Chattanooga Golf & Country Club provided a perfect blend of challenging golf and warm hospitality at this weeks Tennessee Women's Amateur
photo by Tennessee Golf Association
Iconic Chattanooga Golf & Country Club continued to build upon its storied history this week in hosting the Tennessee Women’s Amateur for the 10th time. Designed by world renowned Scottish architect Donald Ross in the 1920s and later enhanced by the expertise of Bill Bergin in 2005, the Riverview masterpiece demonstrated why it continues to shine as one of Tennessee’s golfing treasures.
Kudos to long-time superintendent Jeff Hollister’s team for having the golf course in pristine condition worthy of a championship, and Director of Golf Bruce Etter and his staff staged the event with flawless precision and hospitality.
Murfreesboro’s Isabella Johnson walked away with the victory after shooting even par over three grueling days, earning her first Tennessee Golf Association individual win and punching her ticket to the U.S. Women’s Amateur to be held at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort along the Oregon coast in August.
Johnson showed grit and determination by birdieing holes 16 and 17 to win by two shots against a loaded field. She will continue her collegiate career at Middle Tennessee State this fall after competing for Tennessee in three events last spring when she opted out of her final semester of high school to begin her college experience early.
Equally impressive was the showing of Ooltewah’s Katie Woodruff, the wife of Chattanooga’s men’s coach Blaine Woodruff who shared his knowledge as her caddie. The Woodruffs met at Pepperdine where they were both assistant coaches, and Katie also had a stint at Southern Cal before arriving in Chattanooga three years ago when Blaine accepted the Mocs’ head coaching gig.
The 32-year-old Woodruff hasn’t had time for much competitive golf since winning the Tennessee Women’s Mid-Amateur two years ago, with that victory coming just months after the tragic loss of the couple’s daughter, Riley Grace, shortly before her scheduled delivery.
They were blessed with a son, Maverick, who will celebrate his first birthday this week, creating a scarcity of time for Katie when it came to working on her golf game. But she found herself tied for the lead late in the tournament before settling for a 2nd place finish two shots behind Johnson after firing a tournament-best 4-under 67 in her final round. Even more impressive was the fact she didn’t have a single three-putt the entire week on CG&CC’s treacherously fast greens.
The week also was highlighted by Franklin resident and former Vanderbilt golfer Harrison Ott’s late comeback to win the Tennessee State Open held at Gallatin’s Grasslands Club.
Ott had established a stellar resume that featured a pair of Wisconsin State Open titles along with a State Amateur win in his home state. He had also made it into match play in three of four trips to the U.S. Amateur, and had held his own earlier this year at the U.S. Open at Oakmont and the Korn Ferry Tour event in Knoxville.
But Ott was the lone golfer to avoid the late carnage that reshuffled the leaderboard late in Friday’s round, picking up the victory when co-leader Hayden Hunneke had an untimely bogey on the final hole to allow Ott to win with a par.
Special recognition should also be given to Nashville’s Jordan Thomas who was runner-up in the Multiple Limb Amputee division at last week’s U.S. Adaptive Open Championship in Rockville, Md.
Thomas became the first double amputee to qualify for the Tennessee State Amateur last month, and he finished 10th in the overall men’s competition with a three-day total of 3-over 219.
Also competing was Kenny Green of Smyrna, who missed the cut in the Lower Limb Impairment play after compiling a two-day total of 9-over 153.
Upcoming National Junior Events
The month of July is the time when the amateur golf circuit kicks into high gear, and the next two weeks will showcase the country’s top junior players in a pair of USGA national tournaments.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship will begin play on Monday at Atlanta Athletic Club, and 15-year-old Poppy Pewitt of Dickson will represent the Volunteer State in that event. Pewitt won the Tennessee Girl’s Junior title to earn her exemption, and she will also be competing in the Junior PGA Championships at Purdue University later this month.
As the latest talented golfer to emerge from Dickson, joining Jackson Herrington, Cameron Tankersley and brothers Hunter and Ben Wolcott, Pewitt finished tied for 20th at last week’s Tennessee Women’s Amateur.
The following week will feature the U.S. Junior Amateur in Dallas, and a handful of competitors with Tennessee ties will be appearing in that event. Franklin’s Will Pinson earned an exemption by virtue of his win at the Tennessee Junior Amateur, and he will be joined by other qualifiers Wick Baker of Bristol, Greyson Collard of Memphis, Drew Madigan of Collierville, Andrew Sciortino of Brentwood and Cole Stockard of nearby Dalton, Ga.
Also in the field are incoming UTC freshman Evan Rogers of Duluth, Ga., as well as Tennessee commit Tyler Watts of Huntsville, Ala. who finished as runner-up in this event last year.
TGA Slate Features Senior and Super Senior Match Play
This week will also bring about the TGA’s Senior and Super Senior Match Play Championship to be held at Oak Ridge Country Club.
Last year’s tournament was plagued by rain, causing Senior finalists Todd Burgan of Powell and Jay Potter of Tullahoma to be declared co-champions when RiverBend Country Club was deemed unplayable.
Jackson’s Danny Green was finally able to pick up his 20th career TGA win by capturing the Super Senior title, another impressive milestone in his Hall of Fame career.
The 22nd Senior tournament features 65 participants and 43 will be competing in the Super Senior division. There will be two days of stroke play to determine the match play qualifiers. The Seniors will stage their Round of 16 and Round of 8 matches on Thursday, followed by the semifinals and finals on Friday.
The 9th edition of the Super Seniors tournament will advance eight golfers into match play, with the quarterfinals and semifinals taking place on Thursday followed by the finals on Friday morning.
Potter will return after earning a share of his first TGA title in last year’s tournament, while Burgan will skip the event while still recovering from a medical procedure performed in late spring. Other past champions in the Senior field are Dan Crockett (2023), Mike Poe (2022), Jeff Golliher (2021), Mike Albonetti (2020), and Bob Rice (2016).
Tom Baird hopes to start a new streak after his three-year reign as Super Senior champion ended last year with Green’s win. Also in the field are past champions Tony Green (2019) and Ed Link (2017).
Super Senior entrant Buzz Fly picked up a win in the Senior division in 2013, as did Tony Green in 2008 and 2014 and Baird in 2010.
Former Moc Johnson Misses Cut at ISCO
While Carson Johnson was likely disappointed by his play in Friday’s second round of the PGA TOUR’s ISCO Championship in Kentucky, the experience will be one the recent UTC graduate will never forget.
The Chattanooga native competed in a pre-qualifier three days before earning a spot into the field with his play in last Monday’s qualifier. The newly-hired golf coach at his high school alma mater of Signal Mountain shot an even par 70 to open his tournament before stumbling to an 80 in round 2 to finish at 10-over 150, nine shots off the cut line.
But the week provided an unprecedented opportunity for Johnson, whose original plans were to play in the Tennessee State Open last week.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Paul Payne
photo by Contributed