2004 Southeastern Challenge Match

Georgia Captures Third Consecutive Southeastern Challenge Match Trophy

Naples, Fla. - The Georgia team won fourteen of their singles matches en route to an unprecedented third consecutive victory over Florida and Alabama at the biennial Southeastern Challenge Match, which was played at The Club at TwinEagles, October 16 -17. Georgia finished with 28 points to Florida's 17 1/2 and Alabama's 17 1/2.

Georgia began the second day of competition with a two-and-a-half point lead over Alabama and a five-point advantage over Florida. Georgia had won half of their six opening four-ball matches and half of the 12 foursome matches on Saturday. The Georgia team won seven of the first eight matches in the three-ball match play format, which pits three players playing two singles matches simultaneously. Former three-time Atlanta Amateur champion Jerry Greenbaum of Atlanta, Ga., opened the day improving his singles record to 2-1-1. He defeated Alabama's State Senior champion, Sam Farlow of Birmingham (3 and2), and finished all-square with Florida's 2004 Florida State Senior champion, Bruce Scamehorn of Winter Haven.

Team Georgia would sweep the next four matches. Each collecting two points for Georgia were Don Marsh of Alpharetta, who defeated Alabama's Rick Sirmon (1 up) and Florida's Curt Madson (2 and 1); three-time Georgia Senior champion Bill Ploeger of Columbus, who beat Eddie Partridge of Birmingham, Ala. (5 and 4) and Steve Earsley of Stuart, Fla. (2 and 1); 2004 Senior Champion Spencer Sappington of Alpharetta, who overtook Bill McBride of Guntersville, Ala. (4 and 2) and Joseph Cristillo of Chrystal River, Fla. (4 and 2); and 2003 Georgia Amateur champion David Noll, Jr. of Dalton, who collected two points for Georgia with decisive victories over Scott Weaver of Madison, Ala. (4 and 2) and 2002 Florida Player of the Year Rick Woulfe of Ft. Lauderdale (4 and 3).

Woodstock's Mark Strickland and Jack Hall of Macon would each lose their two matches, Strickland falling to Patrick Levio of Hoover, Ala. (6 and 4) and Michael Nealy of Boca Raton (1 up) and Hall losing to Birmingham's Will Swift (3 and 1) and Frank Stafaci of Davie, Fla. (2 and 1). Doug Stiles of Athens would also drop one of his matches, falling to Wesley Pate of Tuscaloosa (1 up), but would tally one point defeating Jacksonville's Andy Purnell (5 and 4). Those would be the only matches that team Georgia would fail to win, however, as 2004 Georgia Public Links champion Scott Pitts of Cornelia defeated Alabama's Joey Holley (7 and 5) and halved his match with David Sutton of Maitland , Fla. Michael Standard swept his matches winning over Stan Sherlin of Montgomery (3 and 2) and Dave Snoap of Apopka (2 and 1). Jeff Belk of Marietta would take his match against Steven Hudson of Birmingham (3 and 1) and halve with Jacksonville's David Anthony. The 2004 Georgia Mid-Amateur champion, Doug Hanzel of Savannah, would close out the second day halving both of his matches and tallying one point.

Marsh, Sappington, Standard each went through the Southeastern Challenge Match without posting a loss to help Georgia secure its third consecutive Challenge Match and fourth victory overall. Florida holds the series edge, with five wins. Alabama's lone win came in 1991. The biennial competition began in 1989 and was held annually until 1996, except 1992-1993 when no matches were held. Georgia captured the 2002 Match in Huntsville by nine points, scoring 27 1/2 points to Florida's 18 1/2 and Alabama's 17. Georgia won the 2000 event at Idle Hour Club in Macon on the last hole, with the final scores Georgia 25 1/2, Florida 24 1/2 and Alabama 13.

Each state fielded a 12-man team consisting of eight mid-amateurs and four seniors. Players were selected by their respective associations based on recent performance.

GSGA conducts 18 statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups, three interstate matches, one Atlanta area competition 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

Final Points - Georgia - 28; Alabama - 17 1/2; Florida - 17 1/2

Day One Points - Georgia - 11 1/2; Alabama - 9; Florida - 6 1/2
Day Two Points - Georgia - 16 1/2; Florida - 11; Alabama - 8 1/2

