Augusta, GA

The Dawg Days of summer hit the Junior Players with two (maybe) future UGA players leading

Published

1 year ago

August 31, 2024

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The Dawg Days of summer hit the Junior Players with two (maybe) future UGA players leading

Mason Howell birdies his last two holes, Hamilton Coleman posts the tournament’s low score on their way to the final group for Sunday’s final round at Players Stadium Course.

One of the players in the final threesome of the 18th Junior Players Championship on Sunday has already decided to play golf at the University of Georgia — despite having two more years until his high school class graduates.

The other, with the same amount of time left in junior golf, still has an open mind. But he’d be bucking family tradition if he didn’t become a Bulldog.

Either way, they have more immediate issues at hand: battling it out in the final threesome in the final round of the Junior Players Championship, at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Mason Howell of Thomasville, Ga., birdied the hardest par-3 and the hardest par-5 holes on the course to polish off a 70 on Saturday, and at 5-under-par 139 has a one-shot lead over Hamilton Coleman of Augusta, Ga., (68, the tournament’s low round for the first two days), who birdied No. 17 and then made a gutsy par at the last to finish at 4-under.

Logan Reilly of Lovettsville, Va. (72), who held a share of the 18-hole lead, is in third at 3-under, Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas (72) is fourth at 2-under and Kailer Stone of Alameda, Calif. (71) is fifth at 1-under.

They are the only players who have broken par for the first 36 holes.

Reilly earned his spot in the final three some when he rallied from a stretch of three bogeys in four holes to birdie Nos. 8 and 9.

First Coast players lagging behind

After Miles Russell became the first resident of the First Coast to win the Junior Players last year — with Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach finishing second and Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island in a tie for sixth — it will take an extraordinary final round for any of them to reach the top 10, much less contend.

Junior Players leaderboard

Junior Players final-round groups, tee times

Dunham (75) and Jackson Byrd of St. Simons Island, Ga., (73) are tied for 18th at 3-over. Dunham made only one birdie but it was at his final hole, the par-5 ninth.

Lucas Gimenez of Jacksonville had a wild ride over the Stadium Course, signing for a card that contained four pars, seven birdies, five bogeys and two double bogeys. It added up to a 74 and he’s tied for 31st at 5-over.

Russell got his score to even par through 13 holes and was only four off the lead at the time. But he bogeyed four of his last five holes and shot 76. He’s tied for 34th at 6-under with Mawhinney (77).

Ambrose Kinnare of St. Augustine (83) is tied for 68th at 15-over.

Junior Players leaders putt, scramble well

Both of the leaders said the course takes a mental toll on players, especially off the tee.

“The greens are in really good shape but you have to play really smart to get there,” said Howell, who hasn’t made a college decision yet but is from a Bulldog family — both his parents graduated from UGA. “If you have one lapse you’re in trouble. You can’t just walk up to a tee and whack at it.”

Coleman agreed with the sight lines off the Stadium Course tees.

“They are just so demanding,” he said. “There is not a breather hole off the tee. Every tee shot, you’re kind of stressing. Once you’re in the fairway and in the right position, you can kind of attack.”

Howell, Coleman get hot at different times

Howell is 14th on the AJGA Rolex Rankings and has five top-10 finishes this year in AGJA or national junior events, including a tie for fifth in the Western Junior.

He was 1-over for his first 10 holes after starting his round at the par-4 10th, then dropped birdie putts of 15 feet at No. 2 and 20 feet at No. 5. Howell capped his day when he drilled a 4-iron from 211 yards out to set up a 35-foot birdie putt at the par-3 eighth, then pitched onto the green of the par-5 ninth hole in three, and made a 3-footer.

Coleman, who verbally committed to Georgia last week, is 91st on the Rolex Rankings. He bounced back from a bogey at No. 2 with short birdie putts at Nos. 3, 4, 7 and 9, a stretch highlighted by a 6-iron against the wind from 176 yards out to within inches of the hole at the seventh.

Coleman birdied the 13th hole on a 15-foot putt at No. 13 and then chipped in from the right-front of the 14th green for birdie, negotiating a difficult angle to the front-left pin.

He almost holed out another short-game shot at the last. Coleman pushed his drive right and had to punch out from the trees. The ball rolled onto and over the green, settling into the left bunker. His sand shot tickled the edge of the hole before rolling 8 feet away, but he made the comebacker for par.

“I scrambled well, definitely,” Coleman said. “My irons have been really solid all week. I just need to tighten up the driver a little bit tomorrow.”

Howell, Coleman have played often

As South Georgia residents, Howell and Coleman know each other well and have played numerous times with and against each other and paired up for a practice round earlier in the week.

“He’s always fun to play with,” Coleman said. “Every time we play together we have fun.”

They also have a good track record on the First Coast. Howell is in his first Junior Players but he won the Billy Horschel Junior Championship on Oct. 5, 2023. Coleman tied for 18th in last year’s Junior Players and tied for third in the Horschel Junior Championship (which is played under a Stableford format), one point out of a playoff between Howell and Clark Van Gaalen.

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Augusta, GA

Investigators interviewing person of interest in acid attack in Savannah’s Forsyth Park, mayor says

Published

7 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Investigators interviewing person of interest in acid attack in Savannah’s Forsyth Park, mayor says

Savannah police and the FBI are continuing to follow any possible leads to find whoever is responsible for the acid attack in a local park that left a woman with severe burns.

During a media update on Tuesday, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said a person of interest police were looking to identify is now being interviewed by investigators.

The person of interest, whom Johnson called “Bugs Bunny guy,” came in voluntarily and has not been identified as a suspect in the case at this time.

“He is not detained at this time. We are just asking questions of him,” Johnson said.

The mayor said that officers have interviewed dozens of individuals since the attack in Forsyth Park on Dec. 10.

