By By Marty Stamper / sports editor
June 27, 2003
Meridian was well-represented in the Mississippi Women's Golf Association's state amateur tournament at Beau Pre' Country Club in Natchez this week.
Making the championship flight from Meridian were Pam Posey, Lou Hart, and Leigh Phillips.
Phillips, 16, knocked off nine-time state am winner Hart 4-and-3 in the first round of match play. Phillips lost 4-and-3 to Alexis Rather, 18, of Tupelo in the quarterfinals.
Posey also reached the quarterfinals before losing 3-and-2 to nine-time champion Cissye Gallagher.
Rather redeemed herself from last week's playoff loss to Amanda Mathis in the MWGA Girls Junior state am at Briarwood Country Club with a 3-and-2 semifinal win over Mathis.
Rather and Renee Chastain, a former Mississippi State golfer, met in Thursday's title match.
Hart rebounded from her loss to Phillips to reach the first flight consolation finals with Peggy Benandi.
Cathy McFerrin of Meridian advanced to the championship round of the third flight where she was to play Amanda Bayles.
Seniors hop around Rabbit
Some 110 golfers participated in the Mississippi Senior Olympics Golf Tournament at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club at Choctaw on Monday.
Ken Graeber's 71 led all golfers playing from the longer tees, while Ron Hegwood's 69 was low from the red tees.
Softball stars at Decatur
Don't forget the MAC/Rush Sports Medicine All-Star Softball Games Saturday at Decatur. The fast-pitch doubleheader is set for noon with the slow-pitch best-of-three series to get under way at 5 p.m. All of the games will be played at Newton County High School.
MAC Clinic, all-stars near
The annual Mississippi Association of Coaches Multi-Sports Clinic will be held July 16-18 in Jackson. The clinic will be at the Hilton Hotel at County Line Road.
The Hall of Fame Banquet will be July 11 at the same Hilton. Inductees include former Noxubee County girls' basketball coach Narvel Colemon, along with former Meridian High head football coach Bob Tyler.
The 39th-annual girls' and 49th-annual boys' Mississippi all-star basketball games will be July 17 at Mississippi College's A.E. Wood Coliseum. One of the South girls' coaches is former West Lauderdale Lady Knights' coach Wayne Fortenberry of Purvis. The girls' game is at 6:30 p.m. with the boys to follow.
The 54th-annual Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic is slated for July 18 at Madison Central High School. Coaches include M.C. Miller (head) and M.C. Taylor of Noxubee County for the North and Todd Mangum and Marcus Boyles (head) of Class 5A state champion Wayne County for the South. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. with tickets $5.
The eighth-annual all-star tennis tournament will also be July 18 at 1 p.m. at Parham Bridges Tennis Center in Jackson. Admission to the tennis matches is free.
On the links
Decatur Country Club will host a night golf tournament Saturday. The two-person scramble will have nine holes before dark and nine holes after dark. Entry fee is $60 per team.
Union Golf Club will host a two-person select tournament this weekend. Entry fee is $30 per person.
Philadelphia Country Club is hosting a two-person scramble this weekend. The fee for playing in the Greens Fund Tournament is $40 per person. PCC is redoing many of its original greens this summer.
Northwood Country Club will have its big match-play tournament next week with the Bill Davis Fourth of July Tournament. It begins on Thursday and runs through Sunday.
The annual Briarwood Ladies Invitational is set for July 11-12 at Briarwood Country Club.
The 13th-annual Newton Country Club Four-Ball is slated for July 12-13.
Philadelphia Country Club is tentatively scheduling a two-person scramble night tournament for July 11.
The Mississippi Golf Association boys' Junior Amateur is scheduled for July 28-30 at the Mississippi State University Golf Course at Starkville.
The Mississippi Golf Association State Match Play Tournament is slated for July 31-Aug. 3 at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club at Choctaw.
On the diamond
Meridian will host the 12-under B division and the 14-under B division of the ASA Junior Olympic state slow-pitch tournaments, July 11-13.
Ridgeland will host the ASA 10-under B division and the 16-under B division national tournaments later this summer.
Columbus (12-under and 14-under slow-pitch) and Tupelo (10-under A division fast-pitch) are hosting ASA regional tournaments.