Day Two/Round Three - Three-Ball Match Play
Farlow (Ala.) def. Scamehorn (Fla.), 1 up
Greenbaum (Ga.) def. Farlow (Ala.), 3 and 2
Greenbaum (Ga.) vs. Scamehorn (Fla.), All Square
Madson (Fla.) def. Sirmon (Ala.), 2 up
Marsh (Ga.) def. Sirmon (Ala.), 1 up
Marsh (Ga.) def. Madson (Fla.), 2 and 1
Earsley (Fla.) def. Patridge (Ala.), 7 and 6
Ploeger (Ga.) def. Patridge (Ala.), 5 and 4
Ploeger (Ga.) def. Earsley (Fla.), 2 and 1
McBride (Ala.) def. Cristillo (Fla.), 2 and 1
Sappington (Ga.) def. McBride (Ala.), 4 and 2
Sappington (Ga.) def. Cristillo (Fla.), 4 and 2
Woulfe (Fla.) def. Weaver (Ala.), 2 and 1
Noll (Ga.) def. Weaver (Ala.), 4 and 2
Noll (Ga.) def. Woulfe (Fla.), 4 and 3
Levio (Ala.) def. Nealy (Fla.), 5 and 4
Levio (Ala.) def. Strickland (Ga.), 6 and 4
Nealy (Fla.) def. Strickland (Ga.), 1 up
Swift (Ala.) vs. Strafaci (Fla.), All Square
Swift (Ala.) def. Hall (Ga.), 3 and 1
Strafaci (Fla.) def. Hall (Ga.), 2 and 1
Sutton (Fla.) def. Holley (Ala.), 1 up
Pitts (Ga.) def. Holley (Ala.), 7 and 5
Pitts (Ga.) vs. Sutton (Fla.), All Square
Pate (Ala.) def. Purnell (Fla.), 5 and 4
Pate (Ala.) def. Stiles (Ga.), 1 up
Stiles (Ga.) def. Purnell (Fla.), 5 and 4
Sherlin (Ala.) vs. Snoap (Fla.), All Square
Standard (Ga.) def. Sherlin (Ala.), 3 and 2
Standard (Ga.) def. Snoap (Fla.), 2 and 1
Anthony (Fla.) def. Hudson (Ala.), 2 and 1
Belk (Ga.) def. Hudson (Ala.) 3 and 1
Belk (Ga.) vs. Anthony (Fla.), All Square
Voisin (Fla.) def. Bidez (Ala.), 4 and 3
Hanzel (Ga.) vs. Bidez (Ala.), All Square
Hanzel (Ga.) vs. Voisin (Fla.), All Square

Round Three Points - Alabama - 8 1/2; Florida - 11; Georgia - 16 1/2

Day One Points - Georgia - 11 1/2; Florida - 6 1/2; Alabama - 9

 

Round One - Four-Ball Matches
Sam Farlow/Rick Sirmon (Ala.) def. Curt Madson/Bruce Scamehorn (Fla.), 3 and 2
Jerry Greenbaum/Bill Ploeger (Ga.) def. Bill McBride/Eddie Patridge (Ala.), 2 and 1
Joseph Cristillo/Steve Earsley (Fla.) vs. Don Marsh/Spencer Sappington (Ga.), All Square
Frank Strafaci/Rick Woulfe (Fla.) def. Steven Hudson/Scott Weaver (Ala.), 4 and 3
Earle Bidez/Will Swift (Ala.) vs. Michael Standard/Mark Strickland (Ga.), All Square
Doug Hanzel/Doug Stiles (Ga.) def. Doug Snoap/David Sutton (Fla.), 3 and 2
Joey Holley/Patrick Levio (Ala.) def. Michael Nealy/Bret Voisin (Fla.), 1 up
Wesley Pate/Stan Sherlin (Ala) def. Jeff Belk/Jack Hall (Ga.), 3 and 2
David Noll, Jr./Scott Pitts (Ga.) def. David Anthony/Andy Purnell (Fla.), 1 up

 

Round One Points: Alabama - 3 1/2; Florida - 1 1/2; Georgia - 4

 

Round Two - Foursome Matches
Madson/Scamehorn (Fla.) def. Farlow/Sirmon (Ala.), 1 up
Farlow/Sirmon (Ala.) vs. Marsh/Sappington (Ga.), All Square
Marsh/Sappington (Ga.) def. Madson/Scamehorn (Fla.), 2 up
McBride/Patridge (Ala.) def. Cristillo/Earsley (Fla.), 2 and 1
McBride/Patridge (Ala.) vs. Greenbaum/Ploeger (Ga.), All Square
Cristillo/Earsley (Fla.) def. Greenbaum/Ploeger (Ga.), 3 and 2
Strafaci/Woulfe (Fla.) def. Hudson/Weaver (Ala.), 3 and 2
Standard/Strickland (Ga.) def. Hudson/Weaver (Ala.), 5 and 4
Standard/Strickland (Ga.) def. Strafaci/Woulfe (Fla.), 2 and 1
Bidez/Swift (Ala.) def. Snoap/Sutton (Fla.), 3 and 1
Bidez/Swift (Ala.) def. Hanzel/Stiles (Ga.), 4 and 2
Hanzel/Stiles (Ga.) def. Snoap/Sutton (Fla.), 2 and 1
Anthony/Purnell (Fla.) def. Holley/Levio (Ala.), 2 up
Noll/Pitts (Ga.) def. Holley/Levio (Ala.), 1 up
Anthony/Purnell (Fla.) def. Noll/Pitts (Ga.), 2 and 1
Pate/Sherlin (Ala.) def. Nealy/Voisin (Fla.), 1 up
Pate/Sherlin (Ala.) vs. Belk/Hall (Ga.), All Sqaure
Belk/Hall (Ga.) def. Nealy/Voisin (Fla.), 1 up

 

Round Two Points: Alabama - 5 1/2; Florida - 5; Georgia - 7 1/2