GSGA Honors 2005 Players of the Year
Laura Coble Receives GSGA's Tommy Barnes Award

Laura Coble of Augusta was named the winner of the Georgia State Golf Association's 2005 Tommy Barnes Award, which signifies the GSGA's overall player of the year. Coble, who previously won the Tommy Barnes Award in 2000, was presented the award by the GSGA Championship Committee during the Association's annual awards luncheon, held at Cherokee Town Club in Atlanta, January 21.

Coble was a unanimous selection for the award after wins at the state and national levels. She captured her fifth-straight Georgia Women's Match Play Championship and came from behind to win the Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship by one stroke. She won her third-straight Georgia Women's Amateur by nine strokes after firing a final-round 68. Coble also helped lead team Georgia to a national title at the USGA Women's State Team Championship where she finished second in the individual competition.

Coble joins Bill Ploeger of Columbus (1999, 2002) as just the second person to win the Tommy Barnes Award more than once. Coble also secured her eighth-straight GSGA Women's Player of the Year Award at the awards luncheon, a feat unmatched by any golfer in GSGA history.

GSGA also recognized its 2005 Players of the Year during the luncheon. In addition to Coble, honorees included David Noll Jr. of Dalton (Men's), Russell Henley of Macon (Junior), Stacey Kim of Midland (Girls'), Spencer Sappington of Alphartta (Senior), and Ena Harvey of Greensboro (Senior Women's).

Three Players of the Year were repeat winners, as Coble picked up her eighth-straight Women's honor, Sappington was named the Senior Player of the Year for the third consecutive time and Noll collected his second Men's Player of the Year award.

Men's Player of the Year: David Noll, Jr., Dalton
David Noll Jr. of Dalton was named Men's Player of the Year. Noll, who previously won this award in 2003, had a successful year highlighted by a victory at the Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship. Noll tallied runner-up honors at the Georgia Four-Ball Championship and the Georgia Amateur Championship. He advanced to the match play portion of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship as the No. 6 seed. Noll defeated fellow Georgian Greg Kennedy of Duluth before falling in the Round of 32. He also finished second in the individual competition while representing Georgia in the USGA Men's State Team Championship.

Junior Player of the Year: Russell Henley, Macon
Macon's Russell Henley earned the Junior Player of the Year Award after finishing fourth at the Georgia Junior Championship. Henley went on to represent Georgia in the annual Georgia-South Carolina Junior Challenge Match where he won his opening-round match, 3 and 2, and finished all-square in his match on day two.

Henley advanced to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship where he fell to eventual champion, Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla. Henley also advanced to Sectional Qualifying for the 2005 U.S. Open.

Girls' Player of the Year: Stacey Kim, Midland
Midland's Stacey Kim captured the Westfield Georgia PGA Junior Championship by five strokes after carding rounds of 73 and 72. Kim also went on to advance to the match play portion of the U.S. Junior Girls' Championship at BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho.

Senior Men's Player of the Year: Spencer Sappington, ALpharetta
Spencer Sappington of Alpharetta, who won his third Georgia Senior Championship in 2005, earned Senior Player of the Year honors for the third-consecutive year. Sappington earned points by advancing to Round of 16 at the USGA Senior Amateur and finished in a tie for sixth with Ploeger at the Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship.

Senior Women's Player of the Year: Ena Harvey, Greensboro
Greensboro's Ena Harvey clinched her first Senior Women's Player of the Year Award by winning her second GSGA Senior Women's Championship and advancing to match play at the USGA Senior Women's Amateur. Harvey won the championship by seven strokes while carding a championship-record score of 148 over two days.