2012 Women’s Southeastern Challenge Match

Florida Wins Inaugural Women's Southeastern Challenge Match
Team Georgia finishes second, 3 1/2 points behind Florida

OCALA, Fla. – The host team Florida scored 14 points in the final-round of three-ball matches to take the lead and win the inaugural Women's Southeastern Challenge Match with 24 points to Georgia's 20 ½, and Alabama's 18 ½. The event took place at the Country Club of Ocala, August 13-14.

Team Georgia scored eight points in the final round with wins from Kathryn Fowler of Americus (4 & 2), Darlene Werhnyak of Lawrenceville (2 & 1), Lacey Fears of Bonaire (2 & 1) and Lauren Court of Lawrenceville (6 & 5) over Team Alabama; while Emily Kurey of Alpharetta (5 & 4), Rachel Dai of Milton (4 & 3), Fears (1 up) and Court (3 & 2) topped the
Floridians.

The Georgians started the inaugural competition strong by winning five of their six matches in round one to earn a three-point lead over Florida and Alabama, 5-2-2. Then round two came, and so did the weather, as multiple delays prevented any kind of momentum from building. The Georgians managed to earn six points in the second round to bring its total to 11 ½ after the first day.

Georgia's points from the opening round of four-ball matches came from the duos of Mary Riley of Perry and Susan Rheney of Greensboro (3 & 2), Mercedes Huarte of Duluth and Emee Herbert of Johns Creek (4 & 3) and Laura Coble of Augusta and Dai (4 & 3) over the Alabama squad. Round one victories over the host team from Florida included Fowler and Fears (2 up) and Kurey and Court (1 up).

In the foursome matches of round two, the teams of Riley and Rheney (3 & 2), Coble and Dai (3 & 2), Fowler and Fears (6 & 4) and Huarte and Herbert (4 & 2) beat their opponents from Alabama. Versus Florida in the foursome matches, Coble and Dai (5 & 3), Huarte and Herbert (4 & 2) and Kurey and Court (all square) earned points for the Peach State.

This new biennial competition featured 12-woman teams (eight mid-amateurs, four seniors) from Georgia, Florida and Alabama competing over two days. Players were selected by their respective state associations based on recent performance. Day one consisted of two sessions: nine four-ball matches, with each association having three head-to-head matches against the other two associations; and six foursome matches, with a team from each association in each match, competing against each other (only three balls in play during match). The format on the final day was one session of 12 singles matches, with a player from each association in each match competing against one another (three-ball match).