Area Golf Digest: Swords, 15, challenges at Women's Match Play
From Staff Reportssports@newnan.com
Annie Swords reached the round of 16 Wednesday during the Georgia State Golf Association’s annual Women’s Match Play Championship at Sunset Hills Country Club in Carrollton before being eliminated by Phenix City’s Nikki Crowley, who birdied two of her final four holes to complete a comeback win.
Swords, 15, made an impressive run in the tournament which picks up today with quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. The standout from Newnan, who played in last year’s U.S. Girls Junior Amateur, won her opening match 3 and 2 over Cheryl Grigg of Sea Island after taking the No. 9 seed among 32 players into the event.
As one of the tournament’s youngest players, however, Swords held her own. She opened the day by defeating Griggs in a match that ended with Swords sinking a par putt on the 521-yard 16th hole. Swords took a two-hole lead after four and pushed it to 4-up by No. 13.
Longtime Newnan Country Club member Jodie Shepard, the tournament’s other local qualifier, was defeated by eventual quarterfinalist and No. 5 seed Brenda Pictor of Marietta 6 and 5 in the opening round. Shepard kept the match tied with a par on No. 6, before Pictor won the final five holes of the match.
SMITH OPENS SOUTHEASTERN AMATEUR
Newnan High graduate Trevor Smith opened the 83rd Southeastern Amateur at the Country Club of Columbus on Wednesday with an 11-over 82.
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