Clark and Marsh Take Opening-Round Lead at Georgia Senior Four-Ball
Defending champs fire round of seven-under par 65 to lead by three

BLACKSHEAR, Ga. – Defending champions Larry Clark of Kingston and Don Marsh of Johns Creek fought off damp, blustery conditions to post an opening-round total of seven-under-par 65 at the 18th annual Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship, which is being held at Okefenokee Country Club in Blackshear and Lakes at Laura S. Walker in Waycross, November 11-13. Clark and Marsh look to become just the second tandem in the championship’s history to capture three victories.

Clark and Marsh began their bogey-free performance with pars on each of the first six holes. Marsh then recorded the team’s first birdie of the day at the par-3, 181-yard seventh while Clark posted birdie on the 395-yard ninth. Moving to the inward nine, the duo caught fire connecting on birdie opportunities at Nos. 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16. Finishing with pars on 17 and 18 gave then a score of 31 on the back side and a 65 for the day.

Three teams are tied for second position, three shots off the leaders’ pace. They are Bill Ploeger of Columbus and Milton’s Spencer Sappington, Bobby Brent Jr. and Jimmy Holman, both of Columbus, and Macon-duo Edsel Davis and Phil Pavoni. Seven teams, including 2006 champions Taylor Adams of St. Simons Island and Karl Simon of Lawrenceville, are tied for fifth place overall at three-under 69.

Of the 48 teams competing in the Championship flight, 25 combined to shoot a score under par in the opening round of play.

The Championship flight will be playing all three rounds at Okefenokee Country Club, which is set up to play as a 6,412-yard, par-72. The first through fourth flights play each round at Lakes at Laura S. Walker – a par-72 layout playing 6,320 yards.

Current flight leaders: James Dills and Thomas Rood of Savannah (67) in the first flight; Gainesville’s Gerry Grogan and Sam Horner of Dawsonville (67) in the second flight; Ernie Hollifield of Kennesaw and Acworth’s Tab Mefford (68) in flight three; and Steve Mann of Duluth and Roland Sorel of Dunwoody are tied with Mark Dickerson of Jasper and Palmer Temple of Atlanta (72) in the fourth flight.

The low 48 teams based on combined handicap index comprise the Championship Flight. The remainder of the field was determined by lottery and flighted by team handicap index. Only the competitors in the Championship flight are eligible for the overall title. Entries were open to male amateur golfers who are at least 55 years old, members of a GSGA member club and residents of Georgia. The maximum handicap differential between partners was six strokes.

Founded in 1916, the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) received its official charter on June 24, 1924. Since that date, the GSGA has grown to one of the largest state amateur golf associations in the country, with over 355 member clubs and 85,000 individual members. With a mission to promote and preserve amateur golf in the state of Georgia, GSGA offers a computerized handicapping service, course rating and measuring, and annually conducts a full schedule of statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups. Other services include a summer-long junior sectional program, award-winning Golf Georgia magazine, membership recognition and rewards programs and a charitable foundation administering two college scholarship programs.

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18th Annual Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship
Okefenokee Country Club, Blackshear
Lakes at Laura S. Walker, Waycross
November 11-13, 2009

