NEWNAN, GA — Emile Burger from Hoschton, won her first Yamaha Georgia Women’s Open which was conducted for the fourth time in the event’s history at Canongate at Summer Grove Golf Club in Newnan.

Burger carded a steady round of even par 72 which included 3 birdies, one bogey, and one nearly disastrous double bogey on the 16^th hole to finish at five-under par 139.  Two-time Georgia Women’s Open champion Margaret Shirley of Roswell made a bogey on the 18^th hole to end up alone in second place at four-under par 140.

Burger, a rising sophomore at the University of Georgia, had a three shot lead with three holes to play as she stood on the tee of the 167 yard par three 16^th hole.  Her tee shot just came up short of the green, and her chip shot went by the hole to about six feet.  Burger then missed her par attempt, and went to tap in for bogey from a very short distance-but her putt caught the edge of the hole and lipped out.  She made the next one for an untidy double bogey and her lead was cut to one shot over her playing partner and assistant golf coach at UGA, Shirley.

Shirley, a former Auburn All-American, who won this championship in 2006 and 2008 went on to birdie the par four 17^th hole to capture her first share of the lead and was in prime position to add another title in the state championship of women’s golf in Georgia.

Her drive on the 18^th hole found the deep fairway bunker and she had to lay up to about 100 yards away from the hole.  Burger’s drive found the center of the fairway and she hit a 7-iron from 158 yards just over the flagstick to ten feet.  The diminutive Shirley would not go away as she hit her third shot to six feet right of the hole.  Burger’s birdie attempt just slid by the hole to about 12 inches, but she wisely chose to mark her putt.  Shirley’s par saving attempt to force a playoff was a bit firm and didn’t take the break.  She tapped in for a bogey.  Burger with thoughts of the near disaster on the 16^th hole quickly tapped in her putt for par and the championship and the coveted W.A. (Bill) Roquemore trophy.  Bill Roquemore was the founder of the Canongate family of golf courses and a long time supporter of women’s golf in Georgia.

The defending champion sixteen year old, Mariah Stackhouse of Riverdale, carded an even par round of 72 and finished the tournament at three-under par 141 and alone in third place.

Finishing in a three-way tie for fourth place were University of Georgia player, Kendall Wright of Suwanee and two professionals who tied for the low professional honors, Futures Tour player Carmen Bandea of Atlanta and Lacy Agnew of Jonesboro who was making her professional debut.

Former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Dave Womack enjoyed a home course advantage in the recent Yamaha Atlanta Open, but for half the final round of the 36-hole event, that advantage wasn’t evident on his scorecard.

Womack shot a 4-under 67 in the first round at Canongate’s Georgia National GC, and was playing in the final group with Jeff Hull, the leader after an opening 66.

After nine consecutive pars to start the final round, Womack was still one shot behind Hull and Travis Nance, the third member of the final threesome off the tee. But all three had been overtaken by defending champion Tim Weinhart, who went out in 4-under 31 to take a one-stroke lead at the turn.

Womack preserved his par streak with a terrific save at the 9^th, holing his first putt of note on the day after missing the green,

The par save propelled Womack to birdies on each of the next four holes to take a one-shot lead when play was suspended for the day by lightning in the area. When play resumed the next morning, Womack preserved his advantage with four pars and a birdie, edging out both Weinhart and Hull by one stroke.

Womack shot 66 in the second round for a 9-under 133 total. Weinhart and Hull were second at 134, with Weinhart closing with a 65, the lowest score of the tournament. The two players split first/second place points for Georgia PGA Player of the Year (Weinhart leads in his quest for a sixth title) as well as first/second place money, with both taking home $4,150.

Nance and Seth McCain tied for 4^th at 137, with Michael Raines 6^th overall and 2^nd among the amateurs at 138.

“The up and down at nine did it,” Womack said. “When that putt went in, something clicked. I hit it close at 10 and that was huge. That birdie got me going. For the next few holes everything was clicking and I was really striking it good.”

The birdie at 10 pulled Womack even with Weinhart, who suffered his only bogey of the day when his second shot flew the green and he missed his par putt after a deft pitch. Weinhart, playing in the group in front of Womack, regained the lead with a birdie at the par-3 11^th, but Womack matched him.

The two players also birdied the par-5 12^th, with Weinhart again chipping it close while Womack hit a beautiful second shot to the back fringe of the small target. Weinhart again had a chance to move in front but missed from just inside 10 feet at the short par-4 13^th, while Womack made it four in a row when he holed his birdie putt of similar length.

