43rd Annual Georgia - South Carolina Team Matches
July 20-21, 2018
The Landings Club | Savannah, GA

South Carolina Team Takes Lead Over Georgia After Day One

Savannah, GA – The first round of the 43^rd annual Georgia-South Carolina Junior Team Matches went in favor of the guest team as the S.C. squad won six of eight matches at Deer Creek course of The Landings Club.  The players experienced soggy conditions as recent rains have amounted to more than eight inches of accumulation in less than a week, including nearly two inches overnight.  However, the Fazio design was in great condition for the 2018 version of the longest running interstate junior matches in the country.

The lead-off match featured Carlos Garre taking an early three up lead over Takafumi Shimoji in the first four holes.  By the time the duo made the turn, the match was all square after some solid play by Shimoji.  The match ended up being the only one that made it to the 18^th hole and ended just as it did on the front, All Square.  Drayton Stewart also charged out to an early lead and never let off the gas, defeating Will Stakel 6&5 on the 13^th hole.  Eli Scott, returned the favor for team Georgia, taking down Keegan Vaugh 6&4 and earning a point for the home squad.

From that point on, team South Carolina had some good play and some good breaks as the next five matches went in their favor.  Brandon Masters, Dillon Hite, Trey Crenshaw, Connor Fahey and SCGA Junior Champion Daniel Azallion all won their matches and the first round ended with South Carolina earning six and a half points to Georgia’s one and a half. 

Forty-three years ago, Pete Cox of the Georgia State Golf Association and Charles Rountree, Jr. of the South Carolina Golf Association formalized the idea of the GA - SC team matches. The winning team has their victory inscribed on the beautiful Rountree - Cox trophy that was donated by the Rountree family.  Every junior golfer that has participated in the 43-year-old competition will find his name on the trophy with his teammates.  The Georgia teams have produced 24 victories as compared to the 14 for the SC teams and four ties.  Last year’s event held at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, SC saw the South Carolina squad earn their first victory since 2009 in their home state.  There have been four consecutive ties when the matches have been contested in Georgia dating back to 2010.

Teams from both states were selected by accepting the top eight finishers at each state's Junior Championship.  Friday's matches started at 8:00 a.m. and will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. It should also be noted that the Carolina’s Golf Course Superintendents Association, the Georgia Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association, and Titleist are proud supporters of the Georgia- South Carolina Junior Challenge Matches.

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Format: USGA rules apply at individual match play that produces one point per match. Ties provide a half point for each team. There are 16 possible points for the event.  

Eligibility: The top eight junior golfers from the South Carolina Golf Association’s Junior Championship and Georgia State Golf Association’s Junior Championship.

First Round Results

Round Two Matches