2005 Women’s Match Play Championship

Laura Coble Captures Fifth-Straight Women's Match Play Title on Eighteen

CARROLLTON, Ga. - Defending Champion Laura Coble of Augusta landed a 5-iron six feet from the hole on number eighteen and sunk the birdie putt to defeat Alina Lee of Evans, 1 up, and win her fifth-consecutive Georgia Women's Match Play Championship at Sunset Hills Country Club in Carrollton. Coble won the final two holes of the day to claim her victory.

Lee, who went 1 up after draining a 20-foot birdie putt form the fringe on the par-5 sixteenth hole, recorded a bogey at number 17 to bring the match back to all square. Lee's approach on 18 gave her 25 feet left for birdie but she failed to get the putt to fall.

"[Coble] is a really great player," Lee commented. "I really feel fortunate to have been in the match as late as I was."

After each player carded par on the opening hole, Coble went on to win the next two holes and take a 2 up lead into the fourth hole. Lee scratched away at Coble's lead with a par at number 8 and a birdie at the 480-yard par-5 eleventh. The players tallied pars on each of the next four holes before Lee would birdie another par five to go 1 up on Coble.

After they both landed their tee shots in the fairway on 17, Lee pushed her approach just off the right side of the green. Coble answered, hitting the green and two-putting to par and the win for the hole. From the fairway on 18, Coble was looking at 166 yards to the green with a back left hole-location.

"I played 5-iron," Coble explains. "I just knew that I didn't want to be behind the hole. I think that I may have just been a little lucky and caught it just right."
Coble, who has captured this event six times in seven years, won each of her matches easily, winning each of her first two matches by a score of 4 and 3 before dispatching her semi-finals opponent 7 and 6. Lee advanced to the finals with victories of 5and 4, 5 and 4, and 4 and 3, respectively.

Among her many titles, Coble has won the GSGA Women's Player of the Year Award for the last seven years and is a three-time Georgia Women's Amateur Champion, having won the event in 1999, 2003 and 2004. Lee, at age 14, is the youngest player to compete in the final match at the Georgia Women's Match Play Championship.

Results from the other flights were: Championship Consolation - Ellen Dempsey, St. Simons Island def. Carmen Bandea, Duluth, 2 and 1; First Flight - Jean Dawson, Suwanee def. Debra Partridge, Roswell, 19 holes; First Flight Consolation - Carolyn Hooks, Augusta def. Liz Butler, Columbus, 1 up; Second Flight - Jodie Shepard, Newnan def. Donnie Faucette, Big Canoe, 1 up; Second Flight Consolation - Amanda Horn, Temple def. Linda Edwards, Peachtree City, 5 and 4; Third Flight - Ann Railey, Lawrenceville def. Olivia Flanagan, Marietta, 3 and 1; Third Flight Consolation - Jan Cross, Evans def. Gail Glass, Atlanta, 2 and 1; Fourth Flight - Nancy Abraham, Albany def. Nancy Hennier, Dalton, 2 and 1; Fourth Flight Consolation - Debbie McCart, Duluth def. Cindy Watts, Atlanta, 3 and 2; Fifth Flight - Lurisa Waldron, Lavonia def. Fran Coody, Perry, 3 and 2; Fifth Flight Consolation - Debbie Sidler, Bremen def. Sandra Bowling, Tallapoosa, 6 and 5; Sixth Flight - Claire Pelfrey, Dalton def. Diane Rowe, Carrollton, 20 holes; Sixth Flight Consolation - Sandra Doyle, Dalton def. Ann Sanders, Villa Rica, 5 and 4.
GSGA conducts 18 statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups, three interstate matches and 17 USGA qualifying events each year. Other services include computerized handicapping, course rating and measuring, a summer-long junior sectional competitions program, Golf Georgia magazine and two college scholarship programs.

Final Results

Championship Flight
Laura Coble, Augusta def. Alina Lee, Evans, 1 up
Championship Consolation
Ellen Dempsey, St. Simons Island def. Carmen Bandea, Duluth, 2 and 1

First Flight
Jean Dawson, Suwanee def. Debra Partridge, Roswell, 19 holes
First Flight Consolation
Carolyn Hooks, Augusta def. Liz Butler, Columbus, 1 up

Second Flight
Jodie Shepard, Newnan def. Donnie Faucette, Big Canoe, 1 up
Second Flight Consolation
Amanda Horn, Temple def. Linda Edwards, Peachtree City, 5 and 4

Third Flight
Ann Railey, Lawrenceville def. Olivia Flanagan, Marietta, 3 and 1
Third Flight Consolation
Jan Cross, Evans def. Gail Glass, Atlanta, 2 and 1

Fourth Flight
Nancy Abraham, Albany def. Nancy Hennier, Dalton, 2 and 1
Fourth Flight Consolation
Debbie McCart, Duluth def. Cindy Watts, Atlanta, 3 and 2

Fifth Flight
Lurisa Waldron, Lavonia def. Fran Coody, Perry, 3 and 2
Fifth Flight Consolation
Debbie Sidler, Bremen def. Sandra Bowling, Tallapoosa, 6 and 5

Sixth Flight
Claire Pelfrey, Dalton def. Diane Rowe, Carrollton, 20 holes
Sixth Flight Consolation
Sandra Doyle, Dalton def. Ann Sanders, Villa Rica, 5 and 4