37th Annual GSGA Junior Sectional Challenge Match
Southern Hills Golf Club, Hawkinsville
July 27-28, 2010
Match Preview
Format and Schedule
The Georgia State Golf Association’s Junior Sectional Challenge Match takes place Tuesday, July 27 through Wednesday, July 28. The event is 18 holes of stroke play (nine holes each day) for the youngest age divisions and 36 holes of stroke play for the remainder of the field. Players earn points based on their individual finish within their age bracket.
Eligibility
Participants earned the opportunity to compete and represent their section in the tournament by accumulating points in their section's qualifying events, which took place in June and July. Each of the seven geographic sections sends their top four point earners from each boys’ age division and the top two from each girls’ division to the Challenge Match. The boys’ divisions are 16-17, 14-15, 12-13, and 11 and under. The girls’ divisions are 14-17, 12-13 and 11 and under.
Event History
The Junior Sectional Program began in 1974 and was established as a grassroots effort to provide juniors across the state with the opportunity to experience competitive golf. Each of the seven geographic sections conducts four to five one-day events during June and July. Juniors earn points in each event toward the statewide Challenge Match for participating and placing in the top five. The sections are Northwest, Northeast, West, Middle, East, Southeast and Southwest.
Host Club: Southern Hills Golf Club
Southern Hills Golf Club is hosting the Junior Sectional Challenge Match for the third time, having previously hosted in 1998 and ’99.
The general manager/superintendent is Russ Dunaway and the manager of golf operations is Matt Dunaway. The club phone number is (478) 783-0600 and web site is www.southernhillsgolf.com.
Directions to the club: I-75 S. to Exit 135. Go east on GA 224/Larry Walker Parkway to Haynesville. Road will become US 341. Continue through Haynesville for 3 miles to Buck Creek Road. Take left on Buck Creek and go 3 miles to GA 247. Turn south on GA 247 to Southern Hills to second entrance on left.
Defending Champion
The East section, posting strong performances out of the Girls’ 12-13 and Girls’ 11 and under age brackets, tallied a tournament total of 82.08 points to secure a runaway victory over the defending Southwest section at the 36th annual GSGA Junior Sectional Challenge Match, which was played at West Lake Country Club, July 20-21. The Northwest section finished third overall with 34 points. It was the East's seventh victory in the 36-year history of the match, but their first since 2000.
About the GSGA
Founded in 1916, the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) received its official charter on June 24, 1924. Since that date, the GSGA has grown to one of the largest state amateur golf associations in the country, with over 350 member clubs and 85,000 individual members. With a mission to promote and preserve amateur golf in the state of Georgia, GSGA offers a computerized handicapping service, course rating and measuring, and annually conducts a full schedule of statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups. Other services include a summer-long junior sectional program, award-winning Golf Georgia magazine, membership recognition and rewards programs and a charitable foundation administering two college scholarship programs.
