Georgia Takes Early Four-Stroke Lead At Women's State Team Championship

By David Shefter, USGA

Fort Wayne, Ind. – No team has ever won the USGA Women’s State Team Championship more than once since the biennial event began in 1995.

Georgia could be the first.

Buoyed by a 3-under-par 69 from 22-year-old Dori Carter of Valdosta, Georgia posted a 1-under 143 on Tuesday for a four-stroke clubhouse lead over South Carolina midway through the first round at Sycamore Hills Golf Club.

Georgia, which won the sixth edition of this championship in 2005 at Berkeley Hall in Bluffton, S.C., also got a pair of 2-over 74s from 15-year-old Mariah Stackhouse of Riverdale and Laura Coble, 45, of Augusta in the 3-count-2 format on the 6,095-yard, par-72 Jack Nicklaus design. Coble was a member of the victorious 2005 team.

“We would love to do that,” said Coble on the chance to win a second Women’s State Team title. “There would be no one happier. There’s a lot of golf left to play. There’s a lot of good teams out here.”

Another 25 teams had afternoon starting times, including defending champion Arizona, which took the title at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, two years ago.

Carter, who completed her college eligibility at the University of Mississippi this past spring, played a steady round that included five birdies and two bogeys. Mississippi’s Virginia Grimes, the 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion and three-time USA Curtis Cup team member, was the only other golfer from the morning wave to break par.

“It’s great,” said Carter. “I feel honored to be on this team. Just looking at the other two names, I can’t believe I am the third player.”

Carter kept her round going with a clutch 5-foot par save at the 14th hole. “I was ready to play and finish up strong after that,” she said. Carter birdied No. 16 by knocking her 58-degree wedge approach to 3 feet. Her other second-nine birdie came at the 13th hole when her 52-degree wedge approach stopped 4 feet from the hole.

In November, Carter plans to enter Duramed Futures Tour Qualifying School, but in the meantime she is completing her business management degree this fall at Ole Miss.

Stackhouse is also missing a few days of school at North Clayton High to compete this week. She rallied from a 5-over 41 on the outward nine to shoot a 33 on the second nine, which included six birdies, a bogey and a double bogey. A 21-foot par save at nine seemed to ignite Stackhouse, who won the Georgia Women’s Open and Georgia Women’s Amateur this summer.

“I just started making putts,” said Stackhouse. “Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to erase the mistakes I had today.”

Coble is no stranger to USGA events. She qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur held last month in St. Louis and has played in numerous U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs. The 10-time Georgia Women’s Player of the Year had four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

“I had a couple of hiccups out there today,” said Coble.

South Carolina, which shot 3-over 147, was paced by a 1-over 73 from 48-year-old Wallace Hamerton of Bluffton and a 74 from Dawn Woodard, 35, of Greer, who has previously played in this event for Tennessee.

Thanks to Grimes’ 70, Mississippi shared third at 6-over 150 with Colorado, which got an even-par 72 from 22-year-old Rachel Larson of Longmont and a 78 by Kim Eaton of Greeley. Cissye Gallagher, 42, of Greenwood added an 80 for Mississippi.

“I missed a couple of short putts for par – little breakers – but that’s OK,” said Grimes, who made six birdies, including a 3-footer on the difficult 376-yard, par-4 18th hole, where she hit the flagstick with her 155-yard, 5-iron approach. “I feel a lot better [about my game] now. My putter feels good. It was a good, solid day.”

The 54-hole stroke-play competition continues with the second and final rounds on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

David Shefter is a USGA Digital Media staff writer. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.