How Habersham golfer Braden Schnaible closed out stellar season with state championship
After winning two regular season high school golf tournaments this season against high caliber fields, Habersham School's Braden Schnaible entered the GAPPS Division II State Tournament with a quiet confidence.
The junior's game was spot on Monday in Columbus as he fired a 1-under par 71 at Bull Creek Golf Course to take home state medalist honors.
Schnaible had three birdies on the day — draining a pair of putts from about 25 feet and getting up and down for another on a short par four to highlight his round.
"It was a tight course, so I wasn't using many drivers, but I was hitting it pretty well off the tee," Schnaible said. "And I was hitting my approach shots well."
Schnaible won the Savannah City High School Championship at Bacon Park last month and also took medalist honors at the Gregg Wolff Invitational in Metter in March against quality fields that included Benedictine.
"Winning our state championship means a lot to me, but winning the City Championship is right there with it," Schnaible said when asked which title meant the most to him. "In the City Championship, I was going up against all the guys I play against in the summer and teams like Benedictine and Savannah Country Day, so winning that was pretty big for me."
When they were handing out medals for the City Championship, Bacon Park Head Pro Fred Elmgren talked about the first time he met Schnaible.
"He was a 13-year old kid who wanted to play from the tips against the best players in Savannah in the City Championship," Elmgren said. "I was surprised he entered, but was impressed with the way he played and handled himself in that situation."
Schnaible had a Top 5 finish in the 2023 City Championship.
Schnaible said he has improved his game recently under the tutelage of a new swing coach in Jackson Koert, based in Florida, and through speed training — which has helped with his distance. He can bomb drives up to 300 yards and was hitting his 2-iron off tee Monday about 240 yards.
The Habersham team closed out its season with another impressive finish as the Patriots took fourth place in the state tournament despite missing one of its top players with an injury.
Schnaible said he will take a week or two off before starting his summer schedule on the junior golf circuit with an eye on the Georgia Amateur at Augusta Country Club in July.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Habersham's Braden Schnaible wins GAPPS State golf tournament
