News release for Women’s Southern Golf Associations 2013 Amateur
Killen, AL
Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club
5961 yards Par 72 Rating/Slope 74.7/129

Match Play with stroke play qualifier
The Tournament begins on Monday, May 20th with a qualifying round for all. The top 32 qualifiers make the Championship flight. The remainder will be placed in flights of 16 players each. Only the championship flight will have a 36 hole match to determine the winner, scheduled for Friday, May 24th. All others will have an 18 hole match to determine flight champions.
May 20-24, 2013

The Women’s Southern Golf Association (WSGA) is poised and ready to stage its 98th Amateur on the shores of Lake Wilson at Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club. The WSGA has been showcasing Amateur ladies golf for over a hundred years on some of the finest golf course in the 15 Southern member States and the District of Columbia.
Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club is a perfect fit for the WSGA’s Amateur with it serene vacation like setting and heralded golf course design. Even the youngest of our amateurs know the name Robert Trent Jones, Sr. To all, the name means risk reward, hard pars, easy bogeys and natural seemingly undisturbed beauty.

Bill and Sue Raines Co-host chairman have been working with the WSGA Tournament Co-Chairmen, Beverly Lance of Birmingham, Alabama and Audry Songy of Huntsville, Alabama on the staging of this prestigious event These Chairmen are aided by a committee of volunteers from Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club and the Committee Chairmen of the WSGA.

The WSGA prides itself on staging a tournament to the highest standard even supplying WSGA scorers and referees. All the WSGA needs to stage an amateur tournament are a talented superintendent that can handle the varying spring weather, a scenic challenging course, and a field of amateur ladies. The WSGA has found the perfect combination right here on the banks of Wilson Lake formed by the Tennessee River in the tiny town of Killen, Alabama. As a bonus, the central location of Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club has made the 2013 site travel friendly for all our member clubs of the Southern States.

Entry Chairman, Jo Glenn of Tulsa, Oklahoma, reports that the field is pretty much set although a few cancellation may yet happen as NCAA bound teams are announced. Glenn has 80 entries from 13 of the 16 member areas (the 15 Southern States and the District of Columbia).

Glenn was delighted to have Defending Champion, Emee Herbert of Johns Creek, GA who is on the Tusculum College Golf team, returning to defend her title. Herbert brings some fellow statesmen with her that might just challenge each other for the WSGA trophy.

Kathryn Fowler of Americus, GA (The University of Mississippi golf team) and Herbert had a tightly contested match last year in the quarterfinals Georgia brings another former Champion in 2005 WSGA Champion, Laura Coble of Augusta.

In 2010, a tiny junior named Amira Alexander of Alpharetta won the Jr. Medalist award. Three years later our junior medalist returns, all grown up, playing for the University of Georgia.

Playing in her first WSGA event is Mercedes Huarte, of Suwanee, GA. Huarte played her junior golf in Argentina winning the National Jr. Championship. Later in the US, she was the Ohio Valley Conference 2005 Freshman Player of the Year and in 2008 Player of the Year. She played golf for Jacksonville State and now tries to balance work with golf.

The home state of Alabama has 14 entries, the largest state entry in the field. Alabama has not won a WSGA title since Anne Hutto of Auburn won in 2002. Alabama hopes lie in four top players: Stanley, Lang, Holcombe, and West.
Out of Decatur Alabama comes Suzanne Stanley, who made a name herself in softball and golf. In 2005 Stanley was the only girl on the Decatur High School boy’s golf team. At that time, the Red Devil’s had no girls golf team. After a short stent with the Mississippi State’s golf team, she returned to Decatur to balance work with play at Point Mallard. With drives over 290 yards she has been know to gather a crowd on demo day as she tests new equipment.
Out of Decatur’s past comes golf amateur legend, Martha Lang of Birmingham. Lang, under her maiden name Martha Jones, won the Amateur in 1974 and 1980. She played for the first University of Alabama ladies golf team and received the first academic scholarship of the WSGA. Lang just finished her two year term as Chairman of the United States Golf Association’s Women’s Committee. Lang just received the Joe H. King Award from the Alabama Golf Association, March 1, 2013. She is the 16th golfer ever to win this award created to honor amateur golfers in Alabama for their contributions to golf. Another, former University of Alabama player, in the field is Pam Holcombe. Pam has over the years kept up her golf skills balancing family, work, golf and community involvement. She will be representing Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club. Holcombe has the, all important, home course advantage to challenge the youthful field as a mid amateur.
Tuscaloosa sends their herald mid-amateur, Susan West. West is a tall long hitting scratch golfer capable of humbling some college team members.