Play was suspended minutes later, and tournament officials were never able to get players back on the course that afternoon.

“I was a little concerned,” Womack said of his loss of momentum by the delay. “It was in the back of my mind because I was playing so good when we stopped.”

Womack played solidly after play resumed the next morning, just missing a birdie opportunity at 16 before moving two in front when he hit his tee shot to 10 feet on the par-3 17^th and holed the birdie putt.

Weinhart had two excellent birdie chances at 16 and 17 but could not convert either one before closing out his round with a birdie at the par-5 18^th. Hull, who was three off the lead when play was suspended, rolled in a 30-footer for birdie on 14 after play resumed and lipped out for birdie on both 15 and 16 before hitting his tee shot to 2 feet for another birdie at 17.

Trailing by two going to the final hole, he carded his third birdie of the morning to tie Weinhart, but Womack was never in danger of making more than par on the hole. He hit his second shot just in front of the green and chipped to about 6 feet, two-putting for a par and the victory.

“This means a lot to me,” Womack said. “I haven’t won since the USGA Mid-Am in 2006. I’ve gotten in a rut the past few years. I’ve been trying to get out of my own way and just start playing.”

Womack, a long time member at Georgia National, enjoyed the added satisfaction of winning the tournament on his home course, with a small gallery of fellow members cheering him on.

“It’s nice to do it on your home course in front of the home town guys. They really don’t get to see me compete.”

Womack won the GSGA Public Links title twice in three years on nearby courses (Cherokee Run and since-closed Southerness), and took advantage of the rare opportunity to win even closer to his home in McDonough.

“It’s pretty neat to play on your home course in a big event. It’s a huge advantage, but it can get a little overwhelming.  I tried to play it like I usually do and that seemed to relax me.”

Womack got off to a strong start in the opening round with two birdies on his first four holes. He was even par at the turn before closing with a 4-under 32, scoring birdies on three of his last four holes to end the day just one in back of Hull in second place.

Hull, an instructor at the UGA course in Athens, has now finished second three times in the Atlanta Golf Open, losing once in a playoff (to Greg Lee at Marietta CC in 2003) and twice being edged out by an amateur, taking second behind Bob Royak at the Standard Club in ’07.

“I’m pretty happy at the result,” said Hull, who came out to the course the morning after the delay with thoughts of making five birdies on five holes.

“I knew it was out there,” he said, and came pretty close to making it happen.

Leading by one after the opening day, Hull’s second round got off to a tough start when he lipped out for birdie on the par-5 first hole. He took a brief two-shot lead when he made a spectacular birdie from the trees on the difficult 4^th, getting a nice break when his second shot wound up close to the cup after making contact with tree limbs.

“I got away with it on 4,” he said. “I turned what could have been a 6 or a 7 into a 3.”

Hull lost the lead when he bogeyed from a greenside bunker at the 5^th and fell three behind Womack and Weinhart when his third shot to the par-5 12^th flew the green and he took bogey. He hit it close at the inviting 13^th for birdie before play was halted, and came back the next morning with three birdies in five holes and two near-misses.

Weinhart, who won last year’s Atlanta Open at Heron Bay, was three back of Hull after an opening 69, but surged into the lead when he began his second round with birdies on four of the first six holes. A chip-in at the 6^th vaulted him into first place, and he remained on top thanks to two outstanding par saves from a buried lie in a bunker at 7 and after a wayward tee shot at the 9^th.

After another excellent recovery failed to produce a par at 10, he birdied the next two holes to stay within one shot of the suddenly sizzling Womack. Weinhart,. an instructor at St. Marlo, had his opportunities after play resumed the next morning, but could not quite catch the leader.

“I gave myself some chances,” said Weinhart, who has come close in the tournament several times previously, including a pair of playoff losses and a close third place finish at Newnan CC in 2008.

“I made some really good par saves. If I made one or two more putts the first day, it might have been a different story. But I saw a lot of good stuff the last few days. I’ve got no room to complain.

“I’m really pleased with where my game is going to the club professional championship.”

Weinhart and Hull are among a group of Georgia PGA members who will compete in the PGA PNC in Indiana later this month.

Nance, a former tour player who is now working as an assistant at Coosa CC in Rome, made six birdies on his first 13 holes in the final round, including three in a row before play was suspended. He encountered some tree trouble at the 9^th and made a double bogey, and was two behind Womack when play was halted, but a bogey at 15 the next morning ended his chances.