In this photo provided by Connor Milam, her friend Ashley Wasielewski sits with bandages in a hospital bed in Augusta, Ga., on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, after witnesses she suffered severe burns when an unknown attacker poured a corrosive chemical over her head at a public park in Savannah. (Connor Milam via AP)

Connor Milam / AP

An unusual attack shocks Savannah

On that night, 46-year-old Ashley Wasielewski had gone for a walk after attending a Christmas program at a nearby church. She was walking laps at Forsyth Park when the attack happened. Her son, Westley Wasielewski, said he learned about what happened through a phone call from a bystander who stopped to help his mother. He said he could hear her screaming in pain over the phone.

Wasielewski suffered burns that covered about half of her body, including her scalp, face, and legs.

From her hospital bed, Wasielewski told family and friends that she was walking along the sidewalk near the edge of the park when she noticed a shadow coming up behind her, said close friend Connor Milam. As she turned around, the person poured a liquid over her head.

“She was instantly like, ‘Why are you pouring water on me?’ And then her skin started to burn,” Milam told the Associated Press. “She looked down, and her pants were starting to burn off her body. She started screaming.”

Investigators later determined that the substance was acid.

Ashley Wasielewski was left with severe burns over half her body after what appeared to be a random acid attack while she was walking in a Savannah park.

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Courtesy of GoFundMe

Investigation into acid attack continues

Johnson called the attack a “horrific incident” that shocked him and other Savannah residents “to the core.”

“In all of the time that I have been in law enforcement here and engaged in public service – over 30 years – I can not remember anything like this involving acid. And there are just so many questions,” Johnson said.

The Savannah Police Department took to social media to ask for the public’s help identifying a man seen on security footage near the park and the driver of a white SUV/Crossover that was spotted traveling on Whitaker Street. Both have since made contact with investigators.

The department is working with the FBI, which set up $5,000 reward on Monday for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attack.

Police have increased patrols in city parks out of an abundance of caution and urged residents to stay aware of their surroundings and report suspicious activity. Officials do not believe there is any indication of an ongoing threat.

“We’re not going to let people scare us out of our parks,” Johnson said.

The FBI and the Savannah Police Department have established a digital tip line for photos and videos that may aid in the investigation here.

Anyone with information about the attack is urged to contact the Savannah Police Department at (912) 234-2020 or the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-225-5324.

Burn victim continues slow recovery

A GoFundMe page created by friends of Wasielewski has raised more than $170,000 to help cover her medical bills and long-term recovery costs. According to the page, the money will go toward burn unit care, surgeries, rehabilitation, wound care, skin grafts, and adaptive needs.

A friend provided a medical update saying most of Wasielewski’s burns have been diagnosed as third-degree and cover more than 50% of her body. The friend said it is unlikely hair will grow back on her scalp and that doctors are closely monitoring whether her body will accept cadaver skin following recent surgery before moving forward with skin grafting procedures.

Despite the attack, Johnson said that Wasielewski “has had a remarkable attitude.”

“The city will continue to be supportive to her on that end, and we’ll be very interested in justice and accountability on the other end,” he said. “Because I think what will make her feel best is to make sure that whoever did this is off of our streets.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta Stars hosts Christmas bowling event with Fort Gordon soldiers

Published

19 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Augusta Stars hosts Christmas bowling event with Fort Gordon soldiers

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Stars Special Olympics team hosted their annual Bowl with Soldiers Christmas party.

The goal was to bring together local athletes and military personnel from Fort Gordon for an evening of bowling at Bowlero.

The Augusta Stars is a Special Olympics team that offers bowling and basketball programs. The team is currently preparing for the Winter Special Olympics, which begin Jan. 30 in Marietta.

“I like the bowls because it’s fun and I like to get to play,” said Victoria Valootton, an Augusta Stars athlete.

The annual event allows soldiers to join the Special Olympics athletes for bowling and community connection.

“Personally, it’s important because Jeff Keating is one of our teammates and we want to support them,” said Sapriya McLendon, U.S. Army. “Secondly, just for the community in general, just coming out here and being part of the team that cares about us and supports us, and we’re here to serve you today.”

The Winter Special Olympics will be held in Marietta, Georgia, starting Jan. 30.

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Augusta, GA

Through pain, acid victim still smiling as she recovers in Augusta

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Through pain, acid victim still smiling as she recovers in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. – A Savannah woman faces a long road to recovery after a stranger attacked her with acid that ate through her clothes and covered 50% of her body with burns.

Ashley Wasielewski is trying to recover after receiving a first round of emergency surgery at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta.

The attack happened last Wednesday at Savannah’s iconic Forsyth Park when a man stepped out of the shadows and poured acid all over Wasielewski.

The recovery has been extremely difficult, according to her friend Kristen Oddi, of Marietta.

Most of the burns have been diagnosed as third-degree, covering over 50% of her body, Oddi wrote on a GoFundMe page.

She said it’s unlikely one burned area of Wasielewski’s scalp will ever grow hair again.

She added that the most crucial next step is to see if Ashley’s body will accept the cadaver skin from a recent surgery.

If that happens, skin graft surgeries will proceed, Oddi said.

Plastic surgery is ahead for her, but there’s no timetable yet.

Beyond that, Wasielewski faces rehabilitation, occupational therapy, wound management, long-term support and follow-up.

For now, she’s stable, according to Oddi.

Women suffers third-degree burns in Forsyth Park acid attack; Community concerned(WTOC)

And despite the hardship she’s been through and that lies ahead, she’s smiling in a photo from her hospital bed, with little other than her eyes and mouth visible through openings in gauze that covers her face.

“She will come back so much stronger,” Oddi said. “That, I don’t have a single doubt about.”