2002 Greater Atlanta Women’s Amateur Championship

Laura Coble Captures the Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship

McDonough, Ga. - Laura Coble of Augusta shot a final-round one-over 73 to finish two-over 218 and capture her first Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship by two strokes over Leigh Turner of Alpharetta. Turner started the day tied with Coble, but fell back by as much as five strokes during the final round before closing the gap to two with a birdie on 18 to Coble's bogey.

Finishing in a distant third at 231 was Leslie Stubblefield of Kennesaw. Fourth place overall went to Patti Huxford of Cumming at 237. First-flight co-winners Claudeen Lindberg of Atlanta and Sarah Cousart of Athens, who had the low round of the tournament with a second-day 70, finished tied for fifth overall at 238.

Turner started the day with a birdie and went back and forth with Coble much of the front nine until she got into trouble on the par-4 eighth hole and took a triple bogey to give Coble a two-shot lead. Coble quickly stretched her lead to five with birdies on 11 and 12, while Turner went bogey, par. Turner got back to within three when Coble bogeyed 14 and 16, but saw her hopes fade when Coble birdied the par-three 17th hole. Turner's two-stroke gain on 18 only served to soften her defeat.

This was Coble's first Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship in as many tries. The 33rd annual championship was not previously open to entries beyond the metro Atlanta area. Coble has received the GSGA's Women's Player of the Year Award for the past four years and, among her accomplishments, holds three state match play championships, one state stroke play championship and six state team titles to her name. Turner, a senior at Furman University, previously won the 2000 Women's Top 40 Competition as well as the 1998 Women's Match Play Championship, where she defeated Coble in the opening match.

Other flight winners were: second - Susan Tucker, Atlanta (254); third - Jodie Shepard of Newnan (260); fourth (tie) - Olivia Flanagan of Marietta and Linda Edwards of Peachtree City (255); and fifth - Suzie Tindall of Atlanta (253).

The field for the championship, which was held at Georgia National Golf Club May 29-31, was 73 players divided into six flights based on handicap index. The championship through third flights played from the same tees (5,847 yards) and were eligible for the overall championship. The fourth and fifth flights are playing from 5,123 yards. Entries were open to female amateur golfers who are members of a GSGA Member Club and Georgia residents.

The 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

Top Ten Overall
1 Laura Coble, Augusta 72 73 73 218
2 Leigh Turner, Alpharetta 71 74 75 220
3 Leslie Stubblefield, Kennesaw 73 79 79 231
4 Patti Huxford, Cumming 76 82 79 237
5 Claudeen Lindberg, Atlanta 79 78 81 238
5 Sarah Cousart, Athens 83 70 85 238
7 Danielle Davis, St. Simons Island 84 80 75 239
8 Virginia Tyson, Macon 80 81 79 240
9 Ashley Couch, Lilburn 80 79 82 241
10 Sarah Trew, Acworth 81 77 86 244

 

Championship Flight
1 Laura Coble, Augusta 72 73 73 218
2 Leigh Turner, Alpharetta 71 74 75 220
3 Leslie Stubblefield, Kennesaw 73 79 79 231
4 Patti Huxford, Cumming 76 82 79 237
5 Danielle Davis, St. Simons Island 84 80 75 239 
6 Sarah Trew, Acworth 81 77 86 244
7 Wendy Ohlmeyer, Columbus 79 84 84 247 
8 Carmen Bandea, Snellville 78 86 87 251
9 Ruth Anderson, Woodstock 86 88 80 254
10 Maria Johnson, Jesup 85 90 86 261
11 Rebecca Rogers, Alpharetta WD

 

First Flight 
1 Claudeen Lindberg, Atlanta 79 78 81 238
1 Sarah Cousart, Athens 83 70 85 238
3 Virginia Tyson, Macon 80 81 9 240
 4 Ashley Couch, Lilburn 80 79 82 241
5 Ginette Spinucci, Stone Mountain 83 81 82 246
6 Ena Harvey, Greensboro 83 85 80 248
7 Debra Buetow, Alpharetta 87 81 85 253
8 Paula Pearson-Tucker, Decatur 87 82 91 260
8 Leslie Elkins, Roswell 78 88 94 260
10 Mary Riley, Perry 89 82 91 262
11 Liz Butler, Columbus 84 93 88 265
12 Darlene Werhnyak, Lawrenceville 83 90 WD

 

Second Flight
1 Susan Tucker, Atlanta 82 83 89 254
2 Karen Parker, Valdosta 86 81 89 256 
3 Marilyn Nolan-Johnson, Marietta 82 85 91 258
3 Regina Martin, Atlanta 83 80 95 258 
5 Sissi Gann, Kathleen 86 89 89 264
6 Yuri Nishimoto, Alpharetta 88 92 86 266
6 Ellen Connors, Newnan 92 84 90 266
6 Alice Richardson, Alpharetta 86 82 98 266
9 Belinda Marsh, Alpharetta 92 86 89 267
10 Soon Yiae Kim, Smyrna 88 92 88 268
11 Sherry Huchet, Peachtree City 93 82 94 269
12 Deana Atkins, Dacula 94 91 98 283

 

Third Flight
1 Jodie Shepard, Newnan 88 88 84 260
2 Lauren Cousart, Athens 89 92 85 266
3 Betty Smith, Cumming 94 87 90 271
4 Eleanor Kirkland, Stockbridge 95 91 87 273
5 Diane Haynes, Newnan 88 91 98 277
6 Donnie Faucette, Big Canoe 92 92 94 278
7 Donna Eaton, Greensboro 96 86 99 281
8 Shelby Stanfield, Alpharetta 93 89 102 284
9 Elsie Simpson, Atlanta 90 94 102 286
10 Betty Jo Braselton, Cumming 94 96 98 288
11 Fran Coody, Perry 99 89 WD

 

Fourth Flight
1 Linda Edwards, Peachtree City 84 86 85 255 
1 Olivia Flanagan, Marietta 77 89 89 255
3 Lea Wilson, Atlanta 93 87 87 267
4 Janet Macgregor, Peachtree City 88 89 92 269
5 Sue Marshall, Marietta 91 88 92 271 
6 Carole Cavanaugh, Sharpsburg 92 87 93 272
7 Sue Guion, Alpharetta 81 102 91 274
8 Rachael Fones, Woodstock 92 91 97 280
9 Gin Kil Yeom, Marietta 100 90 91 281
10 Janie Holt, Fayetteville 101 96 97 294
11 Choo Turner, Alpharetta 92 112 94 298
12 Udeen Lester, Conyers 97 WD

 

Fifth Flight
1 Suzie Tindall, Atlanta 85 82 86 253
2 Patricia Boyd, Atlanta 84 84 96 264
3 Karen Glenn, Snellville 97 85 95 277
4 Hyung Hong, McDonough 85 98 98 281
5 Maureen Daugherty, Roswell 96 97 92 285
6 Sally Seebeck, Roswell 98 94 94 286
6 Diana Showalter, Clarkston 95 91 100 286
8 Joyce Garrett, Avondale Estates 95 97 95 287
9 Frances Schuette, Fayetteville 95 97 100 292
10 Sidney Moser, Stockbridge 92 93 111 296
11 Caroline Johnson, Conyers 98 107 110 315
12 Miki Davis, Alpharetta 102 107 110 319
13 Ellen Stewart, Lithonia DQ