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January 24, 2012

Dalton’s Miller in top golf tourney

Submitted by College of Coastal Georgia

BRUNSWICK — The College of Coastal Georgia golfer Chase Miller, a Dalton High graduate, won last week’s qualifier tournament for the upcoming 2012 Jones Cup Invitational by shooting a stellar 5-under-par 67 on the demanding Ocean Forest Golf Club layout on Sea Island.

Miller was one of five players to earn a spot in the prestigious Jones Cup field from the 18-hole event that featured some of the top collegiate and amateur golfers from the United States and around the world who weren’t already qualified for the Jones Cup, which is slated for Feb. 3-5 at Ocean Forest.

But Miller, a sophomore, didn’t just win the qualifier. He also flirted with the competitive course record of 66 before making a double-bogey 5 on the par-3 No. 9, his final hole of the round.

The record would have made an already great round even better for Miller, who didn’t know what the low score on the course was until he had already turned in his winning scorecard.

“It would have been nice to have the record, but those conditions were probably the hardest I’ve played in by far,” he said. “It was cold. The wind was blowing, and the greens were really fast. It was a hard day. I was impressed by how I scored.”

Miller shot 4-under 32 on his first nine holes and finished his back nine in 1-under 35 for his 5-under score. His round included nine total birdies with two bogeys and the double at the last. He said he hit a near-perfect nine-iron shot from 165 yards into the green on the final hole, but it carried just a bit too far and came to rest in a bunker on the right side of the green.

“I hit it right where I wanted to, it just went too far and landed in the bunker,” he said. “I had a tough lie in the bunker and just tried to hack it out but left it in the bunker. I got my third shot out and then two-putted from there.”

Miller said the key to his round was his performance on the greens. He had just 24 total putts and made several birdie putts outside of 10 feet and also made several long putts to save par.

He had been struggling with his putter just a few weeks earlier, Miller said.

“I played a lot, almost every day, over the Christmas break,” he said, “and couldn’t scare the hole from eight feet. I went and bought the new Ping Anser putter and I like the way it sets up and the feel of it. I could tell from the beginning that I was improving.”

The Jones Cup is a 54-hole stroke-play tournament that will feature many of the world’s top-ranked amateur players. Past participants include several well-known stars in the game today such as Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Lucas Glover. Sea Island has hosted the event since 2001.

Coastal Georgia golf coach Mike Cook said it should be a great experience for Miller.

“It’s another opportunity, just like the qualifier,” Cook said. “He will get the chance to play against some of the best amateur players in the world. It’s a big deal.”

Miller is looking forward to the tournament, which comes just days before the Coastal College of Georgia Mariners open their spring season.

“I’m just going to take it as another day at the golf course,” he said. “I plan to go in with the same mentality I did yesterday, which is just hit fairways and greens and try to make pars. Eighteen pars on that golf course are really good. But it’s going to be cool to get to play with all those guys.”

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