Tying Nance for third at 137 was Jennings Mill assistant Seth McCain, who had 10 birdies and an eagle over two rounds, but also had seven bogeys on his card. McCain went 4-under for four holes on the back nine, beginning with an eagle at the 12^th, in the final round to move up the leader board.

Raines, a Marietta resident and a member of the South Carolina golf team, posted a pair of 69s to take 2^nd behind Womack in the amateur competition and 6^th overall.

Tying for 7^th at 139 were Towne Lake Hills assistant Chris Nicol, Cherokee CC instructor Kevin Roman and Mike Pavao, the head professional at Bobby Jones GC. Nicol, who tied for third last year at Heron Bay, made a big splash in the final round, playing his first 11 holes in 7-under before settling for a 5-under 66.

Brookfield CC instructor Michael Parrott was 5-under after 11 in the final round, shooting a 68 to take 10^th at 140.

Among those tying for 11^th at 142 were Matt Peterson, head pro at the UGA course, and tour player/instructor Sonny Skinner, who finished 1-2 at Newnan CC two years ago. CC of the South Director of Instruction Shawn Koch also tied for 11^th along with Rivermont CC head pro Matthew Evans, Achasta assistant Jordan Arnold and amateurs Cameron Simmons, Tyler Smith and Wade Binfield, who was runner-up last year to Weinhart.

Georgia National, a Denis Griffiths design, was in outstanding condition for the tournament, with the low scores a result of high temperatures that required the superintendent’s staff to water the greens, making them receptive to approach shots while retaining their speed that gave players an opportunity to hole some putts.

Mariah Stackhouse got the surprise of a lifetime this week at her high school. During a press conference where Mariah was being honored for her accomplishments this past year, LPGA member Christina Kim walked into the gymnasium and presented Mariah with an exemption into her first LPGA Tour Event. Mariah will be playing in “The Mojo 6” which is a new event this year in Montego Bay, Jamaica. She will take the course April 15th and 16th in an LPGA event to be televised on CBS. Visit the website for more information and a full press release from this week’s event. Congratulations Mariah!

Dori Carter, Laura Coble and Mariah Stackhouse Share GSGA’s Tommy Barnes Award Four other golfers earn GSGA Player of the Year Honors

MARIETTA, Ga. – Three highly successful golfers were selected as the shared recipients of the 2009 Tommy Barnes Award after capturing a national championship for the state of Georgia. Dori Carter of Valdosta, Laura Coble of Augusta and Mariah Stackhouse of Riverdale teamed up to win the USGA Women’s State Team Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind., last September. The trio was announced as the winners and honored at the GSGA’s Players of the Year Luncheon, held at Cherokee Town Club in Atlanta on January 23, 2010.

Team Georgia became the first state to win multiple titles in the biennial competition that’s been conducted since 1995. Georgia won the 2005 title at Berkeley Hall in Bluffton, S.C., with a team that also featured Coble.

Georgia led wire-to-wire but South Carolina and Hawaii trailed by only three strokes going into the final round. Carter made the uphill climb a little more difficult for their competitors, shooting 4-under-par 32 on the outward nine. She eventually got it to 6-under for the round after making three consecutive birdies from No. 13. Carter finished as the individual medalist by two strokes, shooting 69-76-69 for 2-under-par 214 for the Championship.

Stackhouse triple-bogeyed the par-3 fourth hole and stood at 4-over for the round. But she then played her final 14 holes in 6-under, making four consecutive birdies from No. 7, including a chip-in at the eighth and a 30-footer from the fringe at the ninth. She also added birdies at the par-5 12th and 15th holes for her 2-under 70 for the round, good enough for a tie for sixth place in the individual standings. Coble finished 11th overall.

GSGA senior director Sissi Gann of Kathleen, who served as captain of the successful Georgia squad, called this her “dream team.” And the team members’ track records in all levels of competition in 2009 certainly backed up her claim. Coble is also the 2009 GSGA Women’s Player of the Year for the 11th time, while Stackhouse captured her third consecutive GSGA Girls’
Player of the Year title. Carter finished second in the women’s standings behind Coble, earning points for her runner-up finish in the Georgia Women’s Top 60 Classic, her fifth-place showing at the Georgia Women’s Open and runner-up finish (falling in a playoff to Stackhouse) at the Georgia Women’s Golf Association (GWGA) Amateur Championship. Carter also qualified and advanced to match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

The award’s namesake, Tommy Barnes of Atlanta, was one of Georgia’s legendary amateur golfers. Among his many accomplishments, Barnes captured the 1941 Georgia Amateur Championship, won the 1947 and ’49 Southern Amateur titles, qualified for 16 consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships and played in the 1950 Masters Tournament. In 1989, at age 73, Barnes shot 62 to break Bobby Jones’ 67-year-old record at his home course, East Lake Golf Club. He also had a long history of service to GSGA and other golf associations, and was a member of numerous Halls of Fame. Barnes passed away in 2007 at age 91.

