ATLANTA — For the first 10 holes Spencer Ralston had everything going his way in the finals of the Georgia State Amateur Golf Championship at the Capital City-Brookhaven Golf Course.
The former Gainesville High and current University of Georgia-signee led 16-year-old Colin Bowles 3-up with just seven holes left. But Bowles caught fire with a birdie and then an eagle on Nos. 11 and 12 and rode that momentum to erase the big lead and then hold on for a 1-up victory over Ralston to capture the title.
The match was all square after Ralston birdied No. 16 but Bowles pared the Par 3 No. 17 while Ralston double-bogeyed. Ralston had a chance to force a playoff on No. 18 but missed a par putt as both bogeyed the final hole.
Early on Ralston looked like he would bury his opponent.
Ralston grabbed the early lead with a birdie on No. 2 and then he and Bowles matched birdies and pars Nos. 3 to 7. Both birdied the Par 5 fourth with pars at Nos. 3, 5, 6, and 7. Ralston followed with a birdie on No. 8 to push his lead to 2-up. Ralston maintained his 2-up-lead over Colin Bowles as both par No. 9 but extended the lead to 3-up on No. 10 after he sank a par putt while Bowles bogeyed the hole.
Bowles then found his groove. He picked up his first hole on No. 11 with a par on the Par 3 11th while Ralston bogeyed his first hole. Bowles continued to chip away recording an eagle on the Par 5 12th to pull within a 1-up lead for Ralston with six holes to play.
Both would par the Par 3 13th and Bowles continued his hot play with a birdie on the Par 4 14th while Ralston bogeyed the hole to even the match with four holes left.
Bowles then took his first lead with a birdie on No. 15 to go ahead 1-up with three holes left. Bowles was 5-under from Nos. 11 to 15 to erase a three-hole deficit. Ralston answered back to even the match with his fifth birdie of the day on the Par 5 16th.
