2004 Greater Atlanta Women’s Amateur Championship

Laura Coble Wins Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur in Two-Hole Playoff

VILLA RICA, Ga. - Laura Coble of Augusta sunk an eight-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to win the 35th Annual Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship over defending champion Margaret Shirley of Roswell at Canongate-on-Mirror Lake. Both players finished regulation at six-over 222 after Shirley shot a field-low 72 and Coble carded a 74 in the final round.

Coble, who lost to Shirley in a one-hole playoff at the 2003 event, extended the playoff after making a sand save from 12 feet on the first hole. After both players found trouble off the tee and punched into the fairway on the second, Coble fired a gap wedge from 102 yards to set up the winning eight-foot putt after Shirley's 20-foot putt for par fell just short.

Coble and Shirley, who trailed her by two strokes going into the final 18, battled back-and-forth the entire round before tying after 54 holes. The duo finished eight strokes ahead of the rest of the field, as North Carolina State rising senior Leslie Stubblefield of Kennesaw placed third at 230 after a final round 79. Vicki Yi of Bogart, who was tied for second with Shirley heading into the final round, carded an 81 and dropped to fourth at 231. Julie Bartholomew of Marietta was one stroke back in fifth after a final round 77. First-round leader Carmen Bandea of Snellville shot a final-round 76 for a four-over 226 total, but was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Coble's two-stroke, 36-hole lead quickly became four as Shirley bogeyed No. 1 (which also served as the playoff hole) and Coble birdied No. 3. The tide then turned as Shirley recorded five birdies in a six-hole span between 5 through 10 and held a three-stroke lead after 10. Coble responded with birdies on 11 and 12 and caught Shirley on 13, where she bogeyed and Shirley double-bogeyed. Coble missed a short par putt to bogey 15 and fell back a stroke, but made up for it on 17 when she hit a gap wedge from 96 yards to set up a six-foot putt for birdie. She appeared to have an opportunity to win the championship on 18 after Shirley hit her tee shot into the water, but mis-hit her approach into a hazard. Coble was able to hit her third shot out of the hazard and matched Shirley with a two-putt bogey.

Mary Riley of Perry finished sixth overall and won the first flight by seven strokes with a 234. Other flight winners included Claudeen Lindberg of Atlanta, also the event's low senior, in the second flight (247), Marilyn Nolan-Johnson of Marietta (237) in the third flight, Cindy Watts of Atlanta in the fourth flight (264) and Sue Guion of Alpharetta in the fifth flight (284). Marilyn Nolan-Johnson of Marietta aced the ninth hole, her final hole of the tournament. Kelli Cassidy of Dalton also fired an ace on the 139-yard 16th hole.

With the victory, Coble collected her third consecutive and 10th overall individual title in statewide women's amateur events. In addition to her second Georgia Women's Amateur Championship last fall and fourth-straight and fifth overall Women's Match Play Championship in April, she has also won two Greater Atlanta Women's Amateurs (2002, 2004) and the 1998 Top 40 Women's Competition (now Top 60 Women's Classic).

The field of 68 players was divided into six flights based on handicap index. The championship through second flights played from the same tees (5,986 yards, par 72) and were eligible for the overall championship. The third through fifth flights played from 5,549 yards and a par of 72. Entries were open to female amateur golfers who are members of a GSGA Member Club and Georgia residents. This was the second year the competition has been open to women from across the state.

The 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

Top Ten Overall
1 Laura Coble, Augusta 76 72 74 222 *
1 Margaret Shirley, Roswell 74 76 72 222
3 Leslie Stubblefield, Kennesaw 73 78 79 230
4 Vicki Yi, Bogart 78 72 81 231
5 Julie Bartholomew, Marietta 79 76 77 232
6 Mary Riley, Perry 75 80 79 234
7 Patti Huxford, Cumming 84 74 83 241
7 Danielle Davis, St.Simons Island 80 82 79 241
7 Jennifer Adyorough, Atlanta 80 85 76 241
10 Lori Whitaker, Cumming 83 76 84 243

 

