Georgia finishes first in USGA Women's Team Championship at Dalhousie

Entering the final day of the USGA Women's State Team Championship on Saturday at Dalhousie Golf Club, the team from Georgia found itself in a good position.

Emily Meason, Margaret Shirley and Lauren Lightfritz hit the first tee trailing the team from Florida by just two strokes. And in the format that is team play, two strokes is a very manageable deficit.

Even on a brisk, windy day at Dalhousie.

"Two strokes is nothing," Georgia team captain Belinda Marsh said. "That can change on one hole. We knew that. And we also knew the Florida girls, and how good they are, so we couldn't take anything for granted."

Georgia turned things around early, building a three-stroke lead, then held on after the winds picked up to earn a three-stroke win and claim its fourth state team title.

Georgia finished at 436 over the three-day tournament, followed by Florida (439) and Pennsylvania (444).

Meason closed with a 4-over 76, while Lightfritz turned in a 75 and Shirley carded a 77.

"I think the key was staying patient," Meason said. "It was really windy out there today, and it was easy to get frustrated. I definitely got frustrated several times, but it's just a matter of staying patient and knowing your teammates are behind you and they're fighting, too. That really helps a lot."

Georgia and Florida hit the back nine knotted at even-par, but that's where the patience Meason described began to take root. With the winds wreaking havoc on the long back nine, the team from Georgia made fewer mistakes down the stretch, then sank some critical putts on the closing holes to pull out the win.

"The last couple holes are key, especially 17 and 18," said Meason. "They're key holes, and anything can go there."

Three late pars -- including a critical one on 18 by Meason -- sealed the win for Georgia.

"They knew when to press and when not to," Marsh said. "They were just playing center of the fairways and center of the greens, and trying to make some putts. Those putts weren't falling for awhile, but they hung in there and took advantage of some opportunities given to them. And they made some of their own opportunities, which is really exciting."

Shannon Johnson, from Foxborough, Massachusetts, found the Dalhousie layout to her liking, registering sub-par rounds all three days to finish at 4-under 212 for the tournament and claiming low individual honors.

"The key out here is to get yourself off the tee box and into the fairway," said Johnson, who shot rounds of 71-70-71. "If you can do that, you're gonna have an iron in (to the green). Getting off the tee is the biggest thing, and finding the fairway is huge."

Johnson admitted she hadn't been playing well coming into the tournament, but she said the course seemed to set up well for her game.

"It was perfect," she said. "I couldn't have asked for a better golf course. Shooting under par the first day helped build the confidence up, then shooting 2-under the second day was great. Then just trying to battle the wind today was key."

Missouri placed 15th at 456, climbing six spots over the final day.

"It's great to see various teams from other states, the age range, the skill levels," said Ellen Port, of St. Louis, who closed with a 4-over 76 to finish at 229. "Any USGA championship is a treat to play in. Everybody that's here is really appreciative of what Dalhousie did, and getting to play in a national championship is real exciting."

Course owner and managing member Cord Dombrowski said saying yes to hosting the event was the easy part. The real work began with planning some 18 months ago.

"It didn't come easy, but what was gratifying was seeing all the smiles from all the participants," Dombrowski said. "Today was just perfect."

Dalhousie has hosted a number of top-flight events in its short history, including high school state tournaments and AJGA events. The USGA Women's State Team event is another feather in its cap.

"We appreciate the confidence the USGA had in us," Dombrowski said. "Granted, it's not the U.S. Open, but it is for us, and it is for these participants. This is the biggest deal they've played in. All these 150 players, this was their U.S. Open, and we had to make sure that we put on an event that was worthy of their dedication to their game and their efforts to travel here from New Jersey and Maine and Alaska and all over the place.

"You can't take that lightly, and we didn't. We're grateful for the opportunity."