AJGA
BURGETT H. MOONEY, JR. ROME CLASSIC
Coosa Country Club
Rome, Georgia
August 14-17, 2003
TODD
OVERTAKES SUCHER ON 17TH HOLE, WINS BY ONE IN ROME
Wright wins at Coosa two years after qualifier disappointment
ROME,
Ga. -- In a dramatic turn of events, Gator Todd of Florence,
Ala., overtook fellow Alabama native Zack Sucher of Mobile
on the 17th hole of the final round of the AJGA Burgett
H. Mooney, Jr. Rome Classic to earn his first AJGA title.
Heather Wright of Houston also found the AJGA winner's circle
for the first time, winning by a four-stroke margin in the
Girls Division.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Burgett
H. Mooney, Jr. Rome Classic featured 99 players from 13
states, including 39 Georgia natives. The eighth-annual
tournament, held at Coosa Country Club, consisted of three
18-hole rounds.
Holding a one stroke lead with two holes to play, Sucher
committed a double-bogey on the par-3 17th to finish one
stroke back of Todd. William Wilcox of Pell City, Ala.,
made six birdies and a bogey to finish tied at 206 with
Sucher, nearly overcoming his five-shot deficit at the start
of the final round. But Todd held steady with pars on Nos.
17 and 18 to win his first AJGA title by one stroke with
rounds of 70-64-71-205-.
"I'm really relieved," Todd said. "I'm glad
to get this day over with, it's definitely the biggest win
I've ever had."
Todd opened the round with two birdies on the first three
holes to take a two-stroke lead over Sucher. But the momentum
swung in Sucher's favor on No. 6, where he made a birdie
while Todd bogeyed the 201-yard par 3.
The Alabama natives remained tied at 11-under par through
No. 11, but Todd fell one back on the 12th hole with a bogey.
He then went birdie-bogey-birdie on the next three holes,
while Sucher made a birdie and two pars to maintain a one
stroke lead at 12-under par through 15. Two holes later,
however, Sucher made the costly double-bogey that moved
him back to even-par 72 for the round.
"Zach was beating me most of the day, I hate to win
like that," Todd said. "He played great all day,
but I made a key birdie on 15 and it turned everything around
for me."
Todd's first win also set the 54-hole tournament record.
His 205 total bested the 208 record set at last year's tournment
by Chris Kirk of Woodstock, Ga. The rising senior has verbally
committed to play golf next year for Alabama, where his
father, Richard Todd, played football before going on to
play quarterback for the New York Jets.
Rounding out the top five in the Boys Division were Justin
Hare of Charleston, S.C., in fourth place at 208 and Tim
Schaetzel of Atlanta in fifth with a 210.
In the Girls Division, Wright made her second visit to Coosa
Country Club one to remember as she crafted rounds of 70-69-76-215
to finish 1-under par. Two years ago, the 18-year-old senior
played in a qualifier for the Rome event and missed the
cut by one stroke. This time around, she produced a four-stroke
victory.
"I definitely wanted to come back to Rome," Wright
said. "I was glad to be able to come back and win.
I don't know what it was, but after I made my first birdie
during the first round, I felt like I was going to win."
Wright's goal for the day was to maintain her five-stroke
lead, which she nearly did despite a tough final round.
"I hung in there and was able to keep it to a four-stroke
lead, even though nothing was really going well for me today,"
Wright said.
Sharla Cloutier of Niceville, Fla., and Christie Reed of
Coral Springs, Fla., rounded out the top three in the Girls
Division with three-day totals of 219.
Sunday's final round was played in a shotgun format in order
to complete the tournament before inclement weather could
arise.
For more information on the AJGA Burgett H. Mooney, Jr.
Rome Classic, please visit ajga.org or call the AJGA's national
headquarters at (770) 868-4200.
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