In honor of this special gentleman, GSGA established the Tommy Barnes Award in 1983-84 to recognize its Men’s Player of the Year. Beginning in 1998, the Tommy Barnes Award was given to the annual overall player of the year.

Four other golfers received GSGA Players of the Year awards during the Luncheon. Players of the Year are annually awarded in six categories: Men, Women, Junior, Girls’, Senior Men and Senior Women.

David Noll Jr. of Dalton captured his third-straight and fifth overall GSGA Men’s Player of the Year award in 2009 with five strong performances on the state level. Only current Champions Tour player Allen Doyle owns more, with seven Player of the Year titles from 1983-92.

Noll started the season by tying for seventh at the Georgia Four-Ball Championship with partner Doug Green, marking their fourth top-10 finish in the last five years. With a tie for eighth at the Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship, Noll posted his fourth-straight and sixth overall top-10 finish in that event.

In the Georgia Amateur Championship, Noll, the 2003 champion, finished runner-up to defending champion Russell Henley, marking his fifth-consecutive top-6 finish in the state’s most prestigious amateur event. In the Georgia Open, Noll tied for low amateur honors, finishing 11th overall.

Noll successfully defended his title at the Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship, becoming the first golfer in a decade to do so and just the seventh player in the 91-year history of the tournament to capture three titles. He won his first Atlanta Amateur in 2005.

Noll also represented the GSGA in the biennial Billy Peters Cup Matches and led his Dalton Golf and Country Club team to their second Georgia Team Championship in three years.

After a one-year hiatus following 10 straight Women’s Player of the Year titles, Coble is back atop the standings, cruising to the title in 2009.
Coble won two GSGA statewide events, posted top-5 finishes in two others and qualified for two national championships, advancing to the finals in one.

Coble started the season by winning the Georgia Women’s Match Play Championship in 21 holes over Stackhouse, the two-time defending champion.
It was Coble’s seventh title in the 12-year history of the event.

Coble captured her fourth Greater Atlanta Women’s Amateur Championship with a two-stroke victory over Ashley Medders. She also earned points for finishing fifth at the Georgia Top 60 Women’s Classic, 12th in the Georgia Women’s Open and fifth in the GWGA Championship.

On the national level – in addition to her success at the USGA State Team Championship – Coble qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the second-straight year and third time since 2005. But she made her mark at the
2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, where she advanced to the final match to face a former Georgian, Martha Leach, who went on to win 3 and 2.
It was Coble’s best career finish in a USGA individual national championship.

Oliver Schniederjans of Powder Springs came up just short in his bid to win the Georgia Junior Championship, but strong performances in other events garnered him enough points to earn GSGA’s Junior Player of the Year title for 2009.

The 16-year-old Schniederjans finished runner-up in the state Junior, four strokes back of champion Scott Wolfes. It marked the second time in three years he finished among the top six. He did, however, capture the Georgia PGA Junior Championship, shooting 11-under-par 133 for a three-stroke victory at Cartersville Country Club.

Schniederjans also qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, finishing third in stroke-play qualifying before dropping his first round in match play.

The teenager capped off his GSGA season by becoming the youngest winner in the history of the Georgia Public Links Championship. Schniederjans carded rounds of 66-68 to win by two strokes.

Stackhouse won her third-straight GSGA Girls’ Player of the Year title, thanks to victories in two statewide Championships and a runner-up finish in another. She becomes the first golfer to capture the honor three times since the Girls’ Player of the Year award was established in 1994.

Stackhouse, who won the Georgia Women’s Match Play Championship in 2007 and ’08, took Coble to 21 holes before falling in the final match to finish as runner-up.

Stackhouse made history at the Georgia Women’s Open, becoming the youngest champion in the 15-year history of the event. She outlasted professional Jackie Szymoniak in a one-hole playoff to pocket the title after shooting 5-under 139 over the first 36 holes.

It took a late rally and yet another playoff, but Stackhouse also successfully defended her GWGA Amateur Championship title. Stackhouse trailed Carter by five shots during the final round but managed to even things up after 54 holes of regulation. In the three-hole aggregate playoff, Stackhouse trailed Carter by a stroke going into the final hole, but birdied the hole to secure her second-straight playoff victory in this event.

