Nick Bailes Leading Southern Amateur

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Middle Tennessee golf standout Nick Bailes sits atop the leaderboard at the 100th Southern Amateur Championship at The Country Club of Birmingham through two rounds of action.

Bailes, who hails from Cleveland, Tenn., has a two-round total of 6-under-par 136 and carries a one-stroke lead over Clemson's Kyle Stanley heading into Friday's third round. He put himself in solid position by firing a career-best 66, 5-under-par on the demanding course in the first round and followed that up with a 1-under 70 in the second.

Several other Chattanooga area players are in contention or safely made the 36-hole cut. With three holes of his second round to play on Friday, Dalton's David Noll is tied for fifth at three under par. Adam Mitchell of Chattanooga and the University of Georgia is tied for 16th after rounds of 69-72. Chattanooga's Chris Gilliland (Furman) is tied for 25th, but has six holes of his second round to play. He opened with a 69 and was 2-over for the day on Thursday.

UTC golfer Jonathan Hodge is tied for 31st after rounds of 71-72. His teammate Bryce Ledford has posted rounds of 72-73 and is tied for 54th. Vanderbilt All-American Luke List of Ringgold, Ga., is tied for 62nd after rounds of 72-73.

Bailes' short game has been the key to his strong play so far.

"I've putted pretty well and I've hit my wedges well and that has led to good scoring for me," Bailes said. "I had several shots from inside 10 feet and I was able to convert most of those short ones. I have made a high percentage and that's pleasing."

Middle Tennessee golf coach Johnny Moore said Bailes has put himself in solid position among some good company in relation to the loaded tournament field.

"That's a very difficult course and there's a lot of history to it," Moore said. "This tournament is arguably the second best amateur field in the United States, outside of the U.S. Amateur. This field includes All-Americans and 10 states throughout the Southeast region, which is generally considered the toughest region so what Nick has done is outstanding. I feel great about his play. You don't play that well against this field and not carry something positive away from it. This has to be a great confidence builder for (Bailes)."

Consistency has been a strong part of Bailes' game through the first two rounds. Of the 36 holes played, he has 10 birdies, 22 pars and four bogeys.

Bailes actually started his first round Wednesday but rain delayed the match after he had completed 10 holes. Bailes completed the remaining eight holes of his first round Thursday morning before immediately starting his second round. The long day in the grueling heat didn't have an impact on the driven Bailes.

He shot par or better on eight of the first nine holes and finished the round by shooting 1-under. Although he leads the field with two rounds remaining, Bailes said he isn't looking ahead.

"As far as the field goes, I knew it was going to be real good coming in and it has been," Bailes said. "I'm taking it one shot at a time and trying not to get ahead of myself. I would like to just stick with my plan. I have looked at the leader board but, to be honest, it's not something I'm dwelling over right now."

Baylor's English Beaten at USGA Junior Amateur

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif.—Harris English of The Baylor School was eliminated in the round of 32 in the USGA Junior Amateur at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club on Thursday.

English fell 2 and 1 to Richard Lee of Chandler, Ariz. Lee is ranked ninth in Golfweek's junior rankings.

English advanced to the second round of match play by defeating Mason Jacobs of Metropolis, Ill., 2-up on Wednesday. English tied for 22nd in stroke play qualifying after rounds of 75-70.

Honors, UTC to Host 2010 NCAA Men's Golf Championships

The last time the NCAA men’s golf championship was played at The Honors Course, in 1996, the tournament was memorable in every way—so memorable the NCAA has been trying to duplicate the experience ever since. Four years from now, the NCAA will get that chance when the tournament returns to The Honors. The only thing missing will be a young Tiger Woods.

UTC and its emerging golf program will be the official hosts of the event, new athletic director Rick Hart announced on Tuesday afternoon at The Honors. As an added bonus for UTC golf and Chattanooga-area fans, the 2008 NCAA East Regional will be played at Council Fire. That in turn allows UTC to host a preview tournament in the fall of 2007 that will bring most of the best teams from the region to Council Fire.

“The 1996 championships are still remembered as the best student-athlete experience at any championship,” said Mike Hermann, athletics director at Towson University and the chair of the Division I Men’s Golf Committee. “We were excited when we received the bid and the decision to bring the championships back to [The Honors] was an easy one for the committee.”

What made the 1996 NCAAs so memorable? Start with the venue and the star attraction. The Honors presented its usual strong test for all except Tiger Woods, who did his best to make sure no one forgot about his final college tournament. Woods was still a couple of months away from turning pro—and the PGA Tour on its ear—but Tiger Mania was in full force. In 1995, the NCAA issued 80 media credentials for the tournament. In 1996, the number was 225. Nearly 15,000 people bought tickets as NCAA attendance records were smashed.

