Johnson claims MGA Amateur title, while Looper wins LGA crown

By JOHN PRICE

As crowds gathered on the 18th hole of the Country Club of Jackson, a champion approached the tee. 
Fletcher Johnson of Belden finished the day at two-under par with an eagle on 11 and his first hole-in-one on 13.

At 17, Johnson is among the youngest to take the title of Mississippi State Amateur Champion. He was the only individual player to finish under par during the 95th Annual State Amateur Championship and appeared confident approaching the first tee in the final pairing with defending champion Jonathan Randolph of Brandon. 

Randolph finished the day at even par to put him at two over and runner-up. Randolph, 2007 Junior Amateur Champion and Johnson, 2008 Junior Amateur Champion are two Mississippi Champions that will be seen in years to come. 

Finishing a stroke behind Randolph in third place was T. Robert Oakley of Senatobia.The Mike Magee Medalist trophy was awarded to Steve Wilson of Ocean Springs. Wilson, past amateur champion and U.S. Mid-Am Champion posted a first-round 68, which was never bested in this year’s event.

Rickey Riley and Chad Ramey, both of Fulton were awarded the Charles Green Team Trophy as the lowest two round team total. Ramey and Riley both play out of Fulton Country Club. 

LOOPER WINS LGA TITLE

It’s been a long year for Mandeville’s Ken Looper. Last year, he started the final round of the Louisiana Golf Association Amateur in the lead only to fall in a playoff to Andrew Loupe. 

This year, he left nothing to chance, firing a 4-under-par 67 to take home the trophy as the 91st Champion in this year’s edition of the LGA’s marquee event. He finished with a 14-under-par 270, taking the title by three shots over Luling’s Andrew Noto at Koasati Pines Golf Course at Coushatta Casino in Kinder. Finishing alone in third three more shots back was Max Sellers of Baton Rouge.

The day started with Looper holding a three-shot edge over Noto and Sellers. 
Things tightened up on the par-3 third as Sellers made a birdie, Noto made a par and Looper took a bogey, allowing his lead to slip to one over Sellers and two over Noto. 
Looper quickly righted the ship, making birdies on three of the next four holes, the string broken only by a bogey on the long par-3 seventh. 

Looper finished his front nine with a one-under-par 34. Sellers birdied the ninth, also finishing the front at 34. Noto birdied the fifth, but gave it back with a bogey of his own on the 200-yard seventh.
A birdie by Noto on No. 11 brought the threesome back to where they started the day with Looper holding a three-shot advantage over both fellow competitors. 
Noto birdied No. 14, a par-4, to creep within two, while Sellers fell another shot back with a bogey on the same hole. 

That’s when Looper decided to take matters into his own hands, making consecutive birdies on Nos. 15-17, including a 40-footer on No. 17 that hit the back of the cup, hopped into the air and fell in. Noto, who notched birdies on Nos. 16 and 18, just had too much ground to overcome in the end.
Looper and Noto both finished with four-under-par 67s in the final round, while Sellers’ recorded a final-round 70.

Rounding out the top-10 finishers were: Matthew Hungerman of Mandeville (280), Patrick Christovich of New Orleans (281), Robby McWilliams of Bossier City (281), Austin Gutgsell of Mandeville (282), Ben Suarez of Sulphur (283), Hayden Stephens of Ruston (284), and Jonathan Bale of Ruston (285).
Koasati Pines at Coushatta, the Kevin Tucker design just northeast of Lake Charles in Kinder, played to a par of 71 at just over 7,100 yards. The final round was played under hot and humid conditions, the day’s play interrupted briefly by a quick rain shower around noon. The course again drew rave reviews from this field of the top amateur players in Louisiana. 

Koasati Pines at Coushatta will also host the 2011 LGA Four-Ball Championship and the 2012 LGA Club Team Championship.

John Price is the Publisher of Tee to Green Golf Magazine. He can be reached at 985.855.5555 or at john@teetogreenmagazine.com.