Area Golf Digest: Swords, Shepard earn spots in GSGA event
From Staff Reportssports@newnan.com
Newnan golfers Annie Swords, and Jodie Shepard earned a spot in this week’s Women’s Match Play Championships at Sunset Hills in Carrollton starting today by finishing in the top 32 during Tuesday’s stroke-play competition that served as a qualifier for the annual event
Swords and Shepard will now be placed in a bracketed flight with the rest of the field.
Coble has dominated the event, winning eight of the 14 Women’s Open match play events, including in 2009 and 2010.
Coble, the 13-time GSGA Women’s Player of the Year, advanced all the way to the Women’s Match Play Championship last year before falling to Auburn University assistant golf coach Margaret Shirley.
Swords made the field with birdies on the par-3 eighth hole and also with a birdie on the par-5 16th hole. She also finished with 11 pars.
Shepard earned her spot in the match-play field after finishing 11-over par and tying for 27 with Hannan Solesbee.
The longtime Newnan Country Club member finished with 9 pars during her qualifying round.
Swords will face Sea Island resident Cheryl Grigg in the first flight of matches today at 8:54. Grigg shot a 9-over par 81 to advance to match play.
Shepard will take on five-time GSGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year Brenda Pictor in her first match play round. Pictor tied for third during stroke play on Tuesday with a 2-over par 74.
Pictor’s round included birdies on the 11th and 14th holes. Shepard and Pictor tee off at 9:26 a.m.
Quarterfinal and semifinal matches are Thursday and the Championship is Friday.
Also competing in stroke play locally was White Oak member Ellen Conners, who finished just three strokes off the cut.
SMITH QUALIFIES FOR THIS WEEK’S SOUTHEASTERN AMATEUR IN COLUMBUS
Recent Newnan High graduate Trevor Smith continued a busy summer before heading to Coastal Georgia on a golf scholarship. On Tuesday, Smith shot an even 71 to finish tied for second during qualifying for this week’s 83rd Southeastern Amateur at the Country Club of Columbus.
The tournament, which begins today and concludes on Saturday, hosts many of the nation’s top amateur and collegiate players.
Smith, who played the course last week during a GSGA Amateur qualifier, improved on that effort on Tuesday by posting four birdies. He finished two strokes behind top qualifier Charlie Flowers of hometown Columbus.
LOCALS COMPETE IN YAMAHA ATLANTA OPEN
Three players from Coweta wrapped up play Tuesday in this year’s annual Yamaha Atlanta Open, held at Chattahoochee Golf Course in Gainesville.
Orchard Hills pro Wyatt Detmer led local efforts by posting identical rounds of 75 to finish at 6-over for the tournament in a tie for 62nd place. Michael Budgen and Chis Knobloch of Newnan Country Club also competed, with Budgen finishing with a 75-79-154 over the two rounds. Knobloch finished tied for 117th following a 5-over-77 on Tuesday.
