Augusta’s Laura Coble Leads Georgia To 2005 USGA Women’s State Team Title

Bluffton, S.C. – Laura Coble, 41, of Augusta shot a 1-over-par 74 Thursday and was her team’s low scorer for the third day in a row, leading Georgia to a two-stroke victory over a charging Alabama trio in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship on Berkeley Hall’s North Course.

Laura Coble of Augusta recovers from a greenside bunker on the 15th hole. Coble was Georgia's low scorer all three days. (John Mummert/USGA)

Georgia finished with a 54-hole total of 4-under-par 434. Alabama was at 436. Texas and Maryland rallied to tie for third at 450. New York, which was in third place after each of the first two rounds, slipped back into a tie for fifth with Florida at 453.

Coble, an eight-time Women’s Player of the Year in Georgia, teamed with Jean Reynolds, 21, of Newnan whose 75 counted toward the team’s third-round score, and Kyu Ri Ban, 19, of Duluth for the win. The best two-of-three scores counted daily toward the team total.

“This is a national championship,” said Coble. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of. This is special for us and for Georgia. I’m enjoying this as much as if I had done it individually.”

Coble was cruising along under par until she triple-bogeyed the seventh hole. Her teammates were also struggling a bit on the first nine holes, while Alabama’s duo of Candace Schepperle of Hoover and Kathy Hartwiger of Birmingham combined to stand 1 under par at the turn, making up four strokes and putting themselves within striking distance.

Still, Coble says she wasn’t too worried.

“I just had a sense of calm and confidence this week, said Coble, an insurance agent and mother of an 11-year-old. “I wanted to get off to a fast start and I did. Even when I made that triple, I just told myself that there were birdie holes ahead.”

There were.

She recovered with a birdie on the ninth and made two more birdies in her last nine holes. She would have been under par for the third consecutive round if not for the triple bogey.

“She’s our leader,” said Reynolds, a junior at the University of Georgia, of Coble. “You have to look up to her because she’s such an excellent player.”

Candace Schepperle of Hoover led Alabama's comeback that fell just short. She had three sub-par rounds, including a 70 on Thursday. (John Mummert/USGA)

Schepperle, however, edged Coble by one stroke overall for the low individual total. She tied for low honors Thursday with her 70 and had a three-day total of 6-under-par 213.

“I’ve seen a lot of golf and it’s easy to gain or lose ground in a team format,” said Scherpperle, a home-schooled high school senior who will join her older sister at Auburn next fall. “I’m not that disappointed. We did our best.”

Coble’s opening 68, the low individual round of the week, staked her team to a four-stroke advantage over Alabama after the first day. A second sub-par round (72) by Coble helped increase Georgia’s lead to seven.

The USGA Women’s State Championship is one of 15 national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association in 2005. Twelve of them have been strictly for amateurs.

In the Men’s State Team Championship being held concurrently at Berkeley Hall’s South Course, Terrence Miskell of New Braunfels had three sub-par rounds as Texas finished at 422, two strokes ahead of Alabama.

Story written by Craig Smith, USGA director of media relations. Comments are welcome at csmith@usga.org.

Bluffton, S.C. – Team standings and individual scores after the third and final round of the USGA Women’s State Team Championship, played Thursday at the par 73, 6,115-yard Berkeley Hall (North Course) (Note: The two best individual scores each day count toward the team total):

GEORGIA  139-146-149--434; Laura Coble, Augusta  68-72-74--214; Kyu Ri Ban, Duluth  71-74-78--223; Jean Reynolds, Newnan  71-77-75--223

ALABAMA  143-149-144--436; Candace Schepperle, Birmingham  71-72-70--213; Kathy Hartwiger, Birmingham  72-77-74--223; Laurie Strite, Foley  84-83-89--256

TEXAS  149-152-149--450; Mina Hardin, Ft Worth  73-75-79--227; Carolyn Creekmore, Dallas  76-83-71--230; Toni Wiesner, Ft Worth  76-77-78--231

MARYLAND  152-150-148--450; Laura Terebey, St Michaels  76-73-70--219; Andrea Kraus, Baltimore  76-77-79--232; Connie Isler, Annapolis  76-80-78--234

NEW YORK  144-155-154--453; Megan Grehan, Mamaroneck  74-78-75--227; Kristin Wetzel, Middletown 

70-79-79--228; Kim Kaul, Colden  86-77-83--246

FLORIDA  152-152-149--453; Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach  75-74-73--222; Mary Jane Hiestand, Naples 

77-78-76--231; Nancy Smith, North Port  86-82-82--250

ARIZONA  153-152-149--454; Thuhashini Selvaratnam, Tempe  74-73-71--218; Lynn Simmons, Phoenix 

79-79-78--236; Alison Hurley, Scottsdale  81-83-86--250

MINNESOTA  154-151-151--456; Claudia Pilot, Austin  76-74-75--225; Leigh Klasse, St Anthony  78-79-76--233; Maria Sera, St Paul  81-77-85--243

LOUISIANA  154-150-152--456; Kay Daniel, Mandeville  76-74-79--229; Martha Lang, Mandeville  78-76-75--229; Julie Harrison, Baton Rouge  79-NC-77--NC

