GEORGIA WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
JUNE 23-25, 2009
IDLE HOUR CLUB MACON, GA
Mariah Stackhouse defeats Dori Carter in a 3-hole playoff to win the 80th Annual GWGA State Championship
Photo courtesy of Macon Telegraph - Beau Cabell photographer
2009 State Amateur Championship Results
2009 State Amateur Forward Results
2009 Championship Flight Pictures & Awards
Stackhouse rallies to defend Amateur title
By John Kosater - sports@macon.com
As 15-year old Mariah Stackhouse walked toward the par-3 12th hole at Idle Hour Club for the second time Thursday, she had only one thought: She had to make a birdie.
Stackhouse was at the end of a long day in which she had overcome a five-shot deficit to force a three-hole playoff with Dori Carter. In the playoff, Stackhouse trailed Carter by one shot going to the final hole.
Beau Cabell/The Telegraph
Dori Carter, left, lost the Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship title Thursday to Mariah Stackhouse in a three-hole playoff.
Stackhouse knew a birdie would give her a chance to force another playoff if Carter made a par. And when Carter missed the green off the tee, Stackhouse had her opportunity. She hit her 6-iron to within 8 feet of the hole to put the pressure squarely on Carter.
Carter chipped up to 4 feet and then watched as Stackhouse calmly sank her birdie putt. Carter could not get her tricky putt to fall, and Stackhouse had made up two shots on the final playoff hole to win her second straight Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship.“I was hoping for something good to happen,” said Stackhouse, who shot a 69 to force the playoff. “I knew when she missed the green, I had a shot at keeping the match going. I was thinking that I wanted to be inside 10 feet, and thankfully I was able to do that. I knew I would make that putt. I never really even thought about her missing, though,”
Carter felt confident about the entire hole that cost her the match.
“I hit a decent tee shot that just didn’t draw like I needed it to,” said Carter, who shot 74. “I was a little disappointed with my chip. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I felt very confident over the putt, and I hit it clean. It just lipped out. It was pretty much how my entire day went.”
Carter’s five-stroke lead was gone by the 11th hole of regulation, when Stackhouse birdied and Carter bogeyed. The two then went back and forth for the rest of the back nine.But Carter took the lead again with a birdie on the 14th only to see Stackhouse answer by a making birdie on the 15th while Carter again. Stackhouse, however, could not hold the lead as she three-putted No. 16 for a bogey and Carter had a par to pull even again.
The par-5 17th was important for Stackhouse. She hit perhaps her worst shot of the tournament on her second shot bur came back to hit a decent third shot and then rolled in a 20 foot birdie putt to stay even as Carter had an easy birdie putt.
When the playoff started, Stackhouse decided to give up her cart and walk the final three holes, despite the 95 degree temperature.
“I thought it would help get me focused,” Stackhouse said. “I have never rode a cart in a playoff before. I think walking helps keep your blood flowing, and I just really needed to be sharp. It was only three holes, so I thought it was the right thing to do.”
Carter’s day was much different that the first two rounds that saw her shoot 69-68.
“I just couldn’t get anything going,” said Carter, who said she is looking forward to a week off. “I knew early that I just didn’t feel as comfortable as I did the first two days. It was a grind all day long. I figured that Mariah was going to make a run at me, and she basically made every putt when she needed to. I thought I had a chance to put her away on the 17th, but she made a great putt. It just wasn’t my day.”
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USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating for the 2009 GWGA Amateur Championship
Championship Tees: 5805 Yards
USGA Course/Slope Ratings: 74.4/132
Forward Tees: 5217
USGA Course/Slope Ratings: 71.1/125
Click here for Course Yardage by Hole
See "Calendar" below for 2010-2013 locations and dates.
2008 Final Round Scores by Flight - Championship Tees
2008 Final Round Scores by Flight - Forward Tees
2007 Final Round Scores by Flight - Championship Tees
2007 Final Round Scores by Flight - Forward Tees
GWGA Announces 2008 Grants; 2009 Application Now Available
The GWGA Board of Directors announced the recipients of the GWGA Grants at the July 2008 General Member Meeting. One of the functions of the Georgia Women's Golf Association is to develop, promote, maintain, and protect the best interests of the game of golf among the amateur female golfers throughout the State of
For 2008, the Board voted to award two $1000 grants. The grants were awarded to
Jodie Shepard, right, awards Central High School the $1000 Grant to Coach Don Riggins. Looking on is GWGA member Joyce Doss (Carrollton) with granddaughter Kelsey, who is a member of the Central HS Girls Golf Team. |
Accepting the $1000 Grant for the University of West Georgia is Coach Mike Horn and his Women's Golf Team from GWGA Board Members Jodie Shepard and Cheryl Drewyer. |
Applications for 2009 grants are now available for download. The grant application must be returned by June 15, 2009.
The GWGA Four-Ball Tournament is a 36-hole tournament traditionally held annually at Jekyll Island. In 2008, it will be played on April 28-29 with the practice round on April 27th. The tournament will be played on the Pine Lake and Indian Mounds courses. Each team consists of two GWGA members with a USGA handicap index of 23.2 or less.
| Year | Dates | Location |
2009 2010 2011 2012 |
April 28-29 April 27-28 April 19-20 April 24-25 |
Jekyll Island Club, Jekyll Island Jekyll Island Club, Jekyll Island Jekyll Island Club, Jekyll Island Jekyll Island Club, Jekyll Island |
The GWGA Championship Tournament determines the Georgia Women's Amateur Champion. The site of the tournament varies from site to site each year.
| Year | Dates | Location |
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 |
June 23 - 25 July 27-29 July 26-28 July 24-26 July 30-Aug 1 |
Idle Hour Golf Club, Macon White Columns, Alpharetta Cuscowilla, Eatonton The Landings, Savannah Glen Arven, Thomasville |
Membership in the Association is open to all female amateur golfers who were female at birth and are bona fide residents of Georgia for a minimum of sixty days prior to submitting an application and who meet qualifications as specified in the By-Laws. Other classes of membership may be established by the Board of Directors. Annual membership dues and entry fees for tournaments conducted by GWGA shall be determined by the Board of Directors. Annual membership shall expire on October 31 each year.
Members in good standing are eligible to compete in GWGA tournaments and will receive tournaments applications and other correspondence from the GWGA throughout the year. Members also receive an annual membership directory.
To apply for membership, download the Membership application and return it with the $25 membership fee per the instructions on the application.
The GWGA is a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to:
a. To develop, promote, maintain and protect the best interests of the game of golf among the amateur female golfers throughout the State of Georgia.
b. To conduct an annual Championship Tournament and provide recognition of the winners of this event.
c. To conduct other tournaments as determined by the Board of Directors.
In January 2006, the Board of Directors voted to make the Articles of Incorporation available to the membership via this Web site or by requesting a printed copy from the Membership Chair, Eleanor Graham. Click here to download a copy of the Articles of Incorporation. The Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws will no longer be printed in the Annual Membership Directory.
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