The tournament also benefited from a capable crew of volunteers honed from The Honors’ experience at hosting premier amateur events—notably the 1991 U.S. Amateur and the 1994 Curtis Cup. But make no mistake, the golf Woods played—for three rounds at least—was exceptional, and the main attraction. Woods had come into the tournament hotter than hot, and unbeknownst to anyone other than his inner circle, had already made the decision he had accomplished all he could in amateur golf. Woods won four straight tournaments heading into the NCAAs, including the Pac-10 Championships and the NCAA West Regional.

Woods didn’t miss a beat at The Honors, shooting a first-round 3-under-par 69 to trail by a shot. He tied the competitive course record the next day, shooting 67. Woods distanced himself in the third round with a 69 that gave him a nine-shot lead. The only prize in amateur golf that had eluded him was all but secured.

Asked by a sports writer after the third round whether the course was “easy,” Woods had to gather himself for a couple of seconds. “Oh God no,” Woods said. “This is not a course that you can play aggressively. I feel good about my game, but there’s still one more day. Anything can happen.”

Woods was a prophet. The Honors extracted a bit of revenge at the par-4 ninth hole when he pushed his approach right of the green. He tried a flop shot that failed to slow down as it steamrolled off the green and into the water to the left of the hole. Woods wound up with a triple-bogey seven and was so shaken he proceeded to bogey the first four holes on the back nine. Woods shot 80 for a 72-hole total of 285, still a comfortable four shots clear of runner-up Rory Sabatini of Arizona.

“Things started to slip away quickly,” Woods said after championship trophy was in his grasp. “I knew that they could. “People will never know what it took for me to get it back. I dug down awfully deep today, and I’m proud of myself.”

Can the 2010 NCAAs possible top that drama? That’s hard to say, but considering how college golf has become a feeder program for the PGA Tour, chances are good the tournament will feature numerous future stars.

"Division I golf is loaded with great players, so I'm sure from a talent standpoint, the 2010 championships will be strong," said UTC golf coach Mark Guhne. "But I know from an organizational and a support standpoint, the tournament will be outstanding. Everybody has been trying to emulate the 1996 championships. Coaches I talk to say it was the best that's ever been."

—Chris Dortch

Vinny Grants Awarded to Tennessee Junior Golf Programs

             
FRANKLIN, Tenn.—For the 13 th consecutive year, Vince Gill's "The Vinny" Pro-Celebrity-Junior Invitational Golf Tournament has awarded grants to junior golf organizations across Tennessee to support their local missions. $83,000 in grants were issued to 18 different junior golf organizations across Tennessee from 2005 tournament proceeds.
 
"The Vinny" is Vince Gill's Pro-Celebrity-Junior invitational tournament and was established in 1993 to generate funds for the development and growth of junior golf programs across the state of Tennessee. "The Vinny" has generated over $3.3 million in its 13-year history with over $1.2 million awarded to programs across the state. Each year The Tennessee Golf Foundation issues these grants to deserving junior golf organizations and contributes to an endowment fund to protect and preserve these life-enhancing programs for future generations.
 
Grant requests go through a formal approval process that considers applications from organizations that:
•          Support programs that introduce young people to golf, with special consideration given to those programs involving minorities, females and in rural communities.
•          Improve accessibility of golf courses and including golf in school curricula and athletic programs.
•          Support programs that offer golf to physically and mentally challenged individuals.
•          Foster educational and employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth, physically challenged, racial minorities and females through golf programs designed to develop human resources.
 
In addition to the various programs at Golf House Tennessee and The Little Course at Conner Lane that receive support, these junior golf programs received grants from "The Vinny" in 2006:
Bear Trace at Ross Creek Schools Program (Clifton)
Bradley County Junior Golf (Cleveland)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Smoky Mountains (New Market)
Billy Daniels Junior Golf Program (Clarksville)
Christian Golf Ministries (Nashville)
Fort Campbell Junior Golf Association (Clarksville)
Girls Golf Club of Reelfoot Council (Jackson)
Hub City Junior Golf Association (Jackson)
Ironwood Junior Girls Clinic (Cookeville)
Paris Junior Golf and Life Skills (Paris)
Tennessee Middle School Golf Association
The First Tee of Chattanooga
The First Tee of Knoxville
The First Tee of Memphis
The First Tee of Nashville
The First Tee of Williams Creek (Knoxville)
Tri Cities Chapter PGA - SNAG Golf in Schools (Kingsport)
Signal Mountain Country Club Golf in Schools Program (Chattanooga)
Special Olympics Tennessee Golf Program (statewide)
Young Masters Junior Golf Program/Northwest Family YMCA (Nashville)
 
The 14th Annual "The Vinny" will be played July 10-11, 2006 at The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. Log onto www.golfhousetennessee.com for tournament information.