Four state golf tournaments to begin Monday in Columbus

Monday marks the start of two important days of golf in the city of Columbus.

Four state golf tournaments will begin early Monday morning at three courses across the city. The Class 4A boys tournament is at the Country Club of Columbus, the Class 4A girls are at Maple Ridge Golf Club and the Class 1A Private boys and girls are playing at Green Island Country Club. Play at all three courses begins at 8:00 a.m. Monday.

“It’s a really awesome opportunity for the city,” said Brookstone boys coach Hunter Chapman, whose Cougars are looking to win their second straight state title. “It’s awesome to join up with Columbus High and jointly have our two programs host. There’s a lot of great golf history here. With the kids in the city, the bar is set so high that there’s a fun, competitive feel to the golf culture here.”

Columbus boys head coach Chris Parker also spoke on the value of the tournaments. He said the Columbus Sports Council estimated it would have at least a $175,000 impact on the local economy. That, Parker said, would not have been possible without the helpful hands of many in the area.

“It does say a lot about Columbus as a golf town, and I think it says just as much about Columbus as a community supporting these types of events,” said Parker, whose Blue Devils are also looking to repeat as state champions. “There’s no admission fee, so we don’t really have any income, but we have a lot of expenses. A lot of the community businesses have been generous to put this event on. We would not be able to put on the type of event we’re going to put on without their assistance.”

For all four teams at Columbus and Brookstone to be hosting the biggest tournaments in their classifications is an accomplishment, but all four having legitimate chances of winning adds to the tournaments’ importance.

The Columbus boys team has ran roughshod over most of its competition this season, which included a victory in the area tournament on May 1. The Columbus girls have been just as strong against their counterparts and also delivered standout showings at area, winning the tournament by 68 strokes.

The Brookstone boys and girls were equally as impressive in the area tournaments of their respective regions. The Cougars took second in their tournament April 25, while the Lady Cougars won their area tournament.

All four teams will be experiencing something new in their quests for a title. For the first time, Georgia’s state championship tournaments are two-day, 36-hole tournaments.

Parker said the additional day should make crowning a true champion even easier and added it might not even happen given the forecasts of rain. Chapman, meanwhile, emphasized how much more mentally taxing the extra round of golf can be.

“It’s going to make the mental approach to the game and the mental aspect of the game that much more important,” Chapman said. “Our main job as coaches is to keep these guys focused and keep them in a healthy state of mind for 36 holes.”

Parker said his objective during recent weeks was not to push his team harder, but to roll back a little. Citing important tests at school, Parker said he cut back practices in the last few weeks before returning to the normal routine in the days leading up to state.

Parker’s team faced some of the toughest competition in Georgia and a few outside the state this year, and he hopes those challenges plus a little time to regroup pays dividends.

“I think our biggest key is that we’re rested and focused,” Parker said. “We are about as experienced of a high school team as you’ll ever see. We’re physically rested and mentally focused. When they’re that, they typically play pretty good golf.”

Parker, Chapman, Columbus girls coach Joe McDaniel and Brookstone girls coach Karen Hearn have undoubtedly been busy leading up to the first tee times. Parker applauded the work of council as well as the volunteers, saying their contributions have him feeling confident he can focus on his team instead of worrying about running the tournament.

“We did this a couple of years ago, and for two years everybody said it was the best state tournament they’ve ever been to,” Parker said. “I expect them to change that and say this is the best they’ve ever been to.”

The goal for all the local teams involved is to bring yet another state championship to Columbus. As the teams work toward making that a reality, their coaches have laid the groundwork for the event itself to be a worthwhile spectacle.

“I think there’s a pride factor in the city,” Chapman said. “There’s a lot of golfers in this community that are proud to know there are tournaments of this stage in their city. We take a lot of pride in wanting to put on the best tournament we possibly can.

“This is one of those pinnacle moments for the golf culture here in the city, to host something this big.”

This story was originally published May 21, 2017 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Four state golf tournaments to begin Monday in Columbus."