Justin Connelly honestly didn’t know what to expect when he began the final round of the 97th Georgia Amateur Championship with a one-shot lead. He had never been such a situation and was curious about how he would handle it.
Turns out he did OK.
Connelly, a McDonough native and recent Mercer graduate, never relinquished the lead on Sunday at West Lake Country Club. He fought back the relentless challenge of Connor Coffee, a Stockbridge native and sophomore at Kennesaw State, and wound up with a two-shot victory.
“I never thought my name would be on the same trophy as Bobby Jones,” Connelly said. “To have this opportunity and have this happen, it’s by far the biggest tournament of my life.”
Connelly earned a 10-year exemption for the championship, as long as he remains an amateur. He win also earned him a spot in the Georgia Open and allowed him to skip a qualifier for that event on Monday.
Connelly finished with a 6-under 65, leaving him at 17-under 267 for the week, setting a Georgia Amateur scoring record. Macon native and current PGA Tour winner Russell Henley shot 268 when he won his second Georgia Amateur at the Country Club of Columbus in 2009.
The tournament evolved into a two-man race. Nathan Mallonee, who recently competed his career at Georgia State, shot a final-round 68 and finished third at 10-under. Steven Fisk, a junior at Georgia Southern, also shot 68 and finished fourth at 9-under.
Coffee, a left-hander, didn’t make it easy. He shot a 66 and never allowed Connelly to enjoy any margin for error. Even on the final hole, Coffee barely missed a chip-in for an eagle that might have set up a potential playoff. Connelly made it official by dropping in a five-footer for birdie to close the tournament.
“I couldn’t let down at all,” Connelly said. “I knew what kind of player Connor is and it showed today. I tried to play the golf course today and not beat myself. I wasn’t really playing him, but it’s hard when he’s making birdie every other hole.”
Connelly had a three-shot lead at the turn, but Coffee birdied the first three holes on the back nine to apply the pressure. Still, Connelly birdied two of those same three holes and maintained a two-shot advantage.
Connelly’s biggest test came at No. 15, where he made a six-footer to save par and retain his two-stroke lead.
“It was a great tournament and it’s the best score I’ve ever had in four days,” Coffee said. “(Connelly) was playing amazing and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. … I was trying not to let him go, but he played great.”
Connelly isn’t through with amateur golf. He has a year of college eligibility remaining and will play as a graduate senior next fall at Georgia College, where his brother Nathan is on the tennis team. He hopes to become a pediatric nurse.
Neither of Connelly’s parents were at West Lake for the championship. His father, Jay, was on a golf trip in Scotland and his mother, Lynne, was in South Bend, Ind., with Nathan for a tennis tournament.
So Connelly got his moral support from a pair of his old Union Grove High School buddies. Former next-door neighbor Kyle Spinks, a baseball player at Georgia Southwestern, served as caddie. Jonathan Slade, now a tight end on the LaGrange College football team, drove up and walked the final two rounds with his friend.
“We were best friends growing up and, being college athletes, we don’t get to spend much time together,” Connelly said. “So having them here for the coolest, biggest tournament I’ve ever won, it’s unbelievable.”
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