Phil Mickelson rallied from six shots behind to win for the fourth time at Pebble Beach, a final round made even more memorable by the guy in a red shirt who was among the first to congratulate him Sunday on the 18th green.Shortly after Dori Carter sank the putt that clinched two championships Thursday, she remarked to her teammates, “I can’t believe it. I just gave away a 66.”
Then Kenneth Stackhouse, father of another Georgia team member, Mariah Stackhouse, reminded Carter of this simple truth: “There will be many other opportunities to shoot 66. You just won a national championship, and those don’t come around very often.”
Carter smiled and nodded in agreement.
Led by Carter’s final-round 3-under 69 – which came despite three consecutive bogeys to finish the round – Georgia won the United States Golf Association’s Women’s State Team Championship at Sycamore Hills.
Georgia’s three-day total of 4 over bested Alabama by nine strokes and Hawaii by 11. The competition included three-person teams from 48 states and the District of Columbia, with the top two scores from each team counting each round.
Carter’s total of 2 under, which included two 69s, gave her medalist honors. South Carolina’s Dawn Woodard finished at par, including a final-round 68, while Mississippi’s Virginia Grimes placed third at 2 over, with a final-round 75.
Tying for fourth place at 4 over were Maryland’s Kaitlyn Rohrback and Alabama’s Kathy Hartwiger, whose final-round 67 established a new competitive course record at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
“It hasn’t hit me yet. It’s an honor to be here, an honor to win this tournament, as a team most importantly but as an individual, too, is great. I’m just ready to celebrate,” said Carter, 22, who recently finished her golf career at the University of Mississippi and will turn pro soon.
She was looking to beat her personal best of 65 heading onto the 16th green at 6 under, but then rimmed a 7-foot par putt. On the 17th, she missed a 6-footer for par. On the par-4 18th, her bogey came after a tee shot that went into a water hazard in the left rough.
“It was intense coming in. I think I was more nervous that I was 6-under par, not necessarily because we were in contention,” Carter said. “I learned a lot. It was a good experience. And we still won.”
While Carter faltered down the stretch, 15-year-old Mariah Stackhouse surged. After triple-bogeying the par-3 fourth hole, she went 6 under on the final 12 holes to finish off a 70 and wind up in a tie for sixth place at 6 over.
“When you’re playing like that, it’s just easy to keep the pace going,” Stackhouse said. “I didn’t get too nervous after that, and I was just able to keep it going. My dad (and caddie) had me laughing, telling jokes. It was all good.”
In addition to Hartwiger’s performance, Alabama also got a final-round 77 from Jordan Hardy, who was 5 over for the tournament.
Hawaii’s Xyra Suyetsugu had a 73 to finish at 1 over, while 14-year-old Kacie Komoto had a 74 to finish at 2 over.
Indiana tied for 14th, with Julie Carmichael of Indianapolis shooting a 73 to finish at 1 over, Nina Whalen of Indianapolis posting a 76 to finish at 4 over and Kristi Piepenbrink of Greenwood carding an 80 to finish at 8 over.
