By By Curtis Rockwell / Special to The Star
June 19, 2002
BILOXI The Meridian duo of Pam Posey and Lou Hart each kept their hopes alive of winning yet another state title as the Mississippi Women's
Golf Association 69th state amateur championship got underway Tuesday.
Both Hart and Posey posted wins in the first round of the match play tourney, advancing to today's action at the par 72, 5,500 yard President
Broadwater Course. The quarterfinals and semifinals take place today, with the finals set for Thursday morning.
Hart slipped past Karen Arceneau of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, 3 and 1, using a solid six foot putt on the 17th hole to seal the win.
Posey defeated Kristi Sanders, a Mississippi State University golfer, 5 and 4 on this course located just across U.S. 90 from the Mississippi Sound.
Hart takes on prep phenom Amanda Mathis of Picayune in the quarters, while Posey meets Katharine Jones in the same round. Mathis, a senior-to-be at Picayune High, beat Cathy Bailey 5 and 3 Tuesday after posting a low card of 72 in Monday's qualifying round.
Mathis made a name for herself just a few months ago by winning the Class 4A high school title in the boys' division. Just after Posey disposed of Sanders, Jones beat Nell Bradford 2 and 1.
Posey, who won the title two years ago at Beau Pre in Natchez, is attempting to wrest the championship away from Cissye Gallagher of Greenwood.
The pair have met the past two years in the finals, with Gallagher winning last year at Canebrake in Hattiesburg.
Gallagher, also a nine time MWGA champ, survived a valiant upset bid by Samye Johnson in the opening round on Tuesday slipping past her opponent 1-up in 19 holes. Johnson needed just a halve on the 18th hole to take the match, and Gallagher wound up winning with a par putt on the extra hole.
Johnson, who was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year, is an assistant athletics director at Mississippi State.
Gallagher will face Sheila Haynes today in her quarterfinal match. Haynes defeated Leigh Phillips 2-up. The final quarterfinal match will pit another junior golfer, Alexis Rather of Tupelo High, against Pat Ellis. Rather advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6 and 5 victory over Peggy Benandi while Ellis of Pass Christian defeated Margo Coleman 3 and 1.