Carolinas Mid-Atlantic Jr. Girls' Team

The Carolinas Junior Girls' team leads the all-time series, 9-3-1 (2014 team pictured)

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- The 14^th Mid-Atlantic Challenge Junior Girls’ Team Matches will be held on the Landing Course at River Landing Country Club in Wallace, NC on July 25-26, 2015.

This annual team match competition is conducted by the Carolinas Golf Association in conjunction with the Virginia and Maryland State Golf Associations. The Challenge is an invitation-only event pitting top junior girls from North Carolina and South Carolina against a team from Virginia and Maryland. Girls’ team members must be 18 years of age or younger and who have not started college. 

The Carolinas team won the 2014 championship by a score of 9 ½ to 2 ½. After they established a strong 4-0 lead on day one, winning all four four-ball matches, the Carolinas girls’ tallied up 5 ½ more points to the Virginia’s 2 ½ on the final day to claim the victory. Carolinas leads the all-time series, 9-3-1.

The championship is conducted over two rounds of matches. The first round matches are four-ball format while second round matches are singles matches. There are 12 total points available. Carolinas needs 6 points to retain the cup while the Virginia team needs 6½ points to win the cup.

Opened in 1999 and designed by nationally acclaimed architect Clyde Johnson, the Landing Course at River Landing takes full advantage of the natural beauty of the region which includes scenic lakes, lush woodlands, and the Northeast Cape Fear River.

Team Rosters

Carolinas Team
Emily Cox of Lancaster, S.C. The 2015 CGA Vicki DiSantis Champion is a rising high school junior and ranked #10 in S.C. Cox finished T8 at this year’s Twin States Championship. She reached the Round of 64 at this year's U.S. Junior Girls' Championship.

Morgan Cox of Easley, S.C. A rising senior in high school, Cox is the #5 ranked junior in S.C. She is the 2014 CGA SC Junior Match Play Champion.

Grace Massengill of Hickory, N.C. Massengill is a rising senior in high school and is ranked #17 in N.C. She is the 2015 NC Junior Girls Champion.

Callista Rice of Mars Hill, N.C. Rice, the 15th ranked junior in N.C., is the 2014 CGA Dogwood State Junior Champion and looks to defend her title August 4-5th. The rising high school junior finished T14 at this year’s Twin States Championship and T9 at the 2015 NC Junior Girls’.

Jessica Spicer of Bahama, N.C. Spicer is the 2014 Carolinas Junior Girls Champion and looks to defender her title July 28-30th. The rising senior is the #6 ranked junior in NC. She finished T5 at this year’s NC Junior Girls’ and T8 at this year’s Twin States Championship. Qualified for this year's U.S. Junior Girls' Championship

Siranon (Muk) Shoomee of Sanford, N.C. As a rising senior in high school and the #4 ranked junior in N.C., she is the highest ranked member of this year’s team. She finished 2nd at the 2014 Twin States Championship and T8 at this year’s Vicki DiSantis.

Sarah Spicer of Bahama, N.C. A rising senior in high school, Spicer is the #5 ranked junior in N.C. She won the 2015 NC Women’s Amateur, finished T9 at this year’s NC Junior Girls’, and T6 at this year’s Twin States Championship. She also reached the Round of 64 at this year's U.S. Junior Girls' Championship.

Kathleen Sumner of Daniel Island, S.C. Sumner is the 2015 Twin States Champion. She is a rising junior in high school and ranked #9 in S.C.

Carolinas Captains

Tiffany Priest, CGA Captain. Priest is the CGA’s Director of Women’ Golf and Membership Services and entering her 14th year as captain of the Carolina’s team.

Vicki DiSantis, CGA Co-Captain. DiSantis, a long-time supporter of junior golf in the Carolinas, is a co-captain for the fourth year in a row.

Ellen Shulby, CGA Honorary Captain. Shulby has been co-captain and honorary captain of the Carolinas team for the past 14 years, aiding Priest in every way “Queen Ellen” can.

Virginia-Maryland Team
Elizabeth Bose of Norfolk, VA
Caroline Curtis of Richmond, VA
Ashley Dingman of Lorton, VA
Kirstin Hearp of Salem, VA
Lena Capoccia of Bethesda, MD
Johnna Parlett of Owings, MD
Sydney Mills of Severna Park, MD
Josephine Jung of Ellicott City, MD

Defending Champions
Carolinas Junior Girls' Team

Overall Mid-Atlantic Challenge record:
Carolinas 9
Virginia-Maryland 3
Ties 1
 

Girls’ team members must be 18 years of age or younger and who have not started college. The following Carolinians are invited to participate in the Mid-Atlantic Challenge junior girls team matches:
· CGA Vicki DiSantis Champion
· WSCGA SC Junior Champion
· CGA NC Junior Champion
· CGA Twin States Champion
· CGA SC Junior Match Play Champion
· CGA Carolinas Girls' Champion from the previous year (if still eligible)
· CGA Dogwood State Junior Champion from the previous year (if still eligible)
· 1 captain’s pick

River Landing CC (Landing) Information
Address: 116 Paddle Wheel Drive, Wallace, NC 28466
Host Golf Professional: Larry George
Course Architect: Clyde Johnson (1999)
Phone: (910) 285-6693
Website: https://www.riverlanding.com/

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

Now in its 106th year, the CGA annually conducts 43 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 140 One-Day (net and gross) events and qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed more than $1,500,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.    

For more information about the CGA, visit www.carolinasgolf.org.

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