Preview: 22nd Carolinas Women’s Match Play

 

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (July 22, 2019) -- The Carolinas Golf Association will conduct the 22nd Carolinas Women’s Match Play Championship at Furman University Golf Club in Greenville, S.C. from July 23-25, 2019.

Related: Championship Web Site | Full Field of Players | Starting Times | Scoring | History

Players to watch: 

• Jessica Spicer of Bahama, N.C., a rising senior at Virginia Tech, is now the top-ranked amateur golfer in the Carolinas Women’s Rankings after capturing her third CGA Championship title at the Carolinas Women’s Amateur held at Ballantyne Country Club. Her first title of the year came at the weather-shortened Carolinas Young Amateur Championship in January. Spicer finished runner-up in this event last year.

• Riley Smyth of Cary, N.C., a rising sophomore at the University of Virginia, has had three top-15 finishes this year including a runner-up finish at the Carolinas Women’s Amateur. She also made it to the round of 16 at the Women’s Southern Amateur in June.

• Emily Hawkins of Lexington, N.C. just finished her freshman year at Campbell University where she became only the third player in Big South Conference history (since 1989) to be named league Golfer of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season. In June alone, she won the Women’s Eastern Amateur, made it to the round of 32 in the Women's Southern Amateur and tied for third at the Carolinas Women’s Amateur. Hawkins is a five-time CGA Champion.

• Katherine Schuster of Kill Devil Hills, N.C. is one of the younger players in the field but one of the most experienced. Schuster won her first CGA Championship title at the N.C. Junior Girls Championship in June and followed it up with another victory at Pinehurst’s North and South Junior Championship in July. 

• Jodee Tindal of Rock Hill, S.C., a rising junior at the College of Charleston, was a semifinalist in this event last year. She finished tied for seventh at this year’s Carolinas Women’s Amateur and third place at the WSCGA Amateur Championship. Tindal is a four-time CGA champion coming off a win last week at the Parent-Child Championship with her father, Kevin Tindal.

• Gracyn Burgess of Lexington S.C., a rising sophomore at Clemson University, most recently finished in fifth place at the WSCGA Amateur Championship. She finished tied for fourth at the Carolinas Young Amateur earlier in the year. She made it to the round of 32 in this event last year. Burgess is a four-time CGA Champion.

Past champions in the field (2):
Hailey Cleary, Lexington, S.C., 2017
Dawn Woodward, Greer, S.C., 2012, 2013

Furman University Golf Club has been known as one of the premier campus courses in the country for many years. The challenging, par-72 layout underwent a major renovation in 2008, where all 18 greens were reconstructed under USGA specifications and reseeded with Champion UltraDwarf Bermuda grass. Furman University GC has hosted three CGA championships in the past and is proud to host this year’s women’s event.

The championship format is 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying to determine flights and seeding for match play. The championship flight will be comprised of the top 32 qualifiers and will compete for the overall championship title. Players will be seeded based on qualifying score.

Entry is open to any female amateur golfer who has reached her 13^th birthday by July 23, 2019, maintains a residence in 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.

 

Schedule of rounds:
Tuesday, July 23
Round 1 –18 holes stroke play qualifying (tee times begin 8:00 a.m. off #1 tee)
Lunch immediately following play for players
Round of 32 Matches for Championship Flight only (PM shotgun)

Wednesday, July 24
Round of 16 and Quarterfinals Matches for Championship Flight|
First round matches and semifinal matches for all other flights
(tee times begin 8:00 a.m. #1 tee

Thursday, July 25
Semifinal and Final matches for Championship Flight
Final matches for all other flights
(tee times begin 8:00 a.m. and approximately 11:30 a.m. off #1 tee)
Awards ceremony immediately following play