Arkansas has a combination of the young and the old to challenge the field. Olivia Lavy from Fayetteville represents the University of Arkansas while Tanna Lee Richard represents the Arkansas Amateur Golf Hall of Fame. Richard shot the lowest round of the week in the 2010 WSGA Senior Tournament at Texarkana Country Club.

Florida has its best chance for a crown since Alexis Thompson in 2009 stole the crown as a lanky teen in braces. Out of Florida’s Junior Golf scene come a couple of young guns to challenge. Alice Barieri of Windemere, a graduating High School senior, just signed with Florida Atlantic. Kristine Odaiyar of Ocala qualified for the WSGA Junior Sectionals. Anna Hancock of Lakeland rounds out Florida’s lowest handicapped entries. Hancock plays for the University of South Florida’s golf team.

Mississippi has Meagan Roberts, the long hitting fearless golfer, from Ocean Springs and the University of Arkansas golf team. Roberts was the Finalist in the 2011 Amateur. Roberts is a threat to any course that has “risk reward” holes.

From North Carolina we have another Jr. Medalist returning in Evelyn Dole of Raleigh. Laura Wearn of Charlotte, NC is the long hitting star of the Furman University golf team. She and teammate Aubrie Street have a chance to take the team trophy.

South Carolina has mid amateur Dawn Woodard of Greer who won the team trophy in 2012. The team trophy goes to the low two qualifiers from the same club or school. The team trophy is a perpetual trophy, so this maybe a reminder for Woodard to stop by Thornblade Country Club as she leaves for Killen and raid the trophy case. Also, representing South Carolina is Aubrie Street from Greenville, SC. Street is a teammate of Laura Wearn at Furman University whose home town is listed as Bedford, Oregon.

Corinna Rees of Nashville, TN has already made WSGA history listed as Finalist for 2010. Rees, a former University of Arkansas golf star, works and polishes her golf now in the Nashville area.

Texas has a large group of senior (over fifty) ladies entered. The best hope for a spot in Friday’s Championship Match lies with Carolyn Creekmore of Dallas. Creekmore was a WSGA Finalist in 2004 and semi finalist in 2011. Creekmore is in both Arkansas’s and Texas’s Amateur Golf Halls of Fame. Creekmore’s legendary focus, fitness, and game usually results in a place in the Championship flight.

Virginia is the last state with a viable chance in Hannah Pierce of Longwood University’s golf team. Hannah from King George, VA put a little of the King’s English on her putts last year and sent the Medalist straight to the consolation bracket. History is always made when the 32nd qualifier trips up the number one seed.

Oklahoma is bringing nine players who love to travel with golf clubs. Although, many are armed with local club titles, they rarely make the Championship flight. However, they are true lovers of golf competition at its highest level and will fill the WSGA scrapbook for 2013 with flight winners.

Anne Gutter is the lone ranger from Louisiana. It seems the Ladies golf team of Tulane University, just across Lake Pontchartrain from Gutter’s home in Covington, is headed to the NCAA Women’s Championships.
Sunday, May 19th, the flags of the member states will welcome the field to registration, and their practice rounds. One hundred years ago Mrs. E.W. Dailey of Nashville, TN was crowned the WSGA Champion, while Mrs. Frank G. Jones of Memphis (Defending Champion) became the Finalist. Soon, two more names will be added to our history under the year 2013. History is so important to the WSGA that ever entry sent out has a copy of the list of Champions.
The history of this 2013 WSGA Championship is awaiting the challenges provided by the Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club Course from May 20th to May 24th, 2013.

Karen Koerner WSGA Publicity Chairman
Contact info. kkamera@consolidated.net
For more information on our organization, from officers to academic scholarships, please visit our website. www.womens-southerngolfassociation.org/