Brown makes Junior Olympics
Corey Brown never took a private golf lesson and his family doesn't belong to any local country club.
The Southeast Whitfield junior didn't grow up with the expensive set of clubs that many top junior golfers feature.
It was only five years ago that he began playing golf.
But of all the talented teenagers in the area, Brown is the only one headed to the AAU Jr. Olympic Games in Detroit later this month.
The Raider fired a 1-under 71 on the final day of a recent AAU Tournament at Lake Lanier Golf Course, winning medalist honors and a tee time in the AAU National Tournament, one of the many events at the annual Olympics.
Southeast golf coach Roger Gresham credits Brown's trip to Motown to one simple ingredient- old-fashioned hard work.
"In my eight years of coaching Corey is the hardest working 16-year old I have ever seen," Gresham said. "Once he was introduced to golf he has fallen in love with it and he has stayed dedicated to the sport. If he had a bed at the golf course he would proabably never leave."
Ever since Brown began playing golf nearly five years ago, chances are he could be found out at Indian Trace.
This past summer, the teenager spent nearly every day pounding away at balls on the Chatsworth course.
That work ethic paid off this past season, as Brown led Southeast to one of its most memorable years in school history.
With a team-low 42 scoring average (9 holes), Brown and the senior-laden Raiders finished in a tie for third at the Region 7-4A Tournament at Fields Ferry in Calhoun. It was the highest-place Greshham could remember the Raiders taking since he took over the program.
"I knew I had to adapt to a much more competitive game," Brown said. "There were a lot of players better than me."
A change in his demeanor on the course also benefited Brown.
After a frustrating freshman season, the Raider showed a much-more relaxed approach to the game.
"Corey defintely worked on the mental aspect of the game," said Gresham who has worked with Brown on his course management. "He had a tendencey to be a little hard on himself and he expected a lot as a freshman. Lowell Fritz (Dalton G & C.C. pro) had a talk with him about how all players have bad shots and I think that really helped. He's learning how to keep his cool."
That virtue showed at Lake Lanier, where Brown was able to rebound after a poor opening round.
After posting an 85, the Raider seemed to have shot himself out of contention. A year ago, he may have let that poor performance carry over into the following rounds.
I finished with some bad numbers on that first day,"Brown said. "But on the second day we started off the back nine and I got a couple birdies on back-to-back holes and that got my confidence going."
The junior ended his second round with a 72, before going under-par on the third and final day of competition.
Three consistenly low-rounds will be needed for Brown to earn a high-finish in Michigan, where a field of the top 16 & under players in the country await the Raider.
Brown plans to make the 630-mile drive to Detroit with his grandmother, Beatrice, mother, Kim, and sister, Kayla.
"It will be my last tournament of the summer," Brown said. "I've been working a lot on my swing."
After that experience its back to the prep golf circuit, where Gresham is counting on Brown to become a leader on the Raiders 2004 squad.
"Corey is my only underclassmen returning," he said. "We have other young talents but we are expecting a lot from him."
With the time that Brown spends on his game, it's obvious that he does as well.
By: Andrew Skwara, The Daily Citizen July 08, 2003
AAU Junior Olympics
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