"IF YOU LIKE GOLF"
online golf column
by
Chris Dortch

September 15, 2009

At first glance, it might seem like an odd coincidence that three golfers from tiny Jefferson County, Tenn.—population less than 50,000—could win three TGA tournaments this summer.

But on closer examination, the fact that Peter Malnati (Dandridge, men’s amateur), Kendall Martindale (Jefferson City, women’s amateur) and Jordan Jennings (Jefferson City, boys’ amateur) all claimed significant championships in the span of five weeks doesn’t seem like coincidence at all, but something far less random.

Destiny, perhaps?

Destiny might seem an overly dramatic choice of words, but in this case, it fits. The dictionary describes destiny as “an inevitable series of events that happen to somebody or something.” Given the nurturing environment—from one end of Jefferson County to the other—toward young golfers, it does seem inevitable that the junior and high school programs would turn out champions.

There’s no one magic key that explains the countywide success that extends to Jefferson County High School, which has won state championships in boys (2004) and girls (2007) this decade.

Rather, Jefferson County’s emergence as a hotbed of young talent is a byproduct of supportive parents and even grandparents, dedicated PGA professionals and generous course owners who allow juniors to play from sunrise to dark 30.

That kind of support, coupled with a desire to be great, best explains the success of Malnati, Martindale and Jennings.

“I think you can see some similarities in all three of those kids,” said Rick Sinard, who, as coach of the boys and girls golf teams at Jefferson County High School has worked with all three. “They’re all determined and they work hard. They’re very goal oriented. And all three of them have families, all the way through their grandparents, that are very supportive.

“On top of that, they’re all leaders in their class at school, and just top-notch kids.”

Jefferson County golf first began to appear as a player on the state scene in 2004, when the Patriots, led by Malnati and Jonathan Hodge, won the boys Class AAA championship. Hodge, who won the individual title that year, went on to become an All-American and helped transform the previously unranked program at Chattanooga into a college power. And Malnati went to the University of Missouri, where he played for four years.

“Peter grew up on the Dandridge golf course,” Sinard said. “He and Jonathan cut their teeth there. Those two boys probably played as much golf as anybody’s ever played. They were on the golf course all the time.”

“I remember we could play as much golf as we wanted,” Hodge said. “Peter and I were very competitive, but it was a good competition. We pushed each other to get better.”

Malnati, whose longtime teacher is Country Club of Morristown PGA professional Bobby Bray, never stopped pushing, all through college. And when the time came for him to play in what might have been his last state amateur, at The Honors Course in Ooltewah last month, he was ready to go out in a blaze of glory.

Malnati even called his shot three weeks before the event in a telephone conversation with his mother, Donna.

“Three weeks from now, we’re going to celebrate me winning the amateur at The Honors with you on the bag,” Malnati said.

Malnati was reminded of that statement three weeks later as he hoisted the Amateur trophy above his head. It was a well-deserved victory, coming over a field that included Tim Jackson—who was just days removed from setting the 36-hole scoring record at the U.S. Senior Open and who three weeks later would win the qualifying medal at the U.S. Amateur—and Walker Cup member Adam Mitchell, the former University of Georgia All-American.

Malnati didn’t miss a putt he had to have in the final 36 holes and won with a 72-hole total of 70-68-69-69-276, 12 under par. That broke the competitive course record at The Honors by two shots. The old record was held by none other than Tiger Woods, whose four-day total of 278 won the 1996 NCAA Championship.

Malnati was thrilled at his accomplishment, but afterward all he wanted to talk about was the great honor he felt in playing with Jackson, a member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and the Honors Circle at The Honors Course.

“To win this tournament with Tim in the final group makes it so special,” Malnati said. “Tim has set such an example for me as a golfer. I want to be the gentleman he is. I want to be the competitor he is. And I want to be the ambassador for the game of golf that he is.”

Those who know Malnati best weren’t surprised he won the Amateur in such convincing fashion on such a difficult course.

“For as long as I’ve known Peter, he’s been a hard worker,” Hodge said. “And he’s always believed in himself, no matter if someone told him he couldn’t do something. He knew he could. And that’s pretty powerful stuff.”

That Kendall Martindale broke through this summer at age 16 and won the Women’s Amateur was no surprise to anyone in her support group, which includes parents, grandparents, friends, her high school coach Rick Sinard and teacher Brad Rose from Knoxville’s Willow Creek Golf Club.

Martindale had been making gradual progress toward the big prize. In the 2007 tournament at Green Meadow Country Club in Alcoa, the then-14-year-old advanced to the semifinals before losing to Dawn Woodard, 3 and 2.

A year later, Martindale defeated Woodard in the semifinals at The Honors Course, clearly demonstrating she had made improvements to her game. That was obvious to Woodard.

“Last year, I thought Kendall had the mentality of, ‘I’m going to hit it at every pin and hit every putt aggressively,’ and that got her in trouble,” an impressed Woodard said. “I thought she played smarter today.”

Martindale lost in the finals against Belmont golfer Lorie Warren, 4 and 2, but her considerable game had taken another step forward.

This year at storied Memphis Country Club Martindale’s time finally came. Working through a field of college players, Martindale beat Chattanooga’s Kayla Stewart in the quarterfinals and Tennessee Tech’s Megan Myers in the semifinals to get to Brooke Pancake, just coming off a second-team All-SEC freshman season at the University of Alabama, in the championship match.

Martindale took a 1-up lead with a birdie on the first hole and never trailed, at last bringing home the coveted Amateur trophy with a 3 and 2 victory.

Asked to speak at the trophy presentation, the quiet, steely Martindale was brief and to the point.

“I think I’ve already said enough,” she said.

Martindale let her clubs do the talking that day, but pressed to describe her game by the Johnson City Press later in the summer, Martindale offered a bit more.

“I don’t hit it long and I don’t hit a lot of tight shots,” she said. “I usually hit the fairways and greens and get up and down when I don’t. I really don’t make a lot of birdies, but I don’t have a lot of bogeys either. Just a lot of pars.”

Martindale—who represented Tennessee in the USGA Women’s Team Championships this summer—has put a lot of time into her game and her efforts will probably be rewarded with a scholarship to an SEC team, her stated goal. But there’s more to her life than golf, which Sinard sees as a key.

“I think she’s well balanced,” he said. “She’s very focused on what she wants to do [in golf], but the social part of her life is good. She mixes and mingles with the kids and faculty members. She’s just a fantastic young lady.”

Sinard has similar praise for Jordan Jennings, with whom he shares a swing instructor, PGA Master Professional Carl Lohren, the author of One Move to Better Golf. The senior at Jefferson County High School has already committed to play for Middle Tennessee State, but his game had leveled off a bit until he broke through at the boys’ amateur at the Champions Run Golf Course in Rockvale.

Trailing leader Marshall Talkington of Jackson by four shots heading into the final round, Jennings shot a 3-under-33 on the back nine for a closing 70 and a three-day total of 214, two under par and two clear of runner-up Tyler Smith of Brentwood.

“I was just really comfortable coming in [to the final round],” Jennings told the media after his breakthrough victory. “I knew that if I was comfortable with my swing and feeling good, that I would have a chance to win it.”

Sinard thinks the victory could have helped Jennings’ game ascend to another level.

“I was really proud of that,” Sinard said. “He needed that. Sometimes, Jordan has lacked confidence in his abilities, even though he’s a great driver of the ball and has an exceptional short game. To win like that will give him a lot of confidence.”

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