Matt Sanders, a PGA Assistant Professional at West Pines Golf Club, won the 106th playing of the Yamaha Atlanta Open presented by Audi Atlanta and Mizuno USA on Tuesday at Dunwoody Country Club. Sanders shot rounds of 69-68 for a 7-under par total to defeat PGA Professional Richard Rebne from The Farm by one shot and claim his first Georgia PGA Section victory.
Sanders started the second round in third, three shots behind first round leader PGA Professional Stephen Keppler. Sanders played steady golf through the first eight holes and then came out swinging on the next five holes. He birdied 9, 11, 12 and 13 to take a two-shot lead on Rebne and never looked back. Rebne needed an eagle 3 on the par-5 18th to potentially tie for the lead. He had approximately 60 yards for his third from the same spot he holed out on Monday in the first round and hit it to 2 inches as the crowd and Sanders held their breath! Sanders went on to two-putt 18 for a par to seal the victory and the $5,000 first place check.
Finishing in third at 5-under par was Low Amateur Luke Koenig, a rising sophomore on the Georgia Southern University golf team. For his efforts, he’ll take home a set of custom clubs from Mizuno. Finishing in fourth at 4-under par was amateur R.B. Clyburn from Cartersville.
Rounding out the top five was a trio tied at 3-under par including PGA Professionals Peter Jones from Cherokee Town & Country Club and Todd Sapere from Ohoopee Match Club along with amateur Davis Bagwell of Monroe.
ABOUT YAMAHA GOLF-CAR COMPANY
The Yamaha Golf-Car Company has been a longtime supporter of the Georgia Section and serves as the title sponsor of the Atlanta Open and the Georgia Senior Open, Yamaha Golf-Car Company has based its North American headquarters in Newnan, located off I-85 in south metro Atlanta, since 1987. It has developed into the largest employer in Coweta County, with more than 1500 employees.
ABOUT AUDI ATLANTA:
Audi Atlanta is a Jim Ellis Family Dealership servicing the Atlanta area and beyond since 1983. The facility delivers about 1,800 new and 1,000 Certified Pre-owned Audis annually with a robust inventory to meet the demand. Audi Atlanta is the nation’s #1 Certified Pre-owned Audi dealership for 12 of the previous 13 years and 2019 and 2020’s #1 Audi Sport dealer in the nation.
ABOUT MIZUNO USA:
Sports are powerful. They inspire us to come together as a team, to push our limits, to grow in strength, to achieve what we didn’t think possible. At Mizuno, we believe there is potential in everyone to transform their life through dedication to sport. And we believe through our combined love of sports, we can make the world a better place.