Valdosta junior golfers shine

Adam MacDonald
The Valdosta Daily Times

June 29, 2009 10:58 pm

— VALDOSTA — Everyone knows that Valdosta produces some excellent football players, but one of Titletown’s best kept secrets is its junior golfers.
Several of those golfers teed off Monday in the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) Junior Sectional tournament at Valdosta Country Club.
“I look at it and I see a lot of the kids shot the same score as some of those in the Valdosta Open,” sectional chair Dale Armstrong said. “It shows the talent level is high, really high. There’s a lot of good players here.”
Boys competed in four different age groups — 11-and-under, 12-13, 14-15 and 16-17. Girls competed in three different age groups — 11-and-under, 12-13 and 14-17.
Dona Kioseff, a rising senior at Lowndes High, won the girl’s 14-17 age group. She shot an 82.
“I wish I could have done better,” Kioseff said. “I missed a lot of putts.”
Kioseff is having a great summer of golf. Even though she said she wasn’t happy with her score on Monday, last week she shot a 74 at her home course Kinderlou Forest.
Kioseff is looking forward to a big year at Lowndes both in the classroom and on the golf course. Her GPA at Lowndes is 4.65, and she’s thinking about Mercer, Oglethorpe and maybe even Princeton as a destination for college.
“I want to play in college and for the rest of my life,” Kioseff said. “I’m talking to a lot of schools about scholarships.”
Finishing behind Kioseff was Jenna Kennedy who shot an 87, and Brooke Spinks who shot a 90.
In the boy’s 16-17 age group, Matt Johns from Irwin County shot 73 to take first place. He finished one stroke better than Valwood’s David Hobby and Lowndes’ Trey McQuaig.
“I played pretty good,” Johns said. “I missed a couple of three-foot putts, but I came out good.”
Hobby earned second place by scoring lower on the last six holes than McQuaig.
“I felt like I played a lot better (than 74),” Hobby said. “I missed a lot of short birdie putts. We’re all playing the same greens so there are no excuses. Matt played well and he deserved (to win).”
McQuaig, who will attend Darton College in the fall, settled for third.
Jarrett Flythe shot the lowest score over 18 holes in the boy’s 14-15 age division. He shot a 71 to take first place over Jake Flynt who shot a 75. Georgia Christian’s Dowling Armstrong shot a 77.
Dowling’s brother Dawson won the boy’s 12-13 age group which played nine holes. Dawson shot a 2-under par 34. He was 3-under until a bogey on No. 8. Still, he was satisfied.
“I heard someone say no one putted good, but I did,” Dawson said. “I’ll take my 34 and go home. It feels good.”
Second in the boy’s 12-13 age group was Tyler Dallas who shot a 35. Zach Moxley finished third with a 37.
Tyler Hanson and Tyler Joiner both shot a 38 in the boy’s 11-and-under division and Davis Armstrong shot a 41 to take third.
In the girl’s 12-13 age division, Lakese Brown came in first after shooting a 51 and Kelsie Belan came in second with a 56. Audrey White shot 57 to take third.
The golfers that played at Valdosta Country Club on Monday are part of the Southwest GSGA junior program. The top four players from the Southwest sectional in each age division advance to the state championship held at West Lake Country Club in Augusta, July 20-21. At that tournament they will compete against six other sectionals from around the state.
Last year the Southwest division won the state tournament for the first time since Dale Armstrong can remember. He’s hoping for a repeat.
“This is Titletown, and my job is to promote these kids,” Armstrong said. “I think we have as good a shot (to win) as we’ve ever had.”
It’s been a successful summer so far for the junior golfers from Valdosta. Last week at Kinderlou in another GSGA sectional tournament, 10 of the 23 golfers that placed were from Valdosta. Prior to the Kinderlou tournament, 15 of the 28 golfers that placed in a sectional at Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton were from Valdosta.
“I credit what (Valdosta Country Club pro) Rob (Williams) has done out here and (Kinderlou’s) Chris Dixon and his impact. Also the parents,” Armstrong said. “I want to make sure the clubs know how much we appreciate them for opening their courses. It’s $15 (to play in the sectional), and in today’s economy that’s a bargain. We get the best of the best.”

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