2010 Women’s Match Play Championship

Coble Sucessfully Defends Title at Georgia Women's Match Play Championship
Victory gives Coble her eighth-career win

CARROLLTON, Ga. – Laura Coble of Augusta lost the first hole of the day before battling back to defeat Alpharetta's Amira Alexander for her eighth-career victory at the Georgia Women's Match Play Championship, which took place April 14-16 at Sunset Hills Country Club. Coble, who tallied five consecutive victories from 2001 to 2005, had played the back-nine at a two-under clip before closing out Alexander with a par on the 182-yard, par-3 15th hole.

Alexander, 16, opened up a quick lead in the Championship's final match as Coble made bogey on at hole number one. Coble squared the match up after Alexander recorded a three-putt bogey on the par-3 fourth and took a short-lived lead after a birdie at number five. Back-to-back bogeys by Coble at holes six and seven allowed Alexander to jump back into the lead before Coble sank a 25-foot, downhill birdie putt on the ninth hole.

"That really was the turning point in the match for me," Coble said afterward. "[Alexander] is a tremendous player and I could have let things get away from me at that point."

Heading to the inward nine with the match all square, Coble landed her approach to the tenth green a foot and a half from the hole. Connecting on that birdie, she never looked back. Coble posted another birdie on the 323-yard twelfth and won holes 14 and 15 with pars to close the match out with a 4 and 3 victory.

This victory marks Coble's second victory in as many years and the eighth of her career. Her road to the finals began by first defeating Ellen Dempsey of Saint Simons Island, 6 and 4. She then topped Marietta's Brenda Pictor, the reigning GSGA Senior Women's Player of the Year, in the semifinals, 2 and 1. Alexander opened the championship with a dominating win over Ellen Connors of Sharpsburg, 6 and 5, before besting Mary Riley of Perry, 4 and 3, in the semifinals.

Other flight winners: Jodie Shepard of Newnan defeated Lisa Vicknair-Rush of Macon, 6 and 5, in the first flight; Kathleen's Sissi Gann won over Dorothy Beckler of Mableton after 20 holes in the second flight; Macon's Jirapon Carlson topped Jean Franks of Peachtree City, 3 and 2, in the third flight; and Joyce Doss of Carrollton posted a 3 and 1 victory over Perry's Fran Coody, in the fifth flight.

This was the 13th playing of the Georgia Women's Match Play Championship, which has been held at Sunset Hills Country Club each year. Entries were open to female amateur golfers who are Georgia residents and members of a GSGA member club. The field consisted of the low 40 entrants, who were divided into five flights and seeded by handicap index.

Founded in 1916, the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) received its official charter on June 24, 1924. Since that date, the GSGA has grown to one of the largest state amateur golf associations in the country, with over 350 member clubs and 85,000 individual members. With a mission to promote and preserve amateur golf in the state of Georgia, GSGA offers a computerized handicapping service, course rating and measuring, and annually conducts a full schedule of statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups. Other services include a summer-long junior sectional program, award-winning Golf Georgia magazine, membership recognition and rewards programs and a charitable foundation administering two college scholarship programs.

Final Results

Championship Flight
Laura Coble, Augusta def. Amira Alexander, Alpharetta, 4 & 3

Championship Flight Consolation
Dayana Marquez, Atlanta def. Ellen Connors, Sharpsburg, 3 & 2

First Flight
Jodie Shepard, Newnan def. Lisa Vicknair-Rush, Buford, 6 & 5

First Flight Consolation
Sue King, Chatsworth def. Stephanie Vandiver, Douglasville, 2 & 1

Second Flight
Sissi Gann, Kathleen def. Dorothy Beckler, Mableton, 20 holes

Second Flight Consolation
Marilyn Johnson, Marietta def. Dawn Young, Douglasville, 1 up

Third Flight
Jirapon Carlson, Macon def. Jean Franks, Peachtree City, 3 & 2

Third Flight Consolation
Janet MacGregor, Peachtree City def. Dale Perry, Carrollton, 5 & 4

Fourth Flight
Joyce Doss, Carrollton def. Fran Coody, Perry, 3 & 1

Fourth Flight Consolation
Nicole Wood, Buchanan def. Alicia Bartlett, Powder Springs, 2 & 1