Seth McCain was no stranger to victories in the junior or prep golf ranks.
Now, the 2005 Madison County High School graduate has a major tournament victory on the Georgia PGA circuit to this credit.
McCain bogeyed just once in the 54-hole Chicopee Woods Players Championship last week in Gainesville, firing a 15-under-par 201 to win the title.
“Everything was working for me those few days,” McCain said. “I hit the tee ball great. Iron play was there, and I made some putts. There was nothing that really stood out as just a real strong part of my game. Just everything finally decided to come together for a change.”
The June 22-23 tournament pitted McCain, 22, against some of the top players in the Georgia section of the PGA (The PGA comprises 41 sections throughout the nation). McCain sank a nine-foot birdie putt on his final hole to clinch the tournament, beating Sonny Skinner by one stroke.
The Players Championship certainly tested McCain’s endurance, as he and the rest of the field played 27 holes each day — not the easiest task during the summer in Georgia.
“It was tough; it was brutal,” McCain said, noting 95-degree temperatures.
Unlike a regular tournament, there was no feeling of relief after nine holes.
“Because you’ve got 18 more holes left that day,” McCain said. “It’s a lot different, but it’s a fun way to play.”
McCain, who won Region 8-AAA low medalist honors as a MCHS golfer back in 2002, is employed at Jennings Mill Country Club as a PGA apprentice.
He’s working toward “Class A status” as a PGA of America member — golf’s version of a doctorate, so to speak.
Though he won a PGA assistant’s tournament two years ago, the Chicopee Woods victory stands as McCain’s biggest win as a PGA club professional, one which earned him a $2,600 payday.
What’s more, he finally bested of some of the players he’s gone toe-to-toe with the last two to three years.
“It was fun,” McCain said. “I was playing with some really good players, some of the top pros in the section. It was fun to finally be able to get a win and get past some of them.”
McCain said his Chicopee Woods’ rounds were probably the best of his career, although he did shoot a 64 as a 16-year-old in a Georgia PGA junior golf tournament.
Still, it was hard to argue with just one bogey in 54 holes.
“I can’t say that I’ve ever done anything anywhere close to that,” McCain said.
