SLOW AND STEADY: Dylan Freeman wins second Golden Isles Invitational

Jul. 4—Following a couple of days of intermittent showers and stiff competition, the 72nd Golden Isles Invitational boiled down to a matchup between a first-timer and a former champion.

Making his event debut, Day 1 leader Dawson Booth went hole-for-hole with Day 2 leader, and 2014 winner, Dylan Freeman.

But in the end, it was the steady play of the invitational veteran that won out.

Freeman shot a 68 in the final round at the Brunswick Country Club to cap off a bogey-free tournament at 17-under-199 and become the first former champion to win the Golden Isles Invitational since 2016.

"It feels good," Freeman said. "I love playing in this golf tournament, and it's like home. I came close last year, so it kind of gave me the blow to try to come play again. I've been playing good here lately, so I figured why not give it another shot."

Freeman was an NAIA All-American at Coastal Georgia, and his six career wins are tied for the most of any golfer in school history.

Looking for another in his backyard, the former Mariner entered the round tied with Booth atop the leaderboard, and watched as his competition ran out to an early two-stroke advantage with an eagle on No. 3 followed by a birdie on No. 4.

Nonetheless, Freeman continued to plod along, birdying No. 3, then No. 6, narrowing the gap to a single stroke.

The golfers would match scores over the next over the next six holes — four going for even par and birdies on Nos. 9 and 12 — until a bogey by Dawson on No. 13 allowed Freeman to even the score with another even-par hole.

In fact, Freeman's score would remain unchanged over the final six holes, staying within himself and resisting the urge to match his tournament-low 63 on Day 2 — a score Brent Hamm had matched earlier in the round to also burst into contention at 16 under.

"I think I just tried to keep hitting quality shots," Freeman said. "I tried to give myself birdie putts and not do anything crazy to get myself out of it, and I did a pretty good job."

Meanwhile, Booth reclaimed his one-stroke lead at 18 under with a birdie on No. 14 before losing it again with a bogey on 15. Finally, a tee shot just left of the out of bounds maker on 18 for a costly two-stroke penalty.

Booth would double bogey the final hole to finish third at 15 under, but the upstart made a memorable first appearance at the Golden Isles Invitational despite rolling into town fewer than 24 hours in advance.

"I didn't have a practice round, came down here Wednesday night, teed it up and got going," Booth said. "It was fun; a good tournament.

"I had a tough break on the last hole, but it is what it is. I just got in the groove, and stuck in it, rode it out. It was fun."

A sophomore golfer at Augusta, Booth was convinced to make the trip by a couple of teammates who were already set to play in the tournament.

Booth didn't even expect to be playing college golf a few years ago when an opportunity didn't appear following his career at Evans High School, instead choosing to attend the University of Georgia.

But Booth is no stranger to adversity, he was diagnosed with uveitis, a form of eye inflammation that affects the middle layer of tissue in the eye wall, when he was 3, he had cataract surgery at 5, and he was diagnosed with glaucoma at 12.

As a junior at Evans, Booth went blind in his right eye due to an underlying condition called juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and after six surgeries, his vision has still not returned.

Nevertheless, when Booth returned back home to Augusta during the pandemic, his golf career was given a second life. Practicing with a friend who played at USC-Aiken, Booth was invited to play a round with PGA Tour pros Luke List and Henrik Norlander, along with PGA Tour Champions golfer Scott Parel, after which each individually reached out to the head coach of Augusta's golf team.

Now, he's showing his potential against talented fields like the one at the prestigious amateur Fourth of July tournament.

"I've never taken anything for granted, especially coming down here and playing well," Booth said. "Everything's a gift, and it's just been super fun."

While the out-of-bounds tee shot cost Booth his shot at the trophy, Freeman still had to be careful to not let his first bogey in 54 holes send him into a playoff against Hamm.

Taking his approach shot from the center of the fairway, Freeman set himself up on the green around 40 feet from the hole. Needing to sink the ball in two shots to win, Freeman nearly made the long putt, instead settling for a short tap-in.

After finishing second a year ago, Freeman became just the second golfer to win the Golden Isles Invitational twice since 2000.

"It's just golf," Freeman said. "Golf is tough, and I think to win, you've got to be a little bit lucky, and you can put yourself up there, but you've got to catch some breaks. You just try to play as consistent as possible and hope it falls your way towards the end."