Submitted by Georgia State Golf Association
GREENSBORO —
The Georgia Girls team fought off a South Carolina rally to claim the Georgia-South Carolina Girls Junior Challenge Match by a score of 16-8. The fifth annual event took place at Harbor Club, August 7-8.
After Georgia dominated the opening round, 10-2, Sunday’s matches proved to be much closer. The two teams tied, 6-6, in the final round while finishing all square in two of the four contests.
The two teams competed using the Nassau format, which awards one point to the winner of each nine and one point to the overall match winner. Half-points were awarded for matches that are all square after each nine and overall.
For the second-straight day, Emily Kurey of Alpharetta earned all three points in her match, defeating Chesley Couch of Ware Shoals, 3 and 2. South Carolina’s lone victory came from McKenzie Talbert of North Augusta, who topped Rinko Mitsunaga of Roswell by a 4-and-2 margin and took all three points as well.
The battle between the state’s reigning Girls Champions finished all square. The South Carolina Girls champion, Lauren Dunbar of Columbia, took the front nine point, but Georgia’s champion, Jessica Haigwood of Roswell, won the back nine point and they split the overall match point.
Georgia’s Rachel Dai of Suwanee clinched the match for Georgia by finishing all square against Kristi Goodman of Easley. Dai won the front nine point, but Goodman pulled ahead and was 1 up heading into 18. Dai won the 18th hole to finish the match all square and claim the half-point Georgia needed to clinch the title.
In the fifth year of this competition, Georgia now leads the series 3-2.
Teams were composed of the top four finishers from each state’s 2010 Girls Championship, provided they are at least 13 years old. Any necessary player substitutions followed the order of finish. Kurey and Mitsunaga tied for runner-up honors while Dai placed fourth at the Georgia Girls Championship, which took place June 21-23 at Capital City Club-Brookhaven Coursre in Atlanta.
