Counting down Southwest Georgia’s Top 5 sports stories of 2016 — No. 2: Colin Bowles wins Georgia Amateur

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Herald’s sports staff has chosen Southwest Georgia’s Top 5 sports stories from 2016. Today marks the fourth of the five we’ve picked as having a significant influence as we count down to No. 1, which will appear in the Dec. 31 edition.

ALBANY — The script couldn’t have been more perfect.

When Albany’s Colin Bowles won the Georgia Amateur in July at the Capital City Club in Atlanta, he became the youngest golfer to win the title since legendary golfer Bobby Jones won the inaugural event in 1916.

Consider these facts:

— Jones was just 14 when he won; Bowles was 16.

— Bowles won the title on the same course Jones did and on the event’s 100th anniversary.

The 16-year-old beat Gainesville’s Spencer Ralston 1-up to win the Georgia Amateur title. Bowles earned instant fame in Albany and became the talk of the town.

He wasn’t sure at first, however, of the comparisons to Jones.

“It’s very cool,” he told The Herald. “There are a bunch of good names on that trophy. It’s crazy to think my name is on there. It gives me a lot more confidence. I wasn’t having the greatest year heading into that tournament, but I feel like I’m a better player now.”

Bowles’ father, Toney, bought the River Point Golf Course a little more than a year ago, and the family moved to Albany from West Virginia. The warmer weather gave Colin Bowles more time to sharpen his game.

But what made the teenager’s victory in the Georgia Amateur even more impressive was the comeback he made in the finals. After Ralston took hole 10, Bowles found himself down three holes with eight to play.

“My dad told me that I needed to hit one good shot, and it would change,” Bowles said. “I hit that one good shot, and it did change. I was worried, but I still had eight holes to go. I knew I had a chance still.”

Bowles went on to win four of the next five holes, and his birdie on the 17th put him one-up. The shot ended up being the match winner, as he and Ralston parred the final hole.

The tournament, which is usually a 72-hole stroke-play format but returned to match play this year to celebrate it’s 100th anniversary, has been a breeding ground for success.

A handful of PGA Tour golfers — Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Harris English — have all played in and won the Georgia Amateur since 2005.

Bowles made his presence known. It was his first time playing in a tournament since his family moved to Albany during the summer of 2015.

He took his opening match 3-and-2 over Dacula’s Trey Pearson, winning seven holes, including four of them with birdies. Bowles then upended GSGA Mid-Amateur champion Cameron Hooper of Atlanta 4-and-3 when he won five straight holes on the back nine to erase an early 2-up deficit.

Bowles then defeated Roswell’s Tim Arnoult in the quarterfinals 3-and-2, before eliminating Kris Mikkelsen in a weather-delayed match that was completed the next day. Mikkelsen rallied before Bowles won when he parred the 18th to advance to the finals.

Toney Bowles said watching his son win the event was special.

“It was awesome to watch him do that,” the elder Bowles said. “Going into the tournament, we thought if he could make it into the match play, it would be a big accomplishment.”

Colin Bowles’ achievement at the Georgia Amateur has golf fans looking ahead to see what he will do in 2017.

Information from ForeGeorgia.com was used in this article.