Top high school golfers in Georgia come from smaller private schools

The Brookwood Warriors (not the Broncos) have two Division I signees in J.D. Culbreth, who signed with Georgia, and Shep Davis, who is going to Cornell. But the individual champion at the GIAA tournament was junior Mason Howell, who made a verbal commitment to play at Georgia. Howell is ranked No. 10 in the nation by the American Junior Golf Association, and Culbreth is No. 14.

“We have one of the best high school programs in the country, much less the state,” Brookwood coach Jimmy Gillam told the Thomasville Times-Enterprise. “We have three D1 players committed and two or three more on the horizon. The future is very bright for this program.”

A year ago, Howell tied with teammate Culbreth for first place at the state meet but lost in a playoff. This year, Howell birdied the final hole to catch Byrd, then went on to take medalist honors in a playoff.

“They’re a very talented bunch, and they all have an unbelievable work ethic,” Gillam said. “Every day it’s competitive, and they bring their best out in each other.”

It was a rare loss for Rivers, which has 21 boys and sometimes fields two teams — and occasionally has taken first and second place.

Credit: PGA

Credit: PGA

The Rivers roster includes Charles David Beeson, a Maryland signee who won the PGA High School individual championship in 2023, West Virginia signee Major Ewing and North Georgia signee Kai Marko.

The Raptors also feature sophomore Nicholas Canitano, ranked No. 44 nationally by the AJGA, and juniors Patmon Malcom, who committed to Georgia Tech, and Jack Callahan, who committed to Miami (Ohio).

“The very first practice/qualifier for the whole team, with all these top-notch players, and it was a 10th grader (Brian Glover), who shot 65 and beat everybody, and Wade Eddy, a ninth grader, shot 66,” Anderson said. “That’s what’s coming down the road.”

Byrd is the son of five-time PGA Tour winner and 2002 PGA Rookie of the Year Jonathan Byrd. It is no surprise Jackson will be joining Clemson next season. That’s where his father played and where his uncle, Jordan Byrd, is the head coach. A three-time Rolex Junior All-American, Jackson is ranked by the AJGA as the nation’s No. 2 player.

The Rivers Academy girls started with only one player — Ava Merrill, who is a sophomore at Vanderbilt — and grown its star-filled roster to a dozen.

Junior Kallyn Black is the No. 1-ranked player in Georgia. She led Lake Oconee Academy to a GHSA championship last spring before transferring to Rivers. Black has a tremendous pedigree; she was a Drive, Chip and Putt finalist in 2020 and qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur last summer.

The girls team also features Emerson Elm, a James Madison signee, and Emma Veil, a North Georgia signee. Talented underclassmen include Annie Veil, Nina Porcello, Julia Hull and Olivia Hodges. Eighth grader Sophia Lee is ranked as the ninth best girl in the state by the AJGA, but is too young to compete in the high school meet.

The Rivers boys have secured their spot at the PGA National High School Invitational at Pinehurst, North Carolina There is a good chance the Brookwood boys also could snag an invitation. The Rivers girls could earn an invitation, too, depending on who wins the GHSA state championships later this month.

“Deciding who gets to play at the national championships is going to be a hard decision,” Anderson said. “We have so many good players.”