2008 GA-SC Girls’ Junior Challenge Match

Georgia Wins Second-Straight Girls' Junior Challenge Match
Four-match sweep in final round gives Peach State an 11-point victory

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The Georgia Girls' team swept all four matches and won 10 ½ of a possible 12 points to win its second-straight Georgia-South Carolina Girls' Junior Challenge Match by a score of 17 ½ to 6 ½ in the third annual event, which took place at Sea Island Golf Club's Retreat Course, July 18-19.

Carrie Metz of Carnesville, Ga., fought back from a 2-down deficit to defeat Anna Martin of Piedmont, S.C., 2 up. Metz began the round with a birdie and built a 2-up lead by the third hole, but Martin responded with birdies on holes 7 and 9 to take a 2-hole advantage. Metz remained steady, finishing her round with seven straight pars, while Martin faltered down the stretch with three bogeys over her last five holes. Metz held a 1-up lead through 17 holes and scored par on 18 to finish with a 73 and collect two points (back nine and overall) for Team Georgia.

Georgia's Anna Leigh Keith of Moultrie finished the Challenge Match with a perfect sweep, winning all three match points for the second-straight day in a 4-and-3 win over Elizabeth Thompson of Charleston, S.C. Both players got off to a strong start – Thompson carded three birdies over her first five holes to take a 1-up lead, despite back-to-back birdies for Keith on holes 3 and 4. But Thompson bogeyed No. 7, then doubled the eighth while Keith held steady with pars to take the front nine point and a 1-up lead at the turn. Keith turned in pars the rest of the way and secured the match win after Thompson carded bogeys on 10, 14 and 15.

Lacey Fears of Bonaire also won three points for Georgia as she cruised to a 5-and-4 victory in her match with Vanessa Koechli of Greer, S.C. Koechli won the first hole with a birdie, but Fears responded with a birdie of her own on No. 2, then took the lead with par on No. 3 and never looked back. She was at 2-over-par for the round when she clinched the match on No. 14, and went on to score a birdie at 17 (as they continued playing to determine the winner of the back nine point).

For the second-straight day, Kendall Wright of Suwanee, Ga., rallied late to win her match, posting a 1-up victory over Taylor Weaver of Spartanburg, S.C. Weaver held the advantage for most of the match, with a 2-up lead through 14 holes, but Wright carded consecutive birdies on No. 15 (346 yards) and 16 (126 yards) to move it back to All Square. A Weaver bogey at 17 gave Wright a 1-up lead and both players then parred 18. Wright halved the front nine with Weaver to earn a half-point, then collected both the back nine and overall match points.

The two teams competed using the Nassau format, which awards one point to the winner of each nine and one point to the overall match winner. Half-points are awarded for matches that are All Square after each nine and overall.

Teams were composed of the top four finishers from each state's 2008 Girls' Championship, with any necessary player substitutions following the order of finish.  Fears and Wright tied for second at the Georgia Girls' Championship, which took place June 16-18 at Marietta Country Club in Kennesaw. Keith finished fourth and Metz placed fifth. Two-time Girls' champion Mariah Stackhouse of Riverdale was unable to participate in this year's Match.