Local golf: Jabir Bilal makes history with Georgia Section victory

Bilal admitted he was nervous on the first tee and opted to safely “bunt it to get it in play,” he said. That resulted in a birdie and he made the turn 2 under. His first bogey came at No. 13 when the wind started gusting 25 mph, but he got it back with a birdie at No. 15.

“The round was up and down, but I was able to keep my composure,” he said.

Bilal is a graduate of Southwest DeKalb High School and Grambling State, where he played on the golf team. He previously was an assistant professional at Foss Park Golf Course in North Chicago.

Bilal shot rounds of 65-66-69 for a 10-under 200, good enough for a five-shot win over Tim Weinhart of the Heritage Golf Links in Tucker. Jacob Tilton of Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta was third at 2 under, and Anthony Cordes of Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta was fourth at 1 under.

Credit: USGA Museum

Credit: USGA Museum

Duo advances to quarterfinals of U.S. Senior Am

Two Georgians reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in Detroit before being eliminated in close matches.

Rusty Strawn of McDonough lost to Jerry Gunthorpe of Michigan 2 and 1, while Billy Mitchell of Atlanta fell 1-up to Dave Bunker of Canada.

“If somebody would have asked me if I made it to the quarterfinal when I first started, I would have taken it because it’s a great experience,” Strawn said. “It made me believe that I belong here, that I can play with these guys and that’s encouraging.”

Strawn, who played at Georgia Southern, has enjoyed a strong year, with wins at the Golfweek Senior National Match Play and three other events.

Mitchell was less of a surprise. He was low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open earlier this summer. Mitchell won the Georgia Senior Match Play – where he beat Strawn in 19 holes in the final -- and the senior division of the prestigious Lupton Memorial.

Other Georgians who reached match play were Jack Hall and Doug Hanzel of Savannah, Jeff Knox of Augusta, Bob Royak of Alpharetta and Mel Mendenhall of Atlanta.

Sanders Museum raises $30K for scholarships, programs

The Doug Sanders Museum in Cedartown will help send three local students to college with $5,000 scholarships that can be renewed for up to four years thanks to a fundraising tournament that brought in $30,000. The tournament also helped outfit local golf teams with new bags and apparel.

The museum opened in 2020 and showcases the career of the colorful Sanders, who won 20 times on the PGA Tour and had runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and British Open.

Credit: Photo courtesy University of Georgia

Credit: Photo courtesy University of Georgia

College golf season begins this week

College golf season is here, with most of Georgia’s major programs opening over the next two weeks.

The University of Georgia begins the season Friday at the Carmel Cup in Pebble Beach, Calif. The Bulldogs return Palmer Cup participant Trent Phillips, Connor Creasy, Will Kahlstorf, Eli Scott and Nicolas Cassidy and welcome highly regarded freshmen Maxwell Ford and Buck Brumlow.

Georgia Tech and Georgia State both open at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Sept. 10-12. Georgia State serves as the host for the event.

Georgia Tech returns Connor Howe, Bartley Forrester and Christo Lamprecht and brings in Ross Steelman, a transfer from Missouri who reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur, and Benjamin Reuter, a freshman from The Netherlands. Georgia State returns Max Mugnier, Elliot Anger and Will Chambless and added Auburn transfer Jake Milanowski.

Kennesaw State opens Sept. 12-14 at the Golfweek Fall Challenge at Pawleys Island, S.C. The Owls return Brady Keran, Takafumi Shimoji, Brock Healy and Luke Phillips.

Georgia Southern opens Sept. 12-13 at the Gopher Invitational in Maple Plain, Minn. The Sun Belt champions return Ben Carr and Mason Williams, who each won a tournament last season.

The Georgia women open Sept. 13-14 at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C. The Bulldogs have a roster loaded with returning talent, including Jenny Bae, who won the Georgia Amateur and the Georgia Women’s Open over the summer; Jo Hua Hung, who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open; Celeste Dao, who reached match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur; Augusta National Women’s Amateur invitees Caterina Don, Candace Mahe and Isabella Holpfer; and Caroline Craig and Alison Crenshaw, who both won events over the summer. Coach Josh Brewer also landed Loralie Cowart, the 2020-21 Georgia High School Association player of the year.

Kennesaw State’s women have a new coach in Erin Thorne, who inherits a team that has won three consecutive ASUN Conference titles and went to the NCAAs last spring. The Owls don’t open until Sept. 27-29 at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Colorado. Tori Owens returns to lead a young team.

Georgia State’s women open Saturday at the USA Intercollegiate in Mobile, Ala. Top returners are Emma Berlin, Mahina Leveau and Maria Blasco. Georgia Southern opens tournament competition on Sept. 24-25 at the Lady Paladin Invitational at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.