Joshi Jumps Past Opponents for Match Play Title

 

Event: 20th Dogwood State Junior Girls’ Championship

Host Site: Cedar Rock Country Club

Playing Dates: July 30-August 1, 2024

Social Media: @CGAgolf1909

 

Related: Championship Website  | Scoring |  History  |  Photos

 

LENOIR, N.C. - Three days and over 100-holes later, Ira Joshi of Pinehurst, N.C. found herself victorious at the 20th Dogwood State Junior Girls’ Championship. Joshi had to survive six rounds of match play in order to claim the tournament title, winning all of her matches against some extremely tough competition and a challenging course at Cedar Rock Country Club.

This year the Dogwood Junior Girls’ Match Play Championship introduced a new format. Round 1 and Round 2 featured 22-player round robin matches, with players competing for eight spots to advance to bracket play, followed by a quarterfinal and semifinal round.

Joshi was among just three girls her age in the field, being one of the youngest players in the tournament. The rising eighth grader and 2029 high school graduate says that there wasn’t any level of intimidation competing against much older players. 

“I wasn’t nervous at all, but it was really fun playing against a ton of good players.”

Her final two matches came down to the wire, both concluding on the last two holes. In the semifinal round against Maya Claffey of Charlotte, N.C., Joshi never gained a lead larger than 2-up and was tied for a total of six holes. She gained possession of the lead on Hole 15 and punched her ticket to the Championship Match by sinking a 10-foot putt on Hole 18 to finish 1-up.

The Championship Match featured an entertaining battle between Joshi and Mackenzie Cline of Cary, N.C. as Joshi developed a substantial lead after Hole 8, going 4-up. Cline fought back with a couple huge shots on Hole 10 and 11, but Joshi expanded the deficit back to 4-up heading to the tee box on Hole 13. Cline came up clutch with a birdie on Hole 13, along with a chip-in from about 20 yards on Hole 16 to extend the match.

Cline had to win the final two holes in order to force a playoff, and all Joshi had to do was tie to clinch the victory. The two finalists both stuck the green on the long Hole 17 par-3, both having an opportunity to make birdie. Cline conceded her second putt, securing Joshi of her second CGA title in the last nine months dating back to her Collegiate Showcase win in November 2023.

The Carolinas Golf Association would like to formally thank the members and staff at Cedar Rock Country Club, especially Head Golf Professional Champ Detmore, General Manager Jim Hart, and Superintendent Robert Reid for courteously hosting the 20th Dogwood State Junior Girls’ Match Play Championship.

 

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1909 to promote and protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support, and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is one of the largest golf associations in the country, with over 700 member clubs represented by over 200,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 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 over $3,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives, including junior, women and adaptive programs.

For more information about the Carolinas Golf Association, follow @cgagolf1909 on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok or visit our website www.carolinasgolf.org/