Round One Results

Flight: Championship 
Rank Team Rd. 1 To Par
1 Larry Clark, Kingston 65 -7
Don Marsh, Johns Creek 
T2 Bill Ploeger, Columbus 68 -4
Spencer Sappington, Milton 
T2 Bobby Brent Jr., Columbus 68 -4
Jimmy Holman, Columbus 
T2 Edsel Davis, Macon 68 -4
Phil Pavoni, Macon 
T5 John Carter, Greensboro 69 -3
Ronald Waeghe, Greensboro 
T5 Frank Costanzo, Savannah 69 -3
Steve Schwartz, Savannah 
T5 Nick Kirkland, Snellville 69 -3
Joe Whisenant, Douglasville 
T5 Taylor Adams, St. Simons Island 69 -3
Karl Simon, Lawrenceville 
T5 Danny Daniels, Kingsland 69 -3
Carl Wade, Kingsland 
T5 David Holcombe, Savannah 69 -3
Roger O'Neil, Savannah 
T5 Bruce Connors, Sharpsburg 69 -3
Rob Lauer, Newnan 
T12 Bill Blalock, Atlanta 70 -2
Don Russell, Atlanta 
T12 Joe Brogdon, Macon 70 -2
Pete Malcolm, Duluth 
T12 Berney Armstrong, Valdosta 70 -2
Ernie Venet, Moultrie 
T12 Martin Ball, Rome 70 -2
Ladell Norton, Rome 
T12 Ed Davis, St. Simons Island 70 -2
Martin Horsky, St. Simons Island 
T12 Charles Hobbs, Blakely 70 -2
Joe Peters, Watkinsville 
T12 Donald Dale, Moultrie 70 -2
Dan Jeter, Moultrie 
T19 Mike Jackson, Martinez 71 -1
Frank Perry, Fayetteville 
T19 Bill Evans, Columbus 71 -1
Jim Lester, Columbus 
T19 Daniel Rhoads, Flowery Branch 71 -1
Tom Rief, Albany 
T19 William Bader, Roswell 71 -1
Ron Savastano, Roswell 
T19 Woody Chastain, Athens 71 -1
Michael Young, Athens 
T19 Davi Hathaway, Macon 71 -1
Jimmy Rigsby, Augusta 
T19 Joey Phelan, Atlanta 71 -1
Jon Simonton, Atlanta 
T26 Steve Collins, Claxton 72 Even
Jeff Hook, Statesboro 
T26 Richard Farage, Warner Robins 72 Even
Dennis Hanson, Macon 
T26 Phil Alday, Valdosta 72 Even
Al Armstrong, Valdosta 
T26 Mike Keeble, Newnan 72 Even
Curtis Wagner, Peachtree City 
T26 Ron Andrews, Marietta 72 Even
Miles Vickery, Canton 
T26 David Barwick, Suwanee 72 Even
Doug Faulkner, Martinez 
T32 Ron Baggett, Warner Robins 73 1
Eddie Wiggins, Warner Robins 
T32 Tommy Bates, Atlanta 73 1
Richard Tatum, Atlanta 
T32 Fred Atterberry, Dahlonega 73 1
Wally Gramling, Dahlonega 
T32 Randall Rozier, McDonough 73 1
John H. Washington, Macon 
T36 Hal Baker, Bonaire 74 2
David Smith, Warner Robins 
T36 Sam Gaddis, Roswell 74 2
Mark Wiesner, Roswell 
T36 Lanny Bailey, Dalton 74 2
Rick Huggins, Dalton 
T36 John Holle, LaGrange 74 2
Jim Kamis, Marietta 
T36 C. J. Dodd, Calhoun 74 2
Melvin Nichelson, Calhoun 
T36 Frederick Laist, Savannah 74 2
Michael Towson, Savannah 
T42 Rick Beasley, Alpharetta 75 3
Bob Veach, Johns Creek 
T42 George Coker, Roswell 75 3
Randy Jacob, Alpharetta 
T42 Dale Holland, Dawsonville 75 3
Steven Prout, Dawsonville 
T42 Larry Hines, Sharpsburg 75 3
Jake Shirley, Newnan 
T46 Jim Mahoney, Waverly 77 5
Tom Powers, Smyrna 
T46 Gary E. Cole, Dalton 77 5
Chris Hall, Dalton 
48 Richard Ward, Braselton WD WD
Dave Wilder, Braselton 