OHIO  150-155-152--457; Suzi Spotleson, Canton  76-83-75--234; Anne Caja, Solon  74-78-83--235; Lynn Thompson, Cincinnati  83-77-77--237

COLORADO  153-152-153--458; Lindsay Hulwick, Littleton  76-80-73--229; Kelly Schaub, Denver  77-75-80--232; Kim Eaton, Greeley  80-77-80--237

NORTH CAROLINA  153-153-155--461; Debbie Adams, Asheville  75-77-76--228; Patty Moore, Charlotte 

78-76-80--234; Maggie Weder, Greenville  86-94-79--259

WASHINGTON  159-157-147--463; Leslie Folsom, Seattle  79-76-75--230; Lisa Smego, Olympia  80-81-72--233; Ann Swanson, Woodinville  81-83-83--247

VIRGINIA  154-151-158--463; Mesha Levister, Fredericksburg  72-75-80--227; Shelley Savage, Arlington 

82-76-78--236; Cindy Morris, Portsmouth  83-78-83--244

OREGON  153-162-149--464; Felicia Johnston, Tigard  72-78-73--223; Marcia Fisher, Canby  81-85-76--242; Mary Budke, Eugene  84-84-87--255

CONNECTICUT  155-159-150--464; Natalie Sheary, West Hartford  78-78-72--228; Daria Cummings, Monroe 

77-81-78--236; Sheila Torgan, New Canaan  83-85-79--247

MICHIGAN  152-158-155--465; Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, Haslett  75-82-76--233; Joan Garety, Rockford  77-76-80--233; Donna Benford, Linden  88-82-79--249

SOUTH CAROLINA  147-154-164--465; Cecilia Fournil, Columbia  73-78-80--231; Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island 74-76-84--234; Lea Anne Brown, Mt Pleasant  80-79-85--244

IOWA  147-157-161--465; Jennie Arseneault, Grinnell  70-76-75--221; Therese Morgan, Ankeny  77-81-89--247; Sarah Gilbert, Ankeny  82-83-86--251

ARKANSAS  156-156-154--466; Adriane Barnett, Jonesboro  76-74-78--228; Natasha Vincent, Jacksonville 

80-82-84--246; Lisa Varney, Jacksonville  85-87-76--248

IDAHO  155-155-156--466; Kareen Markle, Eagle  76-76-78--230; Jean Smith, Eagle  79-83-78--240; Karen Darrington, Boise  84-79-82--245

NEBRASKA  162-151-153--466; Susan Marchese, Omaha  84-71-77--232; Anne Robertson, Columbus  82-80-76--238; Jane Pohlman, Omaha  80-80-84--244

PENNSYLVANIA  159-157-152--468; Carol Semple Thompson, Sewickley  80-78-74--232; Elizabeth Haines, Gladwyne  79-80-79--238; Cheryl Seamans, Holland  86-79-78--243

WISCONSIN  155-160-153--468; Maggie Leef, Brookfield  78-80-74--232; Kathleen Prieve, Madison  77-80-79--236; Katie Falk, Milwaukee  86-89-82--257

HAWAII  154-166-150--470; Cyd Okino, Honolulu  82-83-72--237; Erin Matsuoka, Honolulu  77-83-78--238; Nicole Sakamoto, Honolulu  77-87-82--246

CALIFORNIA  162-150-158--470; Corey Weworski, Carlsbad  78-73-77--228; Marianne Towersey, Pebble Beach 84-77-81--242; Linda Olsen, La Quinta  86-82-82--250

MASSACHUSETTS  152-155-164--471; Tara Joy-Connelly, Duxbury  79-76-80--235; Karen Richardson, Georgetown 73-79-84--236; Kirsten Davis, Harwich  81-80-88--249

OKLAHOMA  157-162-152--471; Rachel Poole, Elk City  78-82-74--234; LeeAnn Fairlie, Oklahoma City  79-80-78--237; Natalie McNicholas, Tulsa  86-84-82--252

NEW JERSEY  161-150-162--473; Alicia Kapheim, Pennington  83-74-81--238; Donna Young, Ewing  81-76-81--238; Susan DeKalb, Leonardo  80-77-81--238

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA  157-161-157--475; Lesley Stracks, Washington  76-80-79--235; Janice Calomiris,

Washington  86-81-78--245; Maggie Brady, Washington  81-91-86--258

UTAH  164-159-153--476; Lachell Poffenberger, Salt Lake City  82-78-77--237; Lynsey Myers, Layton  82-86-76--244; Tenille Slack, Springville  85-81-83--249

TENNESSEE  161-153-162--476; Maggie Scott, Charleston  77-75-85--237; Shelley Anderson, Clarksville 

84-78-78--240; Jaime Woolfolk, Brentwood  91-86-84--261

MISSOURI  154-158-165--477; Barbara Berkmeyer, St Louis  78-78-83--239; Kathy Glennon, Wildwood  76-80-85--241; Mary Ann Beattie, St Louis  83-83-82--248

