This year’s Valdosta Open was dedicated to the memory of Jason Nichols. Nichols, the 1983 Boys Club Boy of the Year, passed away last Wednesday. His funeral service was held on Sunday. On Saturday, a brief ceremony was held at the Valdosta Country Club to honor him.
Local Sports
John Gregory Joseph wins the Valdosta Open
Mercer golfer shot a 72 on Sunday, won the tournament by 2 shots
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