Flight: 1 
Rank Team Rd. 1 To Par
1 James Dills, Savannah 67 -5
Thomas Rood, Savannah 
T2 Buzz Alexander, Kennesaw 69 -3
Dick Donegan, Kennesaw 
T2 Ron Lowery, Dalton 69 -3
David Mansfield, Cohutta 
T2 Chuck Baldwin, Augusta 69 -3
Jimmy Garren, Augusta 
T2 Jim Duncan, Newnan 69 -3
Richard Emery, Newnan 
T6 Lee Cassady, Savannah 70 -2
Marc Tate, Savannah 
T6 Charlie Busbee, McDonough 70 -2
Tom Toombs, Perry 
T8 Bill Carroll, Rome 71 -1
Dwight Duke, Duluth 
T8 Andy Robinson, Columbus 71 -1
B.J. Robinson, Alpharetta 
10 Donald Lieb, Savannah 72 Even
John Pohl, Savannah 
11 Dick Martin, Johns Creek 76 4
Terry Moon, Powder Springs 
12 David Dreibelbis, Duluth WD WD
Richard Steed, Dunwoody 

Flight: 2 
Rank Team Rd. 1 To Par
1 Gerry Grogan, Gainesville 67 -5
Sam Horner, Dawsonville 
T2 Tom Burke, Peachteee City 69 -3
Ted Colbert, Fayetteville 
T2 David Field, Athens 69 -3
Darryl Harris, Woodstock 
4 Randy Gordy, Clarkesville 70 -2
Bryan Stansell, Atlanta 
T5 Bill Andrus, Savannah 73 1
Melvin Stevens, Savannah 
T5 Bob Fowler, Atlanta 73 1
John Salviski, Alpharetta 
7 Alan Crowell, Norcross 74 2
Larry Grant, Buford 
T8 Garry Briddon, Duluth 75 3
Bruce Swinsky, Dunwoody 
T8 John Lee, McDonough 75 3
Kenneth Newsome, Sharpsburg 
T8 Charles Dickerson, Dunwoody 75 3
William Flinn, Norcross 
11 Bill Burns, Alpharetta 78 6
Charles Macpherson, Marietta 
12 Bill Davis, Marietta 79 7
James Whitlock, Roswell 

Flight: 3 
Rank Team Rd. 1 To Par
1 Ernie Hollifield, Kennesaw 68 -4
Tab Mefford, Acworth 
2 Larry Askew, Greensboro 71 -1
Sal Minicozzi, Braselton 
3 Dale Dover, Camilla 72 Even
Melvin Kinslow, Americus 
T4 Dave Benton, Social Circle 73 1
Doug Southern, Greensboro 
T4 David Rozier, Warner Robins 73 1
J.D. Sessums, Byron 
T4 Charles Boyle, Atlanta 73 1
John Calvert, Jonesboro 
7 Jim Davis, Greensboro 74 2
Jack Demyan, Augusta 
8 Ron Eulenfeld, St. Simons Island 76 4
Royce Wood, St. Simons Island 
T9 Jim Franks, LaGrange 77 5
Wayne Hunter, LaGrange 
T9 Mike Brumlow, Dalton 77 5
James Gordon, Cohutta 
T9 Joe Evangelista, Duluth 77 5
Steve O'Brien, Duluth 
12 Terry Hall, Alpharetta 78 6
Chuck Walker, Alpharetta 

Flight: 4 
Rank Team Rd. 1 To Par
T1 Steve Mann, Duluth 72 Even
Roland Sorel, Dunwoody 
T1 Mark Dickerson, Jasper 72 Even
Palmer Temple, Atlanta 
T3 David Jaret, St. Simons Island 73 1
Joe Simpson, Marietta 
T3 Edwin Mathis, Rome 73 1
Virgil Waters, Calhoun 
5 Gerald Arrowood, Marietta 75 3
Mike Riley, Marietta 
6 Brent Harmon, Newnan 77 5
Royce LeVaughn, Newnan 
T7 Ray Dillon, Hartwell 78 6
Ed Tomblin, Tucker 
T7 Jim Brown, Evans 78 6
Sam Smith, Macon 
T7 William Daniels, Brunswick 78 6
Franklin Truan, Brunswick 
T10 Bobby Johnson, Snellville 79 7
Pat Payton, Loganville 
T10 Larry Hobgood, Duluth 79 7
Michael Stimak, Duluth 
12 Jerry Chastain, Jasper 80 8
John Chastain, Jasper