KENTUCKY  154-165-159--478; Cindy Summers, Bowling Green  81-80-76--237; Kim Hartlage, Elizabethtown 

76-88-83--247; Krissy Martin, Louisville  78-85-88--251

KANSAS  159-159-160--478; Shelly McCalla, Topeka  83-74-76--233; Rita Gregory, Manhattan  76-85-84--245; Jacque Madison, Manhattan  83-88-85--256

ILLINOIS  160-163-156--479; Char McLear, Mchenry  80-82-77--239; Jan Bowers, Lincoln  80-81-79--240; DeAnne Stolarik, Zion  88-91-80--259

RHODE ISLAND  160-168-157--485; Debbie Cyronak, Warwick  82-85-77--244; Kibbe Reilly, Providence 

79-87-80--246; Marisa White, Wakefield  81-83-94--258

MONTANA  162-168-155--485; Sarah Ogle, Kalispell  82-80-78--240; Jennifer Orcutt, Whitefish  80-88-77--245; Mickey Moret, Belgrade  86-90-91--267

INDIANA  162-160-166--488; Nancy Fitzgerald, Carmel  77-78-82--237; Frances Walker, North Vernon  85-83-84--252; Nina Whalen, Indianapolis  85-82-85--252

SOUTH DAKOTA  168-156-166--490; Julie Jansa, Sioux Falls  84-75-81--240; Patty Coddington, Sioux Falls 

84-81-85--250; Karen Rohde, Brandon  93-92-94--279

WEST VIRGINIA  168-164-160--492; Caroline Ramsey, Bridgeport  84-88-78--250; Betty Brandon, Barboursville

84-82-88--254; Sue Goldcamp, Parkersburg  93-82-82--257

MISSISSIPPI  162-168-163--493; Sheila Haynes, Canton  81-85-77--243; Teresa Dottley, Madison  81-85-86--252; Jane Gatlin, Oxford  92-83-88--263

MAINE  164-161-169--494; Lori Frost, Brewer  80-77-82--239; Leslie Guenther, Hebron  84-84-87--255; Laurie

Hyndman, Cumberland  91-90-90--271

NEW HAMPSHIRE  170-163-166--499; Tara Watt, Tilton  83-82-83--248; Nancy Markey, Jefferson  89-83-83--255; Paula Ainsworth, Franconia  87-81-93--261

NEVADA  161-171-176--508; Christy Atencio, Reno  82-83-89--254; Lisa Stanley, Reno  79-93-87--259; Sue

DeFrancesco, Las Vegas  88-88-89--265

VERMONT  168-167-181--516; Kristin Mahoney, Chittenden  83-81-94--258; Andrea Brown, Burlington  85-86-87--258; Elizabeth Walker, Marlboro  98-95-98--291

DELAWARE  178-171-172--521; Dottie Farmer, Middletown  90-88-85--263; Heather Heinrich, Wilmington 

90-83-91--264; Perry Drevo, Lewes  88-89-87--264

WYOMING  172-177-172--521; Sarah Bowman, Parkman  84-88-88--260; Mary Smith, Sheridan  88-89-84--261; Falinda Hall, Cody  88-99-99--286

ALASKA  177-178-180--535; Kelli Poppenhagen, Anchorage  90-87-91--268; Jamie Berge, Anchorage  87-92-89--268; Mindy Stefanski, Palmer  97-91-99--287

NEW MEXICO  183-184-180--547; Rosemary McKeown, Las Cruces  92-92-89--273; Susan Daniels, Albuquerque 91-92-91--274; Kathy Colley, Rio Rancho  101-94-99--294

Bluffton, S.C. – Top 15 individual scorers after the third and final round of the USGA Women’s State Team Championship, played Thursday at the par 73, 6,115-yard Berkeley Hall (North Course):

Candace Schepperle, Birmingham, Ala., 71-72-70--213

Laura Coble, Augusta, Ga., 68-72-74--214

Thuhashini Selvaratnam, Tempe, Ariz., 74-73-71--218

Laura Terebey, St Michaels, Md., 76-73-70--219

Jennie Arseneault, Grinnell, Iowa, 70-76-75--221

Taffy Brower, Boynton Beach, Fla., 75-74-73--222

Felicia Johnston, Tigard, Ore., 72-78-73--223

Jean Reynolds, Newnan, Ga., 71-77-75--223

Kathy Hartwiger, Birmingham, Ala., 72-77-74--223

Kyu Ri Ban, Duluth, Ga., 71-74-78--223

Claudia Pilot, Austin, Minn., 76-74-75--225

Megan Grehan, Mamaroneck, N.Y., 74-78-75--227

Mesha Levister, Fredericksburg, Va., 72-75-80--227

Mina Hardin, Ft Worth, Texas, 73-75-79--227

Adriane Barnett, Jonesboro, Ark., 76-74-78--228

Corey Weworski, Carlsbad, Calif., 78-73-77--228

Debbie Adams, Asheville, N.C., 75-77-76--228

Kristin Wetzel, Middletown, N.Y., 70-79-79--228

Natalie Sheary, West Hartford, Conn., 78-78-72--228