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McQuaig takes title; Fowler defends girls crown

• Valdosta native Trey McQuaig wins the Albany Junior Open by firing a 71 during the final round and holding off a Day 2 best of 69 by Americus’ Kathyrn Fowler.

Derek Barichello

ALBANY — Trey McQuaig was determined not to let hole No. 18 cost him a chance at the title.

Needing par to win the 5th annual Albany Junior Open at Stonebridge Golf & Country Club during the final round Tuesday, Valdosta’s McQuaig struggled from tee to cup, then

managed to save par and finish one stroke better than Americus’ Kathryn Fowler, who ended second place overall in the open field and as the girls winner for the second consecutive year.

McQuaig’s first shot on No. 18 found the sand trap.

His second shot found another.

And after all that, he finally made it onto the green and putted in from 10 feet to win the tournament.

Still frustrated, McQuaig responded by throwing his ball into the adjacent water hazard.

“I was so mad over that hole,” said McQuaig, who finished Round 2 with a 71 after recording a 70 on Day 1 and holding the overall lead. “I’m happy I won but I was

frustrated. I didn’t even read my last putt, I was so mad. I just knocked it in.”

McQuaig, who placed third at the Georgia Junior Open in June, received some unexpected company at the top from Fowler, a Southland Academy senior and defending Herald All-Area Player of the Year for girls golf.

Fowler finished with a 69 — the lowest round of the two-day tournament — to take over second place from Chase Hankla, another Valdosta native who started the day right behind McQuaig, but finished in third after a 74 to close the

tournament.

Fowler bogeyed only once all day and turned in a 32 on the back nine to make her charge, including a chip-in birdie on No. 12.

“I finally played really good, steady golf,” said Fowler, also the co-Player of the Year in 2007 with Sherwood Christian’s Kelly Pearce, who finished 10th Tuesday. “It was really nice. That was my goal at the beginning. It was nice to see a red number on the scoreboard.”

As she drew closer to first place, Fowler said her mindset didn’t change.

“I was trying not to think about it,” she said. “I just focused on playing well and finishing strong.”

Speaking of strong, Roy Steinberg, who is heading to Darton College next season to play for a Cavaliers program that has won three national championships in four years, made his presence felt Tuesday as he began strong, then faded on the back nine.

After carding a 75 on the first day, Steinberg finished 3-under on the front nine and looked to make a run at first place.

“I figured if I could get to 5-under, I would be fine — I’d have a chance,” Steinberg said. “So, I started attacking.”

Steinberg then added: “(But) it didn’t work out.”

Steinberg three-putted on No. 16 and 17 and fell out of contention, finishing seven strokes back in fourth place.

Meanwhile, Albany golfers Spenser Ferrell, who attends Byne Memorial Baptist School, and Pearce started the day in contention but had disappointing outings in the final round.

Ferrell, who recorded a 74 on Day 1, ended up with an 80 on Tuesday to finish in eighth place.

“I had a good front nine because I stayed in the fairway,” Ferrell said. “On the back nine, I couldn’t putt and lost focus. (Monday), my putting saved me, (but Tuesday), it was no good.”

Pearce, who fired a 75 Monday, turned in an 82 to finish in 10th place, though she was second overall among girls.

“I got into some tough situations and I didn’t get out of any of them,” Pearce said. “I didn’t chip or putt well.”

For McQuaig, it marked his fourth tournament win of the season. He will now begin his senior season at Lowndes County High School, which finished as the GHSA AAAAA state runner-up this past spring.

Of course, he expects to be back at Stonebridge to defend his title next year.

“I’ve had a really good summer,” McQuaig said. “Hopefully, I continue to get better. This was a great tournament and I’m looking forward to coming back next season.”

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