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Masters champ returns to work | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Masters champ returns to work | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler would be the first to lament he doesn’t spend enough time celebrating his achievements, which are piling up at an alarming pace. He made an exception after winning his second green jacket in three years.

He flew home to Dallas with his four close friends, manager and coach. And on a whim, with his wife’s blessing when she picked them up, they all went to the Inwood Tavern to celebrate, Scheffler still in his green jacket.

They stayed 20 minutes and then it was closing time. Scheffler technically can say they closed down the bar.

“Took a few photos, had a drink and then went home and went to bed,” Scheffler said Wednesday at the RBC Heritage on idyllic Hilton Head Island, a tournament known as the perfect place for a big post-Masters exhale.

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His wife Meredith is not due with the couple’s first child for about two more weeks. Scheffler had planned all along to play in the $20 million signature event and he never gave a thought to anything but honoring his commitment.

That doesn’t mean the other 68 players at Harbour Town Golf Links are playing for second this week. It only seems that way.

Max Homa, speaking of his own reflections at Augusta National, made a passing reference to Scheffler as “the best player in the world and one of the best players I think we’ll ever see.”

“The gap seems to be quite large,” said Homa, who tied for third at the Masters. “He’s gone first, first, second, first. Three of those events are the best fields we’ve got. One of them is another good field on a really difficult golf course. I think we’ve seen people do this over the years as far as excellence over a little bit of time.

“His seems to be sustained a bit longer than I can remember from a lot of people.”

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The RBC Heritage is nothing like the Masters on so many levels, and Scheffler was reminded of that during the nine holes of his pro-am. He stood on the tee at the par-3 14th and was amazed at how small the green appeared. Harbour Town is tight, tree-lined and has some of the smallest greens on the PGA Tour.

And history is not on Scheffler’s side this week. The last Masters champion to win at Harbour Town the following week was Bernhard Langer in 1985. Known for his meticulous preparations, Scheffler spent Monday decompressing. He played the back nine during the pro-am and will see the front nine today when he plays the opening round with Jordan Spieth.

Much was made of Scheffler saying he would leave the Masters if his wife went into labor, though he was simply answering a question. “No signs of early labor,” he said.

So many others found Harbour Town a good place to reflect on the first major. That includes Ludvig Aberg, the runner-up at the Masters who already is among the top 10 in the world ranking without having played a major until Augusta.

He was tied for the lead until a shot into the water left of the 11th green that led to double bogey, and Scheffler never gave him a chance to catch up.

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“You don’t really know what it’s going to be like to play your first major until you really play it,” Aberg said. “I felt like we handled that really well, and it makes us really excited about the next one.”

Homa also was tied for the lead on Sunday and was one behind when his tee shot on the par-3 12th took a wicked hop over the green and into the ivy, leading to a penalty drop and eventually a double bogey.

The loud ovation he received walking to the 12th tee is a moment he won’t forget. Homa said he came away realizing anew that his game is good enough.

“I did absolutely nothing special on the weekend and had a very good chance, minus a bad bounce on the 12th. So that’s kind of what I’ve taken going into the other ones, that I didn’t have any magic on the weekend,” he said.

    Scottie Scheffler speaks after winning the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
 
 
  photo  Max Homa walks to the green on the ninth hole during final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
 
 
  photo  Ludvig Aberg, of Sweden, waits to putt on the 18th hole during final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
 
 



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Augusta, GA

21-year-old wanted in connection with aggravated battery in Augusta

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21-year-old wanted in connection with aggravated battery in Augusta


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in finding a 21-year-old who is wanted for aggravated battery.

Malcolm Xavier Williams is wanted for aggravated battery in connection to an incident that occurred in the parking lot of Southgate Plaza on March 16.

According to the incident report, Richmond County deputies responded to Broad on the Green apartments for a past assault.

Upon arrival, deputies met with a 22-year-old female victim who stated she woke up with bruises around her face, the report says.

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The incident report states the victim spoke to one of her friends who said they were at a party the night before and the victim was punched in the face by Williams.

Williams is identified as 5 foot 5 inches tall and 130 pounds.

If anyone has any information of Williams’ whereabouts, call the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 706-821-1020.



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Augusta, GA

Former Augusta recreation director surfaces in south Georgia job search

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Former Augusta recreation director surfaces in south Georgia job search


Susan McCord is a veteran journalist and writer who began her career at publications in Asheville, N.C. She spent nearly a decade at newspapers across rural southwest Georgia, then returned to her Augusta hometown for a position at the print daily. She’s a graduate of the Academy of Richmond County and the University of Georgia. Susan is dedicated to transparency and ethics, both in her work and in the beats she covers. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Fellowship, first place for hard news writing from the Georgia Press Association and the Morris Communications Community Service Award.



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Check out the first wish list for projects to include in the next penny sales tax

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Check out the first wish list for projects to include in the next penny sales tax


Augusta Commissioners this month started reviewing the “wish list” projects recommended for funding by the next Special Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST, that will be voted on later this year.  

