Georgia Leads Florida in Team Matches

ATLANTA, GA. – Georgia leads Florida 10-8 after the first round of the 27th annual Florida-Georgia Women's Team Matches, which is being held at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, August 16-17.  With today’s close play, Florida needs to tally 19 of a possible 36 points in Friday’s singles matches to secure victory.

The opening round consisted of six four-ball matches in a Nassau format, which awards one point to the winner of each of the nines as well as one point for the overall match.   The final round will feature 12 singles matches using the same scoring format.

Team Georgia started the day strong, winning its first match by way of shutouts.  Valdosta’s Dori Carter and Gainesville’s Lauren Darnell combined efforts to shutout Mary Jane Hiestand of Naples, Fla. and Patsy Ehret of Stuart, Fla., winning the overall match, 3 and 2.  Florida answered, however, as Wendy Patterson-Golden of Bradenton, Fla. and her partner, Janice Roberts Wilson, defeated Augusta’s Laura Coble and Patti Huxford of Cumming, 2 up.

Georgia bounced back in the next two matches where Atlanta’s Claudeen Lindberg and Greensboro’s Ena Harvey  took three points from Debbie Mook Sang of Valrico and Sharon Kiel of Lady Lake.  Lindberg and Harvey defeated their Florida counterparts in the overall match by a score of 5 and 3.  Leigh Crosby of Athens and Lauren Folgosa of Fayetteville also captured three points by defeating Ann Pohira and Sisi Hedges, 5 and 4.

With Georgia holding a commanding lead for the day, Florida mounted a late charge tallying 2 1/2 points in each of the final two matches of the day.  Nancy Smith of North Port, Fla., a former Georgia Women’s Amateur Champion, teamed with Karen Greenway of Brooksville, Fla. to defeat Mariah Stackhouse of Riverdale, the 2007 Georgia Girls’ Champion, and her partner Susan Rheney of Greensboro, 1 up.  Diane Lang of Weston, Fla. and Monica Von Glahn of North Palm Beach, Fla. closed out sister-duo Erin Packer of Tyrone and Michelle Griffith of LaGrange, also by a score of 1 up.

Last year at Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club in Haines City, Fla., Team Florida finished the first day with a 9 1/2-8 1/2 lead.  Florida went on to win the event, 30 1/2-23 ½, winning seven of the 12 singles matches.

This is the 27th playing of the Georgia-Florida Women's Team Matches, which brings together the top women amateur golfers in the two neighboring states.  The team members are selected by their state associations based on their performance in recent events.  Florida leads the all-time series 14-12.

Georgia-Florida Women’s Team Matches
Druid Hills Golf Club
Atlanta, Georia
August 16-17, 2007

First Round
Four Ball Matches, Nassau Format
Match Results - Points Earned

First Round Points: Georgia 10, Florida 8

Dori Carter and Laruen Darnell (Ga.) def. Mary Jane Hiestand and Patsy Ehret (Fla.), 3 and 2, 3-0

Wendy Patterson and Janice Roberts Wilson (Fla.) def. Laura Coble and Patty Huxford (Ga.), 2 up, 3-0

Claudeen Lindberg and Ena Harvey (Ga.) def. Debbie Mook Sang and Sharon Kiel (Fla.), 5 and 3, 3-0

Leigh Crosby and Lauren Folgosa (Ga.) def. Ann Pohira and Sisi Hedges (Fla.), 5 and 4, 3-0

Nancy Smith and Karen Greenway (Fla.) def. Mariah Stackhouse and Susan Rheney (Ga.), 1 up, 2 1/2-1/2 Diane Lang and Monica Von Glahn (Fla.) def. Erin Packer and Michelle Griffith (Ga.), 1 up, 2 1/2-1/2