GAINESVILLE -- Pep Brown had a strange feeling of deja vu on Thursday, as the Gainesville boys golf standout rolled in birdie putts on the first two holes of the day at the Region 8-AAAAA championships at Chattahoochee Golf Club.
"You know last year he birdied four of his first five holes," Red Elephants coach Bryson Worley said.
While Brown couldn't quite make it total recall to record another 66 -- as he did in last year's Region 8-AAA tournament -- the Gainesville senior still fired the low round of the day, carding a 2-under-par 70 to lead the Gainesville boys to their third straight region championship.
It was a banner day for both Red Elephants golf teams, as the Gainesville girls also cruised to the 8-AAAAA crown, finishing with a team score 242 -- 76 strokes better than second place Winder-Barrow. The Lady Red Elephants were paced by Meg Callahan's 78, which tied for low round of the day -- though Winder-Barrow's Savannah Rainbolt claimed first place in a two-hole playoff.
Gainesville's boys, meanwhile, totaled 293, 10 strokes ahead of second place Flowery Branch, to claim their eighth tournament win in eight tournaments played this season. In fact all six Red Elephants to record competitive rounds on Thursday placed inside the top 10, Nathan Williams finishing second with an even-par 72. Flowery Branch's Eric Little was third with a 73, leading four Falcons that finished in the 70s.
The outcomes pushed the two defending state champions back into the state tournament, where they will gun for their first Class AAAAA titles on May 20 in Jekyll Island -- the boys playing the Pine Lakes course and the girls on the Indian Mounds course. The Flowery Branch boys, meanwhile, also qualified for the Class AAAAA sectionals, to be held May 6 at Westlake Country Club in Augusta, where the Falcons can also earn a spot on Jekyll Island.
After going undefeated so far, certainly the Gainesville boys will certainly be amongst the favorites, and Brown feels the Red Elephants' approach could be key, as they return to a course he and his teammates played during March in the Johnny Paulk Invitational.
"Coach Worley keeps us grounded; you play the course not against your competitors," Brown said. "We're not shooting as low as last year, but we've been steady."
After his explosive start, Brown says his round became more about being steady on a day when winds and course design meant few low scores at Chattahoochee.
"It played long today; the pins were tucked away. It was pretty tough really," said Brown, who birdied five holes, including No. 18, and almost drilled his second hole-in-one in two weeks, lipping out on No. 12. "It was tough out there, we were really kind of grinding."
That Brown can say that speaks to the Red Elephants' depth, as Williams scorched the back nine with birdie putts at Nos. 12, 13, 15 and 16, overcoming a 39 on the front nine with a back-nine 33.
"I couldn't get my putter going on the front nine -- I did on the back nine though," Williams said. "I knew I was starting to get going on No. 12 when I hit to within 12 inches and sank that one."
Williams also dropped a 20-foot birdie attempt on No. 16.
"We were kind of shaky to start today, but we righted the ship," Worley said. "We hadn't played in three weeks before today because of how the schedule shaped up. I take the brunt for that. But we kind of challenged the guys out there, and they responded."
After shooting a combined 151 on the front nine, Gainesville turned in a combined 142 on the back nine.
"We were kind of rusty, but the guys did what they had to do," Worley said. "We're going to prepare the way we prepare for state. It's all about the process for us."
The Lady Red Elephants can point to similar methods for their success, and Thursday certainly proved another successful outing for the Gainesville girls, who cantered to the region crown.
"It was a terrific showing; there's not a lot of other words to describe it better," Gainesville coach Clay McDonald said. "The girls were focused and disciplined out there. I couldn't be any prouder."
Callahan's steady, impressive round -- 39 on both the front and back nine -- led the way, while Morgan Reese followed with an 81 and Madeline Harr an 83. Ashleigh Bishop also shot an 87 -- good enough for fifth overall, though the score was not even counted on the team total.
"I think we're getting better every week; we just keep progressing," said McDonald, whose team has also played on the state tournament course earlier this season and is looking forward at another round.
"We've traveled a lot this year and played a lot of different teams to help us prepare for this," McDonald said. "We've got our work cut out for us, but the girls have three weeks to prepare, and they'll take those three weeks and work at getting better. These girls all want to get better, and that makes them easy to coach."
Callahan will look forward to the challenge after just missing out on low medalist honors on Thursday courtesy an impressive 20-foot birdie putt from Winder's Rainbolt. The two standouts remained tied after the first playoff hole, both recording par on No. 1, but Rainbolt's impressive putt sealed a state tournament invitation for the Lady Bulldoggs individual.
"I'm happy we played well as a team," Callahan said. "I started out kind of rough because I was a little nervous this morning, but I got it together and tried to stay focused. The state tournament will be tougher for us this year in Class AAAAA, but hopefully we can go and play our best and see what happens."
NOTE: Flowery Branch's girls carded a team score of 370, led by Alean Jarrard with a 119. ... Apalachee's Cody Johnson secured 8-AAAAA's individual invitation to the state tournament in Jekyll by virtue of the lowest round on a team not to qualify for state or sectionals. ... Shelby Hanna of Apalachee also carded an 89.
REGION 8-AAAAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 25, at Chattahoochee Golf Club, Gainesville
TEAM RESULTS
BOYS
1. Gainesville, 293
2. Flowery Branch, 303
3. Heritage, 333
4. Apalachee, 338
5. Cedar Shoals, 391
6. Clarke Central, 402
7. Winder-Barrow, 410
8. Salem, 434
GIRLS
1. Gainesville, 242
2. Winder-Barrow, 318
3. Apalachee, 339
4. Clarke Central, 365
5. Flowery Branch, 370
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
BOYS TOP 10
1. Pep Brown, Gainesville, 70
2. Nathan Williams, Gainesville, 72
3. Eric Little, Flowery Branch, 73
4. Kameron Williams, Flowery Branch, 74
5. Lawson King, Gainesville, 75
6. Spencer Ralston, Gainesville, 76
tie, Jackson Bishop, Gainesville, 76
tie, Reeves Bell, Gainesville, 76
9. Cody Johnson, Apalachee, 77
tie, Colby Stone, Flowery Branch, 77
GIRLS TOP 5
1. Savannah Rainbolt, Winder-Barrow, 78*
2. Meg Callahan, Gainesville, 78
3. Morgan Reese, Gainesville, 81
4. Madeline Harr, Gainesville, 83
5. Ashleigh Bishop, Gainesville, 87
* - Finished as low medalist by virtue of two-hole playoff
Thursday
May 8th, 2025
8:39AM
