2012 Junior Sectional Challenge Match

Southwest Section Wins 39th Annual GSGA Junior Sectional Challenge Match
Southeast Section finishes 8.9 points back for runner-up honors

VALDOSTA, GA- The Southwest section totaled 62.5 points to claim the 39th annual GSGA Junior Sectional Challenge Match at Valdosta Country Club, July 23-24, 2012. The Southeast section finished second with 53.6 points, 8.9 points behind the SW team, to earn runner-up honors.

Two age groups were won by members of the Southwest section. In the Boys 12-13 group, Luukas Alakulppi of Valdosta finished at even-par 144 to win his group. The winning section had co-medalists in the Girls 14-17 group in Taylor Marie Griner and Marin Hanna, both of Moultrie, who tied at 9-over-par 153.

Other age group winners included William Jarrard of Dublin (Middle) in the Boys 16-17 group at 5-over-par 149, and Stanton Schorr of Columbus (West) in the Boys 14-15 group at 3-over-par 147. From the 9-hole division, Ben Carr of Columbus (West) won the Boys 11 & under group at 3-over-par 75, Sutton Rollins of Blackshear (Southeast) finished atop the Girls 12-13 group at 4-over-par 76, and Madison Harwell of Evans (East) claimed the Girls 11 & under group at 18-over-par 90.

This marks the fifth win in the 39-year history of the Junior Sectional Challenge Match for the Southwest section, and third in the last five years (2008, '10).

The order of finish for this year's event: Southwest, 62.5; Southeast, 53.6; West, 44.1; East, 27.3; Northwest, 14.0; Middle, 12.0; Northeast, 10.3.

The Junior Sectional Challenge Match is a statewide competition that brings together the top performers from the summer-long GSGA Junior Sectional Program. Participants earned the opportunity to compete and represent their section in the tournament by accumulating points in their section's qualifying events. Each of the seven geographic sections sends their top four point earners from each boys age division, the top three from each Girls' 14-17 division and the top two from the Girls' 12-13 and 11 and under divisions to the Challenge Match. The team winner, or winning section, is determined by cumulative points earned based on order of finish in the various age divisions during each round.

The Junior Sectional Program began in 1974 and was established by the Georgia State Golf Association as a grassroots effort to provide juniors across the state with the opportunity to experience competitive golf.