Preview: Carolinas Women's Four-Ball

38^th Carolinas Women's Four-Ball Championship Preview
2014 champion team returns for chance at repeat victory 

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- The Carolinas Golf Association will conduct the 38^th Carolinas Women's Four-Ball Championship at Catawba Country Club in Newton, N.C. on August 4-5, 2015.

This will be the sixth CGA championship hosted by Catawba Country Club, including the 1958 and 2002 Carolinas Amateur. Designed in 1946 by Donald Ross, the course offers numerous birdie opportunities that can change to bogeys with one mistake.

51 teams will compete in the 38^th edition of the championship. The 2014 winning team of Hayley Hammond, 23, of Mooresville, N.C. and Lea Venable, 41, of Simpsonville, N.C. return to defend their title. 

Other notable teams:

• 17-time CGA champion Patty Moore of Charlotte, N.C. and 2015 N.C. Senior Women's champ Kim Briele of New Bern, N.C.

• 2014 N.C. Junior Girls' champion Grace Yatawara, 17, of Salisbury, N.C. and her 21-year-old sister Lily.

• 8-time CGA champion Debbie Adams, 48, of Asheville, N.C. and Julie Streng, 41, of Greensboro, N.C.

• Member of the 2014 runner-up team, Chandler Case, 19, of Rock Hill, S.C., will partner this year with CGA intern Rachel Wyatt, 22, of Blythewood, S.C.

• 2015 Moore County Women's Amateur champion Ashley Sloup, 19, of Southport, N.C. and Savanna Wood, 19, of Boone, N.C.

Format: (New for 2015)
The championship is contested at 36 holes of four-ball stroke play with a “Championship” division, “Tournament” division (shorter course) and “Senior” division (both players age 50+ and play shorter course). Gross scores only.

Teams have the option to compete in either the “Championship” division, “Tournament” division or “Senior” division (if eligible). “Tournament” division and “Senior” division plays a shorter course and is ineligible for the overall championship. Teams will be pre-flighted by total team handicap index within their division. Team handicap index is computed by adding 2/3 of the lower handicap index to 1/3 of the higher handicap index.

Approximate yardage:
Championship Division = 5700 yards
Tournament Division = 5100 yards
Senior Division = 5100 yards

Entry is open to any female amateur golfer who has reached her 13th birthday by August 4, 2015, is a legal resident of North Carolina or South Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and has an active GHIN® USGA Handicap Index® at a CGA member club.

The CGA will post any tournament delays or cancellations via our Twitter account.
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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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