Anderson to retire at AAC after 32 years

Rick Anderson, one of the state’s most-respected and longest-serving PGA professionals, is retiring as director of golf at the Atlanta Athletic Club at the end of the month, just a few days after his 66th birthday. Anderson has held the position for 32 years.

Anderson was born in Florence, Alabama, but grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, where he was a five-sport athlete in high school. He was a 25-yearold assistant professional at Capital City Club in Atlanta when he was hired in 1981 by the legendary Jack Sargent to be an assistant professional at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He stayed four seasons before leaving to become head professional at Holly Tree in Greenville, South Carolina; Grandfather Mountain in Linville, North Carolina; and Boca Pointe in Boca Raton, Florida.

In 1988 he got a phone call from Harold Sargent, former president of the PGA of America and brother of Jack, to gauge his interest in returning to the Athletic Club. Anderson did not hesitate and took over his “dream job” as director of golf in January 1989.

Since then, Anderson has been the head professional during two PGA Championships, a U.S. Amateur Championship and a Palmer Cup. He was part of the power triumvirate of general manager Chris Borders and superintendent Ken Mangum that set the standard for club excellence in Georgia. Borders and Mangum are members of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, where Anderson likely will land sooner rather than later.

Anderson is not leaving the game. He will return to help with rules when the club hosts the KPMG PGA Women’s Championship in June. Like his mentor Jack Sargent, Anderson is considered one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the game’s often-complex rules. Anderson has been a member of the PGA Rules Committee since 2007.

Hanzel, Kearney win Jones Cup Senior: Doug Hanzelof Savannahwon the Jones Cup Senior Invitational at Sea Island, and Jack Kearney of Peachtree City won the super senior division for those 65 and older. Hanzel, the 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, shot a 3-under 213 to beat Gene Elliott and Atlanta’s Jack Larkin by one shot. Elliott lost by a shot to Alpharetta’s Bob Royak a year ago. Royak tied for 17th. Kearney, who plays at Flat Creek, shot an 8-under 208 and won the super senior division by 14 shots.

The professional circuit: Reed Lotter, a 16-year-old student at Savannah Country Day, has accepted a sponsor’s invitation to play in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Club Car Championship at The Landings Club from March 22-26. Lotter shot a record 63 at the club’s Deer course when he was 14, a record that was broken by professional Julien Etulain’s 62 in the tournament a year ago. Lotter is the No. 33 overall boys player in Georgia and No. 77 in the nation.

Miscellaneous: Xavier Maddox of Troup and Cameron Ford of Commerce are the male and female recipients of the inaugural Johnny Paulk Memorial Scholarships awarded by the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association. Maddox plans to attend Howard University and major in political science. Ford will play collegiate golf at Toledo, where she plans to study criminal justice or psychology. The scholarship was named in honor of Paulk, the beloved longtime golf professional at Jekyll Island who died last year.

Rick Anderson