SOUTHERN JUNIOR CUP

Alabama puts on show of strength

Alabama golfers won the fifth Southern Junior Cup competition with a dominant performance in singles play on Friday at Country Club of Little Rock.

Alabama, a first-time entrant, won 10½ of a possible 12 singles points to run away with the four-team event that follows a Ryder Cup-style format.

Southern Junior Cup

• Results from Friday’s final round of the Southern Junior Cup at the Country Club of Little Rock:

SINGLES

GIRLS

Presley Baggett, Miss. halved Mychael O’Berry, Ala.

Michaela Morard, Ala. def. Stephanie Leake, Ark., 7 and 6

Olivia Sobaski, Mo. def. Anne Carrie Swoope, Miss., 5 and 3

Allie Weiner, Ark. def. Samantha Cornelius, Mo., 4 and 2

Sydney Staton, Ark. def. Lauren Plunkett, Mo., 5 and 4

Sophie Burks, Ala. def. Avery Pool, Miss., 4 and 3

Ally Williams, Ala. def. Josie Roberson, Ark., 6 and 5

Riley Mayhew, Miss. def. Hannah Bakalekos, Ark., 5 and 3

Virginia Green, Ala. def. Emma Solovis, Mo., 5 and 4

Amber Wilson, Mo. def. Tristan Cooley, Miss., 3 and 2

Micheala Williams, Ala., def. Mikala Jungmeyer, Mo., 10 and 8

Karley Whittington, Miss., def. Olivia Parker, Ark., 3 and 2

BOYS

Ike Alexander, Ala. def. Jackson Wedgeworth, Miss., 3 and 1

J.P. Cave, Ala., def. Pete Carroll, Ark., 1 up

Gabe Trowbridge, Mo., def. Will Marble, Miss., 5 and 3

Jackson Marseilles, Ark. halved Brian Whitson, Mo.

Luke Long, Ark., def. Jack Litzelfelner, Mo., 2 and 1

Connor Doyal, Ala. def. Jacob Berry, Miss., 3 and 1

Austin Coggin, Ala. def. Connor Gaunt, Ark., 4 and 2

Trey DePriest, Ark. halved Cameron Clarke, Miss.

Walter Kesterson, Mo. def. Ben Fuller, Ala., 2 and 1

Austin Hoerstkamp, Mo. def. Cole Baggett, Miss., 4 and 2

John Racciatti Jr., Ala. def. Chris Ober, Mo., 2 up

Ryan Spurlock, Ark. def. Benjamin Nelson, Miss., 2 and 1

FRIDAY’S TOTALS Alabama 10 ½, Missouri 5 ½, Arkansas 5, Mississsippi 3

OVERALL TOTALS Alabama 19 ½, Missouri 11 ½, Arkansas 10, Mississippi 7

NOTES Alabama wins the 2016 Southern Junior Cup. The 2017 Cup will be played in Mississippi at a site to be determined.

Alabama finished with a two-day total of 19½ points. Missouri (11½) was second, followed by Arkansas (10) and Mississippi (7).

The Alabama girls won 5½ of 6 points, sparked by Micheala Williams' 10-and-8 rout of Missouri's Mikala Jungmeyer's and Michaela Morad's 7-and-6 victory over Arkansas' Stephanie Leake. Alabama's boys didn't let up either, winning five of their six matches.

"Alabama played great. They have great players," Arkansas captain Bryant Fortin said. "We were happy to have them here for the first time. It looks like we're going have to chase them next year."

Morad, a 14-year-old freshman at Randolph High School, orally committed to play golf at Alabama in May. She finished second to Williams by a stroke at the Alabama Golf Association's Junior Championship in June before becoming the state's youngest champion when she defeated a field of 50 in the AGA's State Championship in late July.

"We've got a lot of good players on this team," Morad said. "I just love playing the game. It's not life or death and I really don't feel a lot of pressure."

Leake, who will attend Hendrix College in the fall, came away impressed.

"She was very on and really gave me very few chances," she said. "I couldn't get my irons close enough, but she made a lot of putts."

The two-day event started with four-ball and foursome competition on Thursday and ended with singles matches Friday.

Maumelle's Allie Weiner (4 and 2) and Fort Smith's Sydney Staton (5 and 4) gave the Arkansas girls their only points Friday. Staton's victory capped a 3-0 tournament for her in which she teamed with Luke Long to win Thursday morning's four-ball match, then came back in the afternoon to team with Cabot's Connor Gaunt to win a foursome point.

Long gave the Arkansas boys one of their three singles points Friday with a 2-and-1 victory over Missouri's Jack Litzelfelner. The victory concluded the junior career for Long, who had a 3-up lead early in the match before holding on. It was also the last junior tournament for Maumelle's Ryan Spurlock, who won his match 2 and 1 over Mississippi's Benjamin Nelson.

Spurlock, starting on the back nine, led 2 up after nearly chipping in for eagle at the par-5 18th before experiencing putting woes on the front side. Spurlock, an Arkansas Tech freshman, had his lead cut to one but had a chance to go back to 2 up. He three-putted the par-3 sixth, and Nelson saved bogey after his tee shot plugged in the deep rough beside the green.

They halved the par-5 seventh when Nelson missed a short birdie putt, Spurlock was safely on the green in two on the par-4 eighth. Nelson's par attempt missed, before he conceded Spurlock's putt to end the match. The victory also kept Spurlock perfect for the tournament. He teamed with Sherwood's Hannah Bakalekos for a four-ball point, and then with Maumelle's Josie Roberson to win in foursomes Thursday.

"It felt really good to go 3 and 0 for this team," Spurlock said. "It was definitely a good way to end my junior career. I couldn't have asked for anything different."

The Arkansas boys got halves from Harrison's Jackson Marseilles and Lake City's Trey DePriest. DePriest was 4 down after 13 holes to Mississippi's Cameron Clarke before rallying on the next four holes with 2 birdies and 2 pars to draw all-square. Both players made par at the ninth to halve the match.

"I just stayed positive out there," DePriest said. "I knew I was playing decent. It was just a matter of putting some kind of run of holes together. Glad to get the half there."

Sports on 08/06/2016

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