If approved, this would be the ninth SPLOST for Augusta, Hephzibah, and Blythe. Before the vote, public hearings will be held to get residents input about items proposed to receive funding. 

Interim County Administrator Taliyah Douse recently told commissioners she estimates the next round of SPLOST revenues will generate $300 million. That is $50 million more than SPLOST 8, which was approved in 2021.  

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A SPLOST is an optional penny sales tax used to fund capital outlay projects proposed by the county government and participating qualified municipal governments. Voters in each county decide if the tax will be levied.  

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Central Services Interim Director Ron Lampkin last week presented the requests for facility projects. The requests for infrastructure projects will be presented by Director of Engineering Hameed Malik later. 

Douse cautioned the commissioners that the facility requests already exceeded the $300 million she projects the next SPLOST will generate.  

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Projects proposed in Lampkin’s request for sales tax funding include: 

  • New Richmond County Correctional Institute: That project was approved for $11 million in SPLOST 8, but more funds are needed to complete the project, Lampkin said. The actual cost was much more than the allocation, so the plans were scaled down to accommodate fewer inmates, he said. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office agreed with the plan. Another $14 million from SPLOST 9 is needed to build the new facility. 
  • New fleet service center: The current Fleet Service Center on Broad Street will be moved to the 10-acre site on Old Louisville Road on land owned by the city’s fire department. The project is expected to cost $40.5 million, with $6 million already allocated from SPLOST 8. 
  • New juvenile court center on the site of Craig-Houghton Elementary School: The $46.1 million project presented includes renovations and new construction that can be done in phases. Commissioner Sean Frantom asked Lampkin why this project had grown from 40,000-square-feet to 100,000-square-feet and from $8 million to $46.1 million. Lampkin explained that the staff met with the retiring Chief Judge Danny Craig and other judges who made changes to the original plan that increased costs. Frantom asked Lampkin to go to the incoming judges to determine their vision. “I’m presenting it to you guys now so you can decide what we’re going to do,” Lampkin said. The project can be done in phases, he said.  
  • New Pod and Renovations at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center: The estimate for this project has increased from $50 million to $67 million. Lampkin said there are problems with the existing pods at the detention center and it would not be prudent to build the new pods like the others, Lampkin said. For example, he said, stronger glass is needed for windows in the facility. 
  • Augusta Convention Center – Project Get Up & Expand:  The Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau is asking for $31.5 million to add another 53,000 square feet to the front and back of the existing 83,000 square feet building, and another $10.5 million to add 300 additional parking spaces to its parking garage. Between 2013 and 2023, the estimated financial impact the center has had on the local economy is $176 million, Lampkin said. The commissioners were supportive of the program but asked if the project could be scaled back since there are so many requests.  
  • Renovations at Richmond County Animal Services: The requested $5.5 million would go to renovating the aging shelter.  But Commissioner Tony Lewis stressed that the board needed to be looking at replacing the building rather than fixing it up. “I don’t want to see us spend $5 million and have the same footprint,” he said. “I don’t think I need to pay somebody $5 million to tell me this building needs to be replaced.” 
  • Housing and Community Development Renovations: $3.5 million for renovations of the department’s offices on Fenwick Street.  
  • New Coroner’s Office: $6.6 million for design and construction of a new facility. There may be city-owned available, Lampkin said. The cost estimated was based on a smaller, but similar coroner’s office recently constructed in Aiken County. 
  • Facility Improvements/On-Call Services: $10 million for projects such as roof replacements, electrical and lighting replacements, HVAC parts and unit replacements 
  • New Recreation and Parks Department building design: $1.5 million for a new building at the same site on Lumpkin Road. 
  • 5th Street Bridge Zip Line Family Outdoor Adventure: $3 million to being construction of a large zip line that will cross the river and back. This is part of a bigger project that will include activities around the 5th Street Bridge area. 
  • Total for new and renovated facilities: $194,879,907 

Additional requests

  • New Boathouse: $20 million. 
  • Marina: $6 million. 
  • WT. Johnson Community Center: $20 million. 
  • Diamond Lakes Regional Park: $15 million. 
  • Maintenance and capital replacement for city swimming pools: $5 million. 
  • May Park Community Center Upgrades: $2.5 million 
  • Multi-gym athletic complex: $30 million 
  • City cemeteries: $10 million 

Total for additional requests: $108.5 million.

Grand total for SPLOST 9 facility requests: $303 million.

Commissioners were concerned that a splash park that was approved by the voters in the 2021 SPLOST wasn’t mentioned in these recommendations and no action has been taken on the project. There was $5 million set aside for the project. 

“I’m disappointed there hasn’t been more effort put into making it happen. Let’s go find a company that wants to work with this,” said Commissioner Brandon Garrett said.  The commission wants to find a company to operate the facility rather than the city operating it. 



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