Championship Flight 
1 Laura Coble, Augusta 76 72 74 222
1 Margaret Shirley, Roswell 74 76 72 222
3 Leslie Stubblefield, Kennesaw 73 78 79 230
4 Vicki Yi, Bogart 78 72 81 231
5 Julie Bartholomew, Marietta 79 76 77 232
6 Patti Huxford, Cumming 84 74 83 241
7 Lori Whitaker, Cumming 83 76 84 243
8 Pam Adamczyk, Mableton 84 83 83 250
9 Annalee Harlan, Atlanta 84 79 88 251
10 Lee Burton, Newman 80 87 85 252
11 Kristen Bragg, Evans 88 78 87 253
12 Carmen Bandea, Snellville 72 79 DQ DQ

 

First Flight 
1 Mary Riley, Perry 75 80 79 234
2 Danielle Davis, St.Simons Island 80 82 79 241
2 Jennifer Adyorough, Atlanta 80 85 76 241
4 Kelli Cassidy, Dalton 81 84 80 245
5 Andi Ruth Anderson, Woodstock 84 82 82 248
6 Stephanie Stocks, Perry 81 84 84 249
7 Jane Duggan, Atlanta 79 85 86 250
8 Liz Butler, Columbus 88 85 90 263
9 Deana Atkins, Dacula 84 90 96 270
10 Leslie Elkins, Roswell 91 87 93 271
11 Serena Johnston, Acworth 85 95 92 272
12 Katie Walker, Blackshear WD WD WD WD

 

Second Flight 
1 Claudeen Lindberg, Atlanta 81 83 83 247
2 Darlene Werhnyak, Lawrenceville 84 85 80 249
3 Sarah Ro, Atlanta 86 86 81 253
4 Jee Kang, Alpharetta 91 84 83 258
5 Barbara Brown, Carrollton 90 85 84 259
6 Belinda Marsh, Alpharetta 86 87 92 265
7 Jean Dawson, Suwanee 86 93 87 266
8 Katie Long, Cumming 90 82 96 268
9 Donna Eaton, Greensboro 90 91 94 275
10 Alice Richardson, Alpharetta 88 95 95 278
11 Nancy Holm, Alpharetta WD WD WD WD
11 Ginette Spinucci, Stone Mountain WD WD WD WD

 

Third Flight 
1 Marilyn Nolan-Johnson, Marietta 81 77 79 237
2 Jodie Shepard, Newnan 86 74 79 239
3 Jan Cross, Augusta 79 83 83 245
4 Debbie Blount, Atlanta 84 83 80 247
5 Donnie Faucette, Big Canoe 84 85 87 256
6 Olivia Flanagan, Marietta 86 90 87 263
7 Eleanor Kirkland, Stockbridge 91 88 88 267
8 Debra Partridge, Roswell 92 83 94 269
9 Betty Rich, Villa Rica 94 84 92 270
10 Janet Thielemann, Marietta 101 80 92 273
11 Sherrie Tindle, Alpharetta 94 86 94 274
12 Ann Railey, Lawrenceville 88 96 99 283

 

Fourth Flight
1 Cindy Watts, Atlanta 92 83 89 264
2 Lea Wilson, Atlanta 98 85 89 272
3 Louise Beaudoin, Alpharetta 94 88 91 273
3 Joyce Doss, Carrollton 88 93 92 273
5 Gail Glass, Atlanta 94 88 93 275
6 Carole Cavanaugh, Sharpsburg 94 95 97 286
6 Maureen Daugherty, Roswell 94 96 96 286
8 Dale Perry, Carrollton 98 89 100 287
9 Robin Kolvek, Cumming 98 98 94 290
10 Udeen Lester, Conyers 102 102 109 313
11 Fran Coody, Perry WD WD WD WD
11 Molly O'Dea, Dunwoody 102 WD WD WD

 

Fifth Flight 
1 Sue Guion, Alpharetta 92 99 93 284
2 Carmen Andia, Atlanta 96 92 99 287 
3 Grace Bogolin, Newnan 103 96 101 300
4 Julia Hardin, Chamblee 102 98 105 305 
4 Gloria Hobbs, Douglasville 102 99 104 305
4 Gwen Flynn, Jonesboro 102 97 106 305
7 Mandy Parker, Powder Springs 113 101 97 311
8 Georgia Stuart, Dunwoody 109 103 104 316

 

* playoff