GSGA’s senior division welcomed a new champion and new Senior Player of the Year in 2009 in Jimmy Thomas of Johns Creek. Thomas won the Georgia Senior Championship at Green Island Country Club in Columbus in an exciting finish over perennial contender and second-round leader Spencer Sappington. Thomas trailed Sappington by one stroke entering the final round, but also had to contend with another past Senior Player of the Year, Jerry Greenbaum, who made a charge over the front nine to take the lead. When Greenbaum fell back late in the round, Sappington made a rally of his own to tie Thomas for the lead going into the final hole. Sappington couldn’t get up and down for par on 18, while Thomas, just needing par, sank his 20-foot birdie putt for the two-shot margin of victory.

Thomas’ victory was indeed special, considering that he had overcome neck cancer in the previous year, enduring surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments while wondering if he would even be able to play golf again. He called his victory at Green Island a “great testimony.”

Though not a point-earning event, Thomas also participated on the GSGA squad for the Billy Peters Cup Matches, which notched its fourth-straight victory over the Georgia PGA.

2009 marks the third-straight year Brenda Pictor of Marietta has won at least a share of GSGA’s Senior Women’s Player of the Year honor. She shared the title with Darlene Werhnyak in 2007 before winning it outright in 2008.
She had no trouble securing the title this year, with nearly three times as many points as the second-place finisher in the standings.

Pictor also won her second GSGA Senior Women’s Championship in three years, with a three-stroke victory over Patti Huxford. She posted strong finishes at the Greater Atlanta Women’s Amateur Championship (tied for ninth) and the Georgia Top 60 Women’s Classic (sixth). She also earned points for her top-20 finish at the GWGA Amateur Championship.

On the national stage, Pictor advanced to the semifinals of the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, winning four matches after tying for 23rd in stroke-play qualifying. She also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, winning her first match in 19 holes before falling in the second round.

Pictor also represented the state in the Georgia-Florida Women’s Team
Matches for the second-straight year.

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.

Tommy Barnes Award History

1998 Bill Roberts, Pine Mountain
1999 Bill Ploeger, Columbus
2000 Laura Coble, Augusta
2001 Rick Cloninger, Dacula
2002 Bill Ploeger, Columbus
2003 Brian Harman, Savannah
2004 Spencer Sappington, Alpharetta
2005 Laura Coble, Augusta
2006 Dave Womack, McDonough
2007 Mark Strickland, Woodstock
2008 David Noll Jr., Dalton
2009 Dori Carter, Valdosta; Laura Coble, Augusta; Mariah Stackhouse,
Riverdale

2009 Players of the Year Final Points Standings Top five and ties listed – complete final standings available at www.gsga.org

Men’s Player of the Year
David Noll Jr., Dalton 550
Matt Nagy, Buena Vista 450
Mark Strickland, Woodstock 450
Jeff Knox, Augusta 400
Russell Henley, Macon 350

Women’s Player of the Year
Laura Coble, Augusta 1,450
Dori Carter, Valdosta 850
Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale 800
Emilie Burger, Hoschton 550
Kaley Branton, Cartersville 450
Brenda Pictor, Marietta 450

Junior Player of the Year
Oliver Schniederjans, Powder Springs 350
Anders Albertson, Woodstock 275
Scott Wolfes, St. Simons Island 150
Blaine Woodruff, Acworth 75
Michael Garretson, Acworth 75
Will Evans, McDonough 75
Jack Walsh, Lawrenceville 75
Cole Hunsucker, Kennesaw 75

Girls’ Player of the Year
Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale 800
Rinko Mitsunaga, Roswell 400
Amira Alexander, Alpharetta 250
Abby Johnson, Braselton 250
Anna Leigh Keith, Moultrie 200

Senior Player of the Year
Jimmy Thomas, Johns Creek 250
Larry Clark, Kingston 200
Spencer Sappington, Milton 175
Bill Ploeger, Columbus 175
Bill Leonard, Kennesaw 150
Karl Simon, Lawrenceville 150
Bobby Brent, Columbus 150

Senior Women’s Player of the Year
Brenda Pictor, Marietta 950
Mary Helen McElreath, Augusta 325
Ginette Spinucci, Stone Mountain 250
Patti Huxford, Cumming 250
Sue King, Chatsworth 200
Mary Riley, Perry 200