Braden Schnaible started a long day of golf in Statesboro on Tuesday as he played 10 holes at the Georgia Southern University Golf Course in a qualifier for the Club Car Championship that was cut short Monday due to rainy weather.
The senior from The Habersham School didn't have his 'A' game in the morning as he was 2-over par for the 10 holes to complete a round of 75 that fell short of making the cut to play in this weekend's Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club.
But he had plenty in the tank for an 18-hole round in the afternoon as he shot a 2-under par 69 at Bacon Park Golf Course to win the Savannah City High School Golf Championship for the second year in a row.
Schnaible had two birdies and an eagle in his round as he beat a pair of Benedictine freshmen in Finn Nixon, who shot 71 along with Lane Morris of St. Andrew's. Benedictine freshman Alex Dao carded a 72, while Caden Hartley of Savannah Country Day had a 73 and his teammate Kohki Maeda shot 75.
On the 452-yard par-5 10th hole, Schnaible blasted a driver and then dialed in a 9-iron to about three feet to set up a tap in for eagle. He had birdies on the par-4 fifth with an approach from 108 yards to eight feet and the at the par-3 14th hole, where he drained an 18-foot putt featuring a big break.
"I think my driver was one of my strengths today, even though I only hit a few fairways," Schnaible said. "I was still hitting them close and leaving myself in good spots. And I was hitting my approaches well — I think I hit 16 of 18 greens (in regulation) on the day."
Schnaible went on to win the GAPSS Division II State Tournament to close out his junior season last year, and is looking to win it all again as a senior — but he said winning the Savannah High School City Championship again was special.
"This feels really good and it means more to me than the state title because you're going up against the top players in Savannah," he said. "I played well today. Now I'll play in the Statesboro Blue Devil Invitational, and then in the region and state tournaments before ramping things up in the summer."
Benedictine won the team title with its "B" squad as the "A" team was playing in the Larry Nelson Invitational at ...
