Kendall Earp left the door open with one wild drive Friday, but she closed it in plenty of time to win the state's premier women's stroke play golf tournament.

Earp, who trailed by one stroke going into the final round, took the lead after the first hole and shot a 5-over 77 to win the Arkansas State Golf Association's Stroke Play Championship by two strokes at Chenal Country Club's Bear Den Course.

Second-round leader Nora Phillips made a late charge after falling back early to take second.

But it was third-place finisher Madison Talley, a Kansas State sophomore from Clarksville, who had a chance to close the gap midway through the back nine until a quick turn of events on the 14th hole.

Talley finished five shots back in third after shooting a 4-over 76, but she was well-positioned to cut into Earp's five-shot lead on No. 14 when Earp couldn't cut the dogleg and ended up in the trees.

Talley's approach found the green on the par-4 hole. Earp reached the green in three after punching out from the woods, but what could have been a two-shot swing ended with Talley three-putting and not gaining any ground after Earp's two-putt bogey.

Earp had enough at the end to secure her first ASGA title.

"I think I was pretty consistent today," said Earp, who is from Arkadelphia and finished second this spring in the Great American Conference Tournament for team-champion Henderson State. "The main mind-set coming in was pay attention to my game and my score and not necessarily the other girls. The only thing I can control is my swing and what I do."

Phillips, of Hot Springs, lost her overnight lead after a double bogey and three consecutive bogeys on her first four holes led to a three-shot deficit to Earp, which grew to as much as six shots after 13 holes. A birdie at the par-5 15th and a par at the par-3 17th trimmed it to the final margin.

"I couldn't figure out my driver and my approach shots I choked because I didn't know how far I was hitting it," said Phillips, who finished with with 8-over 80. "I finally figured it out on the 15th."

Talley, who made three birdies in her round, two more than her playing partners, said not gaining ground on the 14th hurt her chances but that inconsistency on the greens was too much to overcome.

"Down the stretch my putting just wasn't accurate because I three-putted twice," she said. "Mainly today, the bogeys outweighed the birdies and pars."

Talley's round began with a birdie, but she bogeyed four of her next five holes and made the turn at No. 9 trailing Earp by six shots. Talley's 30-foot birdie putt on the 12th pulled her to within five before the 14th, where Earp came out unscathed.

"At the beginning I struggled, missing four out of five greens but got up and down three times," Earp said. "I am used to having a coach or somebody out there every three holes, but it was just me out there today. It was different, but it was exciting."

Julie Oxendine of Russellville, the 2013 state match play champion, shot a 7-over 79 and finished eight strokes behind Earp at 18 over. Kirsten Garner of Hot Springs was fifth at 22 over after a 75.

